Venezuela’s president Maduro claims Colombian ex-president behind assassination plot
Newly-elected President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro has publicly accused the ex-president of Colombia, Alvaro Uribe, of plotting to assassinate him. According to the Venezuelan leader, a coalition comprising members of his country’s far-right and members of the political opposition residing in the US city of Miami are conspiring with Uribe. Though Maduro did not offer specific evidence, he alleged that armed men were preparing to enter Venezuela through a remote area. In response, the former Colombian president denied the “immature allegation” and reiterated his support for new elections in Venezuela.
Explosives residue found in Tsarnaev’s home
Police investigators have found residue of explosives in the Cambridge, Massachusetts home of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the suspected Boston Marathon bomber, a source told CNN. The residue was located on the kitchen table, the kitchen sink and the bathtub of the home Tsarnaev shared with his wife. Police are following up reports that the Tsarnaev brothers tested the explosives in the home before the terrorist act last month.
Former oligarch Berezovsky to be buried on May 6
Former Russian tycoon Boris Berezovsky will be buried on May 6 in the county of Surrey, in south-east England, RIA NOVOSTI reports. His body has been released to his family. Berezovsky was found dead in his Ascot home on March 23. Unofficially, police named suffocation as the cause of death, but later investigators said his death was “consistent with hanging” and there was no evidence of a struggle. The body was held for further toxicology tests. The official reason for his death is yet to be announced.
Foreign Ministry warns Britons against visiting Russia’s North Caucasus
The British Foreign Ministry has recommended its citizens not to travel to several regions of Russia in the near future, including Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia due to the precarious political situation and terrorist threats in the country. “The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all travel to Chechnya, Ingushetia and Dagestan and the districts of Budyonnovsky, Levokumsky, Neftekumsky, Stepnovsky and Kursky in Stavropol Krai,” the official statement posted on the official website of the ministry said. The Ministry updated its foreign travel advice on Russia on May 3. It hasn’t though explained the reasons why those changes were made.
Generators on roof caused factory disaster in Bangladesh – investigators
Four huge generators are to be blamed for a Bangladesh garment factory disaster, according to a top investigator into the matter. “Four huge generators were set up on each of the top floors where garment factories were located, violating rules,” AFP has quoted a senior Home Ministry official heading a government investigation team, Main Uddin Khandaker, as saying. When the generators were started after a power cut they created vibration and together with the vibration of thousands of sewing machines, they triggered the collapse, Khandaker added. The tragedy happened on April 24, in which more than 500 people died.
17 killed in car crash in Iran
Seventeen people have been killed in a car accident in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province, AFP reports citing local authorities. A head-on collision of a bus and a trailer set the passenger vehicle on fire, where people reportedly burned to death. The cause of the incident is under investigation, according to a police commander. “Thirteen people were killed at the scene and four others died in hospital from severe burns,” authorities claimed. Official statistics shows that more than 20,000 people die in traffic accidents annually in Iran. Inexperienced drivers and low-efficiency of the cars and the roads are blamed for causing these accidents.
Pakistani election candidate of ANP killed in Karachi
A Pakistani election candidate and his three-year-old son have been shot dead after praying in a mosque in Karachi. According to a local police spokesman, Saddiq Zaman Khattak was killed by “a gunman on a motorbike” who opened fire. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the assassination. Saddiq Zaman Khattak was a businessman and a candidate for the Awami National Party (ANP), the leading secular party in Pakistan’s ethnic Pashtun northwest. Historic elections in Pakistan are slated for May 11.
At least 13 people die in Iraq violenceFighting in northern Iraq has killed nine policemen on Friday, security and medical officials told AP, while a car bomb targeting worshippers near a Sunni mosque north of the capital has left four people dead. The police officers were killed in clashes with armed men in the northern city of Mosul. The car bomb reportedly went off in the Rashidiyah area as worshippers were leaving Friday prayers.
Rhode Island becomes 10th US state to legalize gay marriage
Rhode Island is the 10th state of the US to pass gay marriage legislation, adopting it despite resistance from the Catholic Church and some conservative lawmakers. The bill passed the state’s House and was signed into law by Governor Lincoln Chafee on Thursday, winning cheers from the LGBT community and supporters. The first same-sex marriages in Rhode Island are to take place on August 1, when the law takes effect.
Last South Koreans leave Co- industrial zone
The final seven South Korean workers have left the Kaesong factory zone, which the two Koreas operated jointly. They had stayed behind to negotiate wages demanded by Pyongyang on behalf of the North Koreans, who manned the South-owned factories. North initiated shutdown of the zone amid escalating tension in the region, which followed Pyongyang’s third nuclear test and the massive joint US-South Korean military drills.
Bomb explosion at Iraq mosque kills 5 people
A bomb explosion at a Sunni mosque north of Baghdad has killed five people and wounded around 19 others. The blast occurred as worshippers were leaving mid-day prayers at al-Ghofran mosque in the Sunni area of Rashidiya, police officials told AP. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Al-Qaeda’s Iraqi Branch, known as the Islamic State of Iraq, often attacks civilian targets, including mosques.
100 miners may have died, in gold mine collapse in Sudan
Up to 100 miners are estimated to have died inside the unlicensed gold mine that collapsed in Sudan’s Darfur region, while nine rescuers trying to free them are currently trapped, a miner told AFP. “Nine of the rescue team disappeared when the land collapsed around them yesterday,” the miner, who had visited the scene of the tragedy, said. On Thursday local officials stated that the death toll reached over 60 people. Production from unofficial gold mines has been a key revenue source for the local government. The desert gold mine began to collapse on Monday, over 200 km northwest of the North Darfur state capital El Fasher, in Jebel Amir district.
Two mortar shells fired at Damascus International Airport – SANA
Two mortar shells fired by the ‘terrorists’ caused a fire in a kerosene tank at Damascus International Airport, state news agency SANA reported Friday, citing an official source at the airport’s management. One of the mortar shells hit the kerosene tank while the other rocked an out of service commercial plane, causing huge material damage to it. Earlier, Al Jazeera TV reported about two blasts which were caused by a detonated arms depot. Witnesses told about a large fire at the scene, mentioning no casualties.
France to get 2 more years to meet budget deficit goals
The EU is likely to give France two more years to reach its budget deficit goals. “In France, the recovery is now expected to be delayed,” EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn stated. He said that considering the economic situation, it “may be reasonable to extend the deadline by two years and to correct the excessive deficit at the latest by 2015 in France.” Rehn added that similar leeway could be given to Spain, while the Netherlands and Slovenia may be a year extra to meet their budget deficit goals.
Indonesia arrests 2 over Myanmar embassy bomb plot
Anti-terrorist police have detained two suspects who were allegedly planning a bomb attack on the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia, AFP quotes local officials as saying. Two men Sefa Riano, 28, and Achmad Taufiq, 21, were apprehended Thursday evening. Five homemade bombs were seized from a backpack they were carrying. The duo was planning to carry out the attack on Friday. “This was an operation to stop a terrorist action. We are very certain that the attack would have been launched if we did not stop them,” said the head of Indonesia’s anti-terrorist agency, Ansyaad Mbai. The bomb plan comes after anti-Muslim unrest in Myanmar this week that left at least one person dead. Indonesia is known to be a strong supporter of Muslim minorities in Myanmar. In January it has promised to give $1 million in aid to Rakhine, located on west coast of Myanmar and home to Rohingya, an ethnic group who practice Islam.
American refueling aircraft crashes in Kyrgyzstan – Emergencies Ministry reports
A US-owned Boeing C-135 Stratolifter refueling aircraft has crashed in Kyrgyzstan near its border with Kazakhstan, the country’s Emergencies Ministry told Interfax. The plane had taken off from the Manas Airport near Bishkek, the ministry said on Friday. A rescue team has been dispatched to the scene of the incident. A C-135 is usually operated by three crewmembers.
S. Korean police to stop anti-North propaganda balloons
South Korean police said it would not allow activists send balloons with anti-Pyongyang leaflets across the border with North Korea. Authorities said they will deploy 500 riot police to block access to Imjingak, the site of the planned Saturday launch, and prevent possible clashes with local residents opposing the balloons. Such balloon actions have been an irritant factor in relations between the two Koreas for years, with Pyongyang regularly threatening retaliation for what it sees as provocative moves.
Argentina president wins slander suit, pledges money to hospital
Argentinian President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has won a slander suit in a Rome court against the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera over a 2008 piece alleging that she went on a shopping spree in Rome. The newspaper was fined for 40,000 euro (US$52.000), she said. The president intends to donate the money to a children’s hospital in La Plata, she announced.
Stockholm blast kills 3
An apartment explosion in a north-west Stockholm neighborhood killed three people early on Friday in what local media is describing as a suspected case of murder. The blast started a fire, forcing residents to be evacuated shortly afterwards at around 4:30am (02:30 GMT). The blast caused extensive damages, smashing in the windows of adjacent flats. Firefighters recovered the three bodies when they arrived at the scene, to which forensics officers and a bomb squad also later showed up.
US presses N. Korea to release American
The Obama administration has demanded the immediate release of an American citizen sentenced by North Korea this week to 15 years of hard labor on charges that he committed crimes against the state. ”We’re urging the [North Korean] authorities…to grant [Kenneth Bae] amnesty and to allow for his immediate release, full stop,” The Wall Street Journal quoted State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell as saying. The US is working to resolve this issue through a Swedish embassy in Pyongyang, which represents the country’s diplomatic interest there. The option of sending a special envoy to N. Korea has not yet been ruled out.
UNSC approves peace-building mission to Somalia
The UN Security Council has voted unanimously to establish the UN Assistance Mission in Somalia (UNSOM) to promote the peace process. The mission is set to deploy on June 3 for a period of 12 months. The goals of the mission include: to encourage peace and reconciliation efforts, offer peace-building and state-building advice to the government and the African Union Mission in Somalia, help coordinate international assistance, improve government capacity in human rights and rule of law. According to the UN’s resolution, the secretary-general is to report to the Council on the progress of the mission.
Reports of two massive blasts at Damascus airport
Two explosions have rocked the area around the Damascus airport early Friday, various media and eyewitnesses report. It is believed an arms depot may have detonated, with a nearby plane being set ablaze as well. Witnesses say a large fire has broken out at the scene, but there were yet no reports of casualties. RT was unable to independently verify the reports or video circulating of the incident.
Bangladeshi engineer arrested as death toll in building collapse passes 500
Police have arrested a Bangladeshi engineer who warned about the textile factory’s safety issues a day before it collapsed, killing hundreds, AP reported. Emergency officials continue to find the remains of those killed by the collapsed building in Bangladesh, with the death toll passing 500, according to AFP’s army sources. Engineer Abdur Razzak Khan worked at the Rana Plaza as the building owner’s consultant at the time when three extra floors were added to a five-story building, police official Ohiduzzaman stated. Also, Khan was asked to inspect the building after cracks were discovered on April 23. Building owner Mohammed Sohel Rana is in police custody and expected to be charged with negligence, illegal construction and forcing workers to join work – crimes punishable by a maximum of seven years. He also told tenants the building was safe to enter when cracks began to show, despite a police order to evacuate.
Guatemala declares state of emergency after mining protests turn violent
Guatemalan President Otto Perez declared a state of emergency Thursday in four towns in the southeastern region of the Central American country. The mandate will be in effect for 30 days, temporarily barring citizens’ rights to bear arms and assemble peacefully after a series of protests have turned violent. Angry Guatemalans have demonstrated outside a mine owned by Canadian miner Tahoe Resources Inc., which they say will contaminate the local water supply. Two protesters have been killed so far and last Saturday, Reuters reports, security guards working for Tahoe shot and injured six people. Protesters then kidnapped 23 police officers in retaliation, although the police have since been freed and 15 suspects have been arrested.
Rhode Island passes marriage equality after sixteen-year deliberation
Rhode Island became the tenth US state to legalize same-sex marriage following Governor Lincoln Chafee’s signature on the bill. Governor Chafee, notably a former Republican senator, voiced support for same-sex marriage prior to his ouster in 2006. Chafee was subsequently elected Governor of Rhode Island as an independent. Though the state was widely considered friendly to same-sex marriage, its significant Catholic population played a part in the legislation’s defeat since its first introduction in 1997. With Rhode Island’s approval, all of the New England states now support same-sex marriage.
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