Mourners Remember Boxing Day Tsunami Victims

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 27 Desember 2014 | 10.52

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Survivors and families of victims have gathered across Asia for memorials to mark 10 years since the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.

Around 230,000 people died after a 9.1-magnitude earthquake off Indonesia's western coast triggered a series of huge waves in the Indian Ocean.

The rising waters caused devastation across the region, striking countries as far apart as Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and Somalia.

The wave swept the whole of the Indian Ocean's shoreline, also hitting the coasts of India, Myanmar, Malaysia, the Maldives and Bangladesh.

Around six hours after the start of the disaster the coasts of east Africa - Somalia, Tanzania, Kenya - were struck by the wave.

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Gallery: Sri Lanka Marks 10th Anniversary of Indian Ocean Tsunami

Tsunami survivors offer flowers as they pray at a graveyard to commemorate the victims of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami on December 26, 2014 in Peraliya, Sri Lanka

A Sri Lankan local dancer stands in a graveyard in Peraliya commemorating victims

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Sri Lankan Buddhist monks attend the Alms Giving Ceremony for remembrance and prayer for the victims

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A young Buddhist monk prays for the victims at the Alms Ceremony

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Sri Lanka was one of the worst hit countries of the 9.1 magnitude quake with around 35,000 deaths

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The tsunami caused widespread destruction to many coastal communities.

Thousands of foreign holiday-makers were also killed.

The vast majority of Indonesia's 170,000 victims perished in Aceh province, among them tens of thousands of children.

Some 7,000 mourners gathered on Christmas Day in Banda Aceh for the first of several memorials.

Aceh governor Zaini Abdullah led the event at the Baiturrahman Grand Mosque.

He thanked Indonesians and the international community for their support in the aftermath of the tsunami, which he said had helped the area recover.

Teuku Ahmad Salman, who joined thousands at the service, said: "I cannot forget the smell of the air, the water at that time ... even after 10 years."

Indonesia's Vice President, Jusuf Kalla, led a prayer ceremony where he and other officials placed flowers at a mass grave where thousands of unknown victims were buried.

In a statement released to mark the anniversary, Prime Minister David Cameron praised the "real resilience" of those who have rebuilt their lives.

He said the UK Government had provided almost £300m to support the reconstruction of affected areas.

Some 151 British nationals killed in the tsunami.

"Today we think of all those for whom Boxing Day is no longer a happy festive celebration but the day they lost a loved one in the Indian Ocean tsunami," he said.

"At this poignant time, my prayers are with all those remembering people who were caught up in the disaster, including the 151 British nationals who lost their lives.

"In the face of tragedy and adversity, hundreds of thousands of people have demonstrated real resilience to rebuild their lives and millions more have shown extraordinary generosity to help those affected."

More than 100 survivors, along with bereaved relatives, held a memorial service on a beach in Khao Lak, Thailand.

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Gallery: Photos Taken In Indonesia After The Tsunami

Indonesian rescue workers remove a body from the fence of the Grand Mosque in the city of Banda Aceh

Refugees cover their noses from the stench of bodies

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They walked into the waves and laid flowers in the sea, while diplomats placed wreaths on the sand.

Crowds also gathered and laid wreaths at the country's tsunami memorial park in Ban Nam Khem, a southern fishing village which was decimated.

More than 5,000 people were killed in Thailand, about half of them tourists.

In Indonesia, staff members at the German, Austrian and Swiss embassies held a minute's silence to remember the victims.

In Sri Lanka, the water swept a train from its tracks, killing almost 2,000 people.

The train, including five of the original carriages, decorated with Buddhist flags, symbolically recreated the journey, carrying survivors who mourned the dead and missing.

:: A special documentary, Tsunami: Ten Years After The Wave, can be seen on the Sky News Catch Up service.

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Written By Unknown on Jumat, 26 Desember 2014 | 10.52

Many survivors of the Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 have spent the last decade struggling to deal with grief and trauma, but some chose to channel it into helping others.

In a new documentary to be shown on Sky One this evening, Sky News has spoken to survivors who have set up charities in memory of some of the 250,000 people who died.

Kim and Tristan Peatfield were staying on the south coast of Sri Lanka, in Tangalle, with their five-year-old daughter Isabella when the tsunami hit their hotel bungalow.

Tristan was washed away and Kim was left holding Isabella.

"I think I must have been knocked out and I guess that's when I let her go - because I don't remember letting her go. I would never, never have let her go," she said.

Isabella was later found dead.

Despite their grief, the couple returned to Sri Lanka a few weeks after Isabella's funeral and set up a charity in her name to help Sri Lankan children.

"Anybody who was there would know children there lost everything, they didn't just lose a sibling or a parent or grandparents or a roof over their head - they lost everything," Kim said.

The charity is still going ten years later. In that time they have helped to rebuild Tangalle Children's Hospital and built 10 playgrounds, among other projects.

"It came out of love, not wanting to let her die, and that's what sustained us, that's what keeps the charity going," the Peatfields said.

Luke Simon works full-time on the charity that he set up after the Boxing Day tragedy.

When the wave hit he was staying with his brother Piers and three friends on the island of Phi Phi in southern Thailand.

Phi Phi was hit from both sides simultaneously - and the thin strip of land in between was engulfed.

"The sea beyond was just boiling up in front of me," Luke said.

"The tsunami turned Phi Phi into canals - the little alleyways became two and a half metres of water filled with debris - a lot of people who lost their lives, they didn't drown, they were just hit by debris."

Piers was trapped under the water as he tried to push another friend to safety. It took five days for Luke to find his body.

Luke launched the charity - the Piers Simon Appeal - at his brother's memorial service and two weeks after the tsunami he was back in Phi Phi with £10,000 to help local people.

"The charity really came about because we had received so much goodness from Thai people who helped me to find Piers," he said.

Ten years on, and the charity has now become School In A Bag, which sends schoolbags to children affected by the disaster.

"It was born out of a natural disaster - the sad circumstances of losing my brother. I always wanted to be able to help disaster-affected children, mainly because of the experience that I had picked up in the tsunami," Luke said.

"I still feel like Piers is with me now - I feel as though he's tagging along with me, except he's the reason we are doing it."

:: A special documentary Tsunami: Ten Years After The Wave will be shown on Sky One tonight at 9pm.

:: If you have been affected by any of the issues in the show, the following helplines can offer help and support:

Samaritans - anyone struggling to cope can talk to Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90.

Mind - for mental health issues, including post-traumatic stress, call the confidential information and support line on 0300 123 3393 (charged as a local rate call) open from 9am - 6pm Monday - Friday.

Cruse Bereavement Care - promotes the well-being of bereaved people and enables people to understand grief and cope with their loss - national helpline on 08444 779 400.

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Girl Refuses To Explode Bomb Belt In Market

A 13-year-old girl has said she was made to wear a bomb belt and taken to a market in Nigeria by Boko Haram extremists but refused to detonate the device.

Zahara'u Adam said her father gave her to the Islamist group, but she told her captors she did not want to be a suicide bomber.

She allowed them to strap the bomb on her because they threatened to bury her alive.

She was taken to a market in Kano, Nigeria's second largest city in the north, with two other girls, who detonated the bombs.

Four people were killed in the explosion on 10 December.

Zahara'u said she was too scared to detonate the bomb when she saw the aftermath of what her counterparts had done.

Injured by the blasts, the girl found her way to a hospital where police arrested her while she was receiving treatment.

She was presented to journalists by police and instructed to recount how the militants allegedly forced her to take part in the attack - a move police hope will boost public awareness of the group's tactics.

"My father took us to the bush which was surrounded by gunmen, I was asked if I want to go to heaven, when I answered they said I have to go for a suicide mission and if I attempt to run, they will kill me," she recounted at a press conference.

"So from there we were sent to Kano. When we came to Kano market, one of us said we should go separately, but I refused.

"After my friend detonated her own I was wounded."

There was no way to independently verify her story and she had no lawyer present.

Boko Haram has been fighting for five years to establish an Islamist state in Nigeria's northeast.

The group has increasingly used female suicide bombers.

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CCTV Shows Moment Before Officer Shot Teen

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 25 Desember 2014 | 10.52

Police have released CCTV showing the moment a black teenager appears to draw a gun before he is shot dead by a white officer in a killing that sparked more violent protests in Missouri.

Antonio Martin, 18, was killed at a petrol station in the St Louis suburb of Berkeley on Tuesday night.

Authorities said the officer was responding to a shop-lifting call at around 11.15pm when he saw two men and approached them.

CCTV video appears to show one of the men drawing and pointing a handgun at the officer.

St Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar said the officer stumbled backwards and fired three shots, one of which struck the teenager.

Martin was dead when paramedics arrived, the chief said.

Detectives said they recovered Martin's 9mm pistol at the scene.

Following the shooting, a crowd of up to 300 people gathered around the cordoned off forecourt.

A wall of police officers, some wearing riot helmets, guarded the scene with bystanders shouting at them in a tense standoff.

Footage showed fireworks being let off and some officers were injured after bricks were thrown.

On Wednesday, Berkeley's mayor attempted to ease tensions by distancing the shooting from the killing of Michael Brown Jr in nearby Ferguson, in August.

"This is not the same as Ferguson," Theodore Hoskins said.

"There is this jump to conclusion that all policemen are guilty. Jumping to conclusion before investigation is not acceptable."

He added: "Some people die because the policeman initiates it. Some people die because they initiate it.

"At this point, our review indicates that the police did not initiate this."

Chief Belmar said he understood the emotions of the community but that "bad choices were made" by the victim.

"This individual could have complied with the officer, he could have run away, he could have dropped the gun.

"All sorts of things could have happened. It didn't have to end with him approaching the officer with a 9mm pistol in his hand," he said.

Martin's mother, Toni Martin, was at the scene overnight. She was heard crying "that's my baby" when she found out her son was dead.

She told the St Louis Post-Dispatch that Martin had been out with his girlfriend, adding: "His girlfriend told me the police was messing with him. He was trying to get up and run and they started shooting."

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Gallery: Shooting Is Close To Where The Michael Brown Killing Sparked Protests

CCTV shows the moment before an officer fatally shoots Antonio Martin in Missouri

The black teenager is shot by a police officer at a petrol station in Berkeley, St Louis

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US: Captured Pilot's Plane Not Downed By IS

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The US has dismissed claims that Islamic State fighters shot down a Jordanian warplane before capturing its pilot.

IS supporters claimed the plane, which was flying with US-led coalition forces, was hit by a heat-seeking missile near Raqqa city in northern Syria.

Jordan initially said the F-16 fighter was shot down during a "military mission against the hideouts of the terrorist group" - but later said it was unclear how the plane came to crash.

Now the US Central Command has said: "Evidence clearly indicates that ISIL (IS) did not down the aircraft as the terrorist organisation is claiming."

A Washington official added that the allies were investigating whether the plane suffered a mechanical fault.

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Gallery: Militants Claim To Have Captured Jordanian Pilot In Syria

The plane was said to have been brought down near Raqqa city, a stronghold of Islamic State fighters in northern Syria

Several photographs were released, including one showing the pilot, wearing only a white shirt, being carried from water by four men

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The photos were published on IS websites

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The crash site where the jet was brought down

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Fragments from the aircraft were retrieved

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UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged IS captors to treat the pilot "in accordance with international humanitarian law".

An army statement read on Jordanian state television said: "Jordan holds the group and its supporters responsible for the safety of the pilot and his life."

IS in Raqqa published photographs on jihadist websites purporting to show its fighters holding the captured pilot and showed a military card identifying him.

Several photographs were released, including one showing the captive, wearing only a white shirt, being carried from water by four men.

Another showed him on land, surrounded by about a dozen armed men.

The images were verified by two relatives contacted by the Reuters news agency, who said they had been notified by the head of the Jordanian air force that the pilot was First Lieutenant Muath al Kasaesbeh, aged 27.

The army separately confirmed his name.

A friend said Mr Kasaesbeh, who is from a prominent Jordanian family, was passionate about his mission and felt it was a religious duty to fight extremist groups such as IS that were "distorting the true spirit of Islam".

British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond tweeted that he was "concerned" for the pilot.

Jordan is among a number of countries that have joined the US-led alliance carrying out airstrikes against IS after the jihadis seized large areas of Syria and Iraq.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan and Bahrain are taking part in airstrikes alongside the US.

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Written By Unknown on Rabu, 24 Desember 2014 | 10.52

Russia's prime minister has admitted the country is at risk of entering a period of "deep recession," according to a news agency.

Dmitry Medvedev's comments - quoted by RIA Novosti - were made as the country stepped up its efforts to shore up the rouble - battered in value through a toxic combination of weak oil prices alongside Western sanctions over Russia's actions in Ukraine.

The latest move to boost the currency was announced on earlier on Tuesday by the central bank, which pressured state-owned firms to sell foreign currency reserves.

The companies were reported by a newspaper, Kommersant, to include the oil majors Gazprom and Rosneft.

Just 24-hours earlier, the bank set a limit for its overnight foreign exchange swap operations at $10bn to help alleviate the shortage of roubles.

The currency - which tumbled to almost 80 to the dollar at the height of its collapse - was trading at two-week highs of 52 against the dollar on Tuesday but remained susceptible to shocks.

Economists say the crisis risks a repeat of soaring inflation and mass protests - last seen in the country's financial woes of 1998 which wiped out people's savings.

The Russian economy's dependence on oil - and its failure to diversify - means it is particularly vulnerable to slides in world oil prices.

The collapse in oil costs - by up to 50% - sees Brent crude currently at $60.8-per-barrel.

There is no sign of an imminent increase as the Saudi oil minister, who has the most clout among the members of the powerful OPEC cartel, has said there will be no production cuts to boost prices even if Brent falls as low as $20.

The sanctions make it almost impossible for Russian firms to borrow from the West.

Consumers have been snapping up 'big ticket' items ahead of steep price increases while foreign companies, including Jaguar Land Rover and Apple, have suspended sales in Russia.

Mr Medvedev told a political gathering the Russian economy was in a worse place now than in the 2008 financial crisis because "a number of countries are effectively hampering the development of our economy."

He insisted the Government could not retreat from its strategic aims and social spending for risk of plunging Russia into a "deep recession."

Russia is tipped to officially enter recession - defined as two consecutive quarters of negative growth - in the spring.

Mr Medvedev's comments follow those of another key ally of President Vladimir Putin, former finance minister Alexei Kudrin, who urged the Kremlin on Monday to begin negotiations with the West on sanctions to avoid a "full-blown economic crisis."

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Porn Star Gets Life For Chopping Up Lover

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A Canadian man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing and dismembering his Chinese lover.

Luke Magnotta was found guilty of first-degree murder over the death of 33-year-old engineering student Jun Lin after eight days of jury deliberations.

Although the 32-year-old admitted killing Lin in 2012, he sought to be found not criminally responsible by reason of insanity.

His lawyer claimed Magnotta is schizophrenic and could not tell right from wrong at the time of the murder.

The prosecution said the crime was planned and deliberate, and that Magnotta's behaviour and actions were not those of an insane person. He posted Mr Lin's body parts to schools and political parties around Canada after the murder.

Prosecutor Louis Bouthillier said: "I thought we had good evidence of premeditation.

"There was never a doubt the jury would find Magnotta guilty of first-degree murder."

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Gallery: Flat Of Canadian Porn Star

This is the Montreal home of Luka Magnotta, a Canadian porn star was has been convicted of murdering his Chinese lover

An investigation was launched on 29 May 2012 when a package sent from Montreal was partly opened by the receptionist at the Conservative Party office in Ottawa, who called police after seeing bloodstains and being overwhelmed by the smell

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Hours later, a second suspicious package was intercepted by Canada Post at a nearby mail sorting facility. It contained a human hand, police said

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Soon, the probe shifted to Montreal, where a torso was discovered by a caretaker in a suitcase in a pile of garbage. The torso was student Jun Lin, who was killed and dismembered by Magnotta

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Magnotta was arrested in Berlin after flying to Paris and entering Germany on a bus

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Magnotta was also convicted on four other charges and given the maximum sentences allowed, ranging from two to 10 years, for those charges.

The sentence carries the possibility of parole after 25 years.

Magnotta showed no emotion and only lowered his eyes as the verdicts on each of the five charges were read out.

A key piece of evidence during the trial was an email Magnotta sent to a British reporter six months before the murder.

Journalist Alex West confronted Magnotta in London in December 2011 about cat killing videos he had made online.

Magnotta replied with an email that said cats were just the beginning.

"Next time you hear from me it will be in a movie I am producing, that will have some humans in it...", Magnotta wrote in an email sent on 10 December.

Later in the message, he added: "Once you kill, and taste blood, it's impossible to stop. The urge is just too strong not to continue."

Mr Lin's father, Diran Lin, travelled from China to Montreal for the trial.

After the verdicts a lawyer read out an impact statement on his behalf.

"I had come to see your trial system to see justice done and I leave satisfied that you have not let my son down," Daniel Urbas said.

"I had come to see remorse, to hear some form of apology, and I leave without anything."

The gruesome case gained international notoriety when body parts began arriving at the offices of Canada's political parties.

A video also appeared online that prosecutors say shows Magnotta stabbing and having sex with the corpse.

In May 2012, a package containing a severed foot was found at the headquarters of Canada's ruling Conservative party.

The same day, a hand was found at a postal facility in a package addressed to the country's Liberal Party.

Mr Lin's torso was discovered in a suitcase at a rubbish dump outside Magnotta's apartment building in Montreal.

Around a week later, the missing foot and hand were found, posted to two schools in Vancouver.

Magnotta was eventually arrested in the German capital, Berlin, following an international manhunt.

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Written By Unknown on Senin, 22 Desember 2014 | 10.52

New York Cop Killer's Chilling Warning Revealed

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The gunman who shot dead two New York City police officers told passers-by to "watch what I'm going to do", moments before the attack.

Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said witnesses recall Ismaaiyl Brinsley asking them to follow him on Instagram, before making the chilling warning.

Instagram posts attributed to Brinsley, 28, have been described as "very anti-police".

One appears to threaten to carry out an attack in retaliation for the death of Eric Garner, who was killed in a New York officer's chokehold, sparking weeks of mass protests.

Part of the caption read: "I'm Putting Wings On Pigs Today. They Take 1 Of Ours ... Let's Take 2 of Theirs."

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Gallery: New York Vigil For Dead Police Officers

Mourners have taken part in a prayer vigil at the location where two NYPD cops who were shot in the head in their squad car in Brooklyn

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Police officers lined up to pay their respects to Liu Wenjin, 32, and Raphael Ramos, 40

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Lucy Ramos, the aunt of Mr Ramos, paid tribute to the officers during a press conference at the vigil

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Click through for more images

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Eric Garner's family have condemned the killings, denouncing revenge attacks.

Joined by civil rights activist Reverend Al Sharpton, Mr Garner's mother Gwen Carr told reporters: "I'm standing here in sorrow about losing those two police officers, that was definitely not our agenda.

"We want you to not use Eric Garner's name for violence, because we are not about that."

A candlelight vigil was held for the two dead police officers on Sunday, a day after they were ambushed in their squad car while on patrol in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood of Brooklyn.

They have been named as 32-year-old Liu Wenjin and 40-year-old Raphael Ramos.

Police have said Brinsley shot the pair in the head with "no warning, no provocation".

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Gallery: Everything We Know Following The Shooting Of Two Officers

Officers Liu Wenjin, 32, and Raphael Ramos, 40, were shot dead as they sat in their parked patrol car

The suspect, named as Ismaaiyl Brinsley, 28, used a silver semi-automatic handgun. It is believed Brinsley had shot and seriously injured his ex-girlfriend earlier on Saturday

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"They were quite simply assassinated," Police Commissioner William Bratton said.

Brinsley then ran inside a subway station and fatally shot himself in the head as responding officers pursued him.

Details have now emerged surrounding his long criminal record and apparent history of mental instability.

Brinsley shot and seriously injured his ex-girlfriend in Baltimore, Maryland, shortly before travelling New York to carry out Saturday's attack.

He had at least 19 arrests in Georgia and Ohio and had spent two years in prison for gun possession.

Police said Brinsley's mother believed he had been suffering from an undiagnosed mental illness.

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Gallery: Archive: Protests After Eric Garner Grand Jury Decision

Protesters took to the streets after a grand jury decided not to charge a white policeman over the chokehold death of an unarmed black man

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He also reportedly tried to kill himself last year.

The killings have sparked fears of further revenge attacks amid heightened nationwide tensions over the deaths of Mr Garner and another black male at the hands of white police officers.

The unarmed teen Michael Brown was shot dead in Ferguson Missouri back in August.

Decisions by US grand juries to not charge either of the officers involved triggered widespread protests.

New York police officers have been told to take extra backup when responding to radio calls and have been urged to wear bulletproof vests when out on the street.

On Sunday a police officer in Florida was shot and killed in what is believed to have been an unrelated incident.

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Written By Unknown on Minggu, 21 Desember 2014 | 10.52

By Sky News US Team

Two New York City police officers have been killed by a lone gunman as they sat in their parked patrol car in broad daylight.

Both officers were shot in the head in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighbourhood of Brooklyn by the suspect, who has been named as Ismaaiyl Brinsley.

Police Commissioner William Bratton identified the two officers as Liu Wenjin and Raphael Ramos, and said they were shot and killed "with no warning, no provocation".

"They were quite simply assassinated," he said.

Mr Liu, a seven-year veteran who got married two months ago, and Mr Ramos, father to a 13-year-old son, were "ambushed and murdered", officials said.

He added that Brinsley had published posts on Instagram that were "very anti-police".

Authorities have not revealed the contents of the posts, but two officials told the Associated Press that Brinsley posted about shooting two "pigs" in retaliation for the death of Eric Garner, who died after a New York police officer used a chokehold during an arrest.

Brinsley shot and seriously injured his ex-girlfriend earlier on Saturday in Baltimore, Maryland, before travelling to New York.

He fired through the passenger side of the officers' vehicle with a silver semi-automatic handgun.

The 28-year-old then ran inside a subway station and fatally shot himself in the head as responding officers pursued him.

The shooting occurred around the same time New York police were receiving a warning fax from authorities in Baltimore.

Attorney General Eric Holder called the deaths an "unspeakable act of barbarism".

A block from the site of the shooting, a line of police officers stood with a German shepherd blocking the taped-off street.

Streets have been closed to pedestrians for blocks around after the shooting, which happened just before 3pm local time (8pm UK time).

Local resident Derrick Thompson said the shooting happened across from the Tompkins Houses public housing development.

"I was watching TV, and then I heard the helicopters," he said. "I walked out, and all of a sudden - this."

The shooting comes amid heightened tensions in New York and across the country over police tactics following the death of Mr Garner and the shooting dead of Michael Brown in Missouri.

Several officers have been assaulted at New York City protests during demonstrations that have largely been peaceful.

Mr Bratton said they were looking at whether the suspect had attended any rallies or demonstrations.

The Rev. Al Sharpton, a civil rights leader who has supported the families of Mr Brown and Mr Garner, said Mr Garner's family has no connection to the suspect and denounced the shootings.

He said: "Any use of the names of Eric Garner and Michael Brown, in connection with any violence or killing of police, is reprehensible and against the pursuit of justice in both cases."

The city's mayor, Bill de Blasio, said: "When a police officer is murdered, it tears at the foundation of our society. It is an attack on all of us.

"Our entire city was attacked by this heinous individual."

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Mother Charged Over Deaths Of Eight Children

A woman has been charged with the murder of eight children at a house in Cairns, northern Australia, police have said.

Mersane Warria, 37, is the mother of seven of the children, who had all been found stabbed to death. The eighth child was her niece.

The youngsters were aged from 18 months to 15 years old.

Police said she was formally charged following a bedside hearing at Cairns Base Hospital where she appeared before a magistrate.

She remains under guard in hospital.

Officers were called to the suspect's home in the suburb of Manoora on Friday morning after reports of a woman suffering from stab wounds.

The children's bodies were discovered during a search of the house.

Residents held a candlelight vigil for the children and laid flowers and toys outside the home on Friday evening.

The family were members of the Torres Strait Islander community, a group of indigenous Australians viewed as distinct from the broader Aboriginal community due to their origins on islands off the Queensland coast.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott described the deaths as "heartbreaking".

He added: "All parents would feel a gut-wrenching sadness at what has happened. This is an unspeakable crime. These are trying days for our country."

The deaths came as Australia was reeling from a deadly siege in a Sydney cafe.

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