FIFA Officials Arrested on Corruption Charges; Blatter Isn’t Among Them
ZURICH — Swiss authorities conducted an extraordinary early-morning operation here Wednesday to arrest several top soccer officials and extradite them to the United States on federal corruption charges.
As leaders of FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, gathered for their annual meeting, more than a dozen plain-clothed Swiss law enforcement officials arrived unannounced at the Baur au Lac hotel, an elegant five-star property with views of the Alps and Lake Zurich. They went to the front desk to get keys and proceeded upstairs to the rooms.
The arrests were carried out peacefully. One FIFA official, Eduardo Li of Costa Rica, was led by the authorities from his room to a side-door exit of the hotel. He was allowed to bring his luggage, which was adorned with FIFA logos.
Hamas executed 23 Palestinians under cover of Gaza conflict, says Amnesty
Damning report by rights group claims Hamas also carried out other horrific abuses in 2014 as it ‘ruthlessly settled scores’ with opponents
Peter Beaumontin Jerusalem
Wednesday 27 May 2015 06.00 BST
Hamas has been accused of using the cover of last summer’s war in Gaza to carry out summary executions, including to “settle scores” against opponents under the pretext they were “collaborators with Israel”.
The claims that Hamas committed rights abuses amounting to war crimes are made in a damning report by Amnesty International highlighting abuses committed by Hamas during last summer’s 50-day war.
It includes accusations that Hamas carried out the summary execution of at least 23 Palestinians and the arrest and torture of dozens of others, including members and supporters of Hamas’s political rivals, Fatah.
Korea objects to heritage status for Japan’s World War II 'slave labour' sites
'Made in Iran': Iranian weapons in Iraq conflict
With sanctions strangling its ability to get its hands on weapons, Iran's only way of amassing a stockpile of arms has been to build them itself. Sniper rifles, armoured vehicles or even surveillance drones make up the Islamic Republic's store of military hardware. Now, Tehran is busy secretly funnelling these weapons to groups taking on the Islamic State group in Iraq.
It's no secret whose side Tehran is on in the conflict raging in Syria and Iraq. The government has been unwavering in its support for the embattled Alawite regime of President Bashar al-Assad and the Iraqi government - both Shiite powers - against the advance of Islamic State group jihadists. But Iran has been far less forthcoming about what that support means in concrete terms.
Types of Iranian aid in Iraq
One such sign of Iranian aid to Iraq became apparent towards the end of last year. In autumn 2014, photos began to circulate online that showed Iranian General Qassem Souleimani. Souleimani is head of the Quds Force, a special forces unit attached to Iran's Revolutionary Guards that carries out operations on foreign soil. The photo showed the general side by side with Iraqi Kurdish fighters as well as soldiers from the Iraqi army and Shiite militias. It was the first time Iran's role as a military advisor on Iraqi soil had been acknowledged, albeit semi-officially.
Chinese police nab 175 'tomb raiders' who looted ancient site
Updated 0918 GMT (1618 HKT) May 27, 2015
Chinese police have arrested 175 "tomb raiders" who stole ancient artifacts from a Neolithic site in the country's northeast, authorities said.
Police recovered 1,168 cultural relics worth more than 500 million yuan ($80 million) from the alleged looters, the Chinese Ministry of Public Security said Tuesday. It described the case as the biggest of its kind in more than 65 years
The suspected tomb raiders are accused of causing serious damage through illegal excavations at Niuheliang, a Neolithic site in Liaoning province, the ministry said.
Australia terrorist's children could be taken into care
- 4 hours ago
Australians fighting overseas with terror groups could have their children removed from their care, Immigration Minister Peter Dutton has said.
His comments came after news emerged that the wife of one Australian Islamic State (IS) militant wanted to return home with their children.
But Mr Dutton said such decisions would be made on a case-by-case basis.
Proposals announced on Tuesday could see some Australians lose citizenship for supporting terror groups.
'Best interests'
Local media have reported that the wife and children of Australian IS fighter Khaled Sharrouf are trying to return to Australia.
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