Charlie Gilmour Barred from London: Police say I'm a threat to the Olympic Games, says Pink Floyd star's rioter son

Student rioter Charlie Gilmour says he has been banned from London during the Olympic Games because he ‘poses too much of a threat’.

The 21-year-old said police and probation officials ordered him to stay away from the capital eight months after his release from prison.

The Cambridge student was jailed for 16 months last July after swinging from a flag on the Cenotaph while high on LSD, Valium and whisky when student protests in London spiralled into rioting in December 2010.

Speaking about his ban, he said: ‘It’s lucky I gave up my childhood dream of high-jumping for Britain because I am banned from staying in London during the Games. The Metropolitan Police and the probation service decided I pose too much of a threat, which shows how much faith they have in the rehabilitative powers of the British penal system.’

It is understood that the Met and probation officials have varied the conditions of Gilmour’s release licence to introduce the ban on staying in London. Read More

M4 farce: Anger as key Olympic route is closed for five days to fix faults workers discovered FOUR months ago

Business leaders spoke of their anger yesterday after a key section of the M4 was shut to complete repairs in time for the Olympics.

There was astonishment that the closure came four months after a problem was first identified.

The road linking Heathrow and Central London carries thousands of commuters a day and is expected to be closed until Thursday at the earliest.

It is also a key part of the Games’ road network, with reserved lanes allowing athletes and VIPs to avoid traffic queues as they are whisked to events.

Cracks were found in an elevated section of the motorway, between junctions 1 and 3, in March but it was not until four months later that officials decided to close the road so they could be repaired.

The Highways Agency said the motorway was expected to remain closed ‘for up to five days’. Read More

Pakistan Nato supply route drivers fear attacks

Islamist groups in Pakistan are converging on Islamabad, for what they say is a "long march" against the government's decision to lift its ban on Nato military convoys travelling into Afghanistan.

Police say around 8,000 people left the city of Lahore in a convoy heading to the capital, where further protests are planned on Monday.

There are some groups in Pakistan who welcome the re-opening of the supply route, in particular the lorry drivers who've been standing idle while it remained closed.

But as the BBC's Mehvish Hussain reports, they are increasingly worried about the dangers of attack by militant groups on the road to Afghanistan. Source

Gunmen Kill More Than 20 at Mass Burial in Nigeria

Gunmen in northern Nigeria opened fire at a mass burial on Sunday, killing more than 20 people, including two politicians.

The politicians “went for the burial, and then gunmen were there, and then they killed them,” said Hafsat Baba, the national women’s leader for the political party Action Congress of Nigeria.

The two politicians who were killed, Senator Gyang Dantong and the Majority Leader of the Plateau State Assembly, Gyang Fulani, were attending the burial of about 50 who had been shot dead by armed gangs in two villages near Jos on Saturday.

The Kaduna-based Baba said there are reports that different ethnic groups are blaming each other for the violence. There is tension in the region between Muslim Fulani herdsman and Birom agriculturalists. Though authorities suspect the gunmen were Fulani, the Fulani have accused local security forces. Read More

Zombie Flash Mob Frankfurt 2012

Six U.S. soldiers killed in roadside attacks in Afghanistan amid one of BLOODIEST weekends that claimed 29 lives

Six American NATO soldiers were killed in a bomb explosion in eastern Afghanistan on the same day as a slew of roadside bombs and insurgent attacks claimed a total of 29 lives..

The identities of the slain service members and the exact location where they were killed have not been disclosed pending notification of next of kin, according to NBC.

The Sunday deaths raise the number of NATO troops killed in the last two days to eight, making it one of the deadliest periods for collation forces in weeks.

So far this year, 225 NATO service members have been killed in Afghanistan. Read More

Afghan woman executed for adultery, locals vow revenge

CHARIKAR, AFGHANISTAN—Sayed Jalal furrowed his eyebrows in anger as he vowed to avenge the public execution of a woman in front of a large crowd not far from Kabul, brazen violence that spurred shock and sharp condemnation from Afghan authorities and the United States.

The Taliban denied involvement in the killing in Parwan province, in which an unnamed woman’s head and body were riddled with bullets at close range in punishment for alleged adultery. Authorities in Kabul directly blamed the Islamist group.

“We will take revenge for this. Their brutality and such inhumane acts are why we hate the Taliban,” said the 42-year-old shopkeeper in Charikar, provincial capital of Parwan about 25 kilometres south of Shinwari, where the killing took place.

The execution was recorded in a three-minute video, obtained by Reuters, which shows a woman in a shawl being repeatedly shot in front of around 150 men perched on a hill, who cheer and praise the attackers, calling them “mujahideen,” a term the Taliban call themselves.

NATO’s top commander in Afghanistan, U.S. Gen. John Allen, called it “an atrocity of unspeakable cruelty.” Read More

Thousands face internet loss as FBI shuts off servers

More than 300,000 people, including many in the US and UK, could lose internet access later as the FBI shuts off servers used by cyber thieves.

The FBI seized the servers in November 2011 during raids to break up a gang of criminals who used viruses to infect more than four million victims.

Victims' web searches were routed through the servers so they saw adverts that led to the gang being paid.

Many machines still harbour the gang's malicious code.

Global clean up
The gang racked up more than $14m (£9m) by hijacking web searches and forcing victims to see certain adverts. They managed to do this because their servers were taking over a key web function known as domain name look-up.

Domain names are the words humans use, such as bbc.co.uk, for websites. These are converted into the numerical values that computers use by consulting domain name servers (DNS). Read More

Syria: UN envoy Kofi Annan to hold talks with Assad

The UN and Arab League's envoy to Syria, Kofi Annan, is due to meet President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus for talks on his six-point peace plan.

The meeting comes after Mr Annan acknowledged that the plan has so far failed to end the violence.

A week ago, a meeting of major powers called for a transitional unity government in Syria.

Mr Assad has accused the US of trying to destabilise Syria by giving "gangs" in his country political protection.

Syria's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Jihad Makdissi, told the AFP news agency that the talks would focus on the six-point plan for peace mediated by Mr Annan earlier this year.

In an interview published on Saturday, Kofi Annan told the French paper Le Monde that the plan for Syria had so far "failed" to end the bloodshed. Read More

Syria's Assad Blasts US 'Terrorist Backing'

America is 'destabilising' Syria by supporting 'gangs', Bashar al Assad claims ahead of talks with UN envoy Kofi Annan.

Syria's president has accused the US of backing "terrorists" in his country as the leader prepares to hold talks later with peace envoy Kofi Annan over escalating violence.

Bashar al Assad said in a rare TV interview that Washington was moving to "destabilise" Syria by giving political support to "those gangs".

Between 14,000 and 16,000 people - most of them civilians - have been left dead after 16 months of anti-government upheaval, according to activists.

Mr Assad, who has faced repeated calls from the international community to step down and end the bloodshed, also dismissed comparisons between him and the ousted leaders of Libya and Egypt, who whose downfalls were spurred on by uprisings last year.

"It's a completely different situation," said Mr Assad, who also brushed off a question about whether he feared for his family, including his wife and three children. Read More

4.5 Magnitude Earthquake MAULE, CHILE - 9th July 2012

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake has struck MAULE, CHILE at a depth of 49.7 km (30.9 miles), the quake hit at 01:44:27 UTC Monday 9th July 2012
The epicenter was 34 km (21 miles) ENE of Constitucion, Chile
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.5 Magnitude Earthquake KURIL ISLANDS - 9th July 2012

A magnitude 4.5 earthquake has struck the KURIL ISLANDS at a depth of 119.4 km (74.2 miles), the quake hit at 01:34:49 UTC Monday 9th July 2012
The epicenter was 170 km (105 miles) Northeast of Kuril'sk, Russia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

3.9 Magnitude Earthquake NORTHERN CALIFORNIA - 9th July 2012

A magnitude 3.9 earthquake has struck NORTHERN CALIFORNIA at a depth of 1 km (0.6 miles), the quake hit at 00:01:16 UTC Monday 9th July 2012
The epicenter was 4 km (2.4 miles) NNE from The Geysers, California
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.6 Magnitude Earthquake BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA - 8th July 2012

A magnitude 4.6 earthquake has struck the BOUGAINVILLE REGION, PAPUA NEW GUINEA at a depth of 98.7 km (61.3 miles), the quake hit at 22:39:08 UTC Sunday 8th July 2012
The epicenter was 58 km (36 miles) WSW of Panguna, Papua New Guinea
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.3 Magnitude Earthquake KURIL ISLANDS - 8th July 2012

A magnitude 4.3 earthquake has struck the KURIL ISLANDS at a depth of 73.2 km (45.5 miles), the quake hit at 21:11:20 UTC Sunday 8th July 2012
The epicenter was 371 km (230 miles) Southeast of Vostok, Russia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

Fukushima Refugees Rather Gamble than Work, Claims Iwaki City Mayor (Sadly, it seems to be true)

The city of Iwaki lies 30km south of the Fukushima Daiichi just outside of the evacuation zone created after the nuclear disaster struck. As such it has become home to approximately 25,000 displaced people from Futaba District, where the Daiichi reactor is located.

On 9 April, Iwaki Mayor Takao Watanabe had this to say about the evacuees: “With the compensation money they received from TEPCO, most people are choosing not to work. The pachinko parlors, however, are packed every day.” Pachinko is a highly popular game similar to pinball that is often used for gambling much like slots or video poker in other parts of the world.

Although this may sound like another case of a Japanese politician putting his foot in his mouth, it appears Mayor Watanabe is not alone with his opinion.

“These refugees never work, they just play pachinko.” is among the comments of Iwaki residents. Ever since the influx of evacuees arrived tensions have been gradually rising.

At the center of townspeople’s concerns is the effect this surge in population is having on their quality of life. As the mayor points out, “For the refugees, medical costs are completely free which is creating a huge burden on our city’s hospitals and clinics. The number of patients currently is overwhelming and I’m worried how well we will be coping a year from now.”

Long-time residents of Iwaki also share concerns about the effect of thousands of non-paying patients will have on the quality of health care which they themselves have to pay for. more

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5.2 Magnitude Earthquake SALTA, ARGENTINA - 8th July 2012

A magnitude 5.2 earthquake has struck SALTA, ARGENTINA at a depth of 200 km (124 miles), the quake hit at 19:52:56 UTC Sunday 8th July 2012
The epicenter was 195 km (120.9 miles) West of Salta, Argentina
No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

4.9 Magnitude Earthquake BANDA SEA - 8th July 2012

A magnitude 4.9 earthquake has struck the BANDA SEA at a depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the quake hit at 18:33:19 UTC Sunday 8th July 2012
The epicenter was 144 km (89.2 miles) West of Tual, Indonesia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

Another suspected school poisoning in Afghanistan

Kabul—As many as 60 Afghan school girls were hospitalized with suspected poisoning in Afghanistan’s northern Jawzjan province on Saturday morning, local officials said. The incident took place in Yaka Bagh high school in Sheberghan, the capital of Jawzjan province, the head of Ministry of Education Department, Abdul Hai Yashim said.

He said that the girls were taken to a nearby hospital in the city and “police have been started investigating the incident.”

The incident happened a week after as many as 100 schoolgirls were poisoned in the same province. Recently, suspected poisoning cases have affected as many as 500 schoolgirls in the north of Afghanistan. The Afghan Ministry of Interior on Wednesday said that they arrested eight people, including three women, over the poisoning of schoolgirls in northern Sar-e-Pol province which shares a border with Jawzjan.

The ministry said that the Sar-e-Pol poisoning cases had affected over 300 schoolgirls in the past fortnight. —INP Source

18-ft. great white attacks a kayak

PLEASURE POINT, Calif. — A great white shark, estimated to be up to 18 feet long, sheared through the front end of a kayak floating about a quarter-mile from the popular Eastside surf spot known as Pleasure Point in Monterey Bay near Santa Cruz, Calif., authorities said.

The attack, which happened about 8:30 a.m. Saturday, is a rare occurrence for the area, as no one has reported a shark bite in several decades in the waters around Santa Cruz County, according to Sean Van Sommeran of the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation.

On Saturday, a 52-year-old Fremont, Calif., man was fishing from his 13.5-foot kayak when he felt the shark bump up against the back of the boat.

Within seconds, the shark lifted up the kayak and attacked the front, sheriff’s deputies said.
The man, thrown from the kayak, was unharmed.

He was plucked from the ocean by a boater nearby who had witnessed the incident.

The man was fishing with two friends in about 40 feet of water just outside a kelp bed when the attack occurred.

The man’s friends, in separate kayaks, were not injured. Read More

Desecrated First World War graves cloud meet between Hollande, Merkel

The desecration of dozens of graves of Germans killed in the First World War and buried in a French cemetery clouded a historic meeting Sunday by the leaders of the two nations, who urged Europeans to set aside economic worries and deepen their union.

In the medieval cathedral in Reims, France, a city battered by the two world wars, French President François Hollande and German Chancellor Angela Merkel marked the 50th anniversary of a meeting between France’s Charles de Gaulle and Germany’s Konrad Adenauer that paved the way for decades of cross-border partnership.

The Reims cathedral where the two leaders attended a special mass was where kings of France were long crowned, and was bombed by German planes in World War I. It was in Reims that Germans signed their surrender to the Allies on May 7, 1945, heralding the end of World War II in Europe. Read More

Major Crime Probe Into Torquay Fatal Crash

A major crime investigation team is looking into whether a driver smashed his car into a young family's vehicle on purpose.

The officers, along with a serious collision investigation unit, have been given the task after police chiefs said it appeared the black Vectra driven by a Polish man swerved into the path of the other car.

The crash in Torquay, Devon, which killed a two-year-old boy and his unborn sibling and left their parents badly injured, was witnessed by a police officer.

Relatives of the Irish couple who were critically hurt have flown to the UK to be at their bedside as they recover in hospital.

Con Twomey and his wife Elber have both undergone surgery following the head-on crash in their Volkswagen Golf on Friday. They are said to be in a critical condition. Their son Oisin and unborn child did not survive.

The driver of the black Vauxhall Vectra, a Polish man in his 20s, was arrested at the scene but later died. Read More

Public Execution of Afghan Woman - WARNING GRAPHIC VIDEO

The victim was shot in front of a crowd of men as security forces try to find those behind the killing.



The public execution of a young woman accused of adultery in Afghanistan has been condemned by the country's government and human rights campaigners as a video of the killing emerged.

The footage shows her being shot several times in the back in Qol village in Parwan province just north of the capital Kabul - in front of a crowd of men.

The 22-year-old woman, named as Najiba, was married to a member of a hardline Taliban militant group and was accused of adultery with a Taliban commander, Parwan provincial spokeswoman Roshna Khalid said.

She said: "Within one hour they decided that she was guilty and sentenced her to death. They shot her in front of villagers in her village, Qol."

After the shooting, a villager handed the video over to the provincial government and "the security forces are preparing a big operation to find the culprits", she said, adding the execution happened late last month. Read More

Iran's defense military introduces new laser beam missile

Japan government may run out of money by October

Israel increases violence across Gaza

China accidents: Mine safety under the spotlight

4.8 Magnitude Earthquake KURIL ISLANDS - 8th July 2012

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake has struck the KURIL ISLANDS at a depth of 42 km (26 miles), the quake hit at 16:58:27 UTC Sunday 8th July 2012
The epicenter was 516 km (319.9 miles) Northeast of Nemuro, Kuril Islands, Russia
No Tsunami Warning Issued - No Reports of Damage or Injuries at this time

African migrants 'tortured in Sinai'

Destroyed & Devastated: Russia grieves in wake of tsunami-like flood

'Attack on Iran after Syria falls major goal of the West'

Ukraine's parliament Fighting Again

'US, Britain seek to wage World War III over Syria conflict'

Yemen on high alert after al Qaeda threatens prison break

Sanaa, Yemen (CNN) -- More than 40 al Qaeda militants infiltrated Yemen's port city of Aden seeking to free imprisoned fighters, the defense ministry said Saturday.

The ministry said the militants entered through neighboring al-Thale province, and that the country is on high security alert.

"The same group of militants already attacked a government prison in al-Thale province seeking to release members of the terror network arrested in a military operation earlier this week," a senior Defense Ministry official told CNN on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to media.

The militants were heavily armed and attacked the governmental complex with rocket-propelled grenades and a barrage of bullets. Read More

Officials make break in baffling disease killing Cambodian children

Phnom Penh, Cambodia (CNN) -- Health officials say they have made an important discovery in the mystery surrounding the deaths of 64 children in Cambodia.

The Institut Pasteur in Cambodia tested samples taken from 24 patients and found 15 had tested positive for Enterovirus Type 71 -- a common cause of hand, foot and mouth disease that can also cause severe neurologic complications, mainly in children.

"These results now give a good explanation to this outbreak," Dr. Philippe Buchy, head of the institute's virology unit, said in an e-mail. "We will get more results hopefully by next Tuesday or Wednesday."

But an official with the World Health Organization cautioned that the outbreak has not been fully solved, and more analysis is needed.

Outbreaks "occur periodically in the Asia-Pacific region," according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Brunei had its first major outbreak in 2006. China had an outbreak in 2008.

Though the detection of EV71 in Cambodia is significant, there may be other factors, said Dr. Beat Richner of Kantha Bopha hospitals.

Over the past three months, 66 children -- between 2 and 3 years old -- were admitted to Kantha Bopha facilities. All but two died mysteriously after suffering severe neurological and respiratory complications, Richner said. Read More

Libyans ignore extremist threat

Syrian shells hit Lebanon

Beirut, Lebanon (CNN) -- Shells fired during clashes within Syria landed in a Lebanese town, killing one person and injuring three, Lebanon's army said Saturday.

The shells hit the border town of Amayer, in Lebanon's Wady Khaled region, at 2 a.m. local time, the army's information directorate said in a statement.

Lebanon's National News Agency reported that two people were killed and two injured when two rocket-propelled grenades were fired from Syria.

The victims were Syrian refugees, the news agency said.

The Lebanese Red Cross also issued conflicting numbers, saying one person was killed and four injured.

The victims were all from the same family and were transported to a hospital, said George Kettaneh, a spokesman for the Red Cross.

The fatality was a young girl, he said. Read More

Devastating floods sweep China

July 8 - Severe flooding brought on by torrential rains sweeps across vast swathes of China, displacing residents and destroying homes and crops. Travis Brecher reports.

Syria conducts naval drills

July 8 - Syrian TV airs video of coastal and naval missile firing drills by the country's military. Travis Brecher reports.