Monday 30 September 2013

Vancouver Sun Video Awards Workshop Aim to Inspire Creativity in Students

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Sharpest Minds in Video Gather to Pass on Their Knowledge


VANCOUVER  The Vancouver Sun, CBC and Vancouver Film School have recruited the sharpest minds in video production and documentary filmmaking for a one-day workshop aimed at students on Saturday, Nov. 2.

As part of the Student Video Awards, the workshop will provide young, aspiring filmmakers an opportunity to discover the latest techniques in a range of topics from the art of visual storytelling and cultivating creative ideas to how to make your video go viral, as well as tips and tricks from top animators.

Connecting students to working professionals opens doors as well as minds, Dean Broughton, chief news editor digital for The Vancouver Sun, and workshop organizer said Monday. It’s an opportunity for students to explore and learn from some of the sharpest minds in the field.

The SVA Workshop will be held at the new Vancouver Film School campus at 151 West Cordova Street in Gastown. The early-bird registration cost is $45, and includes lunch and a T-shirt.

You can also keep tabs on the contest at the SVA Facebook page and follow on Twitter atPush the Creative Envelope by David Vandas; Online Distribution Strategies by Kai Nagata; Storytelling and Character Development by VFS’s Michael Baser; and The Age of Imagination, focusing on animation and idea, generation by Colin Giles.

The workshop is part of the third annual Vancouver Sun-CBC Student Video Awards, which offers more than $20,000 in prizing to Vancouver Film School Summer Intensive sessions. Since the inception of the SVA in 2011, more than 1,500 students have participated in submitting films which have reached more than 80,000 people.


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Sunday 29 September 2013

Suicide Bomber Kills 25 in Iraq

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People inspect the site of a double suicide bomb attack in the Shiite neighbourhood of Sadr city in Baghdad, Iraq.  AT least 25 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in an Iraqi town on Sunday where people were mourning the death of a man killed by militants a day earlier, police said.  The blast brought down the ceiling of the mosque in Mussayab, 60km (40 miles) south of the capital Baghdad. Police said some bodies were still trapped beneath the debris. At least 50 people were wounded.

It was not immediately clear who was behind the bombing, which is the latest in a spate of attacks targeting both Sunni and Shi'ite places of worship, particularly during funerals.

Iraq's delicate sectarian balance has come under growing strain from the civil war in neighboring Syria, where mainly Sunni Muslim rebels are fighting to overthrow a leader backed by Shi'ite Iran.

Both Sunnis and Shi'ites have crossed into Syria from Iraq to fight on opposite sides of the conflict.

Al Qaeda's Iraqi and Syrian branches merged earlier this year to form the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, which has claimed responsibility for attacks on both sides of the border.

Suicide bombings are the hallmark of al Qaeda.

Several other attacks in recent weeks also suggest that Shi'ite militias, which have so far largely refrained from retaliating, may once again be resorting to violence.

More than 6,000 people have been killed in acts of violence since the start of the year, according to Monitoring Group Iraq Body Count.

Friday 27 September 2013

UN Resolution Orders Syria Chemical Arms Destroyed

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United Nations: The UN Security Council unanimously passed a landmark resolution on Friday ordering the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons and condemning a murderous poison gas attack in Damascus.

The major powers overcame a prolonged deadlock to approve the first council resolution on the conflict, which is now 30 months old with more than 100,000 dead.

UN leader Ban Ki-moon, a critic of the council's paralysis, called the resolution "the first hopeful news on Syria in a long time." Ban also said he hopes to convene a peace conference in mid-November.

Resolution 2118, the result of bruising negotiations between the United States and Russia, gives international binding force to a plan drawn up by the two to eliminate President Bashar al-Assad's chemical arms.  There are no immediate sanctions over a chemical weapons attack confirmed by the UN. But it allows for a new vote on possible measures if the Russia-US plan is breached.  Divisions over the war remained clear, however, in comments by their foreign ministers after the vote.

"Should the regime fail to act, there will be consequences," US Secretary of State John Kerry warned the 15-member council after the vote sealing a US-Russian agreement.  But Kerry hailed the resolution.  "The Security Council has shown that when we put aside politics for the common good, we are still capable of doing big things," he said. No automatic punitive measures

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that there were no automatic punitive measures and that the resolution applied equally to the Syrian opposition.  He said the council would take "actions which are commensurate with the violations, which will have to proven 100 per cent."  Russia, Assad's main ally, has rejected any suggestion of sanctions or military force against Assad. It has already used its veto power as a permanent Security Council member to block three Western-drafted resolutions on Syria.

The resolution "condemns in the strongest terms any use of chemical weapons in the Syrian Arab Republic, in particular the attack on August 21, 2013, in violation of international law."

The United States says the attack on the Damascus suburb of Ghouta left more than 1,400 dead. It blamed Assad's government for the sarin gas assault and threatened a military strike over the attack. The government has denied responsibility.

Should Syria not comply with the resolution, the Security Council members agreed to "impose measures under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter."  Syria attacks must be 'accountable'

The charter can authorize the use of sanctions or military force. But diplomats said Russia would fiercely oppose any force against its ally. All sides agreed that new action will require a new vote.

Russia also rebuffed calls by European powers Britain and France for the Ghouta attack to be referred to the International Criminal Court.  The resolution expressed "strong conviction" that those responsible for chemical weapons attacks in Syria "should be held accountable."

It formally endorsed a decision taken hours earlier in The Hague by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) to accept the Russia-US disarmament plan.  The plan called for Syria's estimated 1,000 tonnes of chemical weapons to be put under international control by mid-2014. Experts say the timetable is very tight.

International experts are expected to start work in Syria next week. Britain and China announced that they will offer finance to the disarmament operation.

Ban said the resolution "will ensure that the elimination of the Syrian chemical weapons program happens as soon as possible and with the utmost transparency and accountability."  Ban also told the Security Council he wanted to hold a new Syria peace conference in November. "We are aiming for a conference in mid-November," Ban said, adding that foreign ministers from Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States had agreed to make sure the two sides in the conflict negotiate in "good faith."

A first peace conference was held in June 2012 but there has been no follow up because of divisions in the Syrian opposition and the international community.  Ban will start contacts with his Syria peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi next week on setting the firm date and who will attend the new meeting, diplomats said.

The Security Council resolution gave backing to the 2012 conference declaration, which stated that there should be a transitional government in Syria with full executive powers.  It also determined that the new peace conference would be to decide how to implement the accord.  A car bomb north of Damascus that killed at least 30 people earlier in the day and 11 more deaths in a government air raid highlighted the continued slaughter in Syria's long-running civil war.  "We must never forget that the catalog of horrors in Syria continues with bombs and tanks, grenades and guns," said Ban.

Thursday 26 September 2013

Apple's Advanced Fingerprint Technology


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Apple's advanced fingerprint technology is hacked; should you worry?

It took only days for the hackers of Germany’s Chaos Computer Club to claim victory in the challenge to break Apple’s vaunted new security feature in the iPhone 5s. The CCC “biometrics hacking team” used a photo of a fingerprint from a glass surface to fashion a fake finger that they then used to fool the newest iPhone into unlocking. “This demonstrates – again,”  the group said in a statement, “that fingerprint biometrics is unsuitable as access control method and should be avoided.”

Actually, it demonstrates no such thing.

The new iPhone debuted on Friday, September 20. The CCC team announced their successful hack roughly 48 hours later. But if you think this is a crushing defeat for Apple, think again. Apple's technology is good enough for most common applications. But no fingerprint reader is unhackable.

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Biometric information like fingerprints and retina scans are useful pieces of a multi-factor authentication puzzle. Although the CCC claims they used “materials that can be found in almost every household,” it’s unlikely that many households have the imaging technology to capture a fingerprint in a 2400 dpi photograph, clean up the resulting image and print it at 1200 dpi “onto transparent sheet with a thick toner setting,” and then “smear pink latex milk or white woodglue” into the pattern to make a fake finger like the one that successfully bypassed the security of Touch ID.

Despite the slightly high-end lab equipment, this isn’t exactly rocket science. The source fingerprint probably looked like this


And the lab bench where the fake finger was created probably looked something like this:

Cool, huh? Except those pictures aren't from the CCC. They're from a similar hack that was publicized more than a decade ago. Back in 2003, another group led by researchers Antti Kaseva and Antti Stén posted an almost identical description of a fingerprint hack using a Windows-based fingerprint scanner that was, at the time, state of the art:

Tuesday 24 September 2013

President Barack Obama Reveals Why He Quit Smoking: "I'm Scared of My Wife"

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Be careful what you say, President Barack Obama!
While privately chit-chatting with UN General Assembly attendee Maina Kiai this week, the commander in chief didn't realize one of his microphones was still on and let slip a funny anecdote about wife Michelle Obama.

"I hope you've quit smoking," Obama said to Kiai, who replied, "Sometimes."

"I haven't had a cigarette in probably six years," Obama continued, adding with a smile and laugh, "That's because I'm scared of my wife."

Back in 2011, Michelle revealed that her husband had finally kicked his smoking habit, saying, "He's always wanted to quit."
And back in 2008, Obama told People he wasn't an every-day smoker. "That was always a little over-hyped," he said of the reports. "You know, I'd sneak maybe three, four cigarettes a day, then I could go three or four days without one."
It sure sounds like Obama's done smoking for good, thanks to the positive influence of the First Lady!

Monday 23 September 2013

Fresh Gunfire From Kenya Mall

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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Multiple barrages of gunfire erupted Sunday morning from the upscale Kenyan mall where there is a hostage standoff with Islamic extremists nearly 24 hours after they attacked using grenades and assault rifles.

Two wounded Kenyan security forces were carried out of the Westgate shopping mall after a sustained volley of gunfire that may have included grenade blasts.

Kenyan authorities said the militants held an unknown number of hostages in the shopping center located in the Westlands area of Nairobi, after killing at least 39 and injuring 150 on Saturday.

Somalia's al-Qaida-linked rebel group, al-Shabab, claimed responsibility for the attack in which they specifically targeted non-Muslims.

Kenyans and foreigners were among those confirmed dead, including French and Canadians. Kenya's presidential office said that one of the attackers was arrested on Saturday and died after suffering from bullet wounds.
"Violent extremists continue to occupy Westgate Mall. Security services are there in full force," said the United States embassy in an emergency text message issued Sunday morning.

Trucks brought in a fresh contingent of soldiers from the Kenya Defense Forces early Sunday to back the combined military and police force that surrounded the upscale mall overnight.

Daylight brought some good news, as Kenyan media reported that several people in hiding in the mall escaped to safety, suggesting that not everyone who is still inside is being held by al-Shabab. Cecile Ndwiga said she had been hiding under a car in the basement parking garage.  "I called my husband to ask the soldiers to come and rescue me. Because I couldn't just walk out anyhow. The shootout was all over here — left, right— just gun shots," she said.  Nairobi resident Paolo Abenavoli said he is holed up in his apartment only 100 meters from the mall with a direct view of the entrance. He said he could see a dozen or more security forces inside a first floor restaurant.  "The battle is on now," Abenavoli told The Associated Press by telephone as the fresh gunfire broke out Sunday.

Security forces had pushed curious crowds far back from the mall. Hundreds of residents gathered on a high ridge above the mall to watch for any activity.

Sunday 22 September 2013

Nairobi Live: At Least 30 Hostages, 15 Terrorists Still Inside Westgate Mall

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A gunbattle inside a shopping centre in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, has left at least 30 people dead and more than 50 injured, authorities said.

Gunfire has been exchanged for hours after Kenyan troops and elite units joined police fighting gunmen in Nairobi's upmarket Westgate shopping centre on Saturday.

In a statement issued by Kenya's Internal Security Minister Mutea Iringo said that the government is now "fully in charge" of the situation at the mall.

Police and security guards, who are calling the hours-long siege a "terrorist incident", told the AFP news agency that gunmen have also taken at least seven hostages in what was initially believed to be an armed robbery.

Smoke was seen rising from the shopping complex where gunfire is being exchanged with gunmen at the shopping centre in the Westlands district - one of the city's most exclusive shopping malls. The gunmen are reported to be carrying assault rifles and wearing combat fatigues.

Another witness said the attackers just opened fire, executing people after they threw grenades into the building at about midday local time (09:00 GMT).

Unverified witness accounts have indicated that the attackers targeted non-Muslims and foreigners.

Police said they had surrounded the Westgate mall, which is popular with wealthy Kenyans and expatriates, and urged residents to stay away from the area.

'Not ordinary thugs'

Alan Boswell, a freelance reporter who has been outside the shopping centre, told Al Jazeera that a strong firefight broke out earlier, and that there are still people being evacuated from the mall, some on stretchers.

"Many of them are quite terrified - they're crying, they're clutching their children," said Boswell.

An unknown number of attackers, he said, were still inside and in control of certain parts of the mall, where a heavy security presence remains.

"There's been no indication that [the situation] is under control," said Boswell.

There are reports of people still be trapped trapped in the mall's shops as well as parking garage. Police say they have managed to escort some shoppers to safety but are still trying to capture the gunmen.

Billow Kerrow, a senator from Mandera County in Nairobi, said it is still unknown who the attackers are.

"It's too early to know what kind of people these are, but from what we are getting, these are people who speak in the Swahili language," said Kerrow.

"They are people who seem to know what they are doing, are pretty much organised. It's really quite a shocking thing because from what we're getting, they aren't ordinary thugs," he said.

Friday 20 September 2013

68 Believed Buried in Mexico Mudslide; Storm Death Toll Rises to 97

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Rescue efforts continue in La Pintada in hard-hit Guerrero state after a mudslide swept away homes. In Acapulco, anger flares amid evacuation.

MEXICO CITY — Rescue teams were searching Thursday for an estimated 68 people believed buried in a mudslide after multiple storms battered large swaths of Mexico, killing nearly 100 people nationwide and leaving thousands stranded or homeless.

While much attention was focused on tourists caught in the Pacific resort of Acapulco, grimmer reports emerged from villages in that hard-hit region of Guerrero state, which were largely cut off from aid and may have suffered large-scale devastation.

Luis Felipe Puente, the federal Civil Protection coordinator, said in a television interview that the national death toll climbed Thursday to 97 people in nine states. He said authorities were searching the Guerrero town of La Pintada, where at least 58 people were reported missing after a rain-propelled mudslide. Rescue operations have evacuated more than 300 people. Later, authorities said the missing numbered at least 68.
"We hope all [the missing] are not" dead, Puente said.

"We haven't seen bodies," Interior Minister Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said after flying over the region. "But there were two-story houses that are now completely covered. There was a tall church, and now you don't see a church. It disappeared."   Some residents, Osorio Chong said, were resisting evacuation. "They say, I won't go until I find my daughter, my sister."

If confirmed, the La Pintada landslide will be the single deadliest incident after twin storms assailed opposite coasts of Mexico last weekend, a rare double whammy that officials said they had not seen here in more than half a century. President Enrique Peña Nieto flew to the region Thursday afternoon.  "We have had extraordinary rains," Peña Nieto said.

In photographs of La Pintada that he and his associates displayed at a news conference, it looked as though someone had taken a giant paintbrush and swiped the verdant green countryside with a wide, harsh red stripe. That was apparently the mudslide that carried away residents, their homes and belongings.

Manuel, a tropical storm that hit Guerrero and other parts of the western coast several days ago — as Hurricane Ingrid was pummeling the eastern coast — weakened, then grew to hurricane strength, then weakened again Thursday, meteorological officials said. At its strongest, it aimed Thursday for Sinaloa state, where authorities reported extensive flooding.

In Acapulco, meanwhile, an airlift of thousands of stranded tourists, most of them Mexicans, continued. Forty-five flights ferried peopled from Acapulco to Mexico City on Thursday after landslides and a flooded airport isolated the popular resort town on a holiday weekend.

Angry that they were not getting sufficient attention, some tourists staged a roadblock protest in Acapulco, stopping military trucks that some believed were helping privileged Mexicans cut the long lines for flights.

"We are getting desperate; we have no more money," tourist Alfredo Gonzalez told reporters. "We are signed up for a military flight, but they told us there are thousands and thousands of people ahead of us."

Peña Nieto's government was coming under criticism for having failed to give sufficient warning to residents as the storms bore down on the country. Critics said the president, with less than 10 months in office, was more worried about his first performance in annual Independence Day ceremonies and neglected weather realities.

Thursday 19 September 2013

Egyptian Forces Raid Pro-Morsi Town

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CAIRO - A police general was killed when Egyptian security forces stormed a village on the outskirts of Cairo on Thursday in the latest crackdown on the pro-Morsi activists, security officials said.  Military and police vehicles surrounded Kerdassah in the shadow of the Giza pyramids after dawn, as police special forces deployed to confront terrorists in the village, the interior ministry said. Giza security chief Nabil Farrag was killed in clashes as 65 people were arrested in the operation which carried on into the afternoon. Authorities slapped a daytime curfew on the village as they went door to door searching for 140 wanted men, including those behind a massacre in Kerdassah in which 11 policemen were killed on August 14. Heavy gunfire was exchanged as suspected militants shot at police from inside several buildings, AFP photographers at the scene said. Thursday’s raid is part of a massive crackdown on supporters of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi who was overthrown by the military on July 3.  Around 1,000 Islamists have been killed in the campaign in two months, as have dozens of soldiers and policemen.

Morsi is himself being held by the military at an unknown location, and hundreds of members of his Muslim Brotherhood are being detained on various charges.  Authorities installed by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi have vowed to end the recent wave of terrorism which they attribute to Morsi supporters. Security forces are pursuing their campaign in Kerdassah and will not stop until they clear (the village) of all terrorist and criminal elements, interior ministry spokesman Hani Abdel Latif told reporters. Television footage showed a thick pall of tear gas over the area, as security vehicles moved around deserted parts of Kerdassah, a stronghold of hardline supporters of Morsi. On August 14, just hours after a crackdown on two protest camps in Cairo of Morsi supporters, 11 policemen were found dead at Kerdassah police station. Several other police stations near the village were also torched.  Thursday’s operation comes days after a similar raid on the central Egyptian town of Delga in Minya province, which was held by hardline Islamists for more than a month.

Since the Islamists’ takeover there, three churches were torched, dozens of Christian homes burned and two Copts killed, according to rights groups. Delga and Kerdassah are among the most negative consequences of the Brotherhood regime, Abdel Latif said.  Meanwhile, several metro services for hundreds of thousands of commuters were interrupted briefly after two suspected bombs on the tracks in a south Cairo station turned out to be a hoax. The devices made to look like bombs contained no explosives, an interior ministry official said, adding: They were fake.”  A security official told AFP that cement bags with wires attached were placed on the tracks. Bomb experts sent to the scene searched for more such devices before services resumed soon afterwards, one official said.  The cabinet said on Thursday that a nightly curfew imposed on Cairo and 13 other provinces will be shortened by two hours. It will now run from midnight to 5:00 am except on Friday when it will begin at 7:00 pm, the cabinet said.  On September 12, the interim authorities extended a state of emergency in force since mid-August by another two months for security reasons. Egypt has been gripped by security-related problems since the 2011 uprising that toppled long-time autocrat Hosni Mubarak.  The unrest surged after the military’s ouster of Morsi more than two months ago.
The army has also been engaged in a campaign in the Sinai peninsula, pouring in troops and armour to crush militant attacks which rose after Morsi’s ouster.  The Islamist president’s removal came after millions of people took to the streets to demand his overthrow after a year-long turbulent rule that deeply polarised Egyptians.

Meanwhile, visiting EU special envoy Bernardino Leon said Thursday a political reconciliation in Egypt was necessary even if extremely difficult following Islamist president Mohamed Morsi’s ouster.
Leon met with both government officials including foreign minister Nabil Fahmy and Muslim Brotherhood members, among them Amr Darrag, an international cooperation minister under Morsi.  Both sides said we have to go back to an inclusive process, Leon told reporters on the second day of his visit. Leon has been in Cairo several times as part of international efforts to mediate between the authorities and the Brotherhood whose supporters set up two massive protest camps in Cairo.

Tuesday 17 September 2013

Egypt Condemns European Union Threats to Halt Aid as Death Toll Rises

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Egypt has flatly rejected a warning by the European Union that it will "urgently review" its aid to the country against a background of mounting international concern about the deteriorating situation and the huge loss of life in the last few days.

Nabil Fahmy, foreign minister in the military-backed interim government, warned on Sunday against the "internationalization" of a crisis he described as Egypt's internal affair and criticized the "silence" of foreigners on attacks he blamed on the Muslim Brotherhood.

Reflecting a defiant official mood in Cairo, Fahmy ignored a public statement by the British foreign secretary, William Hague, who sought to strike a careful balance by condemning the "disproportionate use of force by the security forces or violent actions by some demonstrators". The statement was issued after the two men spoke on Saturday night, the Foreign Office said.

Diplomats said that Egypt was furious at last week's British and French calls for a private UN security council debate on the escalating crisis. Ban ki-Moon, the secretary-general, has expressed his concern and is sending a senior UN official to Cairo. More than 800 people, mostly Brotherhood supporters, were killed last week in the worst violence since President Mohamed Morsi was deposed in early July.

State media reported on Sunday night that 38 Brotherhood members taken prisoner had been killed in a riot. The pro-Morsi anti-coup alliance said it had evidence the detainees had been "assassinated" in a truck taking them to Abu Zaabal prison in northern Egypt.

Al-Jazeera TV said the men had been arrested in the evacuation of Cairo's al-Fath mosque on Saturday. The detainees were part of a prison truck convoy of some 600 people heading to Abu Zaabal, officials told Associated Press.

Detainees in one truck managed to capture a police officer, officials told AP. Security forces fired tear gas into the truck in hopes of freeing the badly beaten officer, the officials said. The officials said those killed died from the effects of the gas.

Sunday's state TV broadcasts – tagged with an "Egypt fighting terrorism" logo – ran repeated interviews with citizens agreeing with the government's rejection of foreign involvement.

EU foreign ministers are expected to meet in Brussels this week to discuss Egypt after the presidents of the European council and European commission, Herman Van Rompuy and José Manuel Barroso, warned jointly on Sunday that further escalation could have "unpredictable consequences". The EU had pledged almost €5bn (£4.2bn) in loans and grants for 2012-2013.

In a statement they said the EU would "urgently review in the coming days its relations with Egypt".

"We regret deeply that international efforts and proposals for building bridges and establishing an inclusive political process ... were set aside and a course of confrontation was instead pursued," they added.

But Fahmy suggested bluntly that Cairo could manage without EU help. "I want to determine what is useful and what is not and what aid is being used to pressure Egypt and whether this aid has good intentions and credibility," he told reporters in Cairo. "We are not looking to replace one friend with another but we will look out to the world and continue to establish relations with other countries so we have options."

Relations between Egypt and the US have been strained by the crisis, but President Barack Obama has faced criticism for merely suspending the two countries' annual Bright Star joint military exercise but not touching $1.5bn (£959m) in annual aid to the Egyptian armed forces. On Sunday, Obama's former presidential rival and influential Republican foreign policy voice John McCain said Obama's failure to follow through on a threat to cut off aid if there was a coup in Egypt, meant the administration was "not sticking to our values".

But Fahmy said: "The relationship between Egypt and the US has been there for a long time. It has been through ups and downs in the past. We hope things will go back to normal promptly."

Tamarod (Rebellion), the movement that organised the 30 June mass protests that ended with Morsi's removal by the army, said on Sundayit was launching a petition calling for an end to all US assistance to Egypt and the abrogation of its 1979 peace treaty with Israel, the linchpin of US strategy in the region. It cited "unacceptable American intervention in Egyptian affairs and US support for "terrorist groups".

In the face of western criticism, Egypt is now relying increasingly on political and financial support from its conservative Arab allies, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, sworn enemies of Morsi and the Brotherhood and the leaders of the counter-revolutionary response to the uprisings of the Arab spring. Al-Akhbar, a leading state-run newspaper, on Sunday published a cartoon of an avuncular-looking King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia extending generous cash support to an Egyptian.

Fahmy told Hague and other foreign ministers that "the Brotherhood and its allies were terrorising citizens, attacking governmental institutions, hospitals, churches, places of worship [and] causing … a threat to domestic peace and security". The Egyptian minister also criticised the international community. "Their silence encourages armed groups to continue murdering and using violence and intimidation," he said.

The responsibility of any government was to provide security and impose public order within the context of the law, Al-Ahram reported.

Monday 16 September 2013

Attack At The Navy Yard

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The nation's capital went on high alert Monday after a shooting attack at the city's U.S. Navy Yard left at least 12 victims and one gunman dead and injured 8 others.

Police said one suspected shooter was dead at the scene, but they were keeping the Yard on lockdown because they were still searching for a person of interest who was seen wearing a drab olive uniform.

Authorities identified the dead suspect as Aaron Alexis, a 34-year-old man from New York, who the Pentagon says was a full-time Navy reservist from May of 2007 through January of 2011.

NPR's Carrie Johnson reports that law enforcement officials believe Alexis gained access to the secure military facility by using the ID of "a 50-odd year-old African American man who was recently dismissed from his job at the Navy Yard."

Alexis, however, was also working as for an IT company that was upgrading the Navy's computer system.

D.C. Police Chief Cathy Lanier said it's still unclear how Alexis died, but she said he was involved in gun battles with active shooter teams inside building 197 of the Washington Navy Yard.

Lanier said police had "multiple engagements with the suspect" and it was after one of those that Alexis was found dead.

D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray said authorities did not suspect terrorism, but the motive for the shooting was still a mystery.

The attack was, President Obama told the nation, a "cowardly act ... [on] men and women who were going to work, doing their jobs, protecting all of us."

"They were patriots," he said of the victims.

At first police officials said that there were two other "potential" shooters they were looking for. Other law enforcement sources, though, cautioned that in the confusion some first responders might have been mistaken for additional attackers.

And just before 2:45 p.m. ET., D.C. Police announced that one of the potential other gunmen — "the white male in the tan outfit" — had been "identified and is not a suspect or person of interest."

The incident began around 8:20 a.m. ET when shots were fired around a building on the grounds of the facility in Southeast D.C., the Navy confirmed just minutes later.

Initially, there was word that only a few people had been injured and that only one gunman was responsible. Among those hurt, according to reports from emergency personnel, was a police officer who was struck at least twice.

But at 10:04 a.m. ET, the Navy added that there had been "reports of fatalities." Federal law enforcement sources told NPR a short time later that there had been "multiple fatalities."

Then as morning turned to afternoon, the death toll turned grim, when authorities said 12 victims were dead, not including the gunman.

We're updating as more news comes in. Our colleagues at WAMU are following the story here. As happens when news such as this is breaking, there will be conflicting accounts. We'll focus on information from authorities in a position to know what's going on and from news outlets with reporters at or near the scene. If things change, we'll pass along that information.

Sunday 15 September 2013

Syria: US Says 'Threat Of Force Is Real

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The Syrian Government has welcomed the international agreement on its chemical weapons disarmament as "a victory" for Damascus.3:31pm UK, Sunday 15 September 2013 Kerry and Netanyahu
John Kerry gives a joint briefing with Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem.

US Secretary of State John Kerry has issued a strong warning to Syria, saying "the threat of force is real" if it does not destroy its chemical weapons.  Speaking at a joint news conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, he said the focus must now be on ending the violence and humanitarian crisis in Syria.  But he again warned that US military strikes were a possibility if President Bashar al Assad does not comply with a newly-brokered US and Russian deal to strip him of his chemical stockpiles.  "Make no mistake, we have taken no options off the table," he said.

Mr Netanyahu said diplomacy could only work if it was coupled with the credible threat of force. Syria needs to be stripped of its chemical weapons, he said. "It would make the entire region a lot safer."  The Syrian government has welcomed the international agreement on its chemical weapons disarmament as "a victory" for Damascus.  "On one hand, it helps the Syrians emerge from the crisis and on the other it has allowed for averting war against Syria," Syrian minister of state for national reconciliation Ali Haidar said in an interview with Russian news agency Ria Novosti. "It's a victory for Syria that was achieved thanks to our Russian friends."

Syrian troops in gunfight with rebels in Tadaman
Syrian troops and rebels continue to clash on the streets of Damascus
Mr Haidar gave Syria's first reaction to the disarmament plan as warplanes and artillery bombarded rebel-held areas of Damascus. He said the deal would prepare the ground for peace talks between President Assad's forces and the rebels. But the rebels have called the international focus on poison gas a sideshow, and dismissed talk the plan might herald peace talks. They said Mr Assad had stepped up an offensive with ordinary weaponry now the threat of US air strikes had receded.

Earlier, US President Barack Obama welcomed the nine-month disarmament plan, calling it an "important, concrete step", but also warned that "if diplomacy fails, the United States remains prepared to act".  The US and Russia have given Syria seven days to submit a "comprehensive list" of its chemical weapons - otherwise, the US will seek a UN resolution that could still authorise strikes.  Once the details have been handed over, the Assad regime will then have until November to allow UN inspectors access to the sites. Destruction of the regime's chemical weapons must then be complete by mid-2014.

Wednesday 11 September 2013

Early China Launch iPhone

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An early launch of Apple’s latest smartphone in China is expected to stifle a thriving grey market.
Hong Kong: Apple Inc.’s millions of Chinese fans will celebrate the near-simultaneous launch of the latest iPhone in China and the US, but one group will have little to cheerthe smugglers.  An early launch of Apple’s latest smartphone in China is expected to stifle a thriving grey market worth billions of dollars a year built around smuggling from Hong Kong, where in the past the US tech giant’s gadgets have gone on sale months before they reach official channels in the mainland.  Smugglers also worry that once Apple and China Mobile Ltd sign a long-awaited deal, it will snatch away more business with the carrier’s heavily subsidized smartphones.  Of course it will affect our business in some way. If people can buy it at the official stores soon, why will they still want to buy it here? said Huang Kaidi, a shopkeeper in China’s southern city of Shenzhen, who has been selling iPhones smuggled from Hong Kong since the phone debuted in 2007. But price is still our advantage. Our price will still be cheaper and consumers are always looking for cheaper ones, said Huang, one of the hundreds of shop owners squeezed in the dimly lit, smoke-filled electronics marketplace.  The unveiling of Apple’s latest phone this week comes as the company is grappling with falling sales in Greater China, its second-largest market, due to the narrowing technology gap with cheaper Chinese rivals and as Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd keeps up a steady stream of new models across all price ranges. When the iPhone 5 was launched last September, Chinese authorities only gave the green light for sales at Apple stores and authorized resellers in December, giving smugglers an advantage of several months to lure die-hard fans. A weak Hong Kong dollar and virtual tax-free regime also helped create a lucrative arbitrage opportunity. Roughly 70% of iPhones and iPads sold in Hong Kong, or $4-5 billion of Apple’s annual sales of $6-8 billion in the Chinese territory, land up in China via either the grey market or mainland tourists’ purchases, according to analysts. On Wednesday, for the first time, Apple is holding an event in Beijing hours after the US unveiling of its latest iPhone, underscoring the importance of the Chinese market.  Two of Apple’s carrier partners China Unicom and China Telecom have already said they will carry the newest iPhone models within days of their launch.

China Mobile, the world’s biggest carrier by subscribers, is expected to seal a deal with Apple shortly after the launch, some industry executives said. Once China Mobile signs a contract with Apple, that will also take away some business from the grey market, said Bryan Wang, an analyst with Forrester Research in Beijing.
While the early launch is seen hampering the smuggling trade, it won’t wipe it out totally.  The market will not be fully diminished because a sizeable portion of consumers on the Chinese operators’ network will still want to buy a new phone themselves before their contract runs out, Wang said.
Consumers on pre-paid tariffs will have to buy the phones without the operators’ subsidies if they cannot wait for their contract to run out.  So while the smugglers are losing out on the time advantage and price premiums, they are still taking no chances.  Laying the groundwork for Wednesday’s launch, an ad posted on Alibaba Group’s Taobao.com offered: Hong Kong students to help you buy iPhone 5, 5S, 5C, with the latest editions priced at 5,000-7,000 yuan ($820-$1,100) apiece. Student mules from Hong Kong typically carry iPads in their schoolbags or strap iPhones around their waists and ankles each time they cross the border. In Shenzhen, smugglers promise to have the new iPhones at their counters as soon as it is launched in Hong Kong.

Come again on the day of the launch. I guarantee the goods will arrive from Hong Kong by early afternoon. In the meantime, why don’t you consider getting an iPhone 5? I’m selling them real cheap to get rid of my leftover stock, said a Shenzhen shopkeeper surnamed Zhou, selling iPhone 5 models at a 25% discount.

Tuesday 10 September 2013

President Barack Obama Blends Threat of Attack Against Syria

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 President Barack Obama used a nationally televised address Tuesday night to make his case for military action against Syria, telling skeptical Americans that President Bashar Assad's government posed a threat to U.S. security even as he recognized that diplomatic steps could render attacks unnecessary.

While noting he had asked Congress to postpone action on Syria while diplomacy unfolded, Obama also said he has ordered the U.S. military to remain prepared to carry out attacks if needed. He blamed last month's chemical attacks near Damascus squarely on Assad and warned that a failure to act now would encourage tyrants and terrorists to use similar weapons.

"Our ideals and principals as well as our national security are at stake in Syria, along with our leadership of a world where we seek to ensure that the worst weapons will never be used," he said.

Obama's speech was seen as a critical one for his presidency, though for reasons different than when plans for it were announced last week. It was intended as the climax of the administration's pitch to persuade Congress to endorse military action in Syria. Polls showed Americans, wary of another Middle East conflict, oppose military action and Obama, lacking support from liberals and conservatives alike, was in danger of losing the congressional vote.

Syria's announcement that it would accept a Russian plan to turn over the chemical weapons stockpile posed a new challenge to Obama: whether to press arguments for military strikes or ease up because of the prospects of a diplomatic breakthrough. Earlier in the day, Obama hurriedly dispatched his top diplomat, Secretary of State John Kerry, to Geneva for talks Thursday with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

But the speech clearly put the emphasis on the military action, not diplomacy. Most of the remarks - which lasted only about 15 minutes - were making the case for the U.S. to respond.

"America is not the world's policeman," Obama said. "Terrible things happen across the globe, and it is beyond our means to right every wrong. But when, with modest effort and risk, we can stop children from being gassed to death and thereby make our own children safer over the long run, I believe we should act."

The unpredictable chain of events stemmed from a chemical weapons attack in the Damascus suburbs on Aug. 21. U.S. officials say more than 1,400 people died, including at least 400 children, and other victims suffered uncontrollable twitching, foaming at the mouth and other symptoms typical of exposure to chemical weapons banned by international treaty. Other casualty estimates are lower, and Assad has said the attack was launched by rebels who have been fighting to drive him from power in a civil war that has so far claimed the lives of more than 100,000 civilians.

Assad's patron, Russia, has blocked U.S. attempts to rally the U.N. Security Council behind a military strike. But Monday, after a remark by Kerry, Russian officials spoke favorably about requiring Syria to surrender control of its chemical weapons, and the Syrian foreign minister did likewise.

The foreign minister, Walid al-Moallem, said Tuesday that his government was ready to turn over its chemical weapons stockpile in line with Russia's proposal in order "to thwart U.S. aggression." He also said Syria is prepared to implement a Russian proposal to put its chemical weapons arsenal under international control.

Obama has said frequently he has the authority as commander in chief to order a military strike against Assad regardless of any vote in Congress, and he has consistently declined to say whether he would do so if lawmakers refuse to approve the legislation he is seeking.

The lukewarm support in Congress was underscored on Tuesday when liberal Democratic Sen. Ed Markey and conservative Republican Rep. Mark Mulvaney both announced their opposition.

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell became the first congressional leader to come out against legislation giving the president authority for limited strikes. "There are just too many unanswered questions about our long-term strategy in Syria," he said.

By contrast, House Speaker John Boehner and Majority Leader Eric Cantor, the top two Republicans in the House of Representatives, and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi have endorsed Obama's request.

Steny Hoyer, the second-ranking Democrat in the House, said, "It would be inimical to our country's standing if we do not show a willingness to act in the face of the use of chemical weapons and to act in a limited way to address that use alone."