Afghanistan: Taliban Attack On Nato Compound

Insurgents including a suicide bomber in a truck have killed six people in an attack on a Nato compound.

The early morning assault began when the truck packed with explosives detonated itself in a vehicle bay, leaving a hole six metres deep and about 15 metres wide.

Three other suicide attackers wearing explosive vests then began a gunfight with guards. All the attackers were killed after about an hour.

Police chief General Ayoub Salangi said two truck drivers waiting to enter the compound and four Nepalese guards died in the attack.

The bomb left a crater the "size of a pool" according to police

Three other employees were wounded, he said.

The Nato compound, based in the north of Kabul, is used by a number of foreign companies supplying Nato forces in Afghanistan.

Atiqullah, a 54-year-old truck driver, said some of his colleagues had been wounded in the attack.

"I woke up to go for morning prayer and suddenly there was a very heavy explosion followed by gunfire," he said.

"We escaped from the compound and went to another company nearby. Security forces came in 30 minutes and rescued us."

Six people died and others were wounded in the blast

A spokesman for the Taliban said it carried out the attack and said its fighters had entered what it described as "an important foreign base and logistics warehouse".

In June, the Nato coalition formally handed over all security operations across the country to Afghan forces.

But casualties among local forces are mounting as insurgents step up attacks.

Nearly 300 Afghan local and national police have been killed in the last month, according to the Afghan interior ministry.

In the eastern city of Jalalabad this week a bomb disposal expert risked his life to defuse a suicide vest

Nato-led combat troops are preparing to pull out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

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Egypt: President Morsi Rejects Army Ultimatum

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has rejected an ultimatum issued by the country's army threatening to intervene if he does not meet the demands of the people.

It came as US President Barack Obama spoke to the Egyptian leader, urging him to take steps to show he is responding to concerns of protesters - millions of whom took to the streets on Sunday demanding Mr Morsi step down.

At the same time it was confirmed the country's foreign minister, Mohammed Kamel Amr, had resigned.

He is the most senior politician to quit Mr Morsi's government after a series of cabinet ministers stood down on Monday.

The ministerial resignations deal a further blow to the president, who has been warned by the armed forces that he has 48 hours to solve the country's political crisis or face intervention.

Protesters, demanding Mr Morsi quit, camp out overnight in Tahrir Square

But Mr Morsi rejected the ultimatum, insisting he would continue on his path towards national reconciliation. He said the directive "could cause confusion in the complex national environment".

The army statement, read out on television on Monday, said: "If the demands of the people are not met in this period ... (the armed forces) will announce a future roadmap and measures to oversee its implementation."

The statement received a rapturous welcome from Mr Morsi's opponents, still camped out in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

Tamarod, the grassroots campaign behind Sunday's massive protests against the president, also hailed the statement by the armed forces which it said had "sided with the people".

It "will mean early presidential elections", Tamarod's spokesman Mahmud Badr said.

Egypt's army issued an ultimatum to Mr Morsi and his opponents

Responding to the army's ultimatum, the presidency also denounced any declaration that would "deepen division" and "threaten the social peace".

Mr Morsi was consulting "with all national forces to secure the path of democratic change and the protection of the popular will".

Referring to the 2011 uprising that toppled dictator Hosni Mubarak, the presidency added: "The civil democratic Egyptian state is one of the most important achievements of the January 25 revolution.

"Egypt will absolutely not permit any step backward whatever the circumstances."

The White House meanwhile said Mr Obama had called Mr Morsi by telephone from Tanzania, during the final stop of his African tour, on Tuesday to express concerns over the escalating political crisis.

Mr Morsi says the army's directive to restore order is 'confusing'

Mr Obama told him Washington, a major military aid donor to Egypt, was committed to "the democratic process in Egypt and does not support any single party or group". 

He added that the "current crisis can only be resolved through a political process".

Sixteen people died in protests on Sunday, including eight in clashes between supporters and opponents of the president outside the Cairo headquarters of Mr Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood.

Early on Monday, protesters set the Brotherhood's headquarters ablaze before looting it.

Mr Morsi's opponents accuse him of having betrayed the 2011 revolution that forced Hosni Mubarak from power by concentrating power in Islamist hands, and of sending the economy into freefall.

His supporters say he inherited many problems from a corrupt regime, and that he should be allowed to complete his term, which ends in 2016.

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Snowden Changes His Mind On Asylum In Russia

Fugitive Edward Snowden has withdrawn his request for political asylum in Russia after Moscow told him he would have to stop leaking US intelligence reports.

The news comes after it emerged that the 30-year-old, who faces espionage charges in America, has asked for asylum in 21 countries, including 13 in Europe.

They include Poland, which has turned him down, while officials in Germany, Norway, Austria and Switzerland said he cannot apply for asylum from abroad.

Among the other countries approached are Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Finland, Ireland the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and India, which has also said 'no'.

Mr Snowden's about-turn on Russia apparently followed comments by President Vladimir Putin that he was welcome to stay in the country as long he stopped "harming our American partners".

Cuba's Raul Castro and Bolivia's Evo Morales are both being asked for help

The former intelligence analyst, who is holed up the transit area at Moscow airport, has received a more encouraging response from Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro.

He said on Tuesday that Caracas had not yet received an asylum request from him and would make a decision only when it did.

But he voiced sympathy with Mr Snowden's actions and described him as a champion of human rights.

"He deserves the world's protection. He has not asked us for it yet. When he does we will give our answer," Mr Maduro said during a visit to Moscow.

President Obama: Fierce criticism

"We think this young person has done something very important for humanity, has done a favour to humanity, has spoken great truths to deconstruct a world that … is controlled by an imperialist American elite."

In contrast, Ecuador has said it is not considering Mr Snowden's asylum request and never intended to facilitate his flight from Hong Kong, to Moscow on June 23.

President Rafael Correa told The Guardian newspaper the whistle blower was Russia's responsibility and would have to reach Ecuadorean territory before the country would consider granting him asylum.

Mr Correa, speaking at the presidential palace in Quito, insisted his government had not intended to give Mr Snowden a temporary travel pass. "It was a mistake on our part," he said.

His comments came after the American wrote him a letter, praising Ecuador's "bravery" in considering his request for political asylum.

Mr Snowden has, meanwhile, accused US Presdent Barack Obama of denying him the right to asylum and of putting political pressure on countries he has approached.

In a statement published on the WikiLeaks website, he said Mr Obama was practising the "old, bad tools of political aggression".

"On Thursday, President Obama declared before the world that he would not permit any diplomatic "wheeling and dealing" over my case.

"Yet now it is being reported that after promising not to do so, the President ordered his Vice President to pressure the leaders of nations from which I have requested protection to deny my asylum petitions.

"This kind of deception from a world leader is not justice, and neither is the extralegal penalty of exile. These are the old, bad tools of political aggression. Their purpose is to frighten, not me, but those who would come after me."

Mr Snowden said the White House was "using citizenship as a weapon" and had denied him the right to seek asylum by revoking his passport, "leaving me a stateless person" and stopping him from "exercising a basic human right... the right to seek asylum".

He added: "In the end the Obama administration is not afraid of whistleblowers like me, Bradley Manning or Thomas Drake.

"We are stateless, imprisoned, or powerless. No, the Obama administration is afraid of you. It is afraid of an informed, angry public demanding the constitutional government it was promised - and it should be."

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Parasail Breaks Free Injuring Two Teenagers

Two teenage girls have been seriously injured after a line holding their parasail snapped over Panama City Beach.

The two girls were being towed by a speedboat in the Gulf of Mexico.

They were lifted up by strong gusting winds and smashed into an apartment block, before being thrown into nearby power lines.

Witnesses described hearing a loud bang. The victims then crashed into an SUV in a car park.

The remains of the parasail lie across parked cars. Pic: WTVY

The girls have not been named, but they are thought to be friends on holiday from Huntington in Indiana.

Officials say they were transported to a local hospital. They are said to be in a serious condition.

"It was traumatic. It was hard. I mean it's hard to watch, something you'll never forget," local resident Doug Mador told WMBB.

"When the storm came up earlier, the parasail broke loose," he added.

The accident is being investigated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

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Bond And Bueller Cars To Be Auctioned Off

Two famous movie cars are going up for sale - the Ferrari from classic 80s movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off and James Bond's submersible Lotus.

The Bond car, which appeared in The Spy Who Loved Me, goes under the hammer in London in September and the Bueller car at Pebble Beach, California, in August.

Auctioneers say the famous Lotus Esprit was the only one made for the film and cost about £65,000 when built, the equivalent of £330,000 today.

Known as 'Wet Nellie' on the set of the 1977 film, the propeller vehicle laid 'undiscovered' in a Long Island storage unit for 10 years.

A local couple unexpectedly found themselves owner of the iconic motor after they won a blind auction for the contents of the unit.

The fully-functioning Lotus was originally built by Perry Oceanographic in Florida and was piloted by a retired US Navy Seal.

Matthew Broderick took the 'Ferrari' for a spin in Ferris Bueller's Day Off

The Ferris Bueller car, which gets wrecked at the end of the 1986 film, is depicted as a Ferrari 250 GT California.

However, film-makers actually used three replicas built by California company Modena Design and Development.

With 500 horsepower though, its new owner will certainly get supercar performance.

Modena co-founder Neil Glassmoyer said the company built the replicas in four weeks.

"Two were interchangeably used as hero and stunt cars and one was a rolling fibreglass shell that was used in the destruction scene," he said.

"This car was actually intended for the stunt work, but both saw action, and both wound up with broken front suspension bolts because the big jump scene took nine takes between the two cars."

Glassmoyer said director John Hughes was also considering a Porsche Turbo for the film but eventually chose the iconic red sportscar.

The car goes up for sale on August 17 but will have to go some way to beat the prices achieved by authentic Ferrari classics.

In 2010, DJ Chris Evans paid £12m for a 1963 Ferrari 250 GTO.

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Marine Le Pen: Far-Right Leader Loses Immunity

The European Parliament has lifted French National Front leader Marine Le Pen's criminal and civil immunity, opening the way for race hate charges.

Prosecutors in Lyon in central France are investigating Ms Le Pen for alleged incitement to racial hatred over remarks she made during a speech in 2010.

She likened the sight of Muslims praying in the street to Nazi occupation during World War Two.

The populist far-right leader, who was first elected to the European Parliament in 2004, said ahead of the decision that she was a "dissident" and had invoked her right to freedom of expression.

Ms Le Pen said she was confident she would win any trial.

In the speech, she denounced the holding of Muslim prayers in the streets of France - where a dearth of mosques has forced many to pray outside.

"For those who like to talk about World War Two, to talk about occupation, we could talk about, for once, the occupation of our territory," she said.

"There are no armoured vehicles, no soldiers, but it is an occupation all the same and it weighs on people."

Ms Le Pen won 18% of the vote in the first round of France's presidential election in April 2012, her party's highest-ever score.

The European Parliament's judicial committee last month voted with an overwhelming majority in favour of lifting her immunity.

French politicians abstained to avoid any accusation of a political settling of scores.

As with many national parliaments, members of the European Parliament enjoy immunity from criminal and civil liability for opinions expressed as part of their duties, unless the chamber votes to lift the immunity.

Immunity has been revoked dozens of times for MEPs in the past.

Ms Le Pen's father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, had his European Parliament immunity revoked in 1998 when he said that Nazi gas chambers were "a detail" in the history of World War Two.

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CCTV Shows Cop Killing Child Snatcher

CCTV images have been released of a child hostage situation in an Oklahoma supermarket, which ended with a policeman shooting dead the suspect.

The surveillance video released by police in Midwest City shows a man snatching a two-year-old girl from a shopping trolley and then holding a knife to her throat.

The toddler's mother, Alicia Keating, frantically pleads with the man, identified as Sammie Wallace, 37, as other shoppers crowd around.

The man snatches the child as her mother's back is turned

She is seen and heard calling 911 for help. Local police are quickly on the scene and clear the store. 

After 30 minutes of tense negotiation, police said Wallace began talking about a satanic cult and counting down from 60.

One of the officers, Captain David Huff, determined that the only way to ensure the safety of the toddler would be to take drastic action. 

On the video he is seen moving quickly towards the hostage-taker and preparing to fire a single shot at his head.

The pictures stop at that point, but the police commentary continues and confirms Wallace was killed. The child was unharmed.

The mother pleads for her child to be let go

"Obviously, our goal was to talk him down to get him to release the child,"  Police Chief Brandon Clabes told reporters.

"I mean, we waited until the last second to use deadly force. No one wants to take a life, especially in the line of duty."

The Oklahoma County district attorney said the shooting on June 17 was justified, and hailed Captain Huff as a hero.

Wallace served time in a Texas prison from 2000 to 2011 on drug and assault charges. He was known to have a long history of mental illness.

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Russian Spy Couple Sentenced By German Court

A German court has jailed a married couple convicted of spying for Russia.

Andreas and Heidrun Anschlag - known only by the fake names on the Austrian passports they used to enter Germany - were sentenced to six-and-a-half years and five-and-a-half years respectively.

The pair, thought to be in their 40s or 50s, were arrested in October 2011 and charged with spying for more than 20 years.

They were planted in the former West Germany in 1988 by the Soviet Union's KGB and later worked for its successor the SVR.

The couple, posing as middle class Austrian citizens who were born and grew up in South America, had obtained and passed on Nato and EU political and military secrets to the Russians.                  

"Like wheels in a clockwork, for better or worse, they were dependent on each other for the success of the mission," said presiding judge Sabine Roggenbrod.

The house in Marburg where the couple last lived

Andreas Anschlag studied engineering and worked in the car industry while Heidrun was a housewife.

Even their daughter had no idea about their double lives, according to reports.

The couple left the documents in "dead-letter boxes", such as under certain trees, from where they were picked up by employees of the Russian consulate general in Bonn.

They communicated with Russia via short-wave radio, text messages sent on a satellite phone and hidden messages in comments in YouTube videos under agreed names, the court heard.

The defendants, whose alias surname means "attack" in German, had refused to confirm any details about their identity, but their defence lawyer said they had Russian citizenship.

"The court could not uncover your true identities," Roggenbrod told the two accused. "We don't know where you were born or your real names."

But she stressed: "The court is convinced that the accused knew right until the end exactly which master they served and for what purpose."

A Dutch court in April sentenced a Dutch diplomat to 12 years in prison for delivering confidential EU and Nato documents to Russian agents.

The Anschlags allegedly compiled the information he gathered and sent it on to Russia's intelligence agency.

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Lebedev Found Guilty Over TV Chat Show Brawl

Media magnate Alexander Lebedev has been found guilty of battery over a brawl on a TV chat show in his native Russia.

The financial backer of Britain's Independent and Evening Standard newspapers was sentenced by a court in Moscow to 150 hours of community service, avoiding a prison term.

He had claimed the case against him was politically motivated, depicting the trial as President Vladimir Putin's revenge on him for criticising the government.

Last week, the opposition surprisingly dropped the main charge against Lebedev, of "hooliganism motivated by political hatred", which carried the threat of several years in prison.

Instead, they asked for his movements to be restricted for 21 months and for him to be banned from large public gatherings.

Alexander Lebedev has been convicted of assault over the TV punch up

Speaking after sentencing, Lebedev's lawyer, Genry Reznik, said his client was "ashamed" of the verdict, which his team would appeal.

Lebedev, a former London-based KGB agent, punched property tycoon Sergei Polonsky on a Russian political chat show in September 2011, knocking him to the floor.

He claimed he was protecting himself and that the subsequent charge of hooliganism was disproportionate. 

Last week, Mr Polonsky called for Lebedev - who is estimated to be worth more than £700m - to be forgiven.

Lebedev is rare among oligarchs in speaking out against the Kremlin since the imprisonment of oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky, who was arrested in 2003 after falling out with Mr Putin. Khodorkovsky's Yukos oil company was broken up and sold off, mainly into state hands.

Lebedev, who co-owns a campaigning Russian newspaper critical of Putin, also portrayed the case as part of a broader crackdown on the opposition since the former KGB spy returned to the presidency in May 2011 following protests.

Mr Polonsky spent three months in jail in Cambodia this year for allegedly attacking the crew of a boat after a dispute erupted during a New Year's Eve outing.

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Wife's Body Found In Wall After Husband Dies

A skeleton found walled-up in a basement full of junk has been identified as a first-grade teacher reported missing by her husband more than 27 years ago.

JoAnn Nichols disappeared in December 1985.

Her husband James Nichols died of natural causes last December, aged 82.

The body was found in this Poughkeepsie home (Pic: News 12 Westchester)

Authorities say a contractor cleaning hoarded items and debris out of the Nichols' home in upstate New York found the bones in a sealed container behind a false basement wall.

The Dutchess County medical examiner's office identified the remains as those of JoAnn Nichols, based on dental records.

Dr Kari Reiber said the 55-year-old woman died from a blow to the head.

Poughkeepsie Police said the investigation into her death continues.

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