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Middle East Peace Talks To Resume, Says Kerry

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 20 Juli 2013 | 16.15

US Secretary of State John Kerry has announced that an agreement has been reached between the Israelis and Palestinians for the basis to resume Middle East peace talks.

It follows a stalemate of almost three years.

"I'm pleased to announce that we've reached an agreement that establishes a basis for resuming final status negotiations between the Palestinians and the Israelis," Mr Kerry told reporters in Amman, Jordan.

"This is a significant and welcome step forward. The agreement is still in the process of being finalised so we are absolutely not going to talk about any of the elements now."

US Secretary of State Kerry meets with Palestinian President Abbas John Kerry meets Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the West Bank

Secretary of State Kerry also said that Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat and his Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni would meet him in Washington "to begin initial talks within the next week or so".

The announcement came at the end of four days of intense diplomacy by Mr Kerry as he consulted Israeli and Palestinian leaders from his base in the Jordanian capital.

Talks between the Israelis and Palestinians have been frozen for three years, after Israel refused to agree to a new suspension of settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank.

In his brief comments to the press, Mr Kerry praised the courage of Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

PALESTINIAN-ISRAEL-CONFLICT Mr Kerry is hoping to get Israel-Palestine peace talks back on track

He said: "No one believes the long-standing differences between the parties will be resolved overnight or just wiped away. We know that the challenges require some very tough choices in the days ahead.

"Today, however, I am hopeful. I am hopeful because of the courageous leadership by President Abbas and Prime Minister Netanyahu. Both of them have chosen to make difficult choices here and both of them were instrumental."

President Abbas' office said there had been "progress" towards resuming peace talks with Israel in the meeting with Mr Kerry.

But a presidency spokesman stressed there were still "specific details that need to be resolved," without saying what these were.

An Israeli official said if the peace negotiations with Palestinians did resume, they would take months.


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Schindler's List For Sale On Ebay For $3m

An original copy of Schindler's list is up for an sale on eBay - but collectors will need to spend at least $3m (£1.9m) to get their hands on a rare piece of Second World War history.

The typewritten list - one of only four in existence - bears the names of 801 men saved from the Holocaust by Oskar Schindler.

He is thought to have saved the lives of 1,200 Jews employed in his factories during the war - a story which inspired Steven Spielberg's Oscar-winning film Schindler's List in 1993.

Mr Schindler's 14-page list, which dates back to 1945, previously belonged to the family of Itzhak Stern, his accountant and right-hand man.

A copy of Oskar Schindler's 1945 list for sale on eBay The 1945 list has a starting price of some $3m (£1.9m)

It is listed on eBay with an extract from an interview he gave 10 years before his death, which reads: "I felt the Jews were being destroyed. I had to help them. There was no choice."

Gary Zimet, a Los Angeles-based auctioneer who listed the item with his business partner Eric Gazin, said: "I don't anticipate any bidders until the last day or probably the last five or 10 minutes."

He said they chose to sell the item through eBay and not a conventional auction house because of the website's global reach.

Potential buyers may be screened or asked to leave a deposit before their bids are accepted.

The successful bidder must be able to pick up the document from Israel, as it will not be sent by post.


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Obama: Trayvon 'Could Have Been Me' Years Ago

Barack Obama has said Trayvon Martin "could have been me 35 years ago" and urged Americans to do some "soul-searching" about the country's racial history.

The President took the rare step of speaking about his own personal experiences of racism, as he talked openly for the first time since a man was cleared of killing a black teenager in Florida last week.

In the aftermath of the acquittal of George Zimmerman, a neighbourhood watch volunteer, Mr Obama had issued only a statement urging calm.

But on televised remarks, he said: "When Trayvon Martin was first shot, I said that this could have been my son. Another way of saying that is Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago."

The President said black Americans feel pain after the verdict because they view the case through "a set of experiences and a history that doesn't go away".

Mr Obama, the country's first African-American president, spoke emotionally about the kind of subconscious racial profiling that blacks, especially young black men, continue to suffer in the country.

Protesters in the US clash with police as George Zimmerman is cleared. The case, rife with racial overtones, have prompted protests across the US

"There are very few African-American men in this country who haven't had the experience of being followed when they are shopping at a department store - and that includes me.

"There are very few African-American men who haven't had the experience of walking across the street and hearing the locks click on the doors of cars - that happened to me, at least before I was a senator."

Mr Obama said that violence would "dishonour" Trayvon's death.

Trayvon, 17, was shot to death by Mr Zimmerman, who describes himself as Hispanic, during a confrontation in a gated community in Florida in 2012.

Trayvon, who was unarmed and had been visiting his father, was followed by Mr Zimmerman. 

Mr Zimmerman said Trayvon assaulted him and he fired his gun in self-defence.

A jury last week agreed with his version of events and cleared him of second-degree murder charges.

The President declined to wade into the detail of legal questions about the case, saying: "Once the jury's spoken, that's how our system works."

Trayvon Martin's parents Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton enter the courtroom during George Zimmerman's trial in Seminole circuit court in Sanford Trayvon's parents have said they were shocked at the verdict

But he said state and local laws, such as Florida's "stand your ground" statute, need a close look.

Mr Obama said it would be useful "to examine some state and local laws to see if they are designed in such a way that they may encourage the kinds of confrontation" that led to Trayvon's death.

He questioned whether a law that sends the message that someone who is armed "has the right to use those firearms even if there is a way for them to exit from a situation" really promotes the peace and security that people want.

Trayvon's parents said in a statement they were honoured by Mr Obama's "beautiful tribute" to their son.

"What touches people is that our son, Trayvon Benjamin Martin, could have been their son," they said. "President Obama sees himself in Trayvon and identifies with him. This is a beautiful tribute to our boy."

Meanwhile, Mr Zimmerman's brother, Robert, said he was "glad" Mr Obama had spoken out.

"No matter what you think of the verdict, there have to be things that bring us together," he told Fox News.

Sky's US Correspondent Amanda Walker said some Americans will feel Mr Obama has "gone too far" but added: "For many African-Americans there will be a sense of relief - relief that could calm the mood of a series of protests planned for the weekend."

Trayvon's parents have spoken of their shock at the verdict, and several protests have been staged across the US.

The Justice Department has said it plans to review the case to determine whether federal prosecutors should file criminal civil rights charges now that Mr Zimmerman has been acquitted.


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Panama: Cuba 'Owns' North Korean Ship Arms

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 17 Juli 2013 | 16.15

Cuba has claimed it owns the arms that were found on board a North Korean ship that Panama has impounded.

Panama has called for United Nations investigators to inspect the shipment of missile parts found on the Chong Chon Gang as it tried to enter the Panama Canal last week.

The contraband munitions were hidden under thousands of bags labelled "Cuban Raw Sugar", Panama said.

Cuba claimed ownership in a statement on state television, saying the missile system parts were to be repaired and returned - without mentioning where they were being sent.

Bags of sugar on North Korean ship The weapons were hiding under thousands of bags labelled Cuban Raw Sugar

Cuba said the shipment contained "obsolete" weaponry "manufactured in the mid-20th century", including anti-aircraft missile arrays, nine disassembled missiles, two MiG-21 Bis jets and 15 engines.

"The agreements Cuba has signed in these areas are based on our need to maintain our defensive capacity to protect national sovereignty," the statement said.

"Cuba reiterates its firm and unwavering commitment with peace, disarmament - including nuclear disarmament - and respect for international law."

Portraits of former leader Kim Jong-il and former president Kim Il-sung are seen inside a North Korean flagged ship "Chong Chon Gang" docked at Manzanillo Container Terminal in Colon City Portraits of Kim Jong-il and Kim Il-sung on board the Chong Chon Gang

Cuba is the only one-party Communist regime in the Americas, and is a rare ally of similarly isolated Pyongyang.

North Korea's army chief of staff General Kyok Sik Kim visited Cuba last month and said the two countries were "in the same trench".

The shipment could constitute a violation of the strict UN arms sanctions imposed on North Korea over its nuclear programme and further sour relations between the US and Cuba.

Panama's security minister Jose Raul Mulino said authorities believe the ship was returning from Havana on its way to North Korea.

He said the affair was now a matter for UN investigators.

Panamanian president Ricardo Martinelli President Martinelli inspecting the ship

"The Security Council will have to send experts," he said.

The US said it strongly supports Panama's actions over the Chong Chon Gang.

"We stand ready to cooperate with Panama should they request our assistance," said US State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell.

The IHS global information company identified the equipment as an RSN-75 Fan Song fire control radar, also known as the SNR-75 Fan Song, for the SA-2 group of surface-to-air (SAM) missiles.

Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli tweeted a photo of the weaponry with the message: "The world needs to sit up and take note: you cannot go around shipping undeclared weapons of war through the Panama Canal."

North Korean vessel Chong Chong Gang stopped in Panama Panamanian authorities boarded the ship suspecting it was carrying drugs

He said the North Korean captain attempted to kill himself and violence broke out among the 35-strong crew as the ship was raided.

It had been stopped because it was suspected of transporting drugs.

A Panamanian government spokesman said an examination of the ship by weapons specialists may take as long as a week.

Pyongyang has yet to comment on the case.


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Arabian Al Qaeda Number Two Killed By Drone

A Saudi who was freed from Guantanamo Bay only to become second-in-command of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has been killed.

Said al Shehri died in a US-led drone strike in Yemen, senior AQAP official Ibrahim al Rubaish said in a video statement posted online.

"I present my condolences to all the Mujahideen on the martyrdom of Said al-Shehri who was killed in a US drone attack," said Rubaish.

He did not say when the strike took place.

Shehri was taken to the Cuban detention facility in 2002 after Pakistan handed him to US authorities.

He was returned to Saudi Arabia in late 2007 and later fled to Yemen to join the al Qaeda branch there.

Shehri's death has been announced several times by the Yemeni authorities, most recently on January 24.

Last October, Shehri himself denied a September announcement by Yemen's defence ministry that he had been killed in an army raid, in an audio message posted on extremist internet forums.

An official Yemeni statement in January called him "one of the (al Qaeda) leaders who played a major role in the planning of local, regional and international terrorist acts".

It said he was "the military commander of terrorist elements" during deadly clashes with the army in the southern Abyan province, which Islamist rebels largely controlled for a year before Yemeni forces recaptured it in June 2012.

In April, AQAP released an audio message purported to be a newly-delivered address by him.

AQAP, which has planned attacks on international targets including airliners, has been described by Washington as perhaps al Qaeda's most dangerous and innovative affiliate.

AQAP took advantage of the weakness of Yemen's central government during an uprising in 2011 against now-ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh to seize large swathes of territory across the south.

But after a month-long offensive launched in May last year by Yemeni troops, most militants fled to the more lawless desert regions of the east.

AQAP is led by Nasser al Wuhayshi, who in July 2011 reaffirmed the group's allegiance to Ayman al Zawahiri, head of the worldwide al Qaeda network since the killing in May 2011 of its founder, Osama bin Laden.


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India: 20 Children Die After Eating School Meal

At least 20 children, aged between eight and 11, have died after eating free meals at a primary school in eastern India.

At least another 35 children remain in hospital in Patna, the Bihar state capital. Ten of the youngsters are in a critical condition. 

They fell ill after eating a lunch of rice and lentils in Masrakh village in the Saran district on Tuesday.

They were rushed to hospital in the capital, some 50 miles (80km) south of the village.

Some of the other sick children were taken to hospital in nearby Chaapra.

Children being taken to hospital Sick children are taken to hospital by ambulance

Sky Producer Neville Lazarus, in New Delhi, said: "Masrakh is in one of the poorest of the poor states in the country and in a remote place, so there weren't proper medical facilities."

The meal was cooked in the school kitchen, and police have seized all the ingredients used.

Lazarus said the cook and her two children had also died.

Bihar's Education Minister P K Shahi said a preliminary investigation suggested the food had traces of phosphorous, which is used to preserve rice and wheat.

"It is sad but true that 20 children died after eating their midday meal, which appears to be poisonous," the minister said.

School lunches in India Free lunches are used as a way of increasing school attendance

Authorities have suspended a food inspector and registered a case of criminal negligence against the head teacher.

The father of an ill child, Raja Yadav, told reporters that his son was vomiting after returning from school.

"As soon as my boy returned from school, we rushed to the hospital with him. His condition was not good," he said.

Bihar state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who has also ordered an inquiry, announced that families of the dead children will be offered financial compensation of 200,000 rupees (£2,200).

The 20 children who died were buried near the school on Wednesday morning as angry residents armed with poles and sticks took to the streets in the city of Chhapra to protest against the state government over the children's deaths.

"Hundreds of angry people staged a protest in Saran since late Tuesday night, demanding stern action against government officials responsible for this shocking incident," district government official S K Mall said.

India school meal protests Angry parents take to the streets in protest at the tragedy

Lazarus described the situation as "tense", with locals saying there was a delay in getting medical help to the children, contributing to the high death toll.

Free meals are offered to impoverished students in state-run schools as part of government welfare measures in many of India's 29 states

The lunches are hugely popular with poor families and educators see the meals as a way of increasing school attendance and stemming malnourishment.

But children often suffer from food poisoning due to poor hygiene in school kitchens and the sometimes poor quality food.

More than 130 students were taken to hospital in the western city of Pune last year after eating lunch at school, the Times of India reported.

A probe revealed that the food served to them was contaminated with E. coli bacteria, strains of which can cause food poisoning.


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Egypt: Morsi Supporters In Cairo Police Clash

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 16 Juli 2013 | 16.15

Supporters of deposed Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi have clashed with police as they continued to demand his return to office.

Police fired tear gas at the protesters on and around Ramses Square in central Cairo.

Demonstrators retaliated by throwing rocks back at police.

Many protesters were injured and they received treatment at a makeshift ward set up to deal with casualties.

Thousands of people also staged a sit-in near the Rabia el Adawiya mosque to protest about Mr Morsi's ouster by the military.

Supporters of Morsi throw stones at police Morsi supporters threw stones at police in Ramses Square

They were chanting slogans, waving Egyptian flags and holding placards.

Marches by Mr Morsi's supporters have been largely peaceful since violence peaked a week ago when more than 50 Muslim Brotherhood supporters were killed in clashes with the military.

The deputy president of the Brotherhood's political party, Essam el Erian, stressed for the protests and sit-ins to remain peaceful.

Supporters of deposed Egyptian president Mursi run from tear gas fired by police during clashes in Cairo Police fired tear gas at protesters in the square in Cairo

"The fact that our protests are peaceful is what makes them powerful," he said.

"We will remain peaceful in our path to continue the January 25 revolution and we will not use violence to respond to the violence that targets us."

The clashes came as US Under Secretary of State Bill Burns held talks in Cairo with Egypt's interim president Adli Mansour about the transition plan put forward by the new leadership.

Egypt's interim President Adli Mansour speaks with U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns at El-Thadiya presidential palace in Cairo Mr Burns, a top US diplomat, met Mr Mansour in Cairo

The road map calls for the amending of the Islamist-drafted constitution approved in a referendum under Mr Morsi, and then parliamentary and presidential elections early next year.

Mr Burns said Washington was committed to helping the Arab country succeed in its "second chance" at democracy, but he said it would only happen with the participation of the Muslim Brotherhood.

But his remarks signalled that Washington, while calling for an inclusive transition, is moving on from Mr Morsi and his Brotherhood group.


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Panama: North Korea Ship 'Smuggling Missiles'

Panama has stopped a North Korean ship which it claims was trying to illegally sneak sophisticated missiles through the Panama Canal.

Panamanian authorities boarded the ship suspecting it was carrying drugs, however, when they searched it they discovered "undeclared weapons of war" among a shipment of brown sugar, according to Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli.

The North Korean captain attempted to kill himself and violence broke out among the 35-strong crew as the ship was raided, according to Mr Martinelli.

The president posted a photograph of the cargo on his Twitter account and said: "The world needs to sit up and take note: you cannot go around shipping undeclared weapons of war through the Panama Canal.

He told Radio Panama: "We had suspected this ship, which was coming from Cuba and headed to North Korea, might have drugs aboard so it was brought into port for search and inspection.

"When we started to unload the shipment of sugar we located containers that we believe to be sophisticated missile equipment, and that is not allowed."

North Korea Leader Kim Jong-Un has threatened to use missiles to attack the US

The ship is currently being held by the Panama authorities, but North Korea is yet to respond to its seizure.

Previously though, the government in Pyongyang has branded such seizures as a 'double standard'. North Korea believes it has the right to ship weapons in the same way that most other countries do on a regular basis.

A source, familiar with North Korea's defence capability, speaking to Sky News said he believed the photo showed an anti-ship missile.

North Korea is banned, under several United Nations resolutions, from importing and exporting all weapons with the exception of small arms.

The UN has said the ban will remain in place until Pyongyang shuts down its nuclear weapons programme.

However, there is no suggestion that the weapons seized in Panama have any nuclear capability.

North Korea defiantly carried out its third nuclear weapons test in February and threatened to attack the United States in the most aggressive act yet by the leader Kim Jong-Un.

It led to banking sanctions being imposed by Washington on Pyongyang.


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Greece: Ex-Finance Minister Faces Prosecution

By Anthee Carassava, in Athens

Greek lawmakers have voted in favour of the criminal prosecution of former finance minister George Papaconstantinou for wiping the names of relatives from a list of 2,000 suspected tax cheats with Swiss bank accounts.

In a secret ballot, capping a marathon debate through the small hours of Tuesday, 166 deputies in the 300-seat Parliament voted for the former minister's prosecution on three charges of breach of faith, duty and tampering with a state document while at the helm of the finance ministry between 2009 and 2011.

Seventeen lawmakers were absent from the vote.

A five-member judicial council will convene later in the week to yield what officials expect to be a final legal review before a special supreme court hearing is set up to try the 52-year-old former official and architect of Greece's austerity.

The alleged cover-up marks the biggest case of fraud since the late founder of Greece's socialist PASOK party was put in the dock with a rash of senior ministers in connection with a multi-million dollar bank embezzlement and corruption scandal.

The latest case, exposed late last year and investigated by a special congressional committee since January, underscores long-standing failures by the Greek state to crack down on tax evasion.

Christine Lagarde The 'Lagarde list' contains the names of about 2,000 Greek tax cheats

Even so, its landmark ruling by lawmakers drowned in fresh signs of swelling social unrest amid renewed fears of mass public sector layoffs and added austerity, three years after Greece's economy skid off the fiscal cliff, requiring 240bn euros in international bailouts.

Although Mr Papaconstantinou has denied any criminal wrongdoing, the probe showed that details from a number of bank accounts held by three of his relatives had been deleted from an initial list of some 2,000 tax cheats the minister received from Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund, when she was France's finance minister in 2010.

The list, however, went "missing" according to Mr Papacononstantinou, after a copy was passed on to the country's finance police more than a year later.

His successor, Evangelos Venizelos, now the head of the socialist PASOK party and part of an awkward coalition steering Greece to financial recovery, admitted to having a copy of the list in 2012, when the case came to light.

Opposition parties have openly accused Mr Venizelos and former socialist prime minister George Papandreou of complicity, demanding they too also face prosecution.

"I am the target for one and simple reason," Mr Papaconstantinou told lawmakers ahead of the vote. "Because I was the finance minister who put the country in the bailout process."

He lashed out at his successor and own political leader, saying he did nothing to investigate the list; rather, kept it in his desk drawer for months.

Mr Papaconstantinou, now retired from politics, faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted on all three charges.


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Eight-Year-Old Saved From Lake Michigan Dune

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 14 Juli 2013 | 16.15

An eight-year-old boy trapped in a sand dune beside Lake Michigan for several hours has been rescued.

The boy, who has not been named, was playing at Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore state park when he partially fell into a hole and then got stuck under 11ft of sand.

It took a crew, using heavy excavating equipment, more than three hours to pull the boy out of the dune, known as Mount Baldy, Lakeshore Ranger Bruce Rowe said.

The boy's family had called the emergency services, saying their son became covered when they tried to dig him out.

Emergency responders from Michigan City were on scene within 15 minutes and began digging by hand, said Mr Rowe.

The boy is carried to an ambulance after his ordeal The boy is carried to an ambulance after his ordeal

"We're investigating the cause," he added.

"I have never heard of anything like this here or at other sand dune parks."

"Mount Baldy will be closed for the weekend for public safety while we determine the cause of the accident and if there's any further danger," said Mr Rowe.

The boy was taken to Franciscan St Anthony Health Medical Centre, but was later flown to a hospital in Chicago, about 50 miles away.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore Ranger Bruce Rowe Ranger Bruce Rowe said the incident was unprecedented

Mr Rowe said he understood the boy has vital signs, but did not know his condition.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore covers 15 miles of the southern shore of Lake Michigan. 

Operated by the National Park Service, its website says: "Whether you enjoy scouting for rare species of birds or flying kites on the sandy beach, the national lakeshore's 15,000 acres will continually enchant you. 

"Hikers will enjoy 45 miles of trails over rugged dunes, mysterious wetlands, sunny prairies, meandering rivers, and peaceful forests."


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Moscow Bus Crash: 18 Killed And 25 Injured

Eighteen people have been killed and another 25 injured in a road crash outside Moscow, Russian officials said.

A truck, a bus and several other vehicles were involved and the dead includes a young girl, said the interior ministry.

The accident took place when a truck carrying gravel turned onto a main road and ploughed into the bus, which was broken in two by the force of the collision.

Helicopter teams and 30 ambulance crews were sent to the scene. The number of dead was revised upwards after several of the injured died in hospital.

The crash occurred near Oznobishino, about 25 miles south of Moscow city centre.

Officials said some injuries were serious as bus passengers were also hit with gravel being carried on the truck.

Moscow deputy mayor Pyotr Birukov said that the truck's driver, a 46-year-old Armenian who survived the crash, had been fined for traffic offences six times over the last year.

 Moscow authorities said the city would observe a day of mourning on Monday in memory of the victims.

Russia has one of the world's worst road safety records with some 25,000 people losing their lives in traffic accidents every year, although the government is trying to improve the situation with measures including a zero-tolerance ban on drink driving.


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Trayvon Martin: George Zimmerman Acquitted

George Zimmerman has been acquitted of all charges over the fatal shooting of black teenager Travyon Martin in Florida.

Mr Zimmerman was freed after the jury deliberated for more than 15 hours over two days in the second-degree murder trial.

The jurors notified the judge on Saturday night, shortly before 10pm local time, that they had reached a decision.

Minutes later the verdict was announced. Mr Zimmerman stood impassively as the verdict was read out.

People attend a rally following the George Zimmerman verdict in the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles Supporters of Trayvon Martin outside court after the verdict was reached

The parents of the teenager were not in court for the verdict.

But outside the court supporters of Trayvon reacted with disappointment and anger.

Some chanted and held up a large banner saying "End racial oppression", while others yelled "No" in disbelief at the acquittal.

The six-member, all-woman jury began deliberating at 2.30pm on Friday after spending part of the day listening to the defence team's closing arguments and a rebuttal from the prosecution.

George Zimmerman is congratulated by his defence team after being found not guilty in the shooting death of Trayvon Martin at the Seminole County Criminal Justice Center in Sanford Florida George Zimmerman is congratulated by his defence team

The jurors considered nearly three weeks of often wildly conflicting testimony over who was the aggressor on the rainy night the 17-year-old was shot while walking through the gated townhouse community where he was staying.

Mr Zimmerman's lawyers said the case was classic self-defence, claiming Trayvon knocked Mr Zimmerman down and was slamming the older man's head against the concrete footpath when Mr Zimmerman fired his pistol.

Trayvon Martin Trayvon Martin was shot dead in a gated community

"We're ecstatic with the results," defence lawyer Mark O'Mara said after the verdict.

"George Zimmerman was never guilty of anything except protecting himself in self-defence."

Another member of his defence team, Don West, said: "I'm glad this jury kept this tragedy from becoming a travesty."

Prosecutors called Mr Zimmerman a liar and portrayed him as a wannabe police officer and vigilante who had grown frustrated by break-ins in his neighbourhood committed primarily by young black men.

A sign is held up in support of justice for Trayvon Martin, in Los Angeles The teen's death drew protests in cities across America

They said Mr Zimmerman assumed the teen was up to no good and took the law into his own hands.

The case divided public opinion in the United States, with even President Barack Obama commenting on the shooting. Congressman Bobby Rush wore a "hoodie" in the House of Representatives in support of Trayvon.

Further criticism came from the 44-day delay before Mr Zimmerman was arrested.

father news conference Trayvon's father was not in court for the verdict

After hearing the verdict, judge Debra Nelson told the defendant he was free to go and the GPS tracking tag unit would be removed.

"You have no further business with this court," she said.

Mr Zimmerman later hugged his family, and his wife Shellie smiled and cried.

Fearing further social unrest over the controversial shooting, the police chief in Sanford, where Trayvon Martin was shot and where the trial was held, urged peace.

State Attorney Angela Corey said she believed second-degree murder was the appropriate charge because Mr Zimmerman's mindset "fitted the bill of second-degree murder."

"We charged what we believed we could prove," Ms Corey said.

Second-degree murder is classed as a death that does not include specific intent to kill, and the trial centred on the state's controversial self-defence rule of "Stand Your Ground".


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