Ten people were arrested around the royal wedding route

Ten people were arrested around the royal wedding route on Friday morning as Scotland Yard commissioner Paul Stephenson said his force was prepared for all eventualities.

The arrests took place in and just outside the exclusion zone around Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.

Scotland Yard said two people were arrested for being drunk and disorderly, one for assault, one for possessing an offensive weapon, two for breach of the peace, two for theft.

The biggest security operation in the Metropolitan police's recent history has seen the deployment of 5,000 officers, including a 1,000-strong rapid response team to react to any criminality, direct action or extremist threats inside and outside the exclusion zone.

In pre-emptive action on Wednesday and Thursday officers from the Met raided five squats in London and one in Hove, arresting 21 people.

All were released and bailed with conditions that bar them from the City of Westminster on Friday.

On Thursday night Cambridgeshire police arrested Charlie Veitch, a self confessed anarchist, for conspiracy to cause a public nuisance and breach of the peace.

It is understood police believed Veitch was planning to cause disruption in Soho Square, central London.

Sir Paul Stephenson, the Scotland Yard commissioner, said his force was prepared for every eventuality.

Asked about the raids on the squats, he said the public would expect the police to carry out their job.

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US land borders tighten, drug smugglers fly

The visiting British pilots were training near a naval air station one night this month when their helicopter came within about 150 feet of an ultralight plane flying without lights. The ultralight darted away toward Mexico without a trace.

The near-disaster over the Southern California desert was an example of drug smugglers using low-flying aircraft that look like motorized hang gliders to circumvent new fences along the U.S. border with Mexico. The planes, which began appearing in Arizona three years ago, are now turning up in remote parts of California and New Mexico.

And in a new twist, the planes rarely touch the ground. Pilots simply pull levers that drop aluminum bins filled with about 200 pounds of marijuana for drivers who are waiting on the ground with blinking lights or glow-sticks. Within a few minutes, the pilots are back in Mexico.

"It's like dropping a bomb from an aircraft," said Jeffrey Calhoon, chief of the Border Patrol's El Centro sector, which stretches through alfalfa farms, desert scrub and sand dunes in southeast California.

The Border Patrol has erected hundreds of miles of fences and vehicle barriers along the border and added thousands of new agents, so drug smugglers are going over, under and around.

As U.S. authorities tighten their noose on land, ultralights are another tack to smuggle marijuana. The Customs and Border Protection agency counted 228 incursions along the Mexican border in fiscal 2010, up from 118 a year earlier, when it began keeping track. There have been 71 since the start of fiscal 2011 on Oct 1.

The agency counts an incursion when authorities seize an aircraft or nearby drugs, when a trained source spots an aircraft that is correlated by radar, or when enough people see an aircraft to establish a cross-border flight pattern.

Tunnels are another means to circumvent tightened border security. Lined with rail tracks, lighting and ventilation, two were discovered in San Diego in November that netted a combined 50 tons of marijuana on both sides of the border. U.S. authorities found 71 clandestine tunnels since October 2008, more than during the previous six years.

Smugglers also use single-engine wooden boats to ferry bales of marijuana up the Pacific Coast. U.S. authorities seized 47 tons of narcotics off of Southern California shores since October 2008, including 740 pounds this month in an abandoned craft at Dana Point, about 75 miles north of the border.

Under Federal Aviation Administration regulations, ultralights weigh less than 254 pounds, carry just five gallons of fuel and fly at a top speed of 63 mph. They are not designed to carry anything other than a pilot. No pilot's license or certificate is needed, though regulations advise that the aircraft should not be flown over populated areas or in the dark.

But drug pilots often zip along at night just above power lines.

Kevin Kelly of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was with about a dozen agents looking for ultralights under a full November moon in the desert east of Nogales, Ariz., when he heard what sounded like lawnmower in the sky. The aircraft appeared from the south.

"It's got this big, long wingspan it's almost like Batman," said Kelly, ICE's assistant special agent in charge of investigations in Nogales. "It's almost like a glider with a little guy underneath it piloting it."

Kelly watched the ultralight throttle back, get close to the ground and dump bundles packed in duct tape. The pilot picked up speed and wheeled back toward Mexico.

The agents waited for someone to pick up the load 286 pounds of marijuana but no one came.

Ultralights initially flew as far north as the Phoenix area but they now generally stay within 30 miles of the border, said Matt Allen, special agent in charge of investigations for ICE in Arizona. Their small fuel tanks require pilots who fly far north to either refuel or take apart the aircraft and truck it back to Mexico.

Pilot Jesus Iriarte was arrested in October 2008 after landing an ultralight with 222 pounds of marijuana strapped to the frame in Marana, Ariz. nearly 100 miles north of the border and was sentenced to prison.

"Gone are the days when they could come deep into the U.S. undetected," Allen said. "They really don't want to be on the ground anymore. They're dropping it and flying away ... It makes them less vulnerable."

Authorities are having more success capturing drivers who pick up the drugs.

Last month, Border Patrol agents arrested Sergio Favela near Douglas, Ariz., as he was allegedly loading 220 pounds of pot into his pickup truck around 3 a.m. A complaint filed in federal court in Arizona says Favela, a U.S. citizen who was captured after a short foot chase, told authorities he was to be paid $1,500.

Heightened enforcement in Arizona appears to be pushing smugglers to California and New Mexico, some authorities say. In California, authorities have confirmed 30 ultralight incursions since December in Imperial County, a remote farming region with easy access to highways, and another six in the San Diego area. The flights were previously almost unknown in California.

The Border Patrol recently began encouraging agents in Imperial County to spend more time outside their vehicles because it is difficult to hear the aircraft over the hum of engines and air conditioners. The planes fly over farms and desert scrub near Calexico, a border town of about 40,000 residents. One pilot who recently eluded capture dropped a load of pot in a warehouse lot in city limits.

Until fences and vehicle barriers were erected, drug smugglers blended in with off-road vehicle enthusiasts in the Imperial Sand Dunes, used as a film location for "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi." Drug-laden Suburbans and Tahoes barreled through the desert scrub.

Drive-through smuggling attempts nearly stopped after fencing went up in 2008 and 2009. The number of drive-thrus in the Border Patrol's El Centro sector fell to six in fiscal 2010 from 340 in 2008.

That means smugglers are turning to tunnels and ultralights, Imperial County Sheriff Ray Loera told Congress this month.

"The problem now is that, as Clint Eastwood said, they adapt and overcome," he told lawmakers.

Still, the amount of pot being ferried on the ultralights pales compared to the multi-ton shipments through tunnels or the volume of seizures from secret vehicle compartments at border crossings every day, causing some authorities to wonder why drug traffickers would go to the trouble. In Imperial County, 10 seizures from ultralights drops since December have netted a relatively modest 3,090 pounds of marijuana.

"It makes you wonder how much they're really making off of this venture," said William Mataya, a group supervisor for ICE who belongs to an informal group of law enforcement officials in Imperial County that began meeting recently to swap intelligence on ultralights. "They're really not bringing a lot each time."

The risks can be fatal. A pilot died in November 2008 when his ultralight strapped with more than 140 pounds of marijuana crashed in a lettuce field in San Luis, Ariz. Another pilot who crashed in Arizona was paralyzed from the waist down.

Ultralights flying low are difficult to see on radars at March Air Force Base in Riverside, where CBP monitors air traffic along the entire border. That means relying on Border Patrol agents and sheriff deputies to be alert for the sound of unusual motors. They almost always get there too late to find the pilot of the planes, which cost $5,000 to $20,000.

"Either we get there and it's headed back, or it could already be back there," said Tim Jennings, who heads the Drug Enforcement Administration's Imperial County office.

 

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Less than 24 hours before the royal wedding, and outside the Goring Hotel - the last place Kate Middleton will sleep as a single woman - onlookers and the press pushed

Give a girl a break.
Less than 24 hours before the royal wedding, and outside the Goring Hotel - the last place Kate Middleton will sleep as a single woman - onlookers and the press pushed Thursday against metal barriers and strained their eyes.
Anticipation showed as a car pulled up, and a woman hidden under a funky hat rushed inside.
Everyone settled back, as it appeared not to be the bride of the century.
Give or take a pupil, more than 2-billion sets of eyeballs could be following Middleton down the aisle when she marries Prince William inside Westminster Abbey Friday.
But at this stage, as a woman prepares to marry a man, there is an awkward sense of pre-event stalking.
I can tell you what the bathroom looks like in her room.
People here talk about the energy drinks she's supposedly consuming to keep up her stamina.
And at least one local tabloid has written that Middleton wakes up in a cold sweat many nights, after dreaming she suddenly realizes she's naked in front of the congregation on her wedding day.
But if that's true - and I doubt it is - it would only make perfect sense.
William has it tough, as he's photographed even trying to play a game of British football with his friends at a London park this week.
But it's Middleton who can't step into the light these days and hours, without being sized up and judged - from her weight to how she wears her hair.
On Thursday, away from the crowds of the Goring Hotel, Canadian friends Isabell Mackay and Cathy Sheppard, hairdressers from Sarnia, Ont., waded through the humanity outside the Abbey.
With the Canadian flag proudly stamped on their clothes and hats, the women joined other revellers in a sense of occasion and fun.
The sun shone and drew hope the rain may stay away on Friday.
People prepared well-wishing signs and drank tea and shared biscuits with reporters who've become their new best friends.
"When else at our age (though she wouldn't divulge it) would we ever get the chance to see the wedding of the century?" said Mackay.
I can tell you about the millions of pounds spent on perfection to make it live up to that billing.
And about a dream gown that's still a mystery.
And fully grown trees brought inside a church to create the perfect environment.
But being the primary focus of the 'wedding of the century' - with crowds feeding in from the four corners of London, 5,000 police officers called in to keep control, the media drum-rolls becoming deafening and speculation about what you're dreaming about - would seem to be a rite royal pain.

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Watching the nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton across the pond? You'll be up early.

If you're cooking your scones right now to prepare for your viewing party, here's a handy printout if you live on either coast. Add an hour to PST if you live in Mountain Time, and subtract an hour from EST if you live in Central Time. We can't please everyone, you know.

Between 3:15 am and 4:45 am EST, 12:15 am and 1:45 am PST:  The general congregation will arrive at the Great North Door of Westminster Abbey.

From 3:50 am EST, 12:50 am PST:  Governors-General and Prime Ministers of Realm Countries,the Diplomatic Corps, and other distinguished guests arrive at the Abbey. Victoria Beckham is among the wedding's high-profile guests, but it's unclear if she is considered "distinguished."

5:10 am EST, 2:10 am PST: Prince William and Prince Harry leave Clarence House for Westminster Abbey.  They arrive at the Abbey at 5:15 am EST, 2:15 am PST.

5:20 am EST, 2:20 am PST: Members of foreign royal families—including Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Prince Seeiso Bereng Seeiso of Lesotho—arrive at Westminster Abbey. A quick glance at TIME's picture gallery of the world's most stunning tiaras should help you pick out a few of them queens.

5:20 am EST, 2:20 am PST: Kate's mother Carole Middleton and her brother James leave the Goring Hotel.  They arrive at the Abbey at precisely 5:27 am EST, 2:27 am PST.

(More on TIME.com: See the TIME photo essay: "Kate & Wills: A Royal Courtship")

5:25 am EST, 2:25 am PST: Lesser known members of the royal family, including Lady Amelia Windsor (29th in line to the throne) depart for the Abbey. They arrive at 5:30 am EST, 2:30 am PST.

5:35 am EST, 2:35 am PST: The members of the royal family who you might actually recognize depart.  They arrive at the Abbey at 5:40 am EST, 2:35 am PST, and include Princess Anne, Prince Andrew, Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice, and Prince Edward.

5:38 am EST, 2:38 am PST: The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall leave Clarence House. They arrive at the Abbey at 5:42 am EST, 2:38 am PST, assuming they avoid a repeat of the riot mob attack on their Rolls Royce that slowed them down last December.

5:40 am EST, 2:40 am PST: The Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh leave Buckingham Palace for Westminster Abbey.  They arrive at 5:45 am EST, 2:45 am PST.

5:48 am EST, 2:48 am PST: The bridesmaids and pages leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey.  They arrive at 5:55 am EST, 2:55 am PST.

(More on TIME.com: See pictures of royal weddings through history)

5:51 am EST, 2:51 am PST: Kate Middleton and her father Michael leave the Goring Hotel for Westminster Abbey.

6:00 am EST, 3:00 am PST: The service begins.

7:15 am EST, 4:15 am PST: The Carriage Procession of the Bride and Bridegroom with a Captain's Escort of the Household Cavalry, followed by The Queen's Procession with a Sovereign's Escort of the Household Cavalry, leaves Westminster Abbey for Buckingham Palace.

7:30 am EST, 4:30 am PST: Kate and William arrive at Buckingham Palace.

7:40 am EST, 4:40 am PST: Members of the royal family and members of foreign royal families arrive at Buckingham Palace.

From 7:40 am EST, 4:40 am PST: Other guests for the reception arrive at Buckingham Palace.

8:25 am EST, 5:25 am PST:  Kate and William, and their families, appear on the balcony. The bride and groom stage their much-anticipated kiss.

8:30 am EST, 5:30 am PST:  The Royal Air Force and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight fly by.

(More on TIME.com: Read about Kate Middleton's lunch buffet at the royal wedding)

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Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe has urged an end to the "shocking" arrest of dozens of mainly Tunisian migrants in France as detentions continue.

Sixty suspected illegal migrants were rounded up in the French capital on Wednesday and 15 have been detained in the southern city of Marseille.

Hundreds of young Tunisian men are sleeping rough in parks around Paris.

Most reached France via Italy, where thousands have arrived by boat this year amid unrest in the Arab world.

French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi have called for a revision of the Schengen treaty, which allows people to move between many European countries without border checks.

France is seen as a likely destination for migrants from Tunisia because many of them speak the French language.

The French government was angered by Italy's decision to grant visas to thousands of migrants, allowing them to travel across the Schengen zone.

'Undignified' arrests
Police in Marseille arrested 15 Tunisian migrants who had mostly arrived from Italy and were staying in a square near the central railway station, police and human rights activists told AFP news agency.



I like to stay here in France but now I have problem for the police - maybe I go to Holland or maybe London, I don't know where”

Unnamed Tunisian migrant in Paris
They were picked up between 2100 (1900 GMT) and midnight on Wednesday as local aid workers were trying to find them a bed for the night.

Bernard Eynaud, of the Federation for Human Rights, said riot police and frontier police had moved in to check the migrants' residence permits.

He said the arrests seemed "very hard" just when the local authorities had announced that migrants would be housed in a school.

Between 100 and 200 migrants have been staying in the square for several days.

In Paris, Mayor Delanoe, a member of the opposition Socialist Party, said the state should stop its "undignified" police operations and set in motion "solutions more in keeping with international law and respect for human dignity".

However, a fellow Socialist and potential presidential candidate, Manuel Valls, said that while the migrants were living in difficult conditions, he was "not shocked by the fact that illegal migrants [were] escorted back to the frontier".

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Plan to buy old U-boats sparks signs of conflict

Signs of conflict have emerged over the navy's 7.7-billion-baht plan to procure second-hand German submarines as a top aide to the defence minister has insisted the procurement plan has yet to be approved.

"The Defence Council didn't approve the submarine purchase, only acknowledged it," Noppadon Inthapanya, secretary to Defence Minister Prawit Wongsuwon, said yesterday.

On Monday, navy commander Kamthorn Phumhiran spent almost two hours outlining the plan to buy six second-hand U-206 A submarines worth 7.7 billion baht to the Defence Council.

Council spokesman Col Thanatip Sawangsaeng said at that time council members, who include the defence permanent secretary and supreme commander, were satisfied with the procurement plan.

Gen Noppadon said yesterday with only one cabinet meeting left before a House dissolution, the procurement is unlikely to be approved by the current administration.

"I think it will be quite difficult for the defence minister to bring the matter before the cabinet meeting next week [May 3]," he said.

Gen Prawit left for China yesterday on a visit scheduled to last until Saturday. He will reportedly also look at Chinese submarines.

Earlier Gen Prawit raised the idea of buying South Korean-made submarines as an alternative for the navy because they are new.

Gen Noppadon, however, denied speculation that the defence minister wanted to buy submarines from South Korea, saying weapons procurement would be at the request of each force.

He said there were several steps involved in any weapons purchase plans so it was impossible to say the submarine scheme would be approved by the cabinet before the House is dissolved. Such plans have to be screened by the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters, the Office of the Permanent Secretary and the Budget Bureau, among others.

Gen Noppadon said the consideration process may take time, but that is to ensure transparency and accountability.

"I, on behalf of the defence minister's secretary, can't allow any matter where doubts remain over transparency to be passed on.

"What we have to consider is whether the navy needs the submarines, how much budget is available, and decide if new or old ones should be procured," he said.

He said if the submarine scheme is approved, he would be responsible for answering questions from the media.

The submarine procurement matter has yet to arrive at the office of defence minister, he said.

Meanwhile, a highly placed source at the Defence Ministry said yesterday the submarine plan has been considered by the Royal Thai Armed Forces Headquarters and the Office of the Permanent Secretary.

 

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U.S. fears overdue 'megathrust' earthquake will trigger tsunami and decimate unprepared cities on north-west coast

The north-west coast of the U.S. could be devastated by a huge movement of undersea plates known as a ‘megathrust’ earthquake, scientists say.

A review of the dangers posed by the Juan de Fuca plate released in the wake of the Japanese quake has raised fears that the Pacific seaboard could be similarly ravaged.

The horrifying possibilities have been brought to light by data researched by the Active Tectonics and Seafloor Mapping Laboratory at Oregon State University.

And the results are shown in a documentary, Megaquake: The Hour That Shook Japan, which is set to go out on the Discovery Channel in the UK this weekend.

 

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A man acting as a "human cannonball" has been killed in an accident at a stunt show in Kent.

Police said a safety net gave way during the stunt at the Kent County Showground at Detling.

The man, 23, had been taken to Maidstone Hospital by air ambulance with multiple head and back injuries.

The accident happened at about 1530 BST in a performance by Scott May's Daredevil Stunt Show. A second show due to start at 1930 BST was cancelled.

A statement on the Scott May website states: "With our apologies, due to unforeseen circumstances all shows have been cancelled until further notice."

Insp Tony Ball of Kent Police said the safety net gave way during the stunt in front of crowds at the show.

He said Kent Police were investigating, the Health and Safety executive have been informed and Maidstone Borough Council would also be involved.

A police spokesman said the dead man's next-of-kin had been informed but he had not been formally identified.

Scott May's show has been touring in the UK since 1991 in a season which runs from March to September.

As well as the human cannonball stunt, the show also includes pyrotechnics, motorcycle jumps and monster trucks.

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Parakeets living wild in Britain could be culled because they pose a threat to native wildlife and are damaging food crops.

The green, yellow and grey birds are originally from South America but are living wild in the south of England after being released from captivity in the 90s.

But conservationists have called on the animals to be rehomed rather than shot.

Only 100 to 150 of the 30cm tall bird live in the UK, mainly in the Home Counties, but the decision has been taken to exterminate them.

A spokesman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: 'Control work is being carried out as part of a Defra initiative to counter the potential threat monk parakeets pose to critical national infrastructure, crops and native British wildlife.

'This invasive species has caused significant damage in other countries through nesting and feeding activity and we are taking action now to prevent this happening in the UK.'

But a spokesman for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds told the Daily Telegraph: 'They (parakeets) have the potential to expand rapidly and could pose a threat to agriculture and public safety because of the nests causing structural problems to the electricity supply.

'But we do not believe they should be shot.'

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British citizens are being urged to leave Syria unless they have a "pressing need to remain" there, following weeks of unrest.

The Foreign Office "strongly advises" Britons to leave because of the "rapid deterioration" in law and order.

It says the British Embassy may not be able to provide normal consular assistance if the situation worsens.

At least 100 people have died in the last two days of protests against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

'Better way'
The Foreign Office advised British nationals to leave the country while commercial airlines were still flying.

Earlier this week, the UK advised Britons to consider leaving Syria but has now stepped up the warning. It also advises against all travel to the country.

The Foreign Office is urging Britons in Syria to register with the internet-based LOCATE system, which allows embassies to keep track of citizens in the country in case of emergency - so far about 500 people have done so.

Foreign Secretary William Hague told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show he was concerned that, if the turmoil continued, Britons might not be able to get out of Syria "at all".
William Hague: 'I am very worried about the rapid deterioration of the situation'
He said the Syrian government had provided "inadequate reaction" in terms of democratic reforms and "over-reaction" in terms of their repression of protests.

"I hope we can persuade them that there is a better way than what they are doing now," he said.

A crackdown on Syrian protesters on Friday, which came a day after Mr Assad scrapped decades of emergency rule, drew strong international condemnation.

Nearly 300 people have reportedly died in weeks of unrest against the government of Mr Assad, who took over after the death of his father, Hafez al-Assad, in 2000.

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Indonesia on 'highest alert' through Easter

Indonesia is on high alert for the holiest period on the Christian calendar after police found a bomb near a church in a Jakarta suburb.
The device was found in in a gas pipeline about 100 meters from the Christ Cathedral, a Catholic church in Tangerang, just outside the capital, authorities said.
"Starting tonight until the day after Easter, the military and the police will be on the highest alert at all places," Coordinating Minster for Security Joko Suyanto told reporters.
Indonesia is a predominantly Muslim nation but other religious minorities, such as Christians and Hindus, are also there, and the government has been vigilant over the threat of sectarian violence.
Security will be beefed up around houses of worship, tourist destinations, embassies, and sites visited by foreigners, officials said.
Police also arrested 19 terror suspects in connection with the church bomb and/or attempted mail bomb attacks last month.
Two security officials and a police detective were injured while attempting to defuse one of the mail bombs, said Boy Rafli Amar, the national police spokesman.
The explosives were packed as fake books and sent to four targets, including a moderate Muslim scholar and a human rights activist, officials said.
Indonesia has been on edge after last month's parcel bombs and the Friday suicide bombing in a mosque in Cirebon, West Java.
The attacks are an example of a new shift in terror attacks in the nation, the International Crisis Group said.
Attackers are now coming from small independent groups instead of the larger established terror groups such as Jamaat Tawhid Anshoru or Jemaah Islamiyah, the crisis group said in a report this week.
"The emergence of these small groups undertaking jihad on their own highlights the urgent need for prevention programs -- which are virtually nonexistent in Indonesia," said Sidney Jones, a senior adviser with the group.
Friday's suicide attack in a mosque inside a police station in Cirebon killed the bomber and wounded dozens of others, police said.

 

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British woman dies after she was dropped into frigid Norwegian Sea in cruise ship rescue

73-year-old British woman who was accidentally dropped into the Norwegian Sea as rescue workers took her off a cruise ship late last month has died at a hospital in England.
Janet Richardson fell ill while on a Scandinavian cruise and was being transferred to a rescue boat on March 29 when coast guard officers let her stretcher drop into the sea.
The woman spent four minutes treading water. The sea was just a few degrees above freezing at the time.
North Cumbria University Hospitals in England said in a statement Saturday that Richardson died Thursday after spending a week in intensive care.
Officials said Richardson began suffering from internal bleeding during the homeward leg of a two-week cruise on the Ocean Countess ship.

 

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Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) accusing Algeria of supporting Colonel Muammar Gaddafi by sending mercenaries.

Algerian Minister of Foreign Affairs has made Friday on the radio the "clearest denials" to the charges of the Libyan National Transitional Council (NTC) accusing Algeria of supporting Colonel Muammar Gaddafi by sending mercenaries.

   "We made the clearest denied to these charges which we consider tactics, based on agendas that have nothing to do with the Libyan case," said the minister on the radio.
   These charges are significantly older than the crisis in Libya, it is very clear," said Medelci without elaborating.
   The Algerian press has said in recent weeks that the charges of the NTC are actually inspired by Morocco, rival of Algeria in North Africa.
   The two countries maintain persistent differences over Western Sahara which blocked the construction of the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), launched in 1989 and counts Tunisia and Mauritania as well as Algeria, Libya and Morocco.

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Nearly 300 gipsies have been evacuated out of a remote Hungarian village where a three-day, far-Right “training camp” has been set up.

The gipsies, fled Gyongyospata, 50 miles from Budapest, after members of Vendro, a paramilitary group arrived .
The Hungarian Red Cross said it was the first time it had evacuated Hungarian civilians threatened by paramilitary activity since the Second World War. The far-Right Jobbik party won 17 per cent of the vote in a general election in the country last year.
Some 277 women and children were moved out in a convoy of busses Janos Farkos, deputy leader of the Hungarian Roma Rights Organisation, said that the village’s Roma population had felt “terrorised” by the presence of the far-right activists.
“The children had to be sent away this weekend because they wouldn’t be able to sleep at night,” Mr Farkos said.
Vendro’s website said it expected “all those who loved their country and wanted to learn basic self-defence and military training” to attend.

 

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Thailand and Cambodia exchanged gunfire along their border on Friday

Thailand and Cambodia exchanged gunfire along their border on Friday, with each side blaming the other for firing the first salvo. Thailand said three of its soldiers were killed, while Cambodia spoke of unspecified casualties on its side. Bangkok said many Thai soldiers were also injured in the “unprovoked firing”.

The new flare-up was widely seen as a fresh reminder of the long-simmering tensions between the two countries over their competing claims to a piece of territory near the Preah Vihear temple. The International Court of Justice had awarded the Hindu temple to Cambodia in 1962.

The current round of tensions is often traced to the fact that the temple was declared a world heritage site a few years ago. However, both countries indicated that Friday's hostilities occurred near a different temple site, with Phnom Penh informing the United Nations Security Council that Thai troops directed artillery fire towards two temples located deep inside the Cambodian territory.

In Bangkok's version, some Cambodian soldiers were first found to have intruded into Thai territory and started building a bunker. Upon this being noticed, Cambodian troops opened fire, it was said.

Disputing the Thai version, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Hor Namhong wrote to Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa as well, complaining about Thailand's “large-scale attack.” Thailand suggested bilateral talks with Cambodia to resolve the tensions. But Phnom Penh asked for a mediated settlement, arguing that Bangkok's proposal was “a pretext for the use of [Thailand's] larger and materially more sophisticated armed forces against Cambodia”. Already, an earlier idea of stationing Indonesian military observers along the Thai-Cambodian border did not take off.

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Police in France have discovered a car belonging to a man suspected of killing his wife and four children.

Five bodies have been found buried at the family home in the western city of Nantes but the car was discovered miles away along the Riviera.

The family went missing earlier this month. Parents Xavier and Agnes Dupont de Ligonnes had said the family was moving to Australia.

Autopsies on the bodies, found under a patio, were to take place on Friday.

Nantes prosecutor Xavier Ronsin said late on Thursday that the five had probably died of gunshot wounds.

Police said the car had been found in a hotel car park in the town of Roquebrune-sur-Argens, in southeastern France, after bank withdrawals showed Mr Dupont was in the area.

'Rambling messages'

Police found the missing car, a metallic blue Citroen C5, outside a hotel where he is now thought to have stayed on 14 April.

Businessman Xavier Dupont and his wife Agnes Dupont de Ligonnes, 49, and their four children - Arthur, 21, Tomas, 18, Anne, 16 and 13-year-old Benoit - disappeared on 3 or 4 April 2011.


The family home where the bodies were found was in central Nantes
Before the disappearance, the family left "rambling and contradictory" messages, saying they were taking their two younger children out of school because they were emigrating to Australia.

The father had also contacted people explaining that he was a secret agent who was leaving as part of a witness protection programme.

No trace of a struggle or violence has been found at the house, where the wardrobes had been emptied. There was also a note taped to the letter box at the house reading: "Return all mail to sender."

According to AFP news agency, Mr Dupont bought hessian sacks and cement before his disappearance.

Local people described the family as quiet and respectable middle-class Catholics with no history of odd or criminal behaviour.

The couple were originally from the wealthy Paris suburb of Versailles but had moved to a townhouse on a central boulevard in Nantes.

He sold advertising space while she volunteered for church activities and taught the Catholic catechism to school children.

The younger children were attending a private high school.

The headmaster said that after being informed that the family were leaving for Australia, he had received a cheque covering the fees for the entire remainder of the school year.

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PENSIONER Janet Richardson struggles to stay afloat after plunging into the icy North Sea during a bungled rescue from a cruise ship.

The gran, 73, spent four minutes trying to stay afloat in sub-zero water as she was being evacuated from the Ocean Countess after a trip to see the Northern Lights.

Janet, from Cumbria, had fallen seriously ill with internal bleeding and was being transferred by Norwegian authorities when the two ships moved apart.


She was eventually hauled back on to the lifeboat and taken to Bodo, north of the Arctic Circle, where she stopped breathing and needed mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. She was airlifted to Cumberland Hospital in Carlisle and last night was in intensive care.

Husband George, 78, said: “When they tried to move her on to the lifeboat the ship was still moving.

“They tried to keep the lifeboat close to the side but suddenly its rear end moved away from the main ship.

“There were six men on the stretcher but it went down and then Janet slipped into the sea. It was traumatic to see her fall. I thought I was going to lose her.”

Cruise and Maritime Voyages, which operates the service, has launched a probe into the incident on March 29.

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Tim Hetherington, who had dual UK and US nationality, is said to have died in a mortar attack.

British photographer has been killed while covering the conflict in the besieged Libyan city of Misrata.

Liverpool-born

Mr Hetherington, 41, co-directed the Oscar-nominated documentary Restrepo, about US troops in Afghanistan.

He worked for Vanity Fair magazine, which said he was "widely respected by his peers for his bravery and camaraderie".

In a recent entry on Twitter, Mr Hetherington described "indiscriminate shelling" by pro-Gaddafi forces.

Two other journalists are said to have been injured in the attack. Doctors in Misrata have told the BBC that one of them is another another British journalist.

They earlier said a second journalist had been killed but this has not been confirmed.

The journalists were among a group who became caught up in mortar fire on Tripoli Street, the main road leading into the centre of Misrata.

Libyan government forces have battled rebels in the city since late February and an estimated 300 civilians have died.

The city's hospital said six people had been killed and 60 injured so far on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the UN has said the reported use of cluster munitions by Col Gaddafi's forces in Misrata "could amount to international crimes".

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It really is a very tragic death for a giant in the field of war photography”


It comes as France and Italy said they would send small teams of military officers to advise Libyan rebels following a similar commitment by the UK.

The Foreign Office confirmed Mr Hetherington's death and said it was offering consular assistance to Mr Hetherington's family.

Mr Hetherington studied Literature at Oxford University and is reported to have recently married.

The New York-based journalist was best known for his work in Afghanistan, and the film Restrepo followed US troops on an outpost in the country. He won the World Press Photo of the Year Award in 2007.

The US-based Committee for the Protection of Journalists said two other journalists had been killed in the Libyan conflict which was "proving to be an extremely dangerous story".

Its director Robert Mahoney said: "We're shocked and saddened by word that our colleague Tim Hetherington has died, and we extend our deepest condolences to his family and colleagues."

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France will to trim the number of legal migrants by 10 percent per year

France will to trim the number of legal migrants by 10 percent per year to 180,000 in part to cope with flows of illegal migrants from the southern Mediterranean neighbors, Interior Minister Claude Gueant said on Monday."My target is to reduce (legal migrants) by 20,000 from 200, 000 to 180,000 as the first step," Claude Gueant told the private television channel TF1.

Twenty-four percent of non-European foreigners who are in France are unemployed, which is almost twice the national unemployment rate, the minister added.

Gueant said the integration process has failed and France needs to "fight against illegal migration and to regulate legal migration."

According to figures of the High Council for Integration (HCI), 11.5 million immigrants or children of immigrants live in France, representing 19 percent of the country's 65 million population.

The French decision came as it was unhappy with its neighbor's immigration policies. Italy, which has witnessed massive flows of illegal migrants amid unrest in North Africa, decided to offer them with a three-month visa allowing a free move across the European bloc.

"It's a bit easy for Italy to be generous (...) with the territory of others", Christian Estrosi, Nice mayor told RTL radio when commenting on this temporary visa policy.

France stopped on Sunday between 11:00 and 19:00 local time certain rail traffic from Italy to stop a train carrying illegal immigrants who "sought simply to get round Schengen rules" from Genoa, Venice and other major Italy cities, Estrosi, the former industry minister said.

According to the ex-minister, France, Italy and Tunisia discussed measures to enable Tunisian authorities to further control its coast.

Reports said Italian authorities have arrested since January more than 25,000 illegal migrants. Mostly of them were Tunisians who run from the unrest and economic instability in their homeland.

Generally, thousands of Africans try to reach Europe via Italy, Spain or Malta, the three countries most migrants see as heir preferred entry point into Europe. They set sail in small and rickety boasts seeking for better life but unfortunately, many lost their lives in the sea.

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Twelve banks worldwide sued for manipulating Libor

European asset manager has sued one dozen U.S., European and Japanese banks, accusing them of conspiring to manipulate Libor, a benchmark used to set interest rates on hundreds of trillions of dollars of securities.

Vienna-based FTC Capital GmbH and two funds it operates in Luxembourg and Gibraltar accused the banks of conspiring to artificially depress Libor, and limit trade in Libor-based derivatives from 2006 to 2009.

The defendant banks include Bank of America Corp, Barclays Plc, Citigroup Inc, Credit Suisse Group AG, Deutsche Bank AG, HSBC Holdings Plc, JPMorgan Chase & Co, Lloyds Banking Group Plc, Norinchukin Bank, Royal Bank of Scotland Group Plc, UBS AG and WestLB AG.

Libor, whose full name is the London Interbank Offered Rate, is a measure for rates that banks charge each other, and is used worldwide as a short-term rate benchmark.

About $350 trillion of derivatives and other financial products are based on Libor. Small changes in the rate can have large impacts on the amounts of interest that can be charged.

FTC said the 12 banks colluded to suppress Libor to make them appear healthier than they were, and take advantage of trading opportunities not available to outside investors.

"During the most significant financial crisis since the Great Depression, U.S. dollar Libor rates submitted by contributor banks did not vary markedly, nor did they increase or decrease sharply," FTC said in its complaint filed Monday in the federal court in Manhattan.

"In a market not artificially suppressed, Libor rates should have increased significantly during this period," FTC added. "In addition, because different banks were experiencing different levels of severe stress, the banks should have been receiving markedly different borrowing rates."

Citigroup spokeswoman Danielle Romero-Apsilos said: "The lawsuit is without merit." Bank of America spokesman Lawrence Grayson, Credit Suisse spokesman Steven Vames, JPMorgan spokeswoman Jennifer Zuccarelli and Lloyds spokeswoman Sarah Swailes declined to comment.

Representatives of the remaining banks declined to make an immediate comment or could not immediately be reached for a comment.

U.S., British and Japanese regulators are examining whether major banks understated Libor to reduce their borrowing costs and the potential for investor panic, a person familiar with the matter said last month.

 

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Two British holidaymakers shot dead in a run-down Florida housing estate were ambushed and chased by masked attackers before being killed

Two British holidaymakers shot dead in a run-down Florida housing estate were ambushed and chased by masked attackers before being killed, locals have claimed.
James Cooper and James Kouzaris were murdered in Newton, Sarasota, in a place police have described as a "no-go" area.

Police sources said they were exploring whether the friends were lured to the estate where their bodies were found, saying both were running away when they were shot.

The bullet-ridden bodies of the two men were found 50ft apart in a narrow street in the estate, which has links to gangs and drug-dealing.

Yesterday, it emerged the 16-year-old arrested on suspicion of their murder had recently been detained by police for aggravated assault with a firearm.

Shawn Tyson, who lived near the murder scene in the gangland area, was arrested for reportedly firing into a car.

Police also confirmed the teenager would be charged as an adult over the two murders, which means he could face the death penalty if convicted. He is believed to live in the estate with his mother.

Sonja Seymour, who lives on the street where the men's bodies were discovered, said: "I heard when they arrived here there were some people already waiting for them. They were wearing masks.

"The men ran away and they were shot. I saw one of them lying back with his arms outstretched. The other man was across the road lying on his back. They were not moving.

"The ambulance arrived and tried to work on the two men, but they couldn't do anything."

A police source said officers were exploring suggestions the pair had been driven back to the estate after a night bar-hopping in Sarasota.

They suspect the pair thought they were being taken to the resort of Longboat Key, about 12 miles from the scene of the murder, where they were staying.

However, the idea they walked to the area or were taken in a taxi has not been discounted.

The pair had been on a night out in down-town Sarasota the evening before their deaths.

Mr Kouzaris was on a three-week holiday in Florida with Mr Cooper and his family.

Mr Cooper's parents returned to their home in Warwickshire yesterday.

His grandfather said: "They boys went out in Florida on Friday evening as young men do - but they didn't come back. As it was late his mother ran his mobile and got no answer. She carried on ringing. Eventually a policeman answered it.

"They came to get Sandra and his dad and took them down to the police station, and only then did they tell them that the boys had been shot and killed. Sandra is shattered, as are we."

Mr Cooper and Mr Kouzaris had been staying in a £300-a- week apartment at the resort.

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Irish Tourist drowns scuba diving in Whitsundays

A young tourist has drowned while scuba diving in the Whitsunday Islands off the north Queensland coast.

The 23-year-old woman from Ireland was scuba diving with a group of people off Langford Island when she failed to resurface about 4.15pm yesterday.

Members of her dive group found her body on the ocean floor and pulled her to the surface. They performed CPR but she could not be revived.

 

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flood of North African immigrants is widening divisions among some of Europe's most powerful nations and adding to strains on the long-held dream of a united Europe.

bitter dispute over a flood of North African immigrants is widening divisions among some of Europe's most powerful nations and adding to strains on the long-held dream of a united Europe.
Since January an estimated 26,000 Tunisians have fled unrest in their country for the shores of Italy, where officials say the burden of caring for these immigrants should be shared by the 27-nation European Union.
The Italians have taken the unusual step of issuing many of the Tunisians temporary residence permits and say that those papers allow the immigrants to go anywhere in a 25-nation zone that permits legal European residents to cross borders without a visa.
The Italian stance has infuriated Germany and France, the former colonial power where many of the Tunisians want to reunite with relatives, friends and co-workers.
Neither side is backing down, tensions are rising, and on Sunday French police stopped a train carrying Tunisian immigrants from Italy at the border. It was an unprecedented affront to Europe's cherished vision of visa-free travel in a united continent where in many places there is nothing to indicate a national border beyond a roadside welcome sign.
There was a large French border police presence on the Italian frontier Monday and officers were checking the passports of all Tunisians passing through, and their ability to support themselves.
In Germany, separated from Italy by Austria and Switzerland, Interior Ministry spokesman Jens Teschke said there would be "more intensive observation" of people entering the country, though he would not give specifics. He said there were still no formal controls on borders that have been visa-free.
The state interior ministry in Bavaria, which contains all of Germany's border with Austria, said that a system of spot checks near the borders that has been in place since the visa-free zone started has been stepped up somewhat, leading to more checks on roads, train stations within some 20 miles of the border.
"It's a bit easy for Italy to be generous with other people's territory," said Christian Estrosi, the mayor of the French city of Nice, near the Italian border, and a prominent member of President Nicolas Sarkozy's conservative UMP party. "What are the consequences of this? Italy, in the name of the EU, has made an incredible offer of hope" to North African immigrants. "This is not acceptable."
A host of other disputes are simultaneously threatening the grand project of European unity: On the same day the French stopped the train at the Italian border of Ventimiglia, a party that opposes the EU and financial bailouts for struggling countries made significant electoral gains in Finnish elections.
The True Finns may well play a role in a new Finnish government, jeopardizing the effort to stabilize the common euro currency by bailing out Portugal and other nations — perhaps the single most visible symbol of European unity.
In any event, political wrangling in Portugal may endanger its ability to negotiate the bailout that it says it needs. And in Greece, calls are growing louder for the country to ignore the financial strictures imposed on it by the EU and default on its debts instead.
While no single issue will sever the strong, deep ties between the nations of the EU, many observers see significant long-term damage to the idea of uniting vastly dissimilar cultures and economies in a single confederation.
France said it was justified in halting the train from Italy because there were pro-immigration activists on the train who threatened public order. In any event, French officials said, it would honor the Italian residence permits only if the immigrants could show they had enough money to support themselves.
The town of Ventimiglia said Sunday that it would find temporary shelter for the Tunisians who were aboard the train. It was not immediately clear Monday if all were still in the town, returning to other places in Italy or trying to get to France by other means.
Italian Interior Minister Roberto Maroni said the immigrants should be allowed to travel throughout the Schengen area.
"We have given the migrants travel documents, and we gave everything that is needed," Maroni said in an interview on Italy's Sky TG24 TV.
But Michele Cercone, a European Union spokesman, said the French appeared to be within their rights under the Schengen agreement to refuse entry to the immigrants. A temporary residence permit, Cercone said, is neither an EU passport nor and EU visa and does not grant people the right to move freely in the borderless Schengen area — the group of 25 European countries to which both Italy and France belong.
Cercone also said the Schengen agreement allows police checks along borders, so long as they are not systematic and do not amount to border controls. And people can be prevented from crossing a border for reasons of public security, he said.

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The race between the pirates and the world is being won by the pirates,

The world is losing the battle against piracy, the Somali transitional government's foreign minister warned Monday in Dubai, as he and other officials emphasised that the solution to piracy lies on land.
"The race between the pirates and the world is being won by the pirates," Mohammed Abdulahi Omar Asharq told a counter-piracy conference in Dubai.
"Consequently the status quo view that manages acts of piracy is no longer a viable strategy. It is equally clear that piracy can only be uprooted on land, where it grows and persists," Asharq said.
United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan emphasised the same point.
"There is no doubt that any actions taken in the field of countering piracy would not be effective unless essential changes in security and stability on land in Somalia are made," he said.
And Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, the chairman of giant ports operator DP World, which co-sponsored the conference with the UAE foreign ministry, said a prosperous and peaceful Somalia is the long-term solution to the problem of pirates based there.
"The current international focus is in finding near-term, offshore solutions for the piracy menace," Sulayem said. But "it is increasingly clear that the community of nations need to be thinking also long-term, and on shore."
"This is because stable, prosperous economies are the only effective, enduring solution to piracy, which feeds on the lack of opportunity to make honest money, the lack of structure, the lack of security, and the lack of hope for a stable future," he added.
The two-day conference opened just days after maritime watchdog the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said that worldwide pirate attacks in the first three months of 2011, driven by Somali pirates, were the highest ever at 142.
Somalia has been bereft of a stable government and torn by civil war since the 1991 overthrow of president Mohamed Siad Barre.
Piracy has made shipping increasingly perilous off the Horn of Africa and led to the deployment of various international naval forces to protect the key maritime corridor.

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Mexico's Tamaulipas police chief sacked after killings

Mexican state of Tamaulipas has dismissed its head of security following the discovery of 145 bodies in mass graves earlier this month.

Former army Gen Ubaldo Ayala Tinoco has been replaced by another former soldier, Capt Rafael Lomeli Martinez.

The state governor said the new chief would improve coordination with the army and federal police in the fight against drugs gangs.

The killings have been blamed on the Zetas drug cartel.

More than 20 suspected cartel members have been arrested in connection with the killings, including the alleged mastermind of the massacre.

But 16 state policemen have also been arrested on suspicion of protecting the criminals.

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France on Sunday prevented all trains carrying illegal immigrants entering its borders from Italy.

In dramatic scenes in Menton, in south east France, border guards including riot police halted hundreds of mainly North African men who have crossed from Libya and Tunisia.
The trains, on which they travelled and which also contained political activists calling for better rights for immigrants, were attempting to cross from the nearby Italian border station of Ventimiglia.
"Our orders are to cancel all services from Italy," said a spokesman for the French national train operator SNCF.
He said the trains had been stopped on the orders of the Alpes-Maritimes Prefecture "until further notice".
The Italian Foreign Minister, Franco Frattini, directed his embassy in Paris to lodge a protest with France.

 

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Sharjah ship owner has warned Somali pirates that reneging on a deal to free seven of its crew will cause others to question the point of paying ransom demands.

Sharjah ship owner has warned Somali pirates that reneging on a deal to free seven of its crew will cause others to question the point of paying ransom demands.

The pirates captured the MV Asphalt Venture and its 15 crew, all Indians, more than six months ago and anchored the ship off the Somali town of Harardhere.

After a ransom payment the pirates say was worth $3.6 million (Dh13.2m), eight of the crew and the ship were released at the weekend, but the pirates retained seven - six officers and one crew member -in retaliation for the capture of 120 pirates by Indian authorities over the past few months.

The Sharjah ship owner Bitumen Invest AS and the Indian managers of the ship, OMCI Ship Management, released a statement yesteday expressing "deep disappointment" over the pirates reneging on their word. "This is despite meeting all demands of the negotiated settlement and paying the mutually agreed ransom," read the statement.

"The vessel is in Somali waters. The owners appeal to the pirates to honour their word and immediately release the six officers and one crew member. All owners of other ships hijacked by pirates which are still captive in Somalia will lose faith in the negotiation process unless those taken from the Asphalt Venture are returned immediately."

It is thought to be the first time pirates have reneged on a ransom deal since the practice of capturing ships off the coast of Somalia came to international attention six years ago.

Sunil Puri, a spokesman for both companies, said the pirates were not "directly in touch with the company".


The 4,000-tonne vessel had been en route to South Africa last September when it was seized about 100 nautical miles off the coast of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania.

Indian forces have had four confrontations with pirates this year. After the third, in March, a pirate named Bile Hussein warned that Indian hostages might face rougher treatment as a result.

Mr Puri said the company hoped the crew was in no danger. "We kept our side of the bargain."

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Cuba's highest-profile dissidents marched defying President Raul Castro's warning, issued hours earlier, that foes of the communist regime were not welcome on Cuban streets.

"Our fight has been and will continue to be achieving freedom for political prisoners," said Laura Pollan yesterday, leader of the Ladies in White group of political prisoners' kin, as the group took to Havana streets.

The dissidents, who have been honoured with the European Parliament's Sakharov prize, march most on Sundays in Havana, dressed in white and carrying flowers, to draw attention to their relatives' plight.

But this Sunday was different: just hours earlier the president addressed the rare Cuban Communist party congress under way, putting political foes on notice that they would not find a public space or openness to anti-regime ideas.

"Defending the independence of the achievements of socialism, and our squares and streets, will continue to be the duty of all Cuban patriots," Castro stressed.

Pollan said Castro was inciting pro-government activists, who may believe they will be rewarded by the regime for actions against dissidents, to target her award-winning group.

The president "is giving free rein to (pro-regime) mobs to target people who are going out into the streets to protest or seek freedom" for prisoners, Pollan said.

"We cannot accept provocations like that; that is what the government wants as they seek to discredit us somehow," she added.

Raul Castro told the party meeting Saturday he backed term limits for top leadership positions in a country he and his brother Fidel Castro have led for more than five decades.

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"machine-gun fire",James Cooper, 25, and James Kouzaris, 24, both from England, were found dead by police in Sarasota

James Cooper, 25, and James Kouzaris, 24, both from England, were found dead by police in Sarasota, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
A 16-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with both murders. Police said he was known to them and had previously been arrested.
The pair were on holiday with one of the men's extended family, according to British consular officials and a city police spokesman. They were staying 12 miles away on the island city of Longboat Key. The men were found outside a government-assisted housing block in the north of the city, which is on the west coast of the state.
Police received a 911 call at about 3am on Saturday. The caller, a local resident, said that a person was lying on the ground covered in blood.
Officers who were sent to investigate also found the second man on the other side of the road, also bleeding. Both were declared dead at the scene.

Local media said that police had marked about 20 shell casings on the street and were continuing to collect evidence six hours after the shooting.
Residents told reporters that they heard what sounded like "machine-gun fire".
Captain Paul Sutton, of the Sarasota police, said no motive for the killings had yet been established.
"We're trying to work out why they were in this area," he told The Daily Telegraph. "It's a residential area and not somewhere that would normally attract outsiders".
Captain Sutton said the men were not carrying weapons, drugs or an unusual amount of money.
A spokesman for the British consulate in Miami said: "British consular officials can confirm that two British nationals were killed in Sarasota, Florida, on April 16. Next of kin have been notified.The body of one of the victims was found on the pavement surrounded by up to 20 shell casings.

While checking the area police came across the second victim.

Police in Sarasota said neither of the men were in possession of drugs, but would not say whether they had cash or weapons.

A police spokesman said: 'This is an area where not many tourists venture. We are still trying to ascertain why they were there.'

Both victims were white,' said Sarasota Police Captain Paul Sutton.

The men were found riddled with bullets in front of public housing in North Sarasota.

Their bodies were discovered at 3.20am. One theory is that they were victims of a botched street robbery.

A local resident called 911 after reporting hearing gunshots and seeing a man covered in blood.

The bodies of both men were found within a short distance of each other.

Forensic teams spent over six hours looking over the area and placed markers for at least 20 shell casings.

A spokesman for the British consulate in Miami said: 'British consular officials can confirm that two British nationals were killed in Sarasota, Florida, on April 16. Next of kin have been notified.

'Officials from the consulate in Orlando are providing assistance. The two male victims were on holiday in Florida with other family and friends,' the spokesman said.

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Sea piracy worldwide hit a record high of 142 attacks in the first quarter this year as Somali pirates become more violent and aggressive, a global maritime watchdog said

Sea piracy worldwide hit a record high of 142 attacks in the first quarter this year as Somali pirates become more violent and aggressive, a global maritime watchdog said Thursday.
Nearly 70 percent or 97 of the attacks occurred off the coast of Somalia, up sharply from 35 in the same period last year, the International Maritime Bureau's piracy reporting center in Kuala Lumpur said in a statement.
Attackers seized 18 vessels worldwide, including three big tankers, in the January-March period and captured 344 crew members, it said. Pirates also murdered seven crew members and injured 34 during the quarter.
"Figures for piracy and armed robbery at sea in the past three months are higher than we've ever recorded in the first quarter of any past year," said the bureau's director Pottengal Mukundan.
He said there was a "dramatic increase in the violence and techniques" used by Somali pirates to counter increased patrols by international navies, putting large tankers carrying oil and other flammable chemicals at highest risk to firearm attacks.
Of the 97 vessels attacked off Somalia, he said 37 were tankers including 20 with more than 100,000 deadweight tonnes.
International navies have taken a tougher stance against pirates, with the Indian navy alone arresting 120 mostly Somalian pirates over the past few months. The U.S. and other nations have also prosecuted suspects caught by their militaries, although some were released as countries weigh legal issues and other factors.
Mukundan said the positions of some of the attackers' mother ships were known and called for stronger action to be taken against these mother ships to prevent further hijackings. Pirates held some 28 ships and nearly 600 hostages as of end-March, the bureau said.
Elsewhere, nine attacks were reported off Malaysia and five in Nigeria in the first quarter.

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North Korea arrested a U.S. citizen for a “crime” against the country

North Korea arrested a U.S. citizen for a “crime” against the country in November and is preparing to indict him after he admitted the alleged charges, state media reported.

Jun Young Su was allowed “necessary humanitarian conveniences” including visits by Swedish diplomats, who represent U.S. interests in North Korea, the state-run Korean Central News Agency reported. The news agency didn’t provide details of the alleged offense.

North Korea’s confirmation of the arrest comes before a visit by former U.S. president Jimmy Carter, who traveled to the country in August last year to win the release another American. A U.S. State Department spokesman, Mark Toner, on April 12 urged the government in Pyongyang to release the American on “humanitarian grounds,” without providing details of the detainee.

“It’s not coincidental that North Korea publicly confirmed the arrest before Carter’s planned visit,” said Kim Yong Hyun, professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul. “Releasing the citizen to Carter can help set the mood for dialogue between the two nations on other pending issues like North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.”

Private Visit

Carter will travel to North Korea “in a strictly private capacity,” without carrying any official message from the government, Toner said March 24. The U.S. described Carter’s trip to Pyongyang in August when he returned with Aijalon Mahli Gomes, who had been held for seven months, a private mission.

Carter will make the trip between April 26 and 28 and will be accompanied by as many as three former heads of state, including former Irish president Mary Robinson, Seoul-based Yonhap News reported on April 10. The delegation will also include former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari and former Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, the report said.

The arrested person is a Korean-American businessman in his 60’s, who traveled to North Korea for missionary work, Yonhap reported today, citing unidentified people in Orange Country, California, where the man is from.

In February last year, North Korea released an American missionary, Robert Park, after he was held for about two months. Gomes, who had been in anti-North Korea rallies while living in Seoul, may have been inspired by Park when he traveled to North Korea in January last year, according to Agence France-Presse.

Former U.S. president Bill Clinton went to Pyongyang in August 2009, winning the release of two U.S. journalists arrested in March that year for entering the country illegally.

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Sovereign Bank, an affiliate of Spain's Grupo Santander, is one of 14 financial institutions in the United States being sanctioned for misconduct and negligence in mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure practices

Sovereign Bank, an affiliate of Spain's Grupo Santander, is one of 14 financial institutions in the United States being sanctioned for misconduct and negligence in mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure practices, several U.S. government agencies said.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Reserve, Office of Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), FDIC and the Office of Thrift Supervision (OTS).

The latter entity ordered Sovereign, Aurora, EverBank and OneWest Bank to take corrective actions in servicing and foreclosure processes and each must submit plans acceptable to the Federal Reserve. So far, no penalties have been announced against any of the 14 cited institutions.

The investigation of Sovereign was begun in late 2010 and, according to the OTS, the bank - "without admitting or denying" that reasons exist for the OTS to initiate an administrative action - accepted the order from the supervisory agency.

Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve said on its Web page that the 14 institutions, which represent 68 percent of the mortgage market, demonstrated a "pattern of misconduct and negligence related to deficient practices in residential mortgage loan servicing and foreclosure processing."

The other banks being sanctioned by the Fed are Bank of America Corporation; Citigroup Inc.; Ally Financial Inc.; HSBC North America Holdings, Inc.; JPMorgan Chase & Co.; MetLife, Inc.; The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.; SunTrust Banks, Inc.; U.S. Bancorp; and Wells Fargo & Company.

The Fed also said that the "deficiencies" at these institutions "represent significant and pervasive compliance failures and unsafe and unsound practices."

The investigation found that the banks' deficiencies included the filing of inaccurate affidavits and other documentation in foreclosure proceedings, inadequate oversight of attorneys and other third parties involved in the foreclosure process, inadequate staffing and training of employees and the failure to effectively coordinate the loan modification and foreclosure process to ensure effective communications to borrowers seeking to avoid foreclosures.

Although the sanctions announced on Thursday did not include any mention of fines, they could well be imposed in the future since the Fed said that it believes that in these cases "monetary sanctions are appropriate" and such penalties will indeed be announced.

The measure requires that the cited banks establish a variety of obligatory programs and undergo reviews conducted by independent firms of their loan processing procedures and their oversight of risk management, audit and compliance programs.

Fines and other corrective measures could also result from an investigation being conducted by 50 state attorneys general and the Justice Department.

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MOROCCO REITERATES CEUTA / MELILLA CLAIM

Morocco has restated its claim over the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla. The move comes as Morocco seeks to create a new constitutional model for the state. Omar Azziman, Morocco’s ambassador to Madrid, said that the recovery of the territories is a permanent objective for Morocco, language that echoes that which is often used by Spain in relation to its Gibraltar claim.

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Dixons Retail today announced its decision to quit Spain at a cost of £30 million after 10 unhappy years on the Iberian Peninsula.

The group runs 34 PC City shops and a website in Spain which concentrate solely on the computing market. It employs just over 1360 people in the country.

Dixons declined to say how much money it had lost in Spain over the last decade, but in its trading updates for the last three years it has been warning how tough conditions had become there.

It said the closure is expected to take place by the end of this summer, but predicted that doing so would help boost its trading profit by around £5 million a year.

Chief executive John Browett suggested the exit from Spain when Dixons issued its second profits warning this year last month, saying trading had not improved since Christmas. Same-store sale across the group had fallen 11% in the 11 weeks to the end of March, it said.

Sources close to the company said Dixons is not looking at pulling out of either Greece or Italy despite those countries suffering from similar tough consumer trading.

In both countries the group has gone for the format of selling electrical goods alongside computers.

Dixons has a strong market share in Greece with a well-recognised brand, while its recent trading statement said the Italian turnaround is progressing faster than expected.

The group recently described its joint venture in Turkey as a "long-term opportunity."

Browett also outlined further cost cutting and cash generating plans alongside last month's profit warning.

Dixons shares, which stood at 35p a year ago, were unchanged at 12.2p today. Analysts now question if both its Currys chain and Kesa's Comet can exist together in the UK.

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Casablanca court released from jail Thursday three activists for the independence of Western Sahara detained for more than two years and on trial for undermining Morocco's internal security.

Ali Salem Tamek, Ibrahim Dahhane and Ahmed Naciri were released just before they were to announce a hunger strike, their lawyer Mohamed Sadqo said.

Their trial has been postponed several times since they were arrested in October 2009 at Casablanca airport on their return from Algeria's western town of Tindouf, a base for the Western Sahara independence movement, the Polisario Front.

"We submitted the request for provisional liberty a long time ago. This decision of the court shows that there is not enough evidence to convict them," Sadqo said.

"It is a positive step which comes with out doubt under pressure from the Moroccan authorities. We were going to hold a press conference next Monday to announce the decision of the activists to start a hunger strike."

International rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch had long called for their release, saying the charges were politically motivated.

The three men were arrested with four other people, including a woman Dakcha Lachguer, who were not taken into custody pending trial.

Initially a military court in Rabat had accused the activists of spying but in September 2010 but it declared itself incompetent to handle the case, which was referred to the Casablanca court.

The court's questioning had focussed on the reasons for their trip to Tindouf, where they met Polisario representatives, and how it was financed.

Morocco annexed Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, in 1975.

The Polisario Front, supported largely by Algeria, demands that there be a referendum on self-rule; Morocco has proposed it be allowed autonomy under its sovereignty but not independence.

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British Journalist Arrested in Hacking Case

Police officials said on Thursday that they had arrested a third journalist in connection with an expanding case of phone-hacking by reporters at the British tabloid The News of the World.

The Metropolitan Police issued a statement announcing the arrest of a man early Thursday morning “on suspicion of unlawfully intercepting mobile phone voice-mail messages,” but did not identify the suspect, who remained in custody for questioning.

A person with knowledge of the investigation, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the investigation, said the suspect was James Weatherup, an assistant editor at The News of the World who has also worked as a reporter and news editor there. British news media also identified Mr. Weatherup as the suspect.

A biographical entry on the professional social networking site LinkedIn lists “crisis management” as one of Mr. Weatherup’s areas of expertise.

Last week, Scotland Yard arrested two journalists from the tabloid that is one of Britain’s most widely circulated newspapers. The men — Ian Edmondson, who was fired as the tabloid’s news editor this year, and Neville Thurlbeck, the paper’s chief reporter — were questioned, like Mr. Weatherup, on suspicion of illegally intercepting voice-mail messages. Mr. Edmondson and Mr. Thurlbeck were released on bail until September.

Many of the voice-mail accounts said to have been hacked by reporters at the newspaper, which is owned by Rupert Murdoch, belonged to British royalty and international celebrities, including Prince William and Prince Harry.

The arrests this month signaled a potentially decisive turning point in the investigation, which has been under way for five years. Only two men have been jailed in the case, both in 2007: Clive Goodman, formerly the tabloid’s royalty reporter, and Glenn Mulcaire, a private investigator. The paper had previously said that the two had acted alone in hacking the accounts of celebrities, some of whom are now suing the newspaper.

But the paper later acknowledged the involvement of others. A statement by the paper last week said it was cooperating “fully” with the inquiry. A spokesman for the paper declined to comment on Mr. Weatherup’s arrest.

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Sophie Taylor and Calum Murray died in the shooting incident

teenage trainee gamekeeper accidentally shot his girlfriend and then turned the gun on himself, BBC Scotland understands.

The pair - Sophie Taylor, 16, and 18-year-old Calum Murray - died at a cottage just off the A939 road near Tomintoul on Tuesday.

Sophie's family said they had been left "completely shocked" by the death of their "beautiful" daughter.

A Grampian Police investigation is continuing into the double shooting.

It is understood Sophie and a friend were cooking dinner for Mr Murray and another friend when the tragedy happened.

It is believed Mr Murray was cleaning a shotgun - which was legally-registered - when it went off and killed Sophie.

Family friend Dru McPherson told BBC Scotland it appeared Mr Murray, who he presumed would be in a "state of shock", ran from the cottage pursued by the others and shot himself.

Officers are not looking for anyone else over the deaths.

In a statement, Sophie's parents David, 41, and Katie, 44, and brother David, 18, said: "Sophie was bright and bubbly and loved spending time with her family and friends. We are immensely proud of her.

"We are a close family who will miss her very much and are completely shocked to have lost her so prematurely."

 

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Briton 'beaten to death' in a Dubai police cell after being arrested for swearing

A British tourist was beaten to death by officers in a Dubai police station after being arrested for swearing, it was claimed yesterday.

Lee Bradley Brown, 39, was on holiday at a £1,000-a-night hotel in the Arab state when he was thrown into a filthy cell.

Police sources say he was ‘badly beaten up’ by a group of police officers, leaving him unconscious on the floor.

Inmates told how they watched officers bundle him into a body-bag and drag him out of the building.

During Mr Brown’s six days in Bur Dubai police station, guards refused to give him enough food and water and did not let him see a lawyer, it is alleged.

His sister learned about the attack when she received a phone call from an inmate on Sunday, claiming her brother had been beaten.

The prisoner found her phone number on a photocopy of her brother’s passport which had been left behind in the cell.

She contacted the British Embassy in Dubai, and on Monday an official was sent to visit Mr Brown at the police station.

But the official was turned away by an officer who claimed Mr Brown did not want to see him and had ‘declined consular assistance’.

His sister, who did not want to be named, received another phone call from the inmate saying he had seen her brother’s body being taken out in a body-bag.

A source told the Daily Mail last night: ‘He suffered a really bad beating which must have caused some terrible internal injuries.

‘The poor bloke stood no chance at all. At one stage he was thrown against the concrete wall of a cell and landed badly.

‘Then the guards tried to hush it up and pretend nothing had happened.’

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