U.S. judge rejects motion to end Russian pilot's drug trafficking case

A U.S. judge rejected a motion to drop charges against a Russian pilot who was arrested by U.S. intelligence agents in Liberia on suspicion of drug trafficking, a source familiar with pre-trial hearings told RIA Novosti.

Konstantin Yaroshenko, 41, was detained by U.S. intelligence agencies in late May on charges of trafficking cocaine to South America, Africa and Europe, mainly from Liberia and Venezuela. The Russian Foreign Ministry criticized the detention, saying it was practically a kidnapping and a violation of international law.

During pre-trial hearings into Yaroshenko's case, defense lawyers sought to end the case on the grounds that a U.S. court had no jurisdiction to hear it, the source said on the condition of anonymity.

The Russian pilot's lawyers also said evidence supporting the case was wrongfully obtained and numerous wrongful acts were committed during his arrest and subsequent transportation to the United States.

No official documentation on the case is available so far. RIA Novosti

PM: No punishments for deadly Cambodian stampede

(CNN) -- Last week's deadly stampede during an annual festival won't result in criminal punishments, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen said Monday in a speech broadcast on state television.

"No one will receive punishment for this incident," he said at the opening of a new government building in Phnom Penh. "We have to learn a lesson from this to solve such problems in the future".

Government investigators said last Wednesday that a suspension bridge swayed as thousands of people attempted to cross it during the annual water festival. The swaying apparently led to fears it would collapse, triggering the stampede.

Police fired water cannons to get people to continue moving across the footbridge, which leads to an island in the center of a river. "That just caused complete and utter panic," Steve Finch of the Phnom Penh Post told CNN after the November 22 incident.

The government said 347 people were killed and hundreds of others were injured in the incident. CNN

U.S. came close to al Qaeda's number 2

Washington (CNN) -- The United States has come close to taking out al Qaeda's second-in-command on more occasions than have previously been acknowledged, according to current and former U.S. officials.

In February 2003, Ayman al-Zawahiri apparently met in Peshawar, Pakistan, with another senior al Qaeda leader whom the CIA was pursuing at the time. But according to the officials, the agency did not have a firm location for Khalid Sheihk Mohammed until it received a tip the following day enabling the Pakistanis to capture Mohammed in another city.

The alleged mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks is now being held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay. Former analyst Michael Scheuer, who headed the CIA's bin Laden unit, said the agency did not find out about al-Zawahiri meeting with Mohammed until after the fact. CNN

Students and teacher held hostage at US high school

An armed student is holding 23 fellow students and a teacher hostage at a school in the US state of Wisconsin.

An administrator at Marinette High School called the authorities shortly after 1500 (2100 GMT) to say a student had taken over a classroom.

Police Chief Jeff Skorik told reporters that no injuries had been reported since the stand-off began.

Marinette County emergency management director Eric Burmeister said parents were gathered at the local courthouse. BBC News

Israel's eased blockade 'still crippling' Gaza

There has been "little improvement" for people in Gaza since Israel announced it was easing its economic blockade of the territory six months ago.

That is the verdict of a new report by aid agencies and rights groups working inside the Palestinian territory.

A ban on most exports from Gaza is "crippling" the economy, they say.

The report, "Dashed Hopes: Continuation of the Gaza Blockade", was compiled by 21 different groups, including Oxfam, Amnesty and Save the Children. BBC News

Qantas A380s fly again

(CNN) -- Australian airline Qantas resumed service of its A380 fleet Saturday for the first time since grounding the jumbo jets after an engine mishap earlier this month.

Chief Executive Alan Joyce was on board when the first A380 in the Qantas fleet of six took off from Sydney's airport Saturday evening, said Tom Woodward, a Qantas spokesman.

"He'll be traveling as far as Singapore," Woodward said.

The flight was full when it departed for London via Singapore, according to Woodward.

The plane that took off Saturday was in Los Angeles, California, when Qantas grounded the fleet. The airline's engineers replaced two of the plane's engines in Los Angeles, then ferried the plane to Sydney with only pilots aboard so it would be ready for the first passenger flight. CNN

Pakistan court: Christian convicted of blasphemy must wait for pardon

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) -- A court in Pakistan on Monday blocked the government from pardoning a Christian woman sentenced to death for blasphemy until her case has been heard by an appeals court, a senior government law officer said.

Chauhdary Hanif Khatana, deputy advocate general of Punjab province, said the Lahore High Court has ruled that because Asia Bibi's death sentence is not final and subject to confirmation by a higher court, the president must wait to legally use his powers to pardon.

Bibi's defense lawyer, Khan Chauhdary, said that he has filed an appeal against the death sentence but that the appeal would take two or three years to be heard.

There have been calls for a presidential pardon, and last week Pakistan's minister for foreign affairs concluded a three-day investigation into the case, saying Bibi is innocent and should be released. CNN

EUA veem Brasil com dois discursos sobre contraterrorismo, diz documento vazado

A postura política do Brasil de negar a existência de ameaças terroristas no país contrasta com as ações dos serviços de segurança brasileiros, na avaliação descrita pela embaixada dos Estados Unidos em Brasília em documento secreto divulgado pelo site Wikileaks.

O comunicado, enviado pela embaixada americana no último dia do ano passado, faz parte do pacote de mais de 250 mil “telegramas diplomáticos” (comunicações entre embaixadas e outros canais diplomáticos) americanos aos quais o Wikileaks teve acesso e começou a divulgar neste domingo.

“Há dois discursos separados no governo do Brasil sobre contraterrorismo; politicamente, o Brasil continua a negar a presença e a ameaça potencial de terroristas e do terrorismo no Brasil, enquanto os órgãos de aplicação da lei e de inteligência monitoram e cooperam para combater a ameaça”, diz o documento.

Segundo o documento diplomático, um dos quatro relacionados ao Brasil já divulgados pelo Wikileaks, os serviços de segurança e inteligência do país “estão preocupados com a possibilidade de que terroristas explorem o território brasileiro para apoiar e facilitar ataques terroristas, domesticamente ou no exterior, e concentraram seus esforços nas áreas de São Paulo, nas tríplices fronteiras entre Brasil, Argentina e Paraguai e entre Brasil, Colômbia e Peru e nas fronteiras com a Colômbia e com a Venezuela”. BBC Brasil

Três dirigentes da Fifa receberam propinas, diz programa da BBC

Três dirigentes da Fifa que votarão nas candidaturas para as Copas do Mundo de 2018 e 2022, entre eles o brasileiro Ricardo Teixeira, receberam propinas durante a década de 1990, segundo reportagem do programa de TV Panorama, da BBC.

O programa alega que o paraguaio Nicolas Leoz, o camaronês Issa Hayatou e o presidente da Confederação Brasileira de Futebol receberam dinheiro de uma empresa de marketing esportivo que havia ganhado os direitos de comercialização da Copa do Mundo.

As supostas propinas estão incluídas em um documento confidencial que lista 175 pagamentos, totalizando US$ 100 milhões. Nenhum dos três dirigentes respondeu às alegações do Panorama. A Fifa, entidade que dirige o futebol mundial, também negou pedidos de entrevistas para discutir as acusações. BBC Brasil

Ministro anuncia plano internacional para combater o tráfico

O ministro da Justiça, Luiz Paulo Barreto, anunciou nesta segunda-feira um plano de cooperação internacional, envolvendo Peru e Bolívia, para combater o narcotráfico não só no Brasil, mas em todos os países da América do Sul.

"Chegou a hora de um plano de combate ao crime organizado na América do Sul", afirmou o ministro ao tratar do acesso de traficantes do Rio de Janeiro a drogas e armamentos.

Barreto concedeu a entrevista ao lado do ministro do Interior boliviano, Sacha Lorenty. Eles se reuniram para discutir políticas de fronteiras e ações conjuntas, que poderá resultar na assinatura de um acordo de cooperação entre países da América do Sul.

De acordo com Barreto, o governo também vai já conversou com representantes da Argentina e do Paraguai e vai se reunir com autoridades do Peru, Colômbia, Venezuela e Uruguai.

A ideia, segundo o ministro, é garantir a integração, mas também o firme combate ao tráfico de drogas e armas nas regiões de fronteira. BBC Brasil

Afghan 'policeman' kills six US troops

A gunman in an Afghan police uniform has killed six US service members in eastern Afghanistan, officials say.

The man opened fire during a training mission in Pachir Wagam district, Nangarhar province, said Nato. He was also killed in the incident.

US officials later confirmed that all six were Americans, but declined to give further details.

The Taliban issued a statement saying it was responsible for the killings, AP news agency reported.

Spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the gunman had joined the border police in order to kill foreign soldiers.

"Today he found this opportunity and he killed six invaders," he said.

Nato said the incident was being investigated. BBC News

Brazil's Lula hails Rio police operation

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has praised a police and military operation to take control of a notorious drug traffickers' stronghold in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

President Lula said the occupation of the Complexo do Alemao favela was just the start of a campaign to rid Rio of drugs gangs.

"We will win this war," he said.

Some 2,600 police and paratroopers moved into the favela on Sunday, backed by armoured vehicles and helicopters.

President Lula said the federal government had given Rio de Janeiro state authorities everything they asked for to support the operation.

"I think this operation is proving a success. Obviously it is not over yet, it has only just begun", he said.

"The important thing is we have taken the first step. We went in, we are inside Complexo do Alemao".

President Lula added that he had already been planning to visit the favela, and would now come with "much more pleasure". BBC News

Las grandes ausencias en la Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara

(CNNMéxico) — A la falta de escritores fallecidos recientemente se suman otras como la de Carlos Fuentes o Vargas Llosa, en una edición de la Feria Internacional del Libro de Guadalajara, con la lengua como protagonista.

En el arranque de este fin de semana de la 24ª edición de la FIL, parecía que se trataba de la feria de los ausentes. Al margen de aquellos cuya presencia era imposible, como los fallecidos Carlos Monsiváis, José Saramago o Tomás Eloy Martínez, otros grandes nombres no acudieron a la cita por diversos motivos.

“No, Vargas Llosa no va a venir”, comenta una mujer de mediana edad a otra en la fila de espera a uno de los eventos.

“Por lo menos podremos ver ahora a Carlos Fuentes”. “No, tampoco estará”, lamenta. El estado de salud de la esposa del novelista mexicano lo impidió asistir al mano a mano con el escritor y director de cine Guillermo del Toro para presentar la nueva obra de Fuentes, Vlad. A pesar de eso, el cupo en el salón Juan Rulfo, de un aforo de unas 400 personas, se completó, con carteles que limitaban la entrada y gente sentada en el suelo. Ya en la sala, Del Toro envolvió a los asistentes con sus palabras sobre el vampiro contemporáneo de la novela. CNN México

Seúl advierte: 'un alto precio', si Corea del Norte ataca de nuevo

SEÚL (CNN) — El presidente de Corea del Sur, Lee Myung Bak, advirtió este lunes que Corea del Norte enfrentará  graves consecuencias si lanza otro ataque militar en su frontera sur.

“Si el Norte comete alguna provocación adicional en contra del Sur, nos aseguraremos que pague un precio muy alto, sin ninguna duda”, dijo en un discurso televisado a nivel nacional.

“Estamos conscientes de la lección histórica que una paz vergonzosa, conseguida a través de la intimidación, sólo aporta al final un daño mayor”.

Corea del Sur desplegó artillería de largo alcance y lanzacohetes en Yeonpyeong, una isla fronteriza atacada por proyectiles norcoreanos la semana pasada, de acuerdo a oficiales militares.

Los señalamientos de los oficiales fueron informados el lunes por la agencia de noticias Yonhap en Seúl. CNN México

Accused AIM killer going to trial

RAPID CITY, S.D., Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Trial will begin this week for a Canadian man accused of the execution-style killing of Indian activist Anna Mae Pictou-Aquash 35 years ago, officials say.

The federal trial in South Dakota for John Graham of Vancouver, British Columbia, a Southern Tsimshian originally from Yukon, is tied into the American Indian Movement, the occupation of Wounded Knee and the ensuing spillover of violence at the Pine Ridge Reservation from 1973 to 1975, Postmedia News reported Monday.

Pictou-Aquash left AIM and moved to Denver having been accused of being an FBI informant. UPI

ROK cancels new artillery drill on tense island

SEOUL, Republic of Korea- The ROK's military announced provocative new artillery drills on the front-line island shelled by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, then immediately postponed them Monday in a sign of disarray hours after the president vowed to get tough on the North.

Similar live-fire maneuvers by the ROK troops one week earlier triggered the North's bombardment that decimated parts of Yeonpyeong Island, killed four people and drew return fire in a clash that set the region on edge.

The new drills originally planned for Tuesday could have had even higher stakes: the ROK and American warships are currently engaged in separate military exercises in waters to the south.

Officials at the Joint Chiefs of Staff told The Associated Press on Monday that the latest drills were postponed after the marine unit on the island mistakenly announced them without getting final approval from higher military authorities. The cancellation had nothing to do with the DPRK, and the drills will take place later, one official said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity, citing agency rules.

Pyongyang had warned last week that it would consider any ROK' drills off Yeonpyeong Island a deliberate provocation and territorial violation, and urged Seoul to call off last week's exercises. The artillery attack that came after the ROK went ahead with its drills killed four and injured 18 people. China Daily

Kosovo to become NATO member within four years — acting PM

Kosovo, which unilaterally proclaimed its independence from Serbia in 2008, may get NATO membership within four years, Kosovo's acting premier said.

The Kosovo government, led by Hashim Thaci, had to resign after the parliament voted in favor of a no-confidence motion introduced by the opposition. However, Thaci hopes to regain the post as a result of the early parliamentary elections slated for December 12.

"I hope that during the first 15 month of my second term [as prime minister] we would get a visa-free regime with the European Union. And, during my term, Kosovo will become a NATO member," he said in an interview with Austria's national daily, Der Standard.

He also expressed readiness to resume dialog with Belgrade to discuss efforts to locate persons who went missing during the 1998-1999 conflict with Serbia. Pristina is also willing to discuss issues of infrastructure, transport, energy, communications and fight against organized crime.

Thaci also said in the interview that Serbia and Kosovo would recognize each other's independence and get the European Union membership "as two sovereign states" as a result of the talks. RIA Novosti

Sentence overturned in Al Rashidya Boy case

The Dubai Cassation Court overturned the verdict of the Appeal Court which upheld stiff penalties against Emirati juveniles who have been convicted for killing the 'Al Rashidiya boy'.

The court ordered an appeal circuit and jury other than the one that has heard the case to reconvene and re-hear it, defence lawyer Mohammed Al Saadi, told Emirates 24|7.

The Appeal Court has in October upheld the verdict of the First Instance Court issued in July and ordered five juveniles: HMA, 16, ten years in jail, which is the stiffest penalty as per Juvenile Law; AMA, 17, 5 years in jail, and landing the other three SHA, 14, and two brothers in a juvenile delinquency centre. 

Al Saadi, however, refused to comment on the ruling of the Cassation Court and the causes for overturning the Appeal Court’s sentence. “In Juvenile cases we are not allowed to reveal to the media nor the basis of a court’s ruling, neither our defence points. However, all I can say is that we have submitted a strong defence".

According to Article No 9 of the Juvenile Law a juvenile shall not be sentenced with execution or imprisonment, or financial penalty. Article No 10 states that in cases that a juvenile deserved execution or imprisonment, these penalties should be replaced with no more than 10 years jail term. Article No 7 of the same law states that should a juvenile complete seven years of age and did not reach the age of 16 and committed a penal crime, the judge has the right to impose any disciplinary sentence instead other than jail such as delinquency and rehabilitation centre, vocational training, or prevention from visiting certain places. Emirates 24|7

Cabinet commends king for success of Haj

RIYADH: Crown Prince Sultan, deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation, congratulated Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah on the success of the recently concluded Haj, and for enabling foreign and domestic pilgrims to worship in total safety and comfort.

The crown prince, who chaired the weekly meeting of the Council of Ministers at Al-Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Monday, reassured the council about the king’s excellent health, Culture and Information Minister Abdul Aziz Khoja said in a statement to the Saudi Press Agency following the meeting.

"Under the directives of King Abdullah and with the monitoring of Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Prince Naif, all branches of the government machinery fully cooperated to implement the security, preventive, organizational and service plans for Haj to achieve the highest security, safety and comfort for the guests of the Merciful," the crown prince said. Arab News

Kansas woman gives birth to quadruplets

TOPEKA, Kan., Nov. 29 (UPI) -- A Topeka, Kan., couple who are the parents of newborn quadruplets say everything is going great.

Angela Decker gave birth to one girl and three boys Friday at Stormont-Vail Regional Health Center, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported Monday.

"It went really smoothly," Angela said. "Everyone is doing well".

Topeka's KSNT-TV said she and her husband Anthony named their first children Alyssa, Maddox, Logan and Jaden. Information about the infants' birth weights was not provided. UPI

Journalist Kashin says does not know who attacked him

Russian journalist Oleg Kashin, who was severely beaten by unidentified assailants earlier this month, said on Monday he has no idea who attacked him.

Kashin, who works for the respected Kommersant daily, was attacked near his house in Moscow on November 6. He suffered severe head and leg injuries and had to be put into an induced coma. The journalist still remains in hospital.

Kashin said in an interview with the Dozhd (Rain) TV channel and Kommersant FM radio station that there were many people he suspected of being behind the attack. RIA Novosti

Russian poet Bella Akhmadulina dies aged 74

Bella Akhmadulina, one of the most daring poets of the Soviet era, died aged 74 on Monday.

Writer Yevgeny Popov said she died in her home outside Moscow.

President Dmitry Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin have expressed their condolences to the poet's relatives.

During the thaw of the 1960s, Akhmadulina and fellow poets Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Andrei Voznesensky and Robert Rozhdestvensky packed out stadiums across the USSR and travelled abroad to Europe and the Unites States - something very few Soviet people were allowed to do.

She published her surreal short story "Many dogs and one dog" in the Samizdat publication, the Metropol Almanac, in 1979.

She was awarded the USSR State Prize later that year. RIA Novosti

G20 policeman faces misconduct charges over Ian Tomlinson death

The police officer who attacked Ian Tomlinson at the G20 protests will be accused of "inadvertently causing or contributing" to his death at a gross misconduct hearing, it was revealed today.

PC Simon Harwood, a member of the Metropolitan Police's Territorial Support Group, was today served with papers accusing him of responsibility for the death of Tomlinson, a 47-year-old newspaper seller.

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced Harwood would not face criminal any prosecution in July. An inquest into the death is expected to take place next year, and will be presided over by a senior judge, Peter Thornton QC. The Guardian

Tariq Aziz given additional 10-year jail term for persecution of Shia Kurds

Tariq Aziz was today given a further 10-year jail sentence, adding to the 15-year term he is already serving and a death sentence for crimes he committed as Saddam Hussein's right-hand man.

However, Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, again appeared to back a push for clemency, repeating that he would not sign a warrant condemning Aziz.

Aziz, 74, a former Ba'athist henchman who is now in failing health, has attracted support from unlikely quarters as the ghosts of Saddam's 30-year rule are exorcised in a series of trials in Baghdad. The Guardian

US court sentences Somali pirate to 30 years

A US court has sentenced a Somali man to 30 years in jail for attacking a US warship off the coast of Somalia.

Jama Idle Ibrahim was caught after an attack on a US naval flotilla which the pirates had apparently mistaken for merchant ships.

He pleaded guilty as part of an agreement which may see him return to court to testify against five other Somalis facing piracy charges.

He still faces other charges connected to an attack in 2008 on a Danish ship.

Monday's sentence was handed down at a federal court in Norfolk, Virginia. BBC News

Japanese manufacturing activity falls as exports shrink

Japanese manufacturing activity shrank for a third consecutive month in November as a strong yen hit exports.

The Nomura/JMMA Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) stayed below the 50 threshold that separates contraction from growth.

The index for new export orders fell to 46.9 from 48.4 in the previous month, showing that export orders contracted at their fastest pace in 19 months.

Also, new figures showed Japan's jobless rate rose to 5.1% in October. BBC News

WikiLeaks: China weary of North Korea behaving like 'spoiled child'

(CNN) -- New documents posted on the websites of the Guardian and The New York Times suggest Chinese officials are losing patience with long-time ally North Korea. Senior figures in Beijing have even described the regime in the North as behaving like a "spoiled child".

According to cables obtained by WikiLeaks, South Korea's then vice foreign minister, Chun Yung-woo, said earlier this year that senior Chinese officials (whose names are redacted in the cables) had told him they believed Korea should be reunified under Seoul's control, and that this view was gaining ground with the leadership in Beijing.

Chun was quoted at length in a cable sent by the U.S. ambassador in Seoul, Kathleen Stephens, earlier this year. He is reported as saying that "the North had already collapsed economically and would collapse politically two to three years after the death of (leader) Kim Jong-il". CNN

Five-star Barcelona thrash Real Madrid in opening Spanish 'Clasico'

(CNN) -- Barcelona ripped apart Spanish title rivals Real Madrid to take top spot in La Liga with an emphatic 5-0 home victory in the first "Clasico" of the season on Monday night.

Real coach Jose Mourinho suffered an embarrassing first defeat since taking over in May as defending champions Barca moved two points clear after 13 games following the Catalan side's fifth successive win over the capital outfit.

The visitors were rocked from the outset as Xavi and Pedro put Pep Guardiola's team 2-0 up inside 20 minutes, then David Villa scored twice in four second-half minutes to effectively end the game before Jeffren's late goal just rubbed salt in Real's wounds. CNN

Hundreds of previously unknown Picassos found in France

Paris, France (CNN) -- More than 270 previously unknown works by Pablo Picasso recently came to light when a retired electrician sought to have them authenticated by the late artist's estate, the Picasso Administration said Monday.

But in a strange twist, 71-year-old Pierre Le Guennec finds himself slapped with a lawsuit filed by the artist's son, Claude Picasso, and five other heirs who say the works are stolen.

The lawsuit was first reported Monday by the French newspaper Liberation. CNN

Iran admits cyber attack on its uranium enrichment facilities

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad admitted that a cyber attack created problems for some of Iran's uranium enrichment centrifuges, the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya TV channel said on its website.

U.S. and German cyber-security experts have earlier pointed out that the uranium enrichment facility in Natanz was the main target of the Stuxnet computer virus, which earlier attacked Iran's Bushehr nuclear power plant.

Ahmadinejad told a news conference on Monday that "enemies" of Iran created limited problems for the country's uranium enrichment centrifuges, but neither the Natanz facility nor the Stuxnet worm were directly mentioned in his speech. RIA Novosti