Terror Charges For UK Soldier Ryan McGee

British soldier Ryan McGee is to be charged with explosives and terrorism offences over claims he made an improvised bomb.

The 19-year-old, from 5th Battalion the Rifles, is also alleged to have had a copy of bomb-making manual The Anarchist Cookbook.

He will face two charges and is due to appear in court next week, the Crown Prosecution Service said.

McGee was detained at an Army base in Paderborn, Germany, late last year, after the discovery of the suspicious device at a terraced home in Salford.

Jane Stansfield, of the Crown Prosecution Service Counter Terrorism Division, said: "Following an investigation by police of the North West Counter Terrorism Command, we have today authorised charges against Ryan Adam McGee, a serving Rifleman with 5th Battalion the Rifles at the time of his arrest.

"It is alleged that between May 31 2012 and November 29 2013, Ryan Adam McGee had possession of a document or record for terrorist purposes, namely a copy of The Anarchist Cookbook.

"He has been charged with one offence contrary to Section 58(1)(b) of the Terrorism Act 2000.

"It is also alleged that Ryan Adam McGee, between September 1 and 30 2013 made an improvised explosive and has therefore also been charged with one offence contrary to Section 4 of the Explosive Substances Act 1883."

He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court next Wednesday.

The Anarchist Cookbook, first published in 1971, contains instructions for the manufacture of explosives and for home manufacturing of illicit drugs.

23.22 | 0 komentar | Read More

Clegg And Farage Gear Up For Live Europe Debate

Clegg v Farage: Who Will Be Knocked Out?

Updated: 9:11am UK, Wednesday 26 March 2014

By Kay Burley, Sky News Presenter

Not since the 2010 Leaders' Debates has the Westminster village so highly anticipated the broadcasting battle of two political middleweights.

The venue's booked, the studio's built and the contenders are ready.

Ladies and gentlemen, in the yellow corner, the undisputed champion of ham acting, LBC Radio phone-ins and leader of the "let's stay in" club, Lib Dem leader Mr Nick Clegg.

In the red, white and blue corner, the bruiser from the boozer, Mr UKIP Union Flag himself, Mr "let's come out" Nigel Farage.

The clash at a central London hotel is already being billed by Lib Dem Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander - and himself a future contender - as the rumble in the broadcasting jungle.

He's referring of course to the debate on Britain's European future. 

A golden gauntlet thrust dramatically down by the Deputy PM on his radio show and grabbed before it even hit the carpeted studio floor by Farage.

And so tonight at 7pm the leaders of the Lib Dems and UKIP are hoping to make British broadcasting box office history as they slug it out on LBC radio - also screened on Sky News.

Ensuring a fair fight will be the indomitable Nick Ferrari. A former Fleet Street hack and now award-winning LBC breakfast host, he's not one to suffer fools - though he may well turn a blind eye to the odd low blow.

In front of an invited audience, who unlike the 2010 Leaders' Debates will be allowed to cheer, jeer and sneer, Clegg and Farage will have one hour - 60 golden minutes - to make their case in the IN/OUT hokey cokey debate.

Policies will be central: Cleggie in his genial, geography school teacher way will run through his pre-exam tick list for anxious students.  Staying IN is better for Britain. We're stronger united. The jobs market, the green issue, trade ... and don't forget to check your ballot paper again if you have time at the end class.

Meanwhile, fag-ash, mine's a pint Farage will remind waverers of the amount of money Europe wastes and the undeserved power it wields over us.

Plenty for the audience to digest there.

But, as with the 2010 Cleggmania effect, it will no doubt be personalities not policies that have the biggest impact on some voters ahead of the European elections in May. 

Remember how leading up to the last election Clegg was such an unknown as the leader of the Lib Dems that his battle bus was also emblazoned with the image of his better known party colleague Vince Cable?

Then during the first Leaders' Debate in Manchester Clegg turned to look down the camera lens, spoke directly to the audience and immediately his popularity was heading in One Direction.

Suddenly, Brown and Cameron were falling over themselves to say "I agree with Nick". Those were the days.

Well, that's unlikely to happen tonight. Farage is on record as calling Clegg a hypocrite.

Farage is chomping at the bit for the chance to finally debate Britain's membership of the European Union, in his words: "The most important issue this country has faced for hundreds of years."

Farage says he's spent 20 years being laughed at, ridiculed and attacked.

Now, unlike Marlon Brando in On The Waterfront, he has his chance to be a contender after Ofcom ruled that UKIP is a major party in the May elections.

Labour and Conservatives have so far kept a sneery distance from bloodying their boxing gloves with UKIP claret, but don't for a moment be fooled that they are disinterested in the outcome. They'll definitely be watching from behind their fingers.

Meantime, ringside tonight will be Westminster and European political journalists. Pens poised they'll be keenly marking every round before announcing a winner shortly after 8pm.

Could it be a draw? Unlikely, and the bookmakers Ladbrokes already has Nick Clegg as a narrow favourite.

Tune in to LBC 97.3 and Sky News at 7pm and decide for yourselves.

23.22 | 0 komentar | Read More

Chris Martin And Gwyneth Paltrow Separate

Coldplay singer Chris Martin and Hollywood actress Gwyneth Paltrow are to separate after more than 10 years of marriage.

A statement on Paltrow's website Goop said they would "consciously uncouple" but "in many ways we are closer than we have ever been".

The couple married in 2003 and have two children - Apple, nine, and seven-year-old Moses.

The statement read: "It is with hearts full of sadness that we have decided to separate.

The statement said 'they are closer than ever'

"We have been working hard for well over a year, some of it together, some of it separated, to see what might have been possible between us, and we have come to the conclusion that while we love each other very much we will remain separate.

"We are, however, and always will be a family, and in many ways we are closer than we have ever been.

"We are parents first and foremost, to two incredibly wonderful children and we ask for their and our space and privacy to be respected at this difficult time.

Paltrow famously made an emotional acceptance speech when she won her Oscar

"We have always conducted our relationship privately, and we hope that as we consciously uncouple and coparent, we will be able to continue in the same manner."

At one point the lifestyle website crashed due to the number of people visiting to read the statement.

Martin, 37, met Oscar-winner Paltrow shortly after the death of her father in late 2002 and they married just over a year later.

Coldplay's song Fix You is one of a number of tracks Martin is said to have penned about the actress.

 Paltrow's recent career has included roles in the Iron Man franchise and the TV series Glee.

However, she has not managed to hit the highs of her early career when she won the best actress Oscar for Shakespeare In Love in 1999.

The LA-born actress was once engaged to Brad Pitt, her co-star in serial killer movie Seven. She also had a relationship with actor Ben Affleck.

Coldplay are bringing out a new album in May

Martin's career with Coldplay is set to kick into gear again in May when the band release their sixth album, Ghost Stories.

Speaking last year when she was named the most beautiful woman in the world by People magazine, Paltrow gave a glimpse into the couple's domestic life.

"Around the house, I'm in jeans and a T-shirt. I don't really wear make-up. That's what they're used to," said Paltrow.

"If I've gotten fully dressed up, he'll be like 'Oh, wow! You're Gwyneth Paltrow!' because he's used to seeing me in like baggy shorts and frizzy hair."

23.22 | 0 komentar | Read More

'Burger King Baby' Finds Mum After 27 Years

A woman abandoned as a baby in the bathroom of a Burger King restaurant has tracked down the mother who gave birth to her 27 years ago.

Katheryn Deprill said she met her biological mother for the first time on Monday in the office of a lawyer after her appeal on Facebook was successful.

Ms Deprill said she felt "pure joy" and it was like "looking in a mirror".

The 27-year-old began her quest on March 2 by posting a photo of herself with a long appeal on the social media site.

She was pictured holding a sign saying: "Looking for my birth mother ... She abandoned me in the Burger King bathroom only hours old, Allentown PA. Please help me find her by sharing my post."

Ms Deprill quickly became known as the Burger King Baby after thousands of users reposted the picture and asked others to help in the search.

The image ended up being shared tens of thousands of times.

Ms Deprill was just hours old when she was abandoned, wrapped in a red sweater, in the bathroom of the fast-food restaurant in 1986.

She was raised by adoptive parents.

Now 27, she is a married mother of three - and said at the start of the appeal she had questions for her biological mother.

"Number one is, I would really like to say, 'Thank you for not throwing me away, thank you for giving me the gift of life, and look what I've become,'" she told the AP news agency.

But she added that she wanted to know "what made her do it? Why did she feel that she shouldn't leave me at a hospital? Was she going through a horrible time?"

She says she and her birth mum plan to have more meetings to get to know each other better.

23.22 | 0 komentar | Read More

Candy Crush Firm Loses $850m On Market Debut

The makers of Candy Crush Saga have seen nearly $1bn wiped from the company's value after shares started trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

The stock price for King Digital Entertainment plc dropped more than 12% within minutes, dropping its value by $850m (£510m) to around $6.25bn (£3.8bn).

The initial public offering (IPO) valued the shares at $22.50 (£13.60), with a total capitalisation for the firm of $7.1bn (£4.3bn).

But shortly after opening the price dropped to below $19.50 (£11.78). It later eased slightly.

The flotation aim was to raise $500m (£302m) to help fund future development and expansion.

King has become hugely profitable based on the success of three games - Candy Crush Saga, Pet Rescue Saga and Farm Heroes Saga - even though it has 180 titles in total.

Candy Crush Saga is one of three key games for King Digital

The company has more than 324 million monthly unique users, and operates a website with 14 languages.

However many investors have been wary of games firms with a limited range of products.

They cite the demise of one-time market leader on Facebook, Zynga, and its Farmville as an example to avoid.

King has offices in Stockholm and London, and games studios in several European cities.

It was founded in London originally as Midasplayer Ltd in 2003 before King Digital was registered in Dublin last July, to assist in inter-country transfer pricing, and "intended to provide us worldwide tax efficiencies".

Midasplayer directors include Swedes Sebastian Knutsson 45, and Lars Markgren, 50, and Italian CEO Riccardo Zacconi, 46.

Its website, through which players can buy 'freemium' game tokens, is domiciled in Malta.

In January, it posted a blog explaining its reasons to buy the EU trademark for the word "candy" and application for the US equivalent.

It said the reason was to protect its intellectual property (IP) and thwart competitors trading on its name.

In its February US IPO listing document, King warned potential investors that unauthorised distribution or piracy, particularly in Asia, may harm its revenue and entail costly litigation to protect its IP.

23.22 | 0 komentar | Read More

Houston Apartments Gutted By Huge Fire

Amazing video has emerged of the moment a construction worker is plucked to safety moments before a burning apartment block collapsed.

Hundreds of apartments at the block in Houston were destroyed by the huge fire.

Some 200 firefighters struggled to bring the blaze under control as wind gusts of 20mph caused it to spread quickly.

Footage shot from a neighbouring office, posted on YouTube by worker Karen Jones, captured the moments just before part of the block collapsed, narrowly missing the worker who had been lifted off a third-floor balcony.

The worker, who is thought to have been in the burning building because it was still being built, had been forced to seek shelter on the balcony as the fire raged inside.

As the fire spread, he had to jump down to a lower balcony to escape the heat.

But then, just as he leapt on to a fire crew's ladder, which had been extended from a truck on the ground, a wall fell down from above, missing him and his rescuer by inches.

The four-storey, 368-unit complex was gutted by the blaze.

There were no other reported injuries. The construction worker was the only one who had to be rescued by emergency services.

Black, billowing smoke and flames from the blaze could be seen from several miles away.

Mark Ivy, an employee at Stages Repertory Theatre, told the Houston Chronicle that he could feel the heat several blocks away.

"We saw the flames jump (from the complex under construction) to the apartments where people are living," he said.

Witness Chris Williamson told the paper he heard the structure of the building bend from the intense heat.

"I could hear metal buckling inside the building," he said.

The cause of the fire is unknown.

23.22 | 0 komentar | Read More

Schumacher Ski Accident Recovery 'Unlikely'

It is unlikely racing legend Michael Schumacher will ever recover from the skiing accident that has left him in a coma, according to Formula One's former chief doctor.

Doctor Gary Hartstein, who was F1 medical delegate until 2012, said: "As time goes on, it becomes less and less likely that Michael will emerge to any significant extent."

Writing on his blog, he said "serious lapses" in the early treatment of Schumacher "almost certainly" worsened his condition.

Dr Hartstein said he had learned "from usually impeccable sources who have access to this information" that mistakes were made soon after the seven-time world champion hit the right side of his head on a rock in December.

"I think that serious lapses in judgement were evident during Michael's initial management ... these lapses could (and almost certainly did) worsen the outcome in Michael's case."

Schumacher retired in 2006 but came back for a second time in 2009

He stressed in another blog post that he was not criticising Grenoble University Hospital, where the 45-year-old is currently being treated, any member of the team sent to the Meribel ski resort to treat him, "nor of those involved in transferring him from Moutiers to Grenoble".

Rather, he said he was taking issue with "a system that allows head injured patients to be brought to non-neurosurgical centres, in the absence of other clear reasons to do so".

He added: "The delay in admission to a neurosurgeon, as well as deferred airway control, cannot have been good for a severely injured brain."

Schumacher was initially taken to Moutiers Hospital before being transferred to the facility in Grenoble.

The slope where Michael Schumacher fell

Sky News contacted the resort to ask about the hospital transfer but a spokesman said they would not comment.

In the last update on Schumacher's condition, on March 12, his agent said he was showing "small signs of encouragement".

"We are and remain confident that Michael will pull through and will wake up," Sabine Kehm said.

Dr Hartstein said the sporadic updates on Schumacher's condition might have allowed fans to "process what's happening and start to … detach".

"Somehow, I get the feeling that people are going to be ok, no matter what happens, because they've now had the time to process this all."

23.22 | 0 komentar | Read More

Mudslide: Boy's Rescue Filmed Amid Destruction

Mudslide: 911 Calls Of Scared Witnesses

Updated: 10:15pm UK, Tuesday 25 March 2014

Terrified residents of a town swept away by a devastating mudslide called 911 to report falling trees, buried cars and neighbours screaming for help.

One caller reported a house being pushed on to the road by a wall of mud and rock, while another shouted: "Houses are gone!"

The calls were released as rescue efforts continued after the mudslide north of Seattle, which has killed at least 14 people.

Another 176 people remain unaccounted for, though officials hope that at least some might have been double-counted or been slow to alert family and officials about their whereabouts.

In one of the calls, a woman is heard reporting a "big emergency".

"There has been a huge landslide, and it has pushed the house all the way across the road," she said, adding she was speaking of a house next door.

The woman said power lines were being cut, and called for help to be sent.

"I can't believe this, oh my God," she said.

"Tell them to come on up, there's a lot of work."

The mudslide smashed through the small community of Oso, around 55 miles (90km) north of Seattle, on Saturday morning.

Around 30 homes were destroyed and dozens more damaged as much of the riverside village was swept away.

Workers continued the search but hopes of finding survivors were fading. Earlier, they pulled out a four-year-old boy, but his father and siblings are missing.

In the 911 calls, a man spoke on behalf of his wife.

"She said it sounded like an earthquake was happening," the man reported.

"There is a mudslide or something, hundreds of trees have fallen right  by my house."

He added he had not been able to extract more information from his wife as she was "in a panic".

An agitated woman screamed into the phone as she called 911.

"Houses are gone!" she shouted, adding people were calling for help as they were being flooded.

"Oh my gosh," she said, breaking into tears.

Summer Raffo, 36, was driving along Route 530 in Oso when the giant landslide swept through. No-one has heard from her since.

Her brother, Dayn Brunner, doesn't hold out much hope of finding his sister alive - but he can't give up the search.

"If it were me in there, she would do the same thing," he told Sky News.

Mr Brunner has joined rescue crews picking their way through the debris in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.

"It is important to me to get in there and get her out," he said. "Knowing this is no longer a rescue mission, it is hard."

Another man, who asked not to be named, had just spoken with his son, who was searching the wreckage of the family home.

"He's found my wife and my other son. They're dead," the man told Sky News.

The family had moved to their home on Steelhead Drive, the road that took the brunt of the slide, just two years ago.

"It was beautiful. My wife had never been happier," the man added.

The towns either side of Oso have rallied to support those caught in the disaster.

The scene greeting rescue teams in Oso has been described as "unimaginable".

"It is unfathomable what kind of devastation there is. You have mounds of dirt 70ft tall by 100ft wide and 200ft long sitting in what used to be somebody's yard," said Dayn Brunner.

23.22 | 0 komentar | Read More

Bin Laden's Son-In-Law Guilty Of Terrorism

Osama bin Laden's son-in-law, Suleiman Abu Ghaith, has been found guilty of plotting to kill Americans by a New York court.

The 48-year-old was al Qaeda's spokesman and "principal messenger" in the wake of the 9/11 attacks but now faces life in jail after a three-week trial.

The Kuwaiti testified that he agreed to bin Laden's request to speak on videos to inspire new recruits for suicide missions.

"The storm of airplanes will not stop," Abu Ghaith warned in one October 2001 video played in court.

Another video, made the day after 9/11, shows him sat next to bin Laden and other al Qaeda leaders as they try to justify the attacks.

Abu Ghaith (right) seated next to Osama bin Laden

As well as conspiracy to kill, Abu Ghaith was also convicted of providing support for terrorists.

He is the most senior al Qaeda figure to go on trial in America and will now be sentenced on September 8.

Assistant US Attorney John Cronan said Abu Ghaith was a key figure in the terror group's hierarchy.

"Going to that man was the very first thing Osama bin Laden did on September 11 after the terror attacks.

"The defendant committed himself to al Qaeda's conspiracy to kill Americans, and he worked to drive other people to that conspiracy."

The jury at the New York court reached a unanimous verdict

Abu Ghaith married bin Laden's eldest daughter, Fatima, five years ago. He was captured in Jordan last year.

During the trial he testified that he had met bin Laden in a cave on the night of 9/11.

"I didn't go to meet with him to bless if he had killed hundreds of Americans or not. I went to meet with him to know what he wanted," Abu Ghaith said.

He denied being an al Qaeda recruiter and said his role was a religious one to encourage Muslims to fight oppression.

The prosecution countered the claims by repeatedly showing the videos featuring Abu Ghaith's bloodthirsty rhetoric.

One video - titled Convoy of Martyrs - shows him preaching over footage of a plane flying into the Twin Towers.

Another showed him with bin Laden as the terror leader boasted about the attacks, which killed almost 3,000 people.

British terrorist informant Saajid Badat also gave evidence to the New York court.

Speaking by video link from the UK, Badat described how he went to Afghanistan and plotted with senior members of Al Qaeda to blow up planes using bombs concealed in shoes.

More follows...

23.22 | 0 komentar | Read More

Missing Plane: '122 Objects' Spotted In Ocean

A satellite has spotted 122 'potential objects' in the southern Indian Ocean in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.

The items measuring between one metre and 23 metres in length, were identified about 1,500 miles off the coast of Perth in western Australia.

Some appeared to be bright, according to Malaysian officials.

The possible debris was captured in satellite images from French company Airbus which were taken on Sunday, March 23.

New satellite images continue to provide clues in the hunt for MH370

Malaysian investigators received the pictures on Tuesday and after analysing them, they identified 122 possible objects in an area measuring around 155 square miles.

The findings were then forwarded to the Australian search command centre.

It is not currently known if the objects are connected to missing flight MH370, which disappeared more than two weeks ago on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

It is thought to have crashed on March 8 after flying thousands of miles off course.

Five ships and 12 planes have been scouring two search areas

There have now been four separate satellite leads from Australia, China, and France, showing possible debris.

The search area has now been split into two - west and east - covering around 50,000 square miles, which is the size of England.

Twelve planes from Australia, the US, New Zealand, China, Japan and South Korea, were joined by five ships to scour the area.

Malaysia's acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein told a news conference: "Our determination to find MH370 remains steadfast.

"As we have said all along, we will never give up trying to find the plane - in order to bring closure for the families, and to establish exactly what happened to MH370."

UK satellite company Inmarsat helped narrow the search for MH370

On the latest satellite images he said: "It must be emphasised that we cannot tell whether the potential objects are from MH370."

But he added they were "the most credible lead we have".

He also announced an international working group was being set up aimed at refining the data provided by the UK satellite firm Inmarsat, which helped narrow the search for MH370, with a view to more accurately pinpoint the final position of the plane.

Earlier, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said: "We are throwing everything we have at this search. We are just going to keep on looking because we owe it to people to do everything we can to resolve this riddle.

"This is about the most inaccessible spot imaginable. It's thousands of kilometres from anywhere."

Malaysia has released its own satellite images of possible debris

Australia's parliament stood in silence in remembrance of those aboard the lost airliner, who are presumed dead.

The race is now on to find the debris field, which if it turns out to be parts of the missing jet, could be used to "back-track" and help locate the point of impact.

This will be critical to finding the black box data recorders, which could hold vital clues to what happened aboard the Boeing 777.

Theories range from hijacking to sabotage or a possible suicide by one of the pilots, but investigators have not ruled out technical problems.

Grieving relatives have expressed their anger in Beijing

The search, which had to be suspended on Tuesday due to bad weather, continues amid heavy criticism of Malaysia and the airline from the relatives of the people on the flight.

Meanwhile, a US law firm is planning to take legal action Boeing and Malaysia Airlines claiming the plane crashed due to mechanical failure.

Chicago-based Ribbeck Law is set to seek millions of dollars in compensation for each passenger, believing an onboard fault rendered the crew unconscious and turned the aircraft into a "ghost plane" before it ran out of fuel.

Dozens of angry Chinese people have also clashed with police in a protest outside Malaysia's Embassy in Beijing. Most of the passengers were Chinese.

Mr Hishammuddin said he understood the feelings of those relatives, but pointed out Malaysian nationals had also been lost.

"I think history will judge us well," he said.

More follows...

23.22 | 0 komentar | Read More