EARTHQUAKE

Geoscience Australia earthquake seismologist Dr Trevor Allen answers ABC News Online's questions about how earthquakes work and why they are causing so much chaos in the New Zealand city of Christchurch.

On February 22, 2011 a shallow 6.3-magnitude quake ripped through Christchurch, killing at least 75 people and leaving as many as 300 others missing. The city was only just getting back on its feet after experiencing an even stronger 7.0-magnitude quake on September 4, 2010.
Q. What is an earthquake and how does it occur?
A. What is happening under the Earth's crust is that the tectonic plates are moving continuously. What this does is it actually puts stress on the rocks, both on the boundaries of these tectonic plates and internally within the plates themselves. So once the stress becomes so great in the rocks, the rocks actually break and essentially that's what causes an earthquake. They tend to break along the weakest part of the rocks, which is generally a pre-existing fault line.
Q. Are there different types of earthquakes?
A. The one that happened yesterday beneath Christchurch (February 22, 2011) is what we call a shallow crustal earthquake. Those earthquakes generally occur beneath land and are generally quite shallow, less than 20 kilometres deep. They're the ones that produce the biggest impact on society and the ones that we are worried most about. Haiti was also one.
Other earthquakes we have are subduction zone earthquakes. This is where one tectonic plate subducts beneath another tectonic plate. That is actually the case at the start of the North Island in New Zealand and also in the South Island, there are two subduction zones there. They generate the largest earthquakes that we see and that is also similar to the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, where we had a magnitude 9 earthquake off Sumatra. Recently, New Zealand has experienced much larger earthquakes but they've been in the subduction zones which are generally offshore. So because they're offshore, they're a reasonable distance from population so they tend not to do as much damage to built environment.
Within those earthquakes we have plate boundary earthquakes and we also have intraplate earthquakes, which are the ones that occur in Australia. They're earthquakes that are generally less frequent, but places like Australia still do generate these large earthquakes because there are internal forces at work inside the tectonic plates. These quakes are much less frequent than the ones on plate boundaries such as New Zealand.
Q. What are the different causes?
A. The ones in New Zealand are due to plate boundary forces. You can also get earthquakes that are generated by volcanic activity.
Q. What is the difference between an earthquake and an aftershock?
A. There is no difference. Probably the only difference is that aftershocks generally tend to occur on a faulted surface that has ruptured recently. All of the aftershocks that are occurring at the moment in Christchurch are essentially occurring on the fault surface that ruptured yesterday, so it's generally not rupturing new rock or new pieces of rock. They're more adjustment earthquakes, so the Earth is essentially resettling into its preferred state. As it resettles it is causing these smaller earthquakes.
We don't think yesterday's earthquake in New Zealand is an aftershock from September's in that it looks to have ruptured a different section of either the same fault that ruptured in September or a fault plane that is adjacent, but very near to the one that ruptured in September. The two earthquakes are definitely related, but this is a new rupture on a different part of the fault.
Q. How long do aftershocks last for?
A. Every earthquake is different. Some earthquakes you may not get any aftershocks, but from the September earthquake we noticed there was a very long aftershock sequence and they will probably still continue for up to another 12 months. We would expect to see a similar sort of pattern emerging from the earthquake we saw yesterday. But they will diminish with the magnitude and frequency of occurrence over time.
Q. What are some common misconceptions people have about earthquakes?
A. One is that they only occur on plate boundaries. We know that in Australia we are certainly not located on a plate boundary, yet we have observed earthquakes as large or larger than the one that occurred in Christchurch yesterday. In 1988 we had three large earthquakes in one day just near Tennant Creek in the Northern Territory. They ranged from magnitude 6.1, 6.3 and 6.7. Thankfully there was no large population exposure or no large communities nearby, so essentially there was no damage from this earthquake, but it demonstrates that we can have large earthquakes in Australia.
Another misnomer being perpetuated at the moment is that a lot of people think that because of all these large earthquakes that have been occurring lately, particularly in 2010, that we are seeing more frequent large earthquakes. But the truth is that these are just part of the earth's natural processes. It just so happens that they seem to be falling in places where there are lots of people. We might see spikes in the earthquake activity over particular periods, but we might also see times of quiescence where we don't see much activity.
Q. Do earthquakes happen around the world on a daily basis?
A. Yes they do. On average you're looking at at least five to six earthquakes greater than magnitude 5 a day, and we generally see two to three earthquakes magnitude 6 or greater per week. A lot of these are offshore in subduction zones and because they're a reasonable distance away from populated areas they don't get the news coverage that the ones such as Christchurch get.
Q. What made the February 22 Christchurch quake so destructive?
A. We all know that the magnitude of the September quake was much larger. We have been asked a lot why that earthquake didn't generate as much damage. The thing is that because that quake was much larger, the area of ground shaking was also much larger. However, it occurred in a relatively remote area, not a lot of people living in the area where it occurred, not very dense exposure I would say, whereas for yesterday's earthquake the magnitude was smaller, the area of maximum ground shaking was also smaller, but that area of maximum ground shaking was almost a direct hit on the city of Christchurch, so that's why we are seeing so much damage. It is really a function of the earthquake's location.
A lot of the buildings in Christchurch also had pre-existing damage from September's earthquake and I guess because it is such a large job to go around and fix all of these damages, a lot of the buildings were more vulnerable to the ground shaking form yesterday's earthquake.
Q. How does it compare to previous quakes in the region?
A. I suppose it is still unravelling in terms of how bad this quake actually is. The most deadly earthquake historically in New Zealand actually occurred in 1931, that killed about 230 people in the city of Napier. Economically speaking it probably is the worst earthquake that has struck the region, but in terms of fatalities it is yet to be seen.
Q. Is there any way of knowing whether this pattern in Christchurch will continue?
A. New Zealand overall does experience frequent large earthquakes and I guess as a seismologist it is our job to try and understand what the likelihood of particular faults are to rupture. Unfortunately the tectonics of New Zealand are so complex that we just can't identify every single fault. For example the one that occurred in September, we didn't know the fault existed prior to the earthquake, so it makes the job very difficult.
In the Christchurch area we will expect to see aftershocks from this earthquake. There is maybe a small likelihood that another large earthquake could be generated. It's not unusual that following a lager earthquake it might trigger another quake on an adjacent or a joining fault line. By moving one piece of rock you're putting pressure on other bits of rock further away.
Q. How long will it take to rebuild from an earthquake of this scale?
A. I think Kiwis in general are fairly resilient and I think they'll bounce back from this. In terms of how long it will take them to rebuild the city ... it's going be at least 12 months before the city is functioning as it was. There are going to be ongoing issues with the soil liquefaction, so you can design very strong buildings to withstand earthquakes but it is only as strong as the foundation it is built on.
Q. What are the chances of a similar series of quakes striking Australia?
A. The chances of something of that scale occurring in Australia are much, much lower than they are in New Zealand. Because we are sitting in the middle of a tectonic plate we don't have those plate boundary forces putting stress on the rocks within the continent. So we generally don't experience as frequent earthquake activity, but it is a very large country and we essentially could have an earthquake of that magnitude anywhere in the country.

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Posted in: International,SPECIAL NEWS,WORLD NEWS

Bahrain’s army controls capital, bans protests

The island nation was effectively shut down since workers in the capital could not pass checkpoints or were too scared to venture out. Banks and other key institutions did not open

Army patrols and tanks locked down the capital of this tiny Gulf kingdom after riot police swinging clubs and firing tear gas smashed into demonstrators, many of them sleeping, in a pre—dawn assault on Thursday that uprooted their protest camp demanding political change. Medical officials said four people were killed.

Hours after the attack on Manama’s main Pearl Square, the military announced a ban on gatherings, saying on state TV that it had “key parts” of the capital under its control.

After several days of holding back, the island nation’s Sunni rulers unleashed a heavy crackdown, trying to stamp out the first anti—government upheaval to reach the Arab states of the Gulf since the uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt. The move was a sign of how deeply the Sunni monarchy -- and other Arab regimes in the Gulf -- fear the repercussions of a prolonged wave of protests, led by members of the country’s Shia majority.

Tiny Bahrain is a pillar of Washington’s military framework in the region. It hosts the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, which is a critical counterbalance to Iran. Bahrain’s rulers and their Arab allies depict any sign of unrest among their Shia populations as a move by neighboring Shia—majority Iran to expand its clout in the region.

But the assault may only further enflame protesters. In the wake of the bloodshed, angry demonstrators chanted “the regime must go” and burned pictures of King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa outside the emergency ward at Salmaniyah hospital, the main state medical facility.

The hospital was thrown into chaos by a stream of dozens of wounded from Pearl Square with gaping wounds, broken bones and respiratory problems from tear gas. Men and women lay in shock on stretchers, heads bleeding, arms in casts, faces bruised as they were shuttled around by nurses. At the entrance, women wrapped in black robes embraced each other and wept.

The capital Manama was effectively shut down Thursday. For the first time in the crisis, tanks and military checkpoints were deployed in the streets and army patrols circulated. The Interior Ministry warned Bahrainis to stay off the streets. Banks and other key institutions did not open, and workers stayed home, unable or to afraid to pass through checkpoints to get to their jobs.

Barbed wire and police cars with flashing blue lights encircled Pearl Square, the site of anti—government rallies since Monday. The square was turned into a field of flattened protest tents and the strewn belongings of the protesters who had camped there -- pieces of clothing and boxes of food. Banners lay trampled on the ground, littered with broken glass, tear gas canisters and debris. A body covered in a white sheet lay in a pool of blood on the side of a road about 20 yards from the landmark square.

Demonstrators had been camping out for days around the square’s 300-foot (90—metre) monument featuring a giant pearl, a testament to the island’s pearl—diving past.

The protesters’ demands have two main objectives- force the ruling Sunni monarchy to give up its control over top government posts and all critical decisions, and address deep grievances held by the country’s majority Shias who make up 70 percent of Bahrain’s 500,000 citizens but claim they face systematic discrimination and are effectively blocked from key roles in public service and the military.

The assault came early Thursday with little warning, demonstrators said. Police surrounded the square and then quickly moved in- Some lined up on a bridge overhead, pumping down volleys of tear gas, as others waded into the camp, knocking down tents and swinging truncheons at those inside.

“We yelled, ‘We are peaceful! Peaceful!’ The women and children were attacked just like the rest of us,” said protester Mahmoud Mansouri. “They moved in as soon as the media left us. They knew what they’re doing.”

Dr. Sadek Al—Ikri, 44, said he was tending to sick protesters at a makeshift medical tent in the square when the police stormed in. He said he was tied up and severely beaten, then thrown on a bus with others.

“They were beating me so hard I could no longer see. There was so much blood running from my head,” he said. “I was yelling, ‘I’m a doctor. I’m a doctor.’ But they didn’t stop.”

He said the police beating him spoke Urdu, the main language of Pakistan. A pillar of the protest demands is to end the Sunni regime’s practice of giving citizenship to other Sunnis from around the region to try to offset the demographic strength of Shia. Many of the new Bahrainis are given security posts.

Al—Ikri said he and others on the bus were left on a highway overpass, but the beatings didn’t stop. Eventually, the doctor said he fainted but could hear another police official say in Arabic- “Stop beating him. He’s dead. We should just leave him here.”

Many families were separated in the chaos. An Associated Press photographer saw police rounding up lost children and taking them into vehicles.

Hussein Abbas, 22, was awakened by a missed call on his cell phone from his wife, presumably trying to warn him about reports that police were preparing to move in.

“Then all of a sudden the square was filled with tear gas clouds. Our women were screaming. ... What kind of ruler does this to his people? There were women and children with us!”

ABC News said its correspondent, Miguel Marquez, was caught in the crowd and beaten by men with billy clubs, although he was not badly injured.

The violence killed four people, said hospital officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to the media.

Bahrain’s parliament -- minus opposition lawmakers who are staging a boycott -- met in emergency session. One pro—government member, Jamila Salman, broke into tears. A leader of the Shia opposition Abdul—Jalil Khalil said 18 parliament members also have resigned to protest the killings.

Hours before police moved in, the mood in the makeshift tent city was festive and confident.

People sipped tea, ate donated food and smoked apple-and grape-flavored tobacco from water pipes. The men and women mainly sat separately -- the women a sea of black in their traditional dress. Some youths wore the red—and—white Bahraini flag as a cape.

While the protests began as a cry for the country’s Sunni monarchy to loosen its grip, the uprising’s demands have steadily grown bolder. Many protesters called for the government to provide more jobs and better housing, free all political detainees and abolish the system that offers Bahraini citizenship to Sunnis from around the Middle East.

Increasingly, protesters also chanted slogans to wipe away the entire ruling dynasty that has led Bahrain for more than 200 years and is firmly backed by the Sunni sheiks and monarchs across the Gulf.

The stability of Bahrain’s government is seen as crucial by its other allies in the Gulf, who -- though they rarely say it in public -- see Bahrain’s Shia majority as the weak link in their unity against Iranian influence.

Hard—liners in Iran have often expressed kinship and support for Bahrain’s Shias. But in Bahrain, the community staunchly denies being a tool of Tehran, saying their complaints are rooted in their country’s unbalanced system.

Although Bahrain is sandwiched between OPEC heavyweights Saudi Arabia and Qatar, it has limited oil resources and depends heavily on its role as a regional financial hub and playground for Saudis, who can drive over a causeway to enjoy Bahrain’s Western—style bars, hotels and beaches.

The unrest could threaten the opening next month of Formula One racing, one of the centerpieces of Bahrain’s claims for international prestige. The GP2 Asia Series race, due to start Friday on the same circuit used by Formula One, was called off at the request of the Bahrain Motorsport Federation “due to force majeure,” race organizers announced Thursday.

The pre—dawn violence brought embarrassing new criticism from Europe, on top of condemnations that came after two protesters were killed in clashes Monday. Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague condemned the new violence and urged Bahraini authorities to show restraint. The Europen Union foreign affairs chief, Catherine Ashton, “deplored” the deaths and urged Bahrain to respect “the fundamental rights of their citizens.”

Shias have risen up in protests in past years -- and as recently as last summer -- at times met with heavy crackdowns. The latest wave has been encouraged by the Arab political revolts across the region that toppled the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia. But the underlying factors, particularly Shia grievances against the Sunni elite, have torn at Bahrain for decades and the rifts are likely to grow deeper after the attack.

Social networking websites had been abuzz Wednesday with calls to press ahead with the protests. They were matched by insults from presumed government backers who called the demonstrators traitors and agents of Iran.

The protest movement’s next move is unclear.

Before the attack on the square, protesters had called for major rallies after Friday prayers. The reported deaths, however, could become a fresh rallying point. Thousands of mourners had turned out for the funeral processions of two other people killed in the protests earlier in the week.

After prayers Wednesday evening, a Shia imam in the square had urged Bahrain’s youth not to back down.

“This square is a trust in your hands and so will you whittle away this trust or keep fast?” the imam said. “So be careful and be concerned for your country and remember that the regime will try to rip this country from your hand but if we must leave it in coffins then so be it!”

Across the city, government supporters in a caravan of cars waved national flags and displayed portraits of the king.

“Come join us!” they yelled into markets and along busy streets. “Show your loyalty.”

Thousands of mourners turned out Wednesday for the funeral procession of 31—year—old Fadhel al—Matrook, one of two people killed Monday in the protests. Later, in Pearl Square, his father Salman pleaded with protesters not to give up.

“He is not only my son. He is the son of Bahrain, the son of this nation,” he yelled. “His blood shouldn’t be wasted.”

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Posted in: WORLD NEWS

Joanna Yeates murder: police 'holding secrets of architect's killing', father says

The father of Joanna Yeates said he believed the police knew far more than they were letting on as they launched a murder investigation into his daughter’s death. 

Delayed post-mortem results showed that the 25-year-old architect had been strangled before her body was dumped in a country lane in Bristol.

David Yeates said he was worried that her killer would never hand themselves in and added that the family had always feared she had been murdered.

Miss Yeates went missing on Dec 17 and her fully clothed body was found on Christmas Day.

Avon and Somerset Police said they did not believe there was an increased risk to the public, but added that they had received calls from several women since the disappearance.

Asked if Miss Yeates’s boyfriend Greg Reardon was under suspicion Det Chief Insp Phil Jones said: "He is a witness." 
Details of how Miss Yeates died were delayed until Tuesday because her body had been frozen by heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures.
On Tuesday, more than 70 officers continued searching the woodland where she was found, Durnford quarry nearby and the flat she shared with Mr Reardon.
Detectives are also trawling through hours of CCTV footage in the hope of capturing Miss Yeates with her killer.
They believe her body had been dumped several days before she was found, and they focused their appeals for information on the first three days she was missing.
Her 63-year-old father and 58-year-old mother, Theresa, travelled on Monday from their home in Hampshire to formally identify their daughter’s body but returned home on Tuesday.
Speaking from their home in Ampfield, Mr Yeates said: “We are sure the police know more about what happened than they are telling us but at the moment we are not questioning them because we feel they are doing their best.
“I fear that whoever has done this will never hand themselves in but we live in hope that the police will catch who is responsible.
“Hearing Jo had been murdered was not a surprise because we had been told to prepare for the worst.”
Mr Yeates, who works in IT, said the family felt a sense of relief when they saw the body.
“Things were made just that little bit less terrible when we saw Jo’s body yesterday.
“It was a relief to see her again - we just said: 'Welcome back.
“Last week was the worst of our lives and we are hoping that we will never have to go through anything like this again.”
Miss Yeates’s body, which bore no other significant signs of injury other than compression of the neck, is being held by the police.
Her father said they were keen to arrange her funeral but had been told her body would not be released “for a while”.
Further details emerged last night about Miss Yeates’s last known movements before she disappeared on December 17.
She had met friends at the Ram pub in Bristol city centre before leaving them at 8pm and walking to Waitrose and onto Tesco, where she bought a pizza.
Police said she also stopped at Bargain Booze, close to Tesco, where it is understood she bought a £2 bottle of cider.
She was last seen alive at 8.40pm before she returned to her flat on Canynge Road, where she had recently moved with Mr Reardon.
He raised the alarm about her disappearance on Dec 19 when he returned from a weekend visiting his half-brother in Sheffield and realised she had vanished.
Miss Yeates’s purse, bank cards, keys, mobile phone and coat had all been left in the flat, along with a receipt for the pizza, which was missing.
It is understood that there were no signs of a struggle in the flat. Although Miss Yeates was found fully clothed, sexual assault has not been ruled out.

 

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Posted in: International,WORLD NEWS

Joanna Yeates murder: police 'holding secrets of architect's killing', father says

The father of Joanna Yeates said he believed the police knew far more than they were letting on as they launched a murder investigation into his daughter’s death. 

Delayed post-mortem results showed that the 25-year-old architect had been strangled before her body was dumped in a country lane in Bristol.

David Yeates said he was worried that her killer would never hand themselves in and added that the family had always feared she had been murdered.

Miss Yeates went missing on Dec 17 and her fully clothed body was found on Christmas Day.

Avon and Somerset Police said they did not believe there was an increased risk to the public, but added that they had received calls from several women since the disappearance.

Asked if Miss Yeates’s boyfriend Greg Reardon was under suspicion Det Chief Insp Phil Jones said: "He is a witness." 
Details of how Miss Yeates died were delayed until Tuesday because her body had been frozen by heavy snow and sub-zero temperatures.
On Tuesday, more than 70 officers continued searching the woodland where she was found, Durnford quarry nearby and the flat she shared with Mr Reardon.
Detectives are also trawling through hours of CCTV footage in the hope of capturing Miss Yeates with her killer.
They believe her body had been dumped several days before she was found, and they focused their appeals for information on the first three days she was missing.
Her 63-year-old father and 58-year-old mother, Theresa, travelled on Monday from their home in Hampshire to formally identify their daughter’s body but returned home on Tuesday.
Speaking from their home in Ampfield, Mr Yeates said: “We are sure the police know more about what happened than they are telling us but at the moment we are not questioning them because we feel they are doing their best.
“I fear that whoever has done this will never hand themselves in but we live in hope that the police will catch who is responsible.
“Hearing Jo had been murdered was not a surprise because we had been told to prepare for the worst.”
Mr Yeates, who works in IT, said the family felt a sense of relief when they saw the body.
“Things were made just that little bit less terrible when we saw Jo’s body yesterday.
“It was a relief to see her again - we just said: 'Welcome back.
“Last week was the worst of our lives and we are hoping that we will never have to go through anything like this again.”
Miss Yeates’s body, which bore no other significant signs of injury other than compression of the neck, is being held by the police.
Her father said they were keen to arrange her funeral but had been told her body would not be released “for a while”.
Further details emerged last night about Miss Yeates’s last known movements before she disappeared on December 17.
She had met friends at the Ram pub in Bristol city centre before leaving them at 8pm and walking to Waitrose and onto Tesco, where she bought a pizza.
Police said she also stopped at Bargain Booze, close to Tesco, where it is understood she bought a £2 bottle of cider.
She was last seen alive at 8.40pm before she returned to her flat on Canynge Road, where she had recently moved with Mr Reardon.
He raised the alarm about her disappearance on Dec 19 when he returned from a weekend visiting his half-brother in Sheffield and realised she had vanished.
Miss Yeates’s purse, bank cards, keys, mobile phone and coat had all been left in the flat, along with a receipt for the pizza, which was missing.
It is understood that there were no signs of a struggle in the flat. Although Miss Yeates was found fully clothed, sexual assault has not been ruled out.

 

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Posted in: International,WORLD NEWS

Chinese premier calls for cooperation with India

NEW DELHI — Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is calling for greater cooperation and a deeper friendship with India. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao offers floral tributes at the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi in New Delhi, India, Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010. During Wen's three-day visit to India, the two sides were expected to discuss their lingering border disputes, a growing trade imbalance and friction over India's role in Kashmir, the restive region that is also claimed by India's arch rival, Pakistan. (AP Photo/Gurinder Osan)

The neighbors have competed in recent years for influence around Asia. Lingering border disputes and a growing trade imbalance have added friction in their relationship.

Wen arrived in New Delhi on Wednesday on a three-day mission to build trust between the countries.

He told reporters Thursday that India and China had a long history of friendship and he hoped his visit would strengthen that bond.

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Posted in: MSN,WORLD NEWS

U.S. envoy Holbrooke dies

Veteran U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke, who was hospitalized for a torn aorta, has died in Washington, D.C.
Holbrooke, who was President Barack Obama's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, was 69.
He became ill and collapsed during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about mid-morning Friday, and was rushed to George Washington University Hospital. While doctors were said to have stabilized his condition during surgery on Saturday and another one on Sunday, he remained in critical condition and died on Monday.
A torn aorta is a rip in the inner wall of the body's largest artery, which allows blood to enter the vessel wall and weaken it. The result is serious internal bleeding, a loss of normal blood flow and possible complications in organs affected by the resulting lack of blood, according to medical experts. Without surgery it generally leads to rapid death.
On Monday evening, Clinton said Holbrooke was one of America's "fiercest champions and most dedicated public servants."
"Richard Holbrooke served the country he loved for nearly half a century, representing the United States in far-flung war zones and high-level peace talks, always with distinctive brilliance and unmatched determination," Clinton said in a statement Monday evening. "He was one of a kind — a true statesman — and that makes his passing all the more painful."
Holbrooke, who brokered the 1995 accord ending the war in the Balkans, also served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and to Germany and twice was assistant secretary of state.
His forceful style earned him nicknames such as "The Bulldozer" and "Raging Bull."
Holbrooke is survived by his wife, Kati Marton, and two sons from an earlier marriage.

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Posted in: International,WORLD NEWS

U.S. envoy Holbrooke dies

Veteran U.S. diplomat Richard Holbrooke, who was hospitalized for a torn aorta, has died in Washington, D.C.
Holbrooke, who was President Barack Obama's special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, was 69.
He became ill and collapsed during a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton about mid-morning Friday, and was rushed to George Washington University Hospital. While doctors were said to have stabilized his condition during surgery on Saturday and another one on Sunday, he remained in critical condition and died on Monday.
A torn aorta is a rip in the inner wall of the body's largest artery, which allows blood to enter the vessel wall and weaken it. The result is serious internal bleeding, a loss of normal blood flow and possible complications in organs affected by the resulting lack of blood, according to medical experts. Without surgery it generally leads to rapid death.
On Monday evening, Clinton said Holbrooke was one of America's "fiercest champions and most dedicated public servants."
"Richard Holbrooke served the country he loved for nearly half a century, representing the United States in far-flung war zones and high-level peace talks, always with distinctive brilliance and unmatched determination," Clinton said in a statement Monday evening. "He was one of a kind — a true statesman — and that makes his passing all the more painful."
Holbrooke, who brokered the 1995 accord ending the war in the Balkans, also served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and to Germany and twice was assistant secretary of state.
His forceful style earned him nicknames such as "The Bulldozer" and "Raging Bull."
Holbrooke is survived by his wife, Kati Marton, and two sons from an earlier marriage.

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Posted in: International,WORLD NEWS

U.S. Defence Secretary to visit China next month: report

U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates listens to testimony on Capitol Hill in Washington Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010, during the Senate Armed Services Committee's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy hearing. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
BEIJING — China says U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates will visit next month as the two militaries exchange high-level visits to boost communication following recent tensions.
The state-run Xinhua News Agency on Saturday cited a China military spokesman as saying Gates will visit Jan. 10-14. The report said Chen Bingde, chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army, will visit the United States next year at "a mutually convenient date."
Gates had planned to travel to China during an Asia visit earlier in the year but China declined to officially invite him at that time, when relations were strained over recent U.S. sales of defence items to self-ruled Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory.
Guan Youfei, deputy director of the foreign affairs office of China's national defence ministry, made the comments Friday during the 11th China-U.S. deputy ministerial-level meetings in Washington.
The U.S. military chief, Adm. Mike Mullen, on Thursday announced the exchange of visits with no specifics.
China suspended military-to-military contacts in January over the U.S. sale of $6.5 billion worth defence items to Taiwan. But ties have slowly improved over recent months, and Chinese Defence Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie met in October with Gates at a regional meeting of defence chiefs in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi.
Recent military talks between the two sides have touched on the tensions on the Korean peninsula, security in the South China Sea and nuclear issues relating to North Korea and Iran.
"One of the very difficult parts of the China-U.S. relationship right now is we have no military-to-military ties," Mullen, who is chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday. "I don't understand much about what they are doing and why they are doing it."

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Posted in: International,WORLD NEWS

U.S. Defence Secretary to visit China next month: report

U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates listens to testimony on Capitol Hill in Washington Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010, during the Senate Armed Services Committee's Don't Ask Don't Tell policy hearing. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
BEIJING — China says U.S. Defence Secretary Robert Gates will visit next month as the two militaries exchange high-level visits to boost communication following recent tensions.
The state-run Xinhua News Agency on Saturday cited a China military spokesman as saying Gates will visit Jan. 10-14. The report said Chen Bingde, chief of the general staff of the People's Liberation Army, will visit the United States next year at "a mutually convenient date."
Gates had planned to travel to China during an Asia visit earlier in the year but China declined to officially invite him at that time, when relations were strained over recent U.S. sales of defence items to self-ruled Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory.
Guan Youfei, deputy director of the foreign affairs office of China's national defence ministry, made the comments Friday during the 11th China-U.S. deputy ministerial-level meetings in Washington.
The U.S. military chief, Adm. Mike Mullen, on Thursday announced the exchange of visits with no specifics.
China suspended military-to-military contacts in January over the U.S. sale of $6.5 billion worth defence items to Taiwan. But ties have slowly improved over recent months, and Chinese Defence Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie met in October with Gates at a regional meeting of defence chiefs in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi.
Recent military talks between the two sides have touched on the tensions on the Korean peninsula, security in the South China Sea and nuclear issues relating to North Korea and Iran.
"One of the very difficult parts of the China-U.S. relationship right now is we have no military-to-military ties," Mullen, who is chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday. "I don't understand much about what they are doing and why they are doing it."

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Posted in: International,WORLD NEWS

N. Korea sends top diplomat to Russia amid tensions

Anti-war protesters shout slogans during a rally against South Korea's policy for North Korea in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea dispatched its top diplomat to Russia on Saturday amid a flurry of regional diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions over the North's deadly artillery attack on South Korea.
North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun left for Russia, the North's official Korean Central News Agency said in a one-sentence report. No details were given, but Pak accused South Korea and the United States on Friday of pursuing a policy of hostility and confrontation and reiterated that North Korea needs its nuclear program to fend them off.
"We once again feel convinced that we have made the right choice in strengthening our defences with the nuclear deterrent," he said, according to an interview with the Russian news agency Interfax.
The trip comes two days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Il met in Pyongyang with Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo, Beijing's top foreign policy official. The two reached consensus on the situation on the Korean peninsula during candid and in-depth talks, China's official Xinhua News Agency said, without elaborating.
It was not clear whether the two discussed the North's Nov. 23 artillery attack on a South Korean island near the Koreas' disputed western sea border. The barrage killed four South Koreans, including two civilians.
China has been under intense international pressure to use its diplomatic clout to rein in North Korea, its ally.
On Friday, China briefed South Korea on Dai's meeting with Kim through a diplomatic channel, a South Korean Foreign Ministry official said Saturday, noting that North Korea's position appeared to remain unchanged. He did not elaborate and asked not to be identified because of the issue's sensitivity.
Meanwhile, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is to visit North Korea this coming week, raising the prospect of a diplomatic resolution to the tensions. He is to depart from the U.S. on Tuesday.
The diplomatic troubleshooter has made regular visits to North Korea and has also hosted North Korean officials in New Mexico. He helped win the release of Americans held in North Korea in the 1990s and traveled to Pyongyang in 2007 to recover remains of U.S. servicemen killed in the Korean War.
The flurry of diplomacy comes as South Korean President Lee Myung-bak expressed optimism during a trip to Malaysia that the reunification of Korea is drawing near.
"North Korea now remains one of the most belligerent nations in the world," Lee said in an interview published Friday in The Star, a Malaysian newspaper. But, he added, it's a "fact that the two Koreas will have to coexist peacefully and, in the end, realize reunification."
In a speech Thursday night, Lee made similar remarks, saying North Koreans have become increasingly aware that the South is better off. He did not elaborate on how their knowledge has expanded, but said it was "an important change that no one can stop."
"Reunification is drawing near," Lee said, according to the president's website.
He also called on China to urge North Korea to embrace the same economic openness that has led millions of Chinese out of poverty -- and said that North Korean economic independence was the key to reunification.
Lee didn't give a specific timeframe for the reunification of the Korean peninsula, which was divided after the end of Japanese rule in 1945 and officially remains in a state of war because the Koreas' 1950-53 conflict ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
It wasn't clear why Lee was making a push for reunification now. South Korean leaders often call for a peaceful reunification with the North. There is in Seoul, however, a wariness of the huge social and economic costs associated with absorbing the impoverished North.
North Korea also has called repeatedly for reunification, but it imagines integration under its authoritarian political system. It has shown no sign that it would allow any reunification that results in its absorption by the richer South.

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Posted in: International,WORLD NEWS

N. Korea sends top diplomat to Russia amid tensions

Anti-war protesters shout slogans during a rally against South Korea's policy for North Korea in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea dispatched its top diplomat to Russia on Saturday amid a flurry of regional diplomatic efforts to defuse tensions over the North's deadly artillery attack on South Korea.
North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun left for Russia, the North's official Korean Central News Agency said in a one-sentence report. No details were given, but Pak accused South Korea and the United States on Friday of pursuing a policy of hostility and confrontation and reiterated that North Korea needs its nuclear program to fend them off.
"We once again feel convinced that we have made the right choice in strengthening our defences with the nuclear deterrent," he said, according to an interview with the Russian news agency Interfax.
The trip comes two days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Il met in Pyongyang with Chinese State Councilor Dai Bingguo, Beijing's top foreign policy official. The two reached consensus on the situation on the Korean peninsula during candid and in-depth talks, China's official Xinhua News Agency said, without elaborating.
It was not clear whether the two discussed the North's Nov. 23 artillery attack on a South Korean island near the Koreas' disputed western sea border. The barrage killed four South Koreans, including two civilians.
China has been under intense international pressure to use its diplomatic clout to rein in North Korea, its ally.
On Friday, China briefed South Korea on Dai's meeting with Kim through a diplomatic channel, a South Korean Foreign Ministry official said Saturday, noting that North Korea's position appeared to remain unchanged. He did not elaborate and asked not to be identified because of the issue's sensitivity.
Meanwhile, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is to visit North Korea this coming week, raising the prospect of a diplomatic resolution to the tensions. He is to depart from the U.S. on Tuesday.
The diplomatic troubleshooter has made regular visits to North Korea and has also hosted North Korean officials in New Mexico. He helped win the release of Americans held in North Korea in the 1990s and traveled to Pyongyang in 2007 to recover remains of U.S. servicemen killed in the Korean War.
The flurry of diplomacy comes as South Korean President Lee Myung-bak expressed optimism during a trip to Malaysia that the reunification of Korea is drawing near.
"North Korea now remains one of the most belligerent nations in the world," Lee said in an interview published Friday in The Star, a Malaysian newspaper. But, he added, it's a "fact that the two Koreas will have to coexist peacefully and, in the end, realize reunification."
In a speech Thursday night, Lee made similar remarks, saying North Koreans have become increasingly aware that the South is better off. He did not elaborate on how their knowledge has expanded, but said it was "an important change that no one can stop."
"Reunification is drawing near," Lee said, according to the president's website.
He also called on China to urge North Korea to embrace the same economic openness that has led millions of Chinese out of poverty -- and said that North Korean economic independence was the key to reunification.
Lee didn't give a specific timeframe for the reunification of the Korean peninsula, which was divided after the end of Japanese rule in 1945 and officially remains in a state of war because the Koreas' 1950-53 conflict ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty.
It wasn't clear why Lee was making a push for reunification now. South Korean leaders often call for a peaceful reunification with the North. There is in Seoul, however, a wariness of the huge social and economic costs associated with absorbing the impoverished North.
North Korea also has called repeatedly for reunification, but it imagines integration under its authoritarian political system. It has shown no sign that it would allow any reunification that results in its absorption by the richer South.

Read more »

Posted in: International,WORLD NEWS

Mexico: Brutal La Familia cartel chief killed

Federal police agents stand next to a truck riddled with bullets in Apatzingan, Mexico, Friday Dec. 10, 2010. (AP Photo/Primera Plana)
MEXICO CITY — Known as "The Craziest One," he indoctrinated gang members in a pseudo-Christian ideology, and purportedly wrote a book of moral values for his cult-like cartel -- all the while gruesomely decapitating his foes and selling cocaine and methamphetamine by the ton.
In many ways Nazario Moreno Gonzalez, who the government says was killed during two days of shootouts between his gang and federal police in the western state of Michoacan, was the most bizarre of Mexico's druglords.
He announced the emergence of his La Familia drug cartel four years ago by having his gang roll five severed heads into a Michoacan nightclub and vowing to protect President Felipe Calderon's home state from rival cartels.
Calderon responded by deploying thousands of federal police into Michoacan seeking to crush La Familia, warning that the cartel was corrupting local officials, extorting businesses and terrorizing the population.
The crackdown has expanded to trafficking hotspots across Mexico and brought down seven top cartel leaders over the past year, three of them arrested and four of them killed.
But Moreno was the first from La Familia to fall during the bloody war against drug cartels that has at times turned pockets of Mexico into battles zones and seen 28,000 deaths since it began in late 2006.
Police learned that Moreno -- also known as "El Chayo" or "The Doctor" -- was killed in a clash Thursday between cartel gunmen and federal police, said Alejandro Poire, the government spokesman for security issues.
Poire said cartel gunmen fled with several of their casualties and Moreno's body has not been recovered. But a statement from the presidential office said his death has been confirmed.
Poire said police recovered the bodies of three other suspected La Familia members and detained three others.
Five officers and three civilians -- including an 8-month-old baby and a teenage girl -- were also killed in the shootouts, which began Wednesday night when La Familia gunmen attacked federal officers in Moreno's home city of Apatzingan and fired on cars.
The gunmen torched vehicles across Michoacan and used them as barricades, even blockading all entrances into the state capital of Morelia to prevent federal police from sending reinforcements.
Moreno, 40, was considered the ideological leader of La Familia, setting a code of conduct for its members that prohibits using hard drugs or dealing them within Mexican territory. He purportedly wrote a religiously tinted book of values for the cartel, sometimes known as "The Sayings of the Craziest One."
According to a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration profile, La Familia members are believed to undergo a three- to six-month training camp in Michoacan.
"They believe they are doing God's work, and pass out Bibles and money to the poor," the profile says. "La Familia Michoacana also gives money to school and local officials."
The Mexican government profile said Moreno "erected himself as the 'Messiah,' using the Bible to profess to poor people and obtain their loyalty."
The cartel reportedly takes inspiration from an odd source: the book "Wild at Heart," by American evangelical author John Eldredge of the Colorado Springs, Colorado-based Ransomed Heart Ministries.
Last January, authorities in Michoacan seized a car with 23 guns, four grenades -- and nine copies of "Wild at Heart." The books had inscriptions signed by "The Craziest One."
His wife, meanwhile, hosts self-improvement seminars in Michoacan, including one in April at a club in Apatzingan that was promoted with posters titled "Let's help create a better future," according to the Mexican government.
In February, the U.S. government added Moreno and six other reputed La Familia leaders to its "Kingpin Act" list, a move that prohibits American citizens and firms from having any business dealings with them and freezes any U.S. assets they may have.
The other reputed La Familia leader is former school teacher Servando Gomez. He is described as the operational chief of the cartel in an October 2009 Justice Department indictment for conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine to the United States.
The indictment says Gomez is in charge of acquiring weapons for the cartel and may be behind the murder of 12 Mexican federal law enforcement officers whose bodies were found in July 2009 following the arrest of another La Familia leader.
Moreno migrated to California as a teenager and eventually entered the drug trade there, according to a Mexican government profile. Back in 2003, a federal grand jury in McAllen, Texas, indicted him on charges that included conspiracy to distribute marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine.
Moreno fled back to Mexico around that time and began his ascent in the drug world, according to the profile.
Poire said Moreno emerged as the leader of La Familia in 2006, when the gang -- then known as "The Business" -- broke off from the Gulf cartel and declared its independence by rolling the severed heads into a disco in the mountain city of Uruapan.
A message left with the heads declared: "La Familia doesn't kill for money, doesn't kill women, doesn't kill innocents. Only those who deserve to die will die."
The government profile said Moreno set out to kill top members of the Gulf cartel after breaking off from that gang, with the complicity of some state and federal law enforcement officials.
La Familia has since become one of the biggest methamphetamine traffickers to the United States. But Mexico's government claims the gang has been severely weakened after four years of fighting off its rivals and security forces.
Several alleged leading La Familia traffickers have been arrested in recent months. One of those suspects, Sergio Moreno Godinez, said under police interrogation last month that the cartel is in decline.
He confirmed the authenticity of a letter, e-mailed to journalists and dropped on the streets of several towns, saying the cartel is willing to disband if the government can improve security for Michoacan.
"What we have seen in the last days is a criminal organization repudiated by the population, and which has been significantly weakened," Poire said. "This is demonstrated by its false calls for a truce and the confessions of its members."
Mexican authorities put a $2 million bounty on Moreno's head in March 2009. His official wanted poster -- featuring a fuzzy photograph of a middle-aged man with a thin face and a mustachio -- accuses him of drug trafficking, kidnapping and murder.
Mexican authorities believe La Familia operates "by means of an executive council" compromised of both drug traffickers and government officials, according to the DEA.
In 2009, the Calderon government arrested more than 30 Michoacan state and local officials, including 12 mayors, accusing them of protecting La Familia.
The highly touted sweep was meant to show no politicians are immune from prosecution. But the cases have since unraveled for lack of evidence in one of the biggest setbacks of Calderon's drug war. Only one of the officials -- a former mayor -- remains in prison.

Read more »

Posted in: International,WORLD NEWS

Mexico: Brutal La Familia cartel chief killed

Federal police agents stand next to a truck riddled with bullets in Apatzingan, Mexico, Friday Dec. 10, 2010. (AP Photo/Primera Plana)
MEXICO CITY — Known as "The Craziest One," he indoctrinated gang members in a pseudo-Christian ideology, and purportedly wrote a book of moral values for his cult-like cartel -- all the while gruesomely decapitating his foes and selling cocaine and methamphetamine by the ton.
In many ways Nazario Moreno Gonzalez, who the government says was killed during two days of shootouts between his gang and federal police in the western state of Michoacan, was the most bizarre of Mexico's druglords.
He announced the emergence of his La Familia drug cartel four years ago by having his gang roll five severed heads into a Michoacan nightclub and vowing to protect President Felipe Calderon's home state from rival cartels.
Calderon responded by deploying thousands of federal police into Michoacan seeking to crush La Familia, warning that the cartel was corrupting local officials, extorting businesses and terrorizing the population.
The crackdown has expanded to trafficking hotspots across Mexico and brought down seven top cartel leaders over the past year, three of them arrested and four of them killed.
But Moreno was the first from La Familia to fall during the bloody war against drug cartels that has at times turned pockets of Mexico into battles zones and seen 28,000 deaths since it began in late 2006.
Police learned that Moreno -- also known as "El Chayo" or "The Doctor" -- was killed in a clash Thursday between cartel gunmen and federal police, said Alejandro Poire, the government spokesman for security issues.
Poire said cartel gunmen fled with several of their casualties and Moreno's body has not been recovered. But a statement from the presidential office said his death has been confirmed.
Poire said police recovered the bodies of three other suspected La Familia members and detained three others.
Five officers and three civilians -- including an 8-month-old baby and a teenage girl -- were also killed in the shootouts, which began Wednesday night when La Familia gunmen attacked federal officers in Moreno's home city of Apatzingan and fired on cars.
The gunmen torched vehicles across Michoacan and used them as barricades, even blockading all entrances into the state capital of Morelia to prevent federal police from sending reinforcements.
Moreno, 40, was considered the ideological leader of La Familia, setting a code of conduct for its members that prohibits using hard drugs or dealing them within Mexican territory. He purportedly wrote a religiously tinted book of values for the cartel, sometimes known as "The Sayings of the Craziest One."
According to a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration profile, La Familia members are believed to undergo a three- to six-month training camp in Michoacan.
"They believe they are doing God's work, and pass out Bibles and money to the poor," the profile says. "La Familia Michoacana also gives money to school and local officials."
The Mexican government profile said Moreno "erected himself as the 'Messiah,' using the Bible to profess to poor people and obtain their loyalty."
The cartel reportedly takes inspiration from an odd source: the book "Wild at Heart," by American evangelical author John Eldredge of the Colorado Springs, Colorado-based Ransomed Heart Ministries.
Last January, authorities in Michoacan seized a car with 23 guns, four grenades -- and nine copies of "Wild at Heart." The books had inscriptions signed by "The Craziest One."
His wife, meanwhile, hosts self-improvement seminars in Michoacan, including one in April at a club in Apatzingan that was promoted with posters titled "Let's help create a better future," according to the Mexican government.
In February, the U.S. government added Moreno and six other reputed La Familia leaders to its "Kingpin Act" list, a move that prohibits American citizens and firms from having any business dealings with them and freezes any U.S. assets they may have.
The other reputed La Familia leader is former school teacher Servando Gomez. He is described as the operational chief of the cartel in an October 2009 Justice Department indictment for conspiracy to import and distribute cocaine to the United States.
The indictment says Gomez is in charge of acquiring weapons for the cartel and may be behind the murder of 12 Mexican federal law enforcement officers whose bodies were found in July 2009 following the arrest of another La Familia leader.
Moreno migrated to California as a teenager and eventually entered the drug trade there, according to a Mexican government profile. Back in 2003, a federal grand jury in McAllen, Texas, indicted him on charges that included conspiracy to distribute marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine.
Moreno fled back to Mexico around that time and began his ascent in the drug world, according to the profile.
Poire said Moreno emerged as the leader of La Familia in 2006, when the gang -- then known as "The Business" -- broke off from the Gulf cartel and declared its independence by rolling the severed heads into a disco in the mountain city of Uruapan.
A message left with the heads declared: "La Familia doesn't kill for money, doesn't kill women, doesn't kill innocents. Only those who deserve to die will die."
The government profile said Moreno set out to kill top members of the Gulf cartel after breaking off from that gang, with the complicity of some state and federal law enforcement officials.
La Familia has since become one of the biggest methamphetamine traffickers to the United States. But Mexico's government claims the gang has been severely weakened after four years of fighting off its rivals and security forces.
Several alleged leading La Familia traffickers have been arrested in recent months. One of those suspects, Sergio Moreno Godinez, said under police interrogation last month that the cartel is in decline.
He confirmed the authenticity of a letter, e-mailed to journalists and dropped on the streets of several towns, saying the cartel is willing to disband if the government can improve security for Michoacan.
"What we have seen in the last days is a criminal organization repudiated by the population, and which has been significantly weakened," Poire said. "This is demonstrated by its false calls for a truce and the confessions of its members."
Mexican authorities put a $2 million bounty on Moreno's head in March 2009. His official wanted poster -- featuring a fuzzy photograph of a middle-aged man with a thin face and a mustachio -- accuses him of drug trafficking, kidnapping and murder.
Mexican authorities believe La Familia operates "by means of an executive council" compromised of both drug traffickers and government officials, according to the DEA.
In 2009, the Calderon government arrested more than 30 Michoacan state and local officials, including 12 mayors, accusing them of protecting La Familia.
The highly touted sweep was meant to show no politicians are immune from prosecution. But the cases have since unraveled for lack of evidence in one of the biggest setbacks of Calderon's drug war. Only one of the officials -- a former mayor -- remains in prison.

Read more »

Posted in: International,WORLD NEWS

Assange defends WikiLeaks in editorial of 'The Australian'

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange defended his website in an opinion piece published in an Australian newspaper on Wednesday, a day after he was arrested in London in a sex-crimes investigation.

Mr. Assange writes in the opinion piece, published by The Australian, that there is a great need for WikiLeaks and denies that the site’s publication of classified information has endangered lives.

“WikiLeaks has a four-year publishing history. During that time we have changed whole governments, but not a single person, as far as anyone is aware, has been harmed,” Mr. Assange wrote. “But the U.S., with Australian government connivance, has killed thousands in the past few months alone.”

He wrote that democracies require strong media to keep governments honest and that WikiLeaks helps fulfill that role. “WikiLeaks has revealed some hard truths about the Iraq and the Afghan wars, and broken stories about corporate corruption.”

The 39-year-old Australian surrendered to British officials on Tuesday to answer a warrant issued for his arrest by Sweden. He is wanted for questioning after two women accused him of having sex with them without their consent.

Mr. Assange’s lawyers say the accusations stem from a “dispute over consensual but unprotected sex” and say the women only made the claims after finding out about each other’s relationships with Mr. Assange.

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd told reporters in Brisbane on Wednesday that Australia would support Mr. Assange as it would if any was Australian arrested abroad.

“Any Australian citizen is entitled to the presumption of innocence — and that includes Mr. Assange,” Mr. Rudd said.

Read more »

Posted in: International,WORLD NEWS

Assange defends WikiLeaks in editorial of 'The Australian'

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange defended his website in an opinion piece published in an Australian newspaper on Wednesday, a day after he was arrested in London in a sex-crimes investigation.

Mr. Assange writes in the opinion piece, published by The Australian, that there is a great need for WikiLeaks and denies that the site’s publication of classified information has endangered lives.

“WikiLeaks has a four-year publishing history. During that time we have changed whole governments, but not a single person, as far as anyone is aware, has been harmed,” Mr. Assange wrote. “But the U.S., with Australian government connivance, has killed thousands in the past few months alone.”

He wrote that democracies require strong media to keep governments honest and that WikiLeaks helps fulfill that role. “WikiLeaks has revealed some hard truths about the Iraq and the Afghan wars, and broken stories about corporate corruption.”

The 39-year-old Australian surrendered to British officials on Tuesday to answer a warrant issued for his arrest by Sweden. He is wanted for questioning after two women accused him of having sex with them without their consent.

Mr. Assange’s lawyers say the accusations stem from a “dispute over consensual but unprotected sex” and say the women only made the claims after finding out about each other’s relationships with Mr. Assange.

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd told reporters in Brisbane on Wednesday that Australia would support Mr. Assange as it would if any was Australian arrested abroad.

“Any Australian citizen is entitled to the presumption of innocence — and that includes Mr. Assange,” Mr. Rudd said.

Read more »

Posted in: International,WORLD NEWS

Google admits trespassing in Pa., pays couple $1

PITTSBURGH – Google Inc. has acknowledged that it trespassed when it took a photo of a Pittsburgh-area house for its Street View Service, but will pay only $1 in damages to a couple who sued.
U.S. District Magistrate Judge Cathy Bissoon on Thursday signed off on a consent judgment, a mutually agreed-upon verdict, between the Mountain View, Calif. company and Aaron and Christine Boring, of Franklin Park.
A Google spokeswoman old the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which first reported the parties had agreed to the judgment, that the settlement is limited to the Borings.
"We are pleased that this lawsuit has finally ended with plaintiffs' acknowledgment that they are entitled to only $1," Google said in a statement to The Associated Press, adding that its ability to continue the Street View Feature is unaffected.
The Borings' attorney, Gregg Zegarelli, said his clients are satisfied to have made the point that Google trespassed and realize they "can't control a company such as Google that operates worldwide."
"This is about right and wrong. Maybe my client and I are hopeless romantics, but I suppose some people said the same thing in 1950 about a male executive calling female staff 'sweetie/honey,' or African Americans just sitting a few seats farther in the back of the bus," Zegarelli said.
The Borings said in a statement released by Zegarelli that the amount of the judgment isn't the issue.
"This is one sweet dollar of vindication," the statement said. "Google could have just sent us an apology letter in the very beginning, but chose to try to prove they had a legal right to be on our land. We are glad they finally gave up."
Google's Street View feature lets users view homes and businesses as though they are driving along a three-dimensional street. It's assembled by having cars with digital cameras collect images that are then paired with Google's map data.
The Borings sued in 2008, saying their privacy was violated when Google took a photo of their home. They said the images could only have been obtained if the driver traveled about 1,000 feet up a private road clearly marked "No Trespassing."
Google said people can have such photos removed upon request and argued that the images of the Boring home were no more invasive than those found on a county real estate tax website.
Since its launch in 2007, Google's Street View has expanded to more than 100 cities in 33 countries, prompting privacy concerns along the way.
Greek officials asked for more safeguards before its streets were photographed, and some English villagers protested by forming a human chain to stop a camera van.
In November, Google bowed to pressure from German residents and made that country the only one in the world where people can ask in advance to have images of their homes excluded from the Street View feature.
Zegarelli praised his clients for sticking with the case.
The Borings sued in April 2008 and 10 months later, U.S. Magistrate Judge Amy Reynolds Hay dismissed the lawsuit, saying the couple did not take reasonable steps to remove the pictures, did not prove mental suffering and "have not alleged a single fact supporting their contention that their property decreased in value." She also said it was "hard to believe that any — other than the most exquisitely sensitive — would suffer shame or humiliation" from having their house photographed.
A 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in March reinstated the couple's trespassing claim but found that Hay was correct to dismiss all the couple's other claims. It also found Google's conduct was not "outrageous" enough to warrant punitive damages the Borings sought.
Hay died earlier this year before she could hear the case, so it was reassigned to Bissoon. She met with the parties Tuesday and reached the agreed-upon verdict. Both sides will pay their own attorney fees.

Read more »

Posted in: International,WORLD NEWS

Google admits trespassing in Pa., pays couple $1

PITTSBURGH – Google Inc. has acknowledged that it trespassed when it took a photo of a Pittsburgh-area house for its Street View Service, but will pay only $1 in damages to a couple who sued.
U.S. District Magistrate Judge Cathy Bissoon on Thursday signed off on a consent judgment, a mutually agreed-upon verdict, between the Mountain View, Calif. company and Aaron and Christine Boring, of Franklin Park.
A Google spokeswoman old the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which first reported the parties had agreed to the judgment, that the settlement is limited to the Borings.
"We are pleased that this lawsuit has finally ended with plaintiffs' acknowledgment that they are entitled to only $1," Google said in a statement to The Associated Press, adding that its ability to continue the Street View Feature is unaffected.
The Borings' attorney, Gregg Zegarelli, said his clients are satisfied to have made the point that Google trespassed and realize they "can't control a company such as Google that operates worldwide."
"This is about right and wrong. Maybe my client and I are hopeless romantics, but I suppose some people said the same thing in 1950 about a male executive calling female staff 'sweetie/honey,' or African Americans just sitting a few seats farther in the back of the bus," Zegarelli said.
The Borings said in a statement released by Zegarelli that the amount of the judgment isn't the issue.
"This is one sweet dollar of vindication," the statement said. "Google could have just sent us an apology letter in the very beginning, but chose to try to prove they had a legal right to be on our land. We are glad they finally gave up."
Google's Street View feature lets users view homes and businesses as though they are driving along a three-dimensional street. It's assembled by having cars with digital cameras collect images that are then paired with Google's map data.
The Borings sued in 2008, saying their privacy was violated when Google took a photo of their home. They said the images could only have been obtained if the driver traveled about 1,000 feet up a private road clearly marked "No Trespassing."
Google said people can have such photos removed upon request and argued that the images of the Boring home were no more invasive than those found on a county real estate tax website.
Since its launch in 2007, Google's Street View has expanded to more than 100 cities in 33 countries, prompting privacy concerns along the way.
Greek officials asked for more safeguards before its streets were photographed, and some English villagers protested by forming a human chain to stop a camera van.
In November, Google bowed to pressure from German residents and made that country the only one in the world where people can ask in advance to have images of their homes excluded from the Street View feature.
Zegarelli praised his clients for sticking with the case.
The Borings sued in April 2008 and 10 months later, U.S. Magistrate Judge Amy Reynolds Hay dismissed the lawsuit, saying the couple did not take reasonable steps to remove the pictures, did not prove mental suffering and "have not alleged a single fact supporting their contention that their property decreased in value." She also said it was "hard to believe that any — other than the most exquisitely sensitive — would suffer shame or humiliation" from having their house photographed.
A 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in March reinstated the couple's trespassing claim but found that Hay was correct to dismiss all the couple's other claims. It also found Google's conduct was not "outrageous" enough to warrant punitive damages the Borings sought.
Hay died earlier this year before she could hear the case, so it was reassigned to Bissoon. She met with the parties Tuesday and reached the agreed-upon verdict. Both sides will pay their own attorney fees.

Read more »

Posted in: International,WORLD NEWS

WikiLeaks out for hours after U.S. firm pulls plug

An American company that had been directing traffic to the WikiLeaks website withdrew its services late Thursday, making the site invisible for several hours.
EveryDNS.net, which helps computers locate the sites of its members, said WikiLeaks had breached its terms of service, and that it had stopped providing services to the controversial publisher of leaked information at 2200 Eastern time Thursday (0300 GMT on Friday).
However, WikiLeaks announced Friday on Twitter that it could be seen using a new address, wikileaks.ch , which is operated by a Swiss academic network.
The United States is furious about WikiLeaks' publication of hundreds of confidential diplomatic cables that have given unvarnished and sometimes embarrassing insights into the foreign policy of the United States and its allies.
"This is a smart move. Switzerland is known for not bending to international pressure," said Michiel Leenaars, director of strategy at NLnet, a Dutch Internet research charity.
EveryDNS.net said the WikiLeaks web address that it administered had been bombarded by hackers. This had undermined the service that it provides to its other clients, leaving it with no choice but to find WikiLeaks in breach of its terms of service.
"Wikileaks.org has become the target of multiple distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks," EveryDNS.net said on its website ( www.everydns.com ).
"These attacks have, and future attacks would, threaten the stability of the EveryDNS.net infrastructure, which enables access to almost 500,000 other websites."
Tens of thousands of such registrars exist worldwide that provide DNS hosting -- directory services to locate websites that do not maintain their own domain name services -- which would be able to provide alternative services to Wikileaks.

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Posted in: International,WORLD NEWS

WikiLeaks out for hours after U.S. firm pulls plug

An American company that had been directing traffic to the WikiLeaks website withdrew its services late Thursday, making the site invisible for several hours.
EveryDNS.net, which helps computers locate the sites of its members, said WikiLeaks had breached its terms of service, and that it had stopped providing services to the controversial publisher of leaked information at 2200 Eastern time Thursday (0300 GMT on Friday).
However, WikiLeaks announced Friday on Twitter that it could be seen using a new address, wikileaks.ch , which is operated by a Swiss academic network.
The United States is furious about WikiLeaks' publication of hundreds of confidential diplomatic cables that have given unvarnished and sometimes embarrassing insights into the foreign policy of the United States and its allies.
"This is a smart move. Switzerland is known for not bending to international pressure," said Michiel Leenaars, director of strategy at NLnet, a Dutch Internet research charity.
EveryDNS.net said the WikiLeaks web address that it administered had been bombarded by hackers. This had undermined the service that it provides to its other clients, leaving it with no choice but to find WikiLeaks in breach of its terms of service.
"Wikileaks.org has become the target of multiple distributed denial of service (DDOS) attacks," EveryDNS.net said on its website ( www.everydns.com ).
"These attacks have, and future attacks would, threaten the stability of the EveryDNS.net infrastructure, which enables access to almost 500,000 other websites."
Tens of thousands of such registrars exist worldwide that provide DNS hosting -- directory services to locate websites that do not maintain their own domain name services -- which would be able to provide alternative services to Wikileaks.

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Posted in: International,WORLD NEWS