Greece Will Leave Austerity 'Humiliation' Behind

Missing 43 Students 'All Kidnapped And Killed'

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 28 Januari 2015 | 16.15

Officials investigating the disappearance of 43 students in Mexico have confirmed they were kidnapped, murdered and incinerated by police.

Families of the victims believe their loved ones are still alive - but for the first time, Mexico's attorney general has said he is certain that all of the students were killed and burned before their remains were thrown into a river.

Jesus Murillo Karam also rejected claims that the army had any participation in the mass slaying.

He added: "To close the investigation is perhaps not the appropriate word, until I have all of those responsible under arrest I can't close it, so that is not the right word.

"But if you ask me if the elements of the investigation are enough to conclude that they were killed there and incinerated, I would say 'yes', and even more than in many other cases."

The case has caused considerable controversy in Mexico, with some fire experts claiming the government's rendition of events is implausible.

However, forensic evidence suggests that the fuel and temperature of a fire at a garbage dump thought to have been used to dispose of the bodies was capable of turning 43 bodies into ashes.

Mexican authorities have only been able to identify the DNA of one student, and Austrian scientists working on the case have claimed it is impossible to identify the other victims.

Relatives of the missing students have said they no longer believe a word the government says, as the theory of what happened to their loved ones has continually changed since they were last seen in September.

The brother-in-law of one victim, Valentin Cornelio Gonzalez, said: "On a personal level, it makes me mad because this is what they've always done.

"There's no chance that the parents are going to believe the government saying they're dead... they are going to look for them alive."

The conclusion that all 43 students have been killed is based on the testimony of a prime suspect arrested a fortnight ago.

Felipe Rodriguez Salgado is one of 99 people who have been detained in connection with the crime.

There have also been 39 reported confessions, nearly 400 declarations, almost 500 forensic tests, 16 raids and two reconstructions.

All 43 students were men training to be teachers. Their bus is thought to have been attacked in the city of Iguala by police who then handed them over to gangs.

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Mother Of Japanese Hostage Appeals To PM

The mother of a Japanese hostage being held by Islamic State has made a tearful appeal to Japan's Prime Minister to help save her son, Kenji Goto.

Junko Ishido said she had begged Shinzo Abe to "Please save Kenji" and to work with the Jordanian government to secure his release.

IS warned in a video that Mr Goto and fellow prisoner, Jordanian pilot Lieutenant Mu'ath al Kaseasbeh, would be killed within 24 hours if its demands were not met.

The video shows Mr Goto in an orange jumpsuit and holdling a picture of Mr al Kaseasbeh, along with an audio message of him pleading for his life.

The group said the hostages' lives would be spared if Jordan releases Sajida al Rishawi, an Iraqi woman sentenced to death for her involvement in a 2005 terrorist attack that killed 60 people.

It comes after IS apparently murdered another Japanese prisoner, Haruna Yukawa - an act condemned by Japan's government.

Mr Abe has now expressed outrage at the threat to kill Mr Goto, while secret talks continue in Jordan to try to free the men.

"This was an extremely despicable act and we feel strong indignation. We strongly condemn that," he said referring to the video.

"While this is a tough situation, we remain unchanged in our stance of seeking help from the Jordanian government in securing the early release of Mr Goto."

In Jordan, the pilot's father, Safi al Kaseasbeh, implored the government "to meet the demands" of Islamic State.

"All people must know, from the head of the regime to everybody else, that the safety of Mu'ath means the stability of Jordan, and the death of Mu'ath means chaos in Jordan," he said.

A member of Jordan's parliament said the country was in indirect talks with the militants to secure the hostages' release.

Bassam al Manasseer, chairman of the foreign affairs committee, told Bloomberg News the negotiations were taking place through religious and tribal leaders in Iraq.

He added that Jordan and Japan would not negotiate directly with IS and would not free al Rishawi in exchange for Mr Goto only.

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Risk V Reward In Islamic State Hostage Deal

Time is running out and pressure is mounting for the Jordanian and Japanese authorities.

The demand from Islamic State militants is the release, within 24 hours, of an Iraqi would-be suicide bomber in exchange for the lives of a Japanese journalist and a Jordanian fighter pilot.

Bluntly, the Jordanian authorities will now be weighing up the risks of releasing Sajida al Rishawi into the hands of a terrorist group against the reward for doing so.

:: The risks

1. Releasing a self-confessed terrorist into the hands of a terror group. Sajida al Rishawi confessed to trying to blow up the Radisson SAS hotel in Amman in 2005.

In her televised confession (which she later retracted) she said she hoped to kill as many men, women and children as possible.

Her husband's suicide belt went off. He died along with 36 other victims. Al Rishawi's belt did not go off and she was later arrested.

If she is handed over to IS militants, could she go on to carry out a successful suicide mission?

2. Bowing to terrorists' demands: No government wants to be seen to be bowing to the demands of the Islamic State.

Deals with terrorists embolden them and encourage them to take more people hostage.

The covert payment of ransoms by some governments has only added to Islamic State's wealth, which is already huge thanks to their control of oil assets in Syria and Iraq.

The Jordanian government will be under huge pressure by the Americans and others not to do any deal with Islamic State.

:: The rewards

1. The hostages survive: If Al Rishawi is released and Islamic State militants stick to the deal (there is no guarantee that they will) then clearly the lives of Kenji Goto and Lt Mu'ath al Kaseasbeh will be saved.

Emotionally, this is an overriding objective.

2. Intelligence: Agencies around the world would be extremely keen to "debrief" the two hostages and learn as much as possible about their captors.

It is thought that they were being held by a man dubbed 'Jihadi John', a Briton who was behind the beheading of a number of other hostages, including Britons David Haines and Allan Henning and Americans Steven Sotloff, James Foley and Peter Kassig.

Despite sustained efforts, he has not been located. Intelligence agencies could glean vital information from the two men.

:: Other options

There are other plausible scenarios which could secure the release of the two men.

Through backchannels in Jordan, a deal could perhaps be struck which would see the release of a number of other alleged Islamist militants who are in Jordanian jails, prisoners who are seen as less of a security risk.

If any deal is done though, the Jordanian and Japanese authorities will need a "proof of life", showing that Mr Goto and Lt al Kaseasbeh are still alive.

In Tuesday's demand, both men were seen only in photographs. Some in Jordan believe that Lt al Kaseasbeh is already dead.

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Holocaust Survivors To Mark Auschwitz Liberation

Written By Unknown on Selasa, 27 Januari 2015 | 16.15

About 300 Holocaust survivors are expected to attend an event marking 70 years since Soviet troops liberated the Auschwitz death camp.

They will be joined by world leaders later in remembering the 1.1 million people killed by Nazis at the site, along with the countless others who lost their lives during the conflict.

With all visiting survivors now in their 70s and older, this could be the last major commemoration attended in numbers. In 2005 - the 60th anniversary of the Holocaust - 1,500 victims made the trip to southern Poland.

One 88-year-old Auschwitz survivor - who will sing a memorial prayer during the commemoration - said the Holocaust was "almost impossible for a human mind to comprehend", adding that "he prays to God that we as human beings are able to learn something from it".

Another, Rose Schindler, explained how only 11 of her loved ones survived the Holocaust, out of more than 300 relatives.

Once the 85-year-old arrived at Auschwitz, she was chosen for slave labour and was given no chance to say goodbye to her parents and four siblings.

"I have no graves for my mother, sisters, my brother and my father. So this somehow is a way to say goodbye," she added.

For some survivors visiting Auschwitz on Monday, seeing the barbed wire of the former death camp was overwhelming. One survivor cried: "I don't want to come here anymore."

Vladimir Putin will be absent from the main event, amid continuing tensions between Russia and Ukraine. However, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and France's Francois Hollande will attend, along with Germany's Joachim Gauck, for a day of prayer and wreath laying.

On the eve of the commemoration, Steven Spielberg spoke to Holocaust survivors in Krakow - warning of "anti-Semites, radical extremists and religious fanatics" who want to propagate hate crimes.

The director of Schindler's List, speaking weeks after four Jews were murdered at a kosher supermarket in Paris, added: "If you are a Jew today – in fact, if you are any person who believes in the freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom in free expression - you know that like many other groups, we are once again facing the perennial demons of intolerance."

About 11 million people, mostly Jews but also gipsies, homosexuals and communists, were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust.

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'Historic' Blizzard To Slam US Northeast

By Sky News US Team

A "potentially historic" storm could dump as much as 3ft (90cm) of snow on the Northeast and snarl transportation for tens of millions of people.

Officials have told residents to prepare for the worst, and airlines have cancelled thousands of flights.

Snow fell during the morning commute in several cities, including Philadelphia and New York, and flurries have begun in Boston.

The National Weather Service has issued a blizzard warning for a 250-mile stretch of the Northeast.

This began at 1pm EST (6pm UK time), and conditions are expected to worsen.

The NWS has warned of two days of winter storms across the region, from Pennsylvania to Maine.

Sky's Hannah Thomas-Peter in New York said: "Very unusually the National Weather Service have used extremely strong language, saying that this blizzard could be life-threatening, it could cripple major cities across the North East coast.

"The NWS has said categorically that travel, this evening, overnight and in the morning when the conditions are due to be at their worst, will be life-threatening."

Mayor Bill de Blasio has warned residents to be prepared, telling them: "This could be the biggest snowstorm in the history of this city.

"My message to New Yorkers is to prepare for something worse than we have seen before".

All public schools in the city are closed with around 30in (76cm) of snow expected.

Winds of up to 55mph (88kph) are also predicted, raising the prospect of power outages caused by trees falling on power lines.

This has prompted New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo to declare a state of emergency for New York City and suburban areas to the north and east.

The storm "should not be taken lightly", and "could affect health and safety", he said.

States of emergency have also been declared in New Jersey, Connecticut and Massachusetts.

The National Weather Service called the system a "crippling and potentially historic blizzard", with many areas along the East Coast expected to be blanketed by heavy snowfall.

About 6,500 flights have been cancelled because of the bad weather, according to the plane tracking site FlightAware.

A further 1,700 have been delayed.

Most major airlines are allowing customers whose flights are cancelled in the next few days to book new flights without paying a penalty.

In Massachusetts, Governor Charlie Baker warned residents to prepare for roads that are "very hard, if not impossible, to navigate", as well as power outages and possibly a lack of public transportation.

Boston is expected to get up to 24in (60cm) of snow, and Philadelphia could see up to a foot (30cm), the weather service said.

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Litvinenko Inquiry: Widow Hopes For Truth

By Alex Rossi, Sky News Correspondent

The widow of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko says she hopes the inquiry into his murder will reveal the truth about his death.

Marina Litvinenko has told Sky News she wants closure for her and her son Anatoly and also wants to put an end to the conspiracy theories surrounding the crime.

She said: "I know my husband was killed, I saw how it happened. It was a torture. He died a long 23 days in front of me, in front of his son, in front of his friends."

She said she was "fed up" with speculation that her husband had smuggled radioactive material for a "dirty bomb".

The inquiry is diplomatically sensitive and it was initially blocked by the government. There were fears it would cause too much damage to an already bad relationship with Moscow.

Former Voice of Russia London bureau chief Dmitry Linnik said the fallout from the Ukrainian crisis and the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 means the relationship between London and Moscow can hardly get any worse.

He said: "It is as bad as it probably can be short of an open conflagration in a military sense."

Alexander Litvinenko was a former agent for the FSB, the successor organisation of the KGB.

He was an outspoken critic of the Kremlin. He defected to the UK in 2000 - it's thought he then worked for MI6 as an informer.

While in Britain he accused Vladimir Putin of many crimes, including ordering the murder of the human rights journalist Anna Politkovskaya.

Litvinenko fell ill after meeting two Russian contacts - Dmitry Kovtun and Andrei Lugovoi - at the Millennium Hotel in Grosvenor Square on 1 November 2006.

He had drunk tea that had been poisoned with polonium 210, a rare radioactive isotope.

The two men are now both wanted by the British police on suspicion of murder but an extradition request has been refused by the Russian Federation.

Both men have consistently denied the allegation of murder.

The inquiry, which opens on Tuesday and is scheduled to last for the next 10 weeks, will attempt to fathom what their involvement was and ultimately whether or not the Russian state orchestrated the killing.

:: Follow the inquiry live from the Royal Courts of Justice on Sky News

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Greece Lightning: Could Syriza Success Spread?

Written By Unknown on Senin, 26 Januari 2015 | 16.15

By Robert Nisbet, Europe Correspondent

As car horns blared in the capital's streets, few doubted this had been a seismic night in European politics.

Five years of swingeing cuts have shrunk Greece's economic output by a third and delivered a primary budget surplus, but the price has been too high for many of the electorate.

A third of people in Greece live below the poverty line, a quarter are out of work and pensioners have seen their income dwindle.

That generalised anger finally found its expression at the ballot box.

While previously Syriza's core supporters had been students and a loose coalition of Marxists, Maoists, Trotskyites and environmental campaigners, it acted as a lightning rod across society.

Many of the squeezed middle class wanted to punish the political parties they felt had sold Greece's future prosperity to protect the banking system.

Alexis Tsipras now has something of a dilemma though: he wants to keep Greece in the single currency but the European Union, the European Central Bank and the IMF won't want the country to renege on its promises.

There were strings attached to the €240bn which have kept the country afloat and the likes of Germany are unlikely to agree to allow Greece to restructure more of its debt.

But if Mr Tsipras softens on his vow to "finish the troika" in order to prevent a default and a so-called Grexit, he may anger his core support base.

The wider repercussions could be felt outside the country's borders.

There are a host of other anti-austerity parties in Europe waiting to challenge the consensus, most prominently Podemos in Spain where an election must be held this year.

If this election grows into a pan-European movement, the plumbing of the global economy could face some determined opposition.

Syriza's progress might well embolden those willing to take on established political parties, which could have far reaching consequences.

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Alexis Tsipras: A Profile Of Syriza's Leader

Alexis Tsipras could become the youngest prime minister of Greece since 1865 but just who is he and what does he represent?

:: Teen revolutionary

Mr Tsipras joined the Young Communists Society in the 1980s and by 1991 at the age of 17 organised the occupation of his high school in protest at education reforms.

Pupils ate and slept at the school and he told an interviewer at the time: "We want the right to judge for ourselves whether to skip class."

He went on to university to study to become a civil engineer, where he continued his political rise.

:: Youngest ever political leader

In 2008 at the age of 34 he became the leader of the Syriza party, which was formed in 2004 as a coalition of left-wing groups ranging from the Maoists to the Greens.

Hailed for his no fear, firebrand approach and commitment to an anti-austerity agenda, he led the party to take a 27% vote share in the 2012 general election. It made Syriza the second biggest party in the Greek parliament.

:: Tie-hater

He doesn't like ties. Simple as that. Doesn't wear them, won't wear them.

When asked about it recently, he said: "If you haven't seen me wearing a tie until now, I doubt that you will as prime minister."

Ahead of the 2012 election his predilection for motorbikes, rather than the limos favoured by other party leaders, was much-documented. However, it has been noted that he is more likely seen in the family car these days.

:: Che Guevara fanatic

Although he has toned down his approach ahead of this election he still has a passion for the revolutionary Che Guevara.

His youngest son (he has two with his partner Peristera Batziana) has the middle name Ernesto by way of tribute.

:: Austerity opponent

Firmly anti-austerity, he wants to renegotiate the terms of the EU-IMF bailout, and wants Europe to agree to erase most of Greece's debt.

However, the head of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, has said the country has "no wiggle room".

Greece has suffered five years of recession, tax hikes and record unemployment (one in four people don't have a job).

:: Good thing or bad thing?

Critics have described Mr Tsipras as "power-hungry", suggesting he would sacrifice Greece for his own political ambitions.

But he is popular with the people. He has promised to raise salaries and pensions, halt layoffs and freeze the privatisation of state assets.

He has sought to boost his international standing meeting Pope Francis and the European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi, as well as writing columns in international newspapers, including the Financial Times.

But he continues to refer to the austerity measures placed on Greece as terms of the EU-IMF £188bn bailout as "fiscal waterboarding".

However, ultimately he says that Greece's future in Europe is not a future of austerity and that has triggered fears of a Grexit.

:: Panathinaikos fan

Born in 1974, the year that marked the end of the junta which persecuted Communists, Mr Tsipras grew up in the shadow of the Apostolos Nikolaidis stadium. He has remained a fan.

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Greece Will Leave Austerity 'Humiliation' Behind

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The leader of the Syriza party has vowed to end the "humiliation and anguish" of Greek citizens after his party took victory in the country's election on an anti-austerity platform.

Alexis Tsipras told thousands of supporters in Athens that Greece will leave behind the "catastrophic austerity" measures imposed by European creditors.

The left-wing party - which was widely tipped to win the poll - looks likely to win 149 seats in the 300-seat parliament.

This indicates the party would be two seats short of an overall majority.

With 99.8% of the votes counted, Syriza was 8.5 points ahead of the conservative New Democracy party of Prime Minister Antonis Samaras, who has conceded defeat.

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Gallery: Alexis Tsipras Celebrates Victory For His Anti-Austerity Party

A young child supporting anti-austerity party Syriza takes part in celebrations after the first exit polls in Athens

Syriza supporters await the final result of the Greek election at the party tent

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Members of the conservative New Democracy party watch as exit polls shows a significant victory for Syriza

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Outgoing Greek Prime Minister Antonis Samaras is seen after a news conference following an updated exit poll in Athens

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Celebrations continue for supporters of Syriza leader Alexis Tsipras in Athens

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"Greece leaves behinds catastrophic austerity, it leaves behind fear and authoritarianism, it leaves behind five years of humiliation and anguish," Mr Tsipras said in his victory speech.

He then used his first post-election tweet to respond to a message of congratulations from British actor and comedian Hugh Laurie.

"Thank you Dr", he wrote, in apparent reference to Laurie's role in the US television series House.

Syriza's win raises the prospect of a stand-off with European creditors, with Mr Tsipras promising to renegotiate the repayment terms of Greece's debt.

Financial markets have reacted nervously to the result, fearing conflict with other eurozone governments that could put strain the currency bloc.

The euro fell to a fresh 11-year low against the dollar shortly after the result became clear but later recovered and while stocks fell across Europe, the losses were limited with the FTSE 100 down just 0.6% in early trading.

The AthEx market - which tracks the prices of the top 25 firms in the Athens Stock Exchange - opened 0.6% lower before losing more than 5% of its value in a volatile first hour.

Greece was forced to undertake deep budget cuts and fiscal reforms as a condition for a €240bn bailout in 2010 from the so-called "Troika" - the group of creditors made up of the European Union, the International Monetary Fund and European Central Bank.

Many in Greece feel slashed public spending has hit the most vulnerable hardest, while leaving the tax evasion and corruption of the apparent elites untouched.

Mr Tsipras said he would cooperate with fellow Eurozone leaders for "a fair and mutually beneficial solution", but said the Greek people come first.

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Gallery: Tsipras' Surprising First Post-Election Tweet

Syriza party leader Alexis Tsipras' first tweet after sweeping to victory in Greece's general election was somewhat unexpected

His first victory tweet was to British actor and comedian Hugh Laurie for this message of congratulations

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"Our priority from the very first day will be to deal with the big wounds left by the crisis," he said.

"Our foremost priority is that our country and our people regain their lost dignity."

He added: "The verdict of our people means the Troika is finished.

"The new Greek government will be ready to cooperate and negotiate for the first time with our peers a just, mutually beneficial and viable solution."

Germany's Bundesbank has warned Greece needs to reform to tackle its economic problems, while the euro fell nearly half a US cent.

Mr Samaras had insisted voters would be making a huge mistake to elect Syriza at a time when painful fiscal reforms may be about to pay off.

After conceding defeat, he told supporters: "My conscience is clear because I told the truth to the Greek people until the very end.

"I received a country that was almost destroyed and I was asked to hold a hot potato and I did that."

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Written By Unknown on Minggu, 25 Januari 2015 | 16.15

The father of the Japanese hostage apparently killed by Islamic State has said he is overwhelmed by grief.

Shoichi Yukawa said he still had hope "deep in my heart that this is not true" and added that if he were reunited with his son he would give him a "big hug".

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe slammed "an outrageous and unforgivable act" after a video reportedly showing an image of captive Kenji Goto holding a picture of a beheaded Haruna Yukawa was posted online.

The clip also purportedly contained the voice of journalist Mr Goto, 47, claiming the 42-year-old private military company operator had been killed.

Mr Abe said the video, which also includes a demand for a prisoner exchange for Mr Goto, appears to be authentic.

The jihadist group Islamic State (IS) had threatened to kill the captives unless a $200m (£133m) ransom was paid to secure their release.

The 72-hour deadline set by the Islamist militants expired on Friday.

However, in the new video they have called for the release of Sajida al Risahwi, an Iraqi woman sentenced to death in Jordan for her part in the Amman bombings in 2005 that killed 60 people.

Mr Abe insisted Tokyo would not bow to terrorism and said his government would spare no effort to secure the release of the remaining captive.

But he reiterated that Japan would not give in to terrorism.

Barack Obama condemned the "brutal murder" and said the United states would stand "shoulder to shoulder" with Japan.

He called Mr Abe to offer his condolences and called for the immediate release of Mr Goto.

In the video, Mr Goto spoke in English, blaming Mr Abe for Mr Yukawa's death, and told his wife and family not to give up on him.

A Japanese news agency reported the video of Mr Goto had also been emailed to the wife of one of the hostages.

The hostages had appeared in videos wearing the same orange jumpsuits as those worn by captives in previous IS videos.

The mother of Mr Goto has pleaded with militants to spare her son's life.

Junko Ishido said he is a friend of Islam who devoted his life to helping children in war zones.

Mr Yukawa was seized by militants in August, after he went to Syria in what he described as a plan to launch a security company.

Mr Goto, a veteran war correspondent, went into Syria in late October seeking to secure Mr Yukawa's release, according to friends and business associates.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

Malu Rasanya

Mengenai Saya

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Missing 43 Students 'All Kidnapped And Killed'

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 28 Januari 2015 | 16.15

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Risk V Reward In Islamic State Hostage Deal

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Written By Unknown on Selasa, 27 Januari 2015 | 16.15

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Litvinenko Inquiry: Widow Hopes For Truth

Greece Lightning: Could Syriza Success Spread?

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