Tuesday 25 November 2014

News stores - 11/24/2014

BREAKING: Darren Wilson avoids charges in fatal shooting of Ferguson teenager


Ferguson protest

 Demonstrators are confronted by police as they block a street during a protest ahead of the grand jury announcement on Monday. Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images


Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson will not be indicted on any charges for shooting and killing unarmed African American teenager Michael Brown, a St. Louis grand jury has decided.

The grand jury's decision was announced Monday evening by Bob McCulloch, the prosecuting attorney for St. Louis County. He said that "no probable cause exists" to file any charges against Wilson.

Officer Wilson potentially faced charges of first- or second-degree murder, voluntary manslaughter, or involuntary manslaughter. At least nine of the 12 people on the jury needed to agree to bring charges in order to indict Wilson.

Ahead of the decision, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon called for calm and restraint from protesters and police.

"While none of us knows what that [decision] will be, our shared hope and expectation is that regardless of the decision people on all sides show tolerance, mutual respect and restraint," he said.

The governor added that the state is doing everything it can to "protect lives, protect property, and protect the freedom of speech.” The governor added that police will “continue to maintain open lines of communication” with protesters “to improve interaction”with law enforcement.

The decision comes about two months after the grand jury was convened to look into charging Wilson with a crime. Brown was killed on August 9, though there have been conflicting accounts regarding his death.

The grand jury heard testimony from numerous witnesses, some of which reportedly claimed that Brown was trying to surrender to Wilson when he was shot. However, other witnesses – as well as Wilson himself – claim Brown was involved in a physical confrontation with the officer before he was killed. According to reports, Wilson told the grand jury that Brown punched him while he was in his vehicle and also charged at him despite orders to stop.

An independent autopsy report conducted on behalf of the family found that Brown had been shot at least eight times – six times from behind. Jerryl Christmas, one of the Brown family attorneys, said the results indicated there was no struggle.

"The evidence shows that the story we've been given by the Police Department does not match up,"attorney Jerryl Christmas said, as cited by the AP."There's no evidence that there was a gun battle going on."

Meanwhile, an autopsy conducted by the St. Louis County medical examiner found evidence of residue on Brown’s hand that would support the idea that Wilson shot the teenager at close range. Leaked details from the autopsy suggest it also indicated that Brown and Wilson were engaged in a “significant altercation” inside of or near Wilson’s car.

Brown’s death sparked immediate criticism from residents and those around the country who believed Wilson used excessive force. Protesters took to the streets calling for Wilson to be identified – police at the time refused to declare who killed the teen – and for him to face charges. Demonstrations lasted for weeks, with law enforcement responding strongly by arriving at protests in riot gear, with armored vehicles, and by using tear gas to clear out activists.

US Defense Sec. Hagel resigns over apparent disagreements with White House

Chuck Hagel.(AFP Photo / Jim Watson)


United States Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is stepping down from his post atop the Pentagon, the Obama-appointee said Monday from the White House.

Flanked by US President Barack Obama and the vice president during a Monday morning announcement, Hagel, 68, acknowledged that he submitted his resignation, confirming reports that started to circulate earlier that day in the press.

Hagel, whose resignation was accepted by the president, called leading the Department of Defense “the greatest privilege of my life.” He took office as defense secretary in February 2013 and previously spent more than a decade in the US Senate. Due to his previous opposition to the 2007 surge policy in Iraq and statements critical of the Israeli lobby in the US, his confirmation was met with significant controversy. Following Monday's announcement, Hagel will have served just longer than the 20 months his predecessor Leon Panetta held the position.

Iran cuts uranium gas stockpile, complies with interim nuclear deal – IAEA



The reactor building at the Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant in southern Iran, 1200 Kms south of Tehran.(AFP Photo / Majid Asgaripour)


Iran has reduced its stockpile of low-enriched uranium gas to comply with the terms of the interim nuclear agreement signed with the six world powers in 2013, a report by a UN nuclear agency has said.

The paper was released on Monday, the same day as the P5+1 bloc (China, France, Germany, Great Britain, Russia, and the US) agreed to prolong the talks on Iran’s controversial nuclear program until the end June.

Reuters has obtained a confidential monthly report on the implementation of the preliminary deal, issued by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for its member states.

According to the document, Tehran’s stockpile of uranium gas currently amounts to just under 7,400 kilograms, which is below the limit agreed last year.

The reduction of supply must’ve taken place in the last couple of weeks as it was above the limit earlier in November.

Under the interim deal, Iran agreed to convert a significant part of its low-enriched uranium gas into oxide, which is less suitable for processing it further into weapons-grade material.

Tehran also promised it would halt its most sensitive nuclear operations in exchange for easing of international sanctions.

The preliminary agreement between Iran and the six world powers was signed to buy time for the current talks on a final settlement of the 12-year dispute over Iranian nuclear program.

Despite Tehran saying that it is refining uranium to fuel its nuclear power plants, the West is concerned that further enrichment may result in Iran creating a nuclear bomb.


Iran nuclear talks extended till end of June


French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius (3rd L), EU envoy Catherine Ashton (6th L), U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (3rd R) and Britain's Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond (front L) sit a a table during talks in Vienna November 21, 2014. (Reuters/Heinz-Peter Bader)



Iran’s nuclear talks with the six world powers will carry on till the end of June, officials taking part in negotiations have confirmed. The parties failed to reach a conclusion by the deadline of November 24.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif along with EU official and spokeswoman for the six powers negotiating with Iran, Catherine Ashton, said that all sides "remain convinced that ... a comprehensive solution can be reached,” according to a joint statement

Ferguson grand jury reaches decision

A police officer secures an area around the Buzz Westfall Justice Center in Clayton, Missouri, on November 24, 2014 where a grand jury has been considering whether to indict a white Ferguson police officer who shot and killed an 18-year-old black teenager, Michael Brown. (AFP Photo/Jewel Samad)


http://rt.com/usa/208467-ferguson-grand-jury-decision/

A grand jury has reached a decision regarding whether or not to indict Ferguson, Missouri police officer Darren Wilson over the fatal shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown.

The Washington Post first reported on Monday afternoon that the grand jury has finally reached a decision after spending weeks receiving testimony and evidence concerning the August shooting death of Brown, 18.

"The Grand Jury hearing the Michael Brown/Darren Wilson investigation has reached a decision and it will be announced later today," Edward Magee, a spokesman for the St. Lois County Prosecuting Attorney's office, said in a statement

Lithuania agrees to supply Ukraine with military aid, Poroshenko says


Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.(AFP Photo / Samuel Kubani)



Lithuania has decided to provide limited military aid to Ukraine following a meeting between Presidents Petro Poroshenko of Ukraine and Dalia Grybauskaite of Lithuania in Kiev. The move aims to bolster military cooperation between the two states.

"We have agreed on the supply of armaments for the Ukrainian armed forces," Poroshenko said, after talks with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite on Monday.

Poroshenko added that the aid constituted “real help,” though he did not clarify if it was for lethal or non-lethal equipment.

Grybauskaite said the deal would entail providing Ukraine with the necessary knowhow for building modern armed forces. More Ukrainian representatives will be invited to study at the Military Academy of Lithuania, and there will be an increase in joint exercises with the goal of completing “the formation of the trilateral Lithuanian-Polish-Ukrainian Brigade,” the Lithuanian president said.

There to stay: US troops keep Poland, Baltic deployment for 2015




A ‘temporary’ deployment of US troops in Poland and the Baltic states has been extended through 2015, a US commander in Europe said. NATO sells its presence as a deterrent to an ‘aggressive Russia’, with Moscow countering that it only escalates tension.

The alliance deployed several hundred US troops in Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia earlier this year. The move was explained by a desire to give confidence to these NATO members after the political crisis in Ukraine and the secession of its region of Crimea to rejoin Russia. The alliance called it an annexation and said countries in the region feared that Moscow would militarily attack them.


Netanyahu govt approves disputed bill making Israel nation-state of Jewish people



Following heated debate, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet has voted in favor of anchoring in law the status of Israel as “the national homeland of the Jewish people,” which critics fear would discriminate the Arab population.

According to the draft law, Israel’s Basic Laws would no longer define it as "Jewish and democratic" country, but as the Nation-State of the Jewish People.

15 Israeli ministers in the cabinet supported the ‘Jewish state bill,’ with only six, including Israeli Justice Minister, Tzipi Livni, saying ‘no’ to the initiative on Sunday.

The bill now has to be approved by the country’s parliament, Knesset, which is scheduled to vote on it on Wednesday.

Netanyahu said that it’s high time to amend the legislation as the idea of Israel being the national homeland of the Jewish people is challenged by many inside and outside the country.


Russia hit hardest by plunging oil prices as producers brace for cut in profits

Russia - Energy - General view of Nefteyugansk
Russia’s currency has depreciated almost 27% this year against the dollar – despite being a leading oil-producing nation. Photograph: Yuri Kotchetkov/Corbis


Falling oil prices knocked £1bn off the value of North Sea services firm Petrofac on Monday and are on course to cripple the Russian economy without a rescue package from the oil producers’ cartel Opec later this week.


Petrofac, which operates in almost 30 countries, saw its share price fall by more than a quarter after it said profits would be low this year to reflect a 30% decline in Brent crude prices since the summer. The oil and gas services firm said it expected 2015 net profit of about $500m (£403m), $190m less than analysts had previously forecast and well below the $580m now predicted for this year.

500 dead sea lions found on Peru 

AFP Photo / Pablo Porciuncula


About 500 decomposing remains of sea lions have been found off a beach in Peru. The cause of the mass deaths is not yet clear, however, the local governor blames marine farmers and fishermen in poisoning the animals.

The bodies of both adult and pup sea lions were found on the coast of Santa province, Ancash Region in northern Peru, environmental police told the Peruvian Andina news. The beach lies 400km north of the country’s capital, Lima.

The governor of the local Samanco district wrote a complaint to police authorities claiming that the animals had been poisoned by local marine farmers and fisherman who collect shellfish on the beach.

The marine mammals used to come closer to the seaside searching for sea food and scallops.

View image on Twitter
Perú: Hallan 500 lobos marinos muertos en la playa http://goo.gl/126Kod 
     

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