Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Six In The Morning

16 April 2013 Last updated at 06:52 GMT


FBI probes Boston 'terror' blast



An investigation is under way after two explosions near the finishing line of the Boston Marathon left three people dead and at least 140 injured.
The FBI has taken over co-ordination of what it described as a "potential terrorist inquiry".
Boston police say officers are working around the clock and all leave has been cancelled.
At least 17 people are critically wounded, officials say, and the injuries include several amputations.
One of the dead was an eight-year-old boy, US media said.
In a televised address, President Barack Obama vowed to bring those behind the attack to justice.
"We will find out who did this. We'll find out why they did this," he said.
"Any responsible individuals, any responsible groups, will feel the full weight of justice."








Turkish composer and pianist convicted of blasphemy on Twitter

Fazil Say describes verdict as 'sad for Turkey' after being given suspended 10-month prison sentence for series of tweets






A Turkish court has convicted pianist and composer Fazil Say of blasphemy and inciting hatred over a series of comments he made on Twitter last year.
The musician was given a suspended 10-month jail term. His lawyer, Meltem Akyol, said his client would have to serve the term if he committed a similar offence within the next five years.
Say, who was not present at the hearing, issued a statement calling the verdict "a sad one for Turkey". He denied the charges, saying they were politically motivated.
The 43-year-old went on trial in October accused of denigrating Islam in a series of tweets earlier last year.



NORTH KOREA

North Korea rebuffs international offers to talk




As Kim Jong Un and senior leaders of the North Korean regime paid their respects at the mausoleum for his late father, Kim Jong Il, and grandfather, Kim Il Sung, Pyongyang is continuing its war of words.
After weeks of claim and counter-claim by all sides with a stake in the standoff surrounding North Korea - and, more worryingly, action and counter-action involving B-2 bombers, an underground nuclear test and aggressive military drills on both sides of the border - there has been a conscious effort on the part of South Korea and the United States over the last few days to ease the tensions.
Over the weekend, US Secretary of State John Kerry told Chinese officials in Beijing that Washington would be willing to reduce its missile defense system in countries in Northeast Asia if Pyongyang would in turn halt its nuclear weapons program.




World Bank: Africa's economic growth to outpace average





Economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa should significantly outpace the global average over the next three years, according to the World Bank.
Higher commodities, increasing investment and a general pick-up in the world economy should all boost the continent's growth to more than 5%.
But the World Bank added that African governments had to do more to ensure that this growth reduced poverty.
Global GDP was forecast to grow by an average of 2.4% this year.
Foreign direct investment is forecast to reach record levels in the coming years, hitting $54bn (£35.3bn)a year by 2015, the Bank said.


Middle East
     Apr 16, '13


Beit Daras and a buried history of massacres
By Ramzy Baroud 


Few with any sense of intellectual or historical integrity would still question the bloody massacre that took place in the village of Deir Yassin 65 years ago, which claimed the lives of over 100 innocent Palestinians. Attempts at covering up the massacre have been dwarfed by grim details revealed by well-respected historians, including some of Israel's own. 

Even narratives offered by historians such as Benny Morris - an honest researcher who remained committed to Zionism despite


the ghastly history he had himself uncovered - presented a harrowing version of the events that unfolded on that day. 



Students clash with police in Venezuela




Confrontation comes as Nicolas Maduro is formally declared presidential poll winner amid opposition calls for recount.

Last Modified: 16 Apr 2013 04:43



National Guard troops have fired tear gas and plastic bullets to disperse students protesting against the official results in Venezuela's disputed presidential election as Nicolas Maduro, the acting president, was formally declared the winner of Sunday's vote.
The students hurled chunks of concrete and stones back at the troops on a highway in Caracas on Monday.
The demonstrators were trying to reach the western part of the capital, where most of the government is headquartered.
Al Jazeera's Chris Arsenault, reporting from the city, said: "Demonstrators are on the streets across the wealthier areas of Caracas waving flags and banging on pots. Many roads are closed across the capital.



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