Beirut Car Bomb: Security Official Among Dead

A top Lebanese security official is among eight people killed by a car bomb in the country's capital Beirut.

Wissam al Hassan died in the rush-hour bomb in the city's east - which also wounded some 80 people - heightening fears that the Syrian civil war is spilling over into Lebanon.

Al Hassan's investigations had implicated Syria and Hizbollah in the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri seven years ago.

He had also uncovered a recent bomb plot that led to the arrest of a pro-Syrian Lebanese politician, according to a Lebanese official.

He was a close aide to Hariri, a Sunni Muslim who was killed in a 2005 bomb attack in downtown Beirut.

Friday's bombing was the city's first major car bomb attack since 2008.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said the blast, in the mainly Christian east Beirut, took place only 200 yards from the headquarters of the Christian party, the Phalange.

A wounded woman near the site of the explosion

The party is hostile to the regime of President Bashar al Assad in neighbouring Syria, which is mired in a lengthy civil war.

But Syrian information minister Omran al Zoabie told reporters: "We condemn this terrorist explosion and all these explosions wherever they happen. Nothing justifies them."

Michael Fish, 25, a British musician visiting Beirut, said he was in his hotel a street away when the explosion happened.

"At first I thought it was an earthquake," he said.

"It shook the whole hotel for a second. I ran down and started filming on my iPhone."

The AFP news agency reported that two apartment buildings had been devastated by the bombing in a narrow street off Sassine Square in Ashrafieh. One building was still on fire as Red Cross workers evacuated bloodied casualties.

Balconies were torn off by the force of the blast, windows shattered and cars crushed by falling masonry.

Phalange leader Sami al Gemayel, a staunch opponent of Mr Assad and a member of parliament, condemned the attack.

"Let the state protect the citizens," he said.

"We will not accept any procrastination in this matter, we cannot continue like that. We have been warning for a year. Enough."

The war in Syria, which has killed 30,000 people in the past 19 months, has pitted mostly Sunni insurgents against Mr Assad, who is from the Alawite sect linked to Shi'ite Islam.

Interior minister Marwan Sharbel was also at the scene of the bombing. The previous such attack in Beirut, in January 2008, killed Lebanon's top anti-terrorism investigator and three other people.

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Shock Fate Of India's 'Stolen' Slum Children

By Alex Rossi, Sky Correspondent

Shocking new crime figures have revealed as many as 50,000 children are going missing from the streets of India every year.

Campaigners claim the youngsters are often 'stolen' by criminal gangs to fuel a growing black market in child labour and prostitution.

For the parents of the victims the not knowing what has happened to their son or daughter is often the hardest part.

Kunwar Pal is overcome with grief. His 12-year-old son Ravi went out for a bike ride two years ago but never returned.

He said: "My life revolved around my son but since he disappeared I have lost everything including my happiness and my job."

It is the poorest families who are most at risk from the growing problem.

Children from the slums are easily snatched from the streets as their parents are often both working and struggling to make ends meet.

One of the worst affected areas is New Delhi.

According to recent crime data, as many as 20 children go missing in the capital every day and at least five of them are never traced.

The police say their job as investigators is made much more difficult because poorer parents often do not even have a photograph of their missing child.

They have now launched a scheme using theatre to try and educate children about the dangers of stranger danger.

They are also taking portraits of children in the areas the human traffickers target, so if the worst does happen, the parents at least have a photographic record of the child they can show detectives.

But many parents with missing children say the police are simply not doing enough.

Tajwar Sultana says her granddaughter, who was three when she vanished in 2009, is just another statistic for the police to ignore.

The family were at a wedding party when their little girl was taken.

She said: "Her mother is in a terrible state. Our situation is worse than death."

There are now demands for tougher punishments for the human traffickers who prey on India's children.

But activists fear as the police struggle with the enormity of the challenge the problem of India's 'stolen' sons and daughters will continue to get worse.

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Fort Hood Suspect 'Can Be Forcibly Shaved'

An Army appeals court has ruled the Fort Hood shooting suspect can have his facial hair forcibly shaved off before his trial.

The US Army Court of Criminal Appeals upheld the military trial judge's decision to order Major Nidal Hasan to appear in court clean shaven or be forcibly shaved.

It also ruled that Colonel Gregory Gross, the judge, properly found that the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act does not give Hasan the right to have a beard while in uniform at trial.

Hasan has said the beard is an expression of his Muslim faith. His lawyers will appeal the ruling.

The 42-year-old faces the death penalty if convicted of the 2009 attack that killed 13 and wounded more than two dozen others on the Texas Army post.

The Army has specific guidelines on forced shaving.

A team of five military police officers restrains the inmate "with the reasonable force necessary", and a medical professional is on hand in case of injuries.

The shaving must be done with electric clippers and must be videoed, according to Army rules.

Hasan would not be the first military defendant forcibly shaved.

The Army has done it to five inmates since 2005, including one person who was forcibly shaved twice, according to the Army's Office of the Chief of Staff.

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Woman Critical After Zoo Elephant Attack

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

A female keeper is in a critical condition after being pinned against a bollard by an elephant at Sydney's Taronga Zoo.

An ambulance spokeswoman said emergency services were called to the elephant enclosure and discovered a woman unconscious and not breathing, with multiple injuries.

"We had a report that a female in her 40s had been injured by an elephant," the spokeswoman said.

"She had critical injuries, multiple injuries. The patient was unconscious and had stopped breathing."

A zoo spokesman said the woman was conducting a routine training session when "a young male elephant pinned the female keeper against a bollard".

"Two other keepers in an adjoining stall responded to her call and moved the elephant away.

"An investigation has been immediately commenced into this incident and what may have prompted the reaction.

"It's unknown at this time why the young elephant challenged the keeper."

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Flavor Flav Held Over Assault With Deadly Weapon

Reality TV star and former rapper Flavor Flav has been arrested after allegedly arguing with his fiancee and threatening to attack her teenage son with a knife.

The 53-year-old hip-hop icon, whose legal name is William Jonathan Drayton Jr, was taken into custody in the early hours of Wednesday morning from his home in Las Vegas, according to local police.

Officers did not report that anyone was injured.

Drayton faces a felony assault with a deadly weapon charge, carrying a possible penalty of up to six years in prison, and a misdemeanor battery-domestic violence charge, that could get him six months in a county jail.

He was being held on $23,000 (£14,000) bail at Clark County jail pending an initial court appearance on Thursday. It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer.

Drayton, whose public persona includes wearing a big clock on his chest, was an original member of the politically and socially militant rap group Public Enemy in the 1980s and '90s.

In recent years he has starred in several reality TV series and lent his name and recipes to short-lived chicken and soul food restaurants in Clinton, Iowa, and Las Vegas.

He has a criminal history that includes arrests and convictions on traffic infractions, a month in jail for assaulting his then-girlfriend in 1991, and three months in prison for shooting at a neighbour in New York in 1993.

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New York Bank Bomb Plot Foiled In FBI Sting

FBI Terror Stings Key To Security

Updated: 3:24am UK, Thursday 18 October 2012

By Hannah Thomas-Peter, New York Correspondent

The FBI sting operation against Quazi Mohammad Nafis reads like something out of a James Bond plot, but it is not uncommon for the federal police to trap suspected terrorists in this way.

Just eight months ago a man of Moroccan descent was arrested on his way to the US Capitol in Washington DC.
He thought he was going on a suicide attack and the undercover FBI agents assisting him were al Qaeda associates.

In November 2011, the NYPD carried out a similar sting on 27-year-old Jose Pimentel.

The police said he was an al Qaeda sympathiser inspired by the radical and now dead US-born cleric Anwar al Awlaki.

Pimentel thought he was wrapped up in a secret plot to bomb police and post office targets.

And in December 2010, a man from Baltimore was trapped in another fake scheme - this time to detonate a car bomb at a US armed forces recruitment centre in Maryland.

The FBI is constantly monitoring people of interest and people they believe to pose a real threat to the US.

Sting operations are always very carefully controlled, and in New York, usually also involve NYPD counter-terror specialists.

One of the reasons for using stings is that large amounts of evidence can be collected by the agents involved, allowing for a higher chance of successful prosecution if the case gets to trial.

In this city such operations are almost always overseen by what is known as the New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, or JTTF.

The NY JTTF is an FBI-led umbrella group encompassing more than 50 different agencies and 500 investigators.

It is a busy place to work.

Since 9/11 there have been 15 foiled plots against New York, including ones targeting the Brooklyn Bridge and the New York Stock Exchange.

To combat the ongoing threat of an attack, and in part to make the public feel safe as they move around Manhattan, over 1,000 NYPD officers are assigned specifically to counter-terror duties every day.

Following the Nafis operation, NYPD Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said: "Al Qaeda operatives and those they have inspired have tried time and again to make New York City their killing field.

"After 11 years without a successful attack, it's understandable if the public becomes complacent, but that's a luxury law enforcement can't afford."

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Crowd Racism Mars England U21 Win Over Serbia

England's U21 side were subjected to racist chants and pelted with seats, coins and stones during their European Championship play-off in Serbia.

Danny Rose after the final whistle blew

Captain Jordan Henderson praised his players for their reaction to the alleged racist abuse and called on Uefa to take the appropriate action.

The Football Association reported "a number of incidents of racism" to Uefa after ugly scenes marred a 1-0 win for Stuart Pearce's team in the second leg of their play-off in Krusevac.

Andros Townsend separates Danny Rose (l) and Sasa Markovic of Serbia

Liverpool midfielder Henderson said on www.thefa.com: "There was a lot of racist abuse out there from the stands and a lot going on after the game, which is hard to take for the players."

Defender Danny Rose was sent off after the final whistle after apparently responding angrily to monkey taunts from the crowd.

Scuffles also broke out when supporters invaded the field moments after Connor Wickham's stoppage-time goal secured a 2-0 aggregate success and a place at next year's finals in Israel.

Connor Wickham (l) celebrates his goal Danny Rose is sent off following his angry reaction after the game

Henderson added: "The players coped with the abuse really well. It's not nice. They kept their heads and were professional.

"I thought our players were brilliant and conducted themselves very well. The players completely condemn what happened.

Nikola Ninkovic (r) of Serbia is held back as Raheem Sterling looks on

"There were also stones, coins and seats getting thrown at us. I didn't understand why Danny Rose was sent off at the end - I didn't see he did anything wrong, other than get abused."

A statement from the FA read: "The FA condemns both the scenes of racism and the confrontation at the final whistle during which time our players and staff were under extreme provocation.

Serbia's assistant coach Dejan Govedarica (c) tries to keep players apart

"The FA has reported a number of incidents of racism to Uefa following the fixture.

"These were seemingly aimed at a number of black England players by the crowd. The matter is now with Uefa."

England manager Stuart Pearce said Serbia's technical director Savo Milosevic had visited the England dressing room to apologise.

"I never like to see any football matches end like that," Pearce told ESPN.

"I think there were one or two racist incidents that came on from the crowd. It's in (Uefa's) hands now.

"It's very sad, to be fair, but we're united as a team. I'm very proud of the reaction of our players."

Marvin Sordell (R) of England shows his anger Serbia's goalkeeping coach is seen raising his fist

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US Presidential Race: Obama And Romney Clash

Obama Fights Back In Feisty Debate

Updated: 4:24am UK, Wednesday 17 October 2012

By Greg Milam, US Correspondent

Barack Obama has finally shown the fire his supporters have been crying out for and put some energy back into his campaign for a second term in the White House.

The President desperately needed a good performance after his lacklustre showing in the first debate saw Mitt Romney surge in the opinion polls.

This time he was more aggressive, confident and assertive and showed far greater focus and energy. He landed some of the punches he didn't even throw last time.

Obama supporter Senator John Kerry said the President "overwhelmed" Romney.

The two men took 90 minutes of questions from an audience of "uncommitted voters" in a town-hall style setting on New York's Long Island. Millions were watching live on television.

It will be for the opinion polls to show whether Obama's showing was good enough to slow Romney's momentum - but he did appear to have learned some lessons.

Gone was the shifty avoiding of eye contact and look of irritation and Obama also seemed more aware of the dangers of the "split-screen" moment, looking far more engaged when his opponent was speaking.

But for all that, Romney delivered some of the night's memorable one-liners and his dissection of Obama's first term encompasses what this election is all about.

"He's a great speaker but we have his record to look at," Romney said. " We cannot afford four more years."

That is the challenge for Obama: to convince Americans that the next four years would be better. Polls suggest they're not convinced yet.

He labelled Romney "extreme" on social issues and used some of his own words from the Republican primary campaign, particularly on immigration, to back it up.

Romney's performance was steady - aside from a bizarre comment about a "binder of women" which sent Twitter into overdrive - and he will regret getting his facts wrong during an attack on Obama over his handling of the attack on the US consulate in Libya.

It prompted a flash of anger from the President who said Romney's allegations that the White House was playing politics with the incident were "offensive".

Romney also handed Obama an open goal in the dying moments of the debate when he alluded to his notorious comment about 47% of Americans being "victims".

It was an opportunity Obama didn't miss and the exchange perhaps summed up the whole debate.

Town hall-style debates often end up as "score draws" with candidates needing to engage with audience members rather than each other.

But this one had plenty of spice - and plenty of squabbles over time-keeping - and gave the American people some food for thought with three weeks to go.

These debates have a real-time aspect with early voting now taking place in 40 states and more than a third of voters expected to have their say before election day on November 6.

It's 1-1 with one to play - the two men will meet for a third and final time in Florida on Monday.

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