Gunman attacks Planned Parenthood clinic, killing three, before surrendering

A gunman attacked a Planned Parenthood clinic yesterday in Colorado Springs, Colorado, killing three people, including one police officer, and injuring nine more, before he surrendered to police hours later. He exchanged fire with police in a standoff lasting around five hours.

There were a grocery store and a shopping mall nearby; police told those who were there to take "shelter in place".

Colorado Springs police lieutenant Cathrine Buckley said the police doesn’t "have any information on [the suspect’s] mentality, or his ideas or ideology".

Authorities said they received a report of shots fired at 11:38 a.m. local time (1838 UTC); the gunman possibly carrying a "long gun" and maybe even propane tanks. Lieutenant Buckley said officers who entered the building "were able to shout to the suspect and make communication with him and that point they were able to get him to surrender and he was taken into custody". Buckley said police only made contact and communicated with the suspect hours into the ordeal. The suspect was arrested at 4:52 p.m. after he surrendered to police.

At a press conference yesterday afternoon, police said searching through and investigating the "huge crime scene" could take hours or even days. Explosives teams checked the scene for traps.

Vicki Cowart, president of the Rocky Mountains chapter of Planned Parenthood, said some staff hid in "safe rooms" in the clinic as a part of Planned Parenthood’s security protocol. Many anti-abortion protests have focused on the Colorado Springs clinic; it moved to its current location, which critics have called a "fortress", a few years ago.

Police evacuated the clinic, and cordoned off the clinic and nearby medical offices.

"Our hearts go out to everyone involved in this tragic situation", Cowart said in a statement released on Planned Parenthood’s website. "We don't yet know the full circumstances and motives behind this criminal action, and we don't yet know if Planned Parenthood was in fact the target of this attack. We share the concerns of many Americans that extremists are creating a poisonous environment that feeds domestic terrorism in this country."

The National Abortion Federation says at least eight murders have been committed in the US against abortion providers since 1977.

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At least 52, including six Shia Muslim activists, to be executed in Saudi Arabia

In Saudi Arabia, six Shia Muslim activists, along with at least 46 other people, are to be executed for terrorism on an unspecified date, according to reports on Thursday.

Varying local media reports said at least 52 people will be executed. Saudi Arabian newspaper Okaz said some of the people convicted of terrorism were members of the militant group Al-Qaeda, and were convicted of attempting to overthrow the government and planning terrorist attacks. The 52 have allegedly killed at least a hundred civilians and seventy security personnel.

Amnesty International said others who are also to be executed were people from the city of Awamiya, where most of the population consists of Shia Muslims, a minority within Saudi Arabia. Protests have been held there, across the past several years, over alleged mistreatment of Shias by the government. Among those convicted of terrorism were the six Shia Muslim activists, at least two of whom reportedly were minors when they allegedly committed their crimes. Amnesty International has said the trials leading up to their conviction were clearly "unfair".

File photo of Dira Square, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where public executions are carried out under Sharia Law.
Image: Luke Richard Thompson.

James Lynch, Middle East and North Africa deputy director of Amnesty International, said Saudi Arabia was settling "political scores" under "the guise of counter-terrorism."

The three Shias, Ali al-Nimr, Abdullah al-Zaher, and Hussein al-Marhoon, said they have confessed to their supposed criminal acts under torture, according to Lynch.

More than 150 people have been executed in Saudi Arabia in 2015, while only 90 were executed a year ago in 2014, said Amnesty International.

This news came after Saudi-born Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh was convicted of apostasy and sentenced to death by a court in Saudi Arabia, which Human Rights Watch researcher Adam Coogle called an example of Saudi Arabia’s “complete intolerance for anyone who may not share government-mandated religious, political, and social views."

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UK Prime Minister David Cameron calls for British air strikes against IS in Syria

Yesterday, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom David Cameron urged Members of Parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons to support British air strikes against Islamic State in Syria. Mr Cameron said MPs will vote on the issue if he believes he has enough support in the Commons to join allies currently bombing IS targests in Syria.

UK Prime Minister David Cameron wants to join allies in Syria to tackle Islamic State
Image: Zasitu.

Prime Minister Cameron's address to MPs responded to a Foreign Affairs Committee report from early this month which discouraged UK involvement against IS in Syria. MPs on the committee raised concerns that there is not a "coherent international strategy" on how to tackle IS in Syria and how to end the ongoing conflict in Syria. The report also questioned the legality of action against IS in Syria.

David Cameron attempted to appease concerns during his speech by outlining the government's long term strategy which includes humanitarian support in Syria, rebuilding Syria following the current civil war and working with allies against IS. He also said the UK does not "have the luxury of being able to wait until the Syrian conflict is resolved".

Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the UK's opposition Labour Party, has said he will not support air strikes. Responding to the Prime Minister's speech, Corbyn raised several concerns including whether UK involvement will help defeat IS and if air strikes will encourage terrorist attacks in the UK.

Prime Minister Cameron said IS are a threat to UK security and they already see the UK as a target for attacks. He argued Britain cannot "subcontract its security to other countries", and said action against IS in Syria would increase safety for the UK.

Mr Cameron said he is not going to seek a vote from MPs unless he is confident they will support action against IS in Syria. Despite Jeremy Corbyn's concerns, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer John McDonnell indicated Labour MPs should be given a free vote on the issue, saying: "it is better to allow MPs to make their own minds up".

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Navigator of downed Russian jet found alive in Syria

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New Polish government takes down findings on Russian air disaster

The Law and Justice Party of Poland, which took power last week, this week removed web pages featuring the results of an investigation into the Smolensk air disaster in Russia in 2010. The cause of the crash, which killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski, is disputed.

The flight was carrying high-profile political figures to attend a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Katyn massacre, when thousands of Polish prisoners of war and civilians were killed by the Soviets. All 96 on board died. Amongst the dead were First Lady Maria Kaczyńska, several members of the lower parliamentary house known as the Sejm, Deputy Foreign Minister Andrzej Kremer, National Security Bureau head Aleksander Szczygło, and Ryszard Kaczorowski, the last President of the Polish government-in-exile.

The Law and Justice Party was in power at the time, led then as now by Lech Kaczynski's identical twin brother Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Jaroslaw was himself Prime Minister of Poland from 2006 to 2007. Jaroslaw contested the vacated Presidency later that year but was defeated by Bronislaw Komorowski of the Civic Platform Party. Lech and Jaroslaw co-founded Law and Justice.

Some of the wreckage shortly after the disaster.
Image: Bartosz Staszewski.

Russian and Polish investigations deemed the crash an accident. Edmund Klich, head of the Polish air accident investigatory body, said in 2010 the Polish military pilots of the Tupolev Tu-154 were determined to get the dignitaries through dense fog so they could attend the ceremony. He said the pilots were insufficiently trained and put safety second, whilst Russian air traffic controllers should have diverted the aircraft away from Smolensk. Passengers entered the cockpit during the final stages of the flight.

Government spokesman Elzbieta Witek yesterday said Donald Tusk, a former Prime Minister, should be prosecuted before the State Tribunal, although Witek said this was a personal view and not government policy. Jaroslaw and allies have insinuated Russia purposefully brought the plane down.

Law and Justice accuse Tusk, Prime Minister from 2007 to 2014, of failings before and after the crash. He is accused of not ensuring the President was safe, of not establishing an international investigation, and of allowing Russia to maintain possession of the wreckage.

Russia's Interstate Aviation Committee performed its own investigation blaming solely Poland's pilots and exonerating the controllers. Upon receiving the first draft of their report in 2010 Tusk branded the contents "unacceptable", the findings "without foundation", and the overall result a breach of the Chicago Convention, an international regulatory document on air travel.

Tusk resigned last year to take the European Council Presidency until 2017. Witek said he had "given away" investigative control. Polish minister Adam Lipinski has previously called for Tusk's prosecution after his European duties conclude, saying he has "a lot to answer for" over the disaster.

Polish conspiracy theorists have been spurred on by Russian refusal to accede to Polish requests to return wreckage, which the Russians claim to still be investigating.

The new Prime Minister is Law and Justice's Beata Szydlo. Asked on Tuesday about one disappearing website containing investigative findings, Szydlo told press "the website has been closed and will simply remain closed."

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Athens bomb targets business group, damages Cypriot embassy

A bombing outside the Hellenic Federation of Enterprises in central Athens, Greece early yesterday morning caused heavy damage to the Cypriot embassy across the street.

Nearby Syntagma Square, from file.
Image: Athenswalk.

The explosion hit Xenofontos Street around 3.30 a.m. local time (0130 UTC). Police had cordoned off the area after two local newspapers received calls warning of the impending blast 30󈞔 minutes before the blast. Unconfirmed reports state the bomb as being 3kg of explosives left in a backpack outside the office and detonated by a timer.

Police evacuated a hotel near the scene and warned kiosk vendors in the vicinity. Nobody was injured. The site is close to the city's famed Syntagma Square. Witnesses report two individuals leaving the bag and police told Reuters a CCTV camera recorded two dark-clad men speeding off on a motorcycle.

Kyriakos Kenevezos, the Cypriot Ambassador, said to state media conglomerate CNA "Our embassy absorbed the full impact of the blast[...] there is incalculable damage to the interior from the ground floor to the sixth floor."

Domestic anarchist and extreme left militants have been carrying out bombings and starting fires since 2010 saw the introduction of widespread austerity. Attacks have however decreased since left-wingers Syriza took power in January under Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. The government condemned the attacks, as did conservative opposition party New Democracy.

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Canadian politician Manmeet Bhullar dies aged 35 after traffic collision

A road accident killed Alberta Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Manmeet Bhullar on Monday. Bhullar pulled over to the median on a snowy stretch of the Queen Elizabeth II highway between Edmonton and Calgary to help a fellow motorist who had gone off the road, before a semi-truck lost control and hit him. Bhullar died at hospital at the age of 35.

Bhullar represented the Calgary-Greenway electoral district, and was a member of the Progressive Conservative party. His family received condolences from his colleagues after his death.

Bhullar became the first turban-wearing Sikh in the Alberta cabinet in 2011, as Minister of Service, and held cabinet positions until earlier this year. According to Calgary mayor Nasheed Nenshi, Bhullar was influenced to enter politics by early experiences of coping with others' discomfort about Sikhs.

Bhullar was "a true warrior for fairness and justice, a big man with a giant heart, a friend", said Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary. In a teleconference with journalists, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley recognised him for his work in making the governmental system more transparent.

Notley said she "quite frankly [expected] to see Manmeet in public life for decades to come. And I believe all Albertans are poorer for the fact we will not."

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Pakistani female fighter pilot Marium Mukhtiar dies in jet crash

Marium Mukhtiar yesterday became the first Pakistani female fighter pilot to die on duty when a jet aircraft crashed near Kundian, in Punjab's Mianwali district.

Two Pakistani F7s from file.
Image: Asuspine.

The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) said Flying Officer Mukhtiar and male colleague Squadron Leader Saqib Abbasi faced a "serious in-flight emergency" while training in an F7-PG fighter. After taking evasive action to avoid a residential area the pilots were left with insufficient altitude to safely eject. Both ejected and were injured; Mukhtiar died in hospital whilst Abbasi sustained minor injuries.

The PAF said Mukhtiar "embraced shahadat [martyrdom] and became the first lady pilot from PAF to attain this great honour," crediting Abbasi's survival as possibly down to his escaping several seconds prior to Mukhtiar. The duo "handled the serious emergency with professionalism and courage and tried to save the ill-fated aircraft till the very last minute," according to the PAF.

The PAF estimates it has around 30 female fighter pilots. The force began recruiting women in 2003 and in 2006 the nation's first seven female fighter pilots began service.

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Ferry MV Suilven sinks in Suva, Fiji

MV Suilven, a ferry in service in Fiji, capsized and sank in Suva Harbour today.

Around thirty people, all crewmembers, were on board. Local media report all were rescued. The 41-year-old vessel previously saw service in Scotland and New Zealand.

The ship capsized early this afternoon and sank within an hour. It had been converted from passenger to cargo use following its most recent sale, to Venu Shipping in 2012 or 2011. Local reports indicated police, the Navy, local tug boats, and volunteer rescuers all attended the accident.

The converted ferry reportedly began to list on entering the harbour. It was working a route carrying cargo between Suva and the Northern Division.

Built in Norway, in service from 1974, the ship served with Scottish ferry firm Caledonian MacBrayne until 1995, connecting the mainland town of Ullapool to Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. It was ultimately replaced by a larger, faster vessel and was sold to Strait Shipping who used it until 2004 to ply New Zealand's seas, connecting Wellington to Picton and to Nelson.

The name MV Suilven is in reference to the Suilven mountain in Scotland's Sutherland region.

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Suspects detained in Belgium raids

Authorities in Belgium said police on Sunday and yesterday arrested 21 people suspected of connections with terrorism following more than twenty raids on Sunday evening and further searches yesterday in Belgium's capital Brussels and Belgian cities Charleroi and Liège. However, Salah Abdeslam, suspected of being part of the attacks in Paris on November 13, was not found.

The aftermath of the attacks in Paris on November 13.
Image: Maya-Anaïs Yataghène.

Police did not discover any guns or explosives in the raids, and Brussels remained in lockdown, with the maximum terror alert for the city. Prime Minister of Belgium Charles Michel said any possible attacks could involve "several individuals striking simultaneously in several places."

In response to the possibility of an attack, the Brussels Metro remained closed yesterday, schools and universities were also closed and police and soldiers patrolled the streets of Belgium's capital city. The search also continued for Salah Abdeslam in Belgium. During a television interview, Abdeslam's brother, Mohammed Abdeslam, encouraged Salah to surrender to the police.

Authorities planned to review of security yesterday to assess the level of security required in Brussels. Prime Minister Michel said he wants Brussels to return to normal: "we are doing everything we can to return to normality as soon as possible".

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Barça thrashes Real Madrid 4-0 in first El Clásico 2015/2016

On Saturday, Catalonia based football club FC Barcelona defeated their arch rivals Real Madrid 4𔂾 at Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid in a Spanish La Liga match.

File photo of Andrés Iniesta, who won the man of the match award.
Image: Илья Хохлов.

Barça had greater ball possession. The match saw five yellow cards and one red card. Three Madrid players were yellow carded with a total of 23 fouls committed in the match.

Uruguayan striker Luis Suárez scored the first goal of the match in the 11^th minute by an assist from Sergi Roberto. The first booking came in the 23^rd minute. James Rodríguez went down in the booking list. The first substitution of the match came in the 27^th minute when Argentine Mascherano got injured and Frenchman Jérémy Mathieu was substituted in for him.

Right back Dani Alves was booked in the 31^st minute for his foul on Cristiano Ronaldo. During that foul, Alves got injured and the match was interrupted for a while. In the 39^th minute, Neymar assisted by Andrés Iniesta doubled the lead for the Catalonians. The first half ended 2𔂾 with Barcelona leading in the El Clásico. Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos was shown the yellow card in the 51^th minute. Two minutes later, Neymar assisted Iniesta who scored in the top right corner making the score 3𔂾 for the visitors.

Isco was substituted in for James Rodríguez for Los Blancos in the 55^th minute. Two minutes later, Lionel Messi was sustituted in for Croatian Ivan Rakitić after two months of knee injury. Daniel Carvajal replaced Brazilian Marcelo in the 59^th minute. This was Messi's first appearence since September 26.

Jordi Alba assisted Suárez in the 74^th minute and he scored in the left corner. Iniesta was substituted off at the 77^th minute for Munir El Haddadi and got a standing ovation from the Bernabéu croud.

Further in the match, Carvajal was yellow carded in the 83^rd minute and Isco was red carded in the next minute. Two extra minutes were added in which Sergio Busquets was booked for a foul.

Barcelona had 87% passing accuracy as compared to 83% of Los Blancos. Andrés Iniesta was awarded as man of the match. Neymar remains the top scorer of 2015󈝼 La Liga with twelve goals.

Barcelona got 6 points clear of Real Madrid and is at the top of the La Liga table.

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Australian Eddie Jones named as England's rugby union head coach

Australian Eddie Jones was named on Friday as England's new rugby union head coach by the Rugby Football Union (RFU), making him the first foreign coach to be appointed to the role. Jones has signed a four year contract after Stuart Lancaster resigned from the post in early November following England's disappointing performance at this year's Rugby World Cup.

Jones, 55, is to leave a position he was appointed to only two months ago as coach of Cape Town's Stormers in South Africa. Jones said: "The opportunity to take the reins in possibly the world’s most high-profile international rugby job doesn’t come along every day however, and I feel fortunate to be given the opportunity."

Jones led Australian side Brumbies to the first Super 12 win by a non-New Zealand team. While he was head coach of Australia they won the Tri Nations and were finalists against England at the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

He was also assistant to South Africa the year of their 2007 World Cup win. His Japan side, with ten consecutive victories, broke the record for the number of successive wins for a second tier rugby union team. His first game as England head coach is to be against Scotland in the Six Nations Championship at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on February 6.

Chief Executive of the RFU Ian Ritchie said he is confident Jones has the right credentials for the role. "We promised to recruit a coach with proven international experience and we have done that. Eddie is a world-class coach, with extensive experience at the highest level with Australia, South Africa and Japan."

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Saudi Arabian court convicts poet of apostasy, sentences to death

A court in Saudi Arabia sentenced Saudi-born Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh to death on Tuesday for allegedly committing apostasy, a crime punishable by death under Saudi Arabia's interpretation of Sharia Law. The court decision was brought to light yesterday by Adam Coogle, a researcher working for Human Rights Watch.

File photo of Dira Square, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where public executions are carried out under Sharia Law.
Image: Luke Richard Thompson.

Fayadh has previously posted a video online of a public lashing by religious police. Mona Kareem, an activist from Kuwait calling for Fayadh's release, said "some Saudis think this was revenge by the morality police."

Fayadh was detained by police in August 2013, accused of blasphemy and promoting atheism through his poems. According to Fayadh, this stemmed from a dispute with a fellow artist. He was soon released under bail.

Fayadh was again arrested in January 2014. He was tried at a court in Abha in February under allegations of committing blasphemy, promoting atheism, and having illegal relationships with women. He was sentenced in May that year to four years of jail and 800 lashes. Fayadh appealed the decision, and the case was retried by another judge, who sentenced him to death.

Activist Mona Kareem said the judge for Fayadh's retrial "didn't even talk to [Fayadh], he just made the verdict."

Fayadh was given 30 days to appeal the court ruling, but according to Kareem, Fayadh "was unable to assign a lawyer because his ID was confiscated when he was arrested" in January 2014.

Human Rights Watch researcher Adam Coogle called the court ruling an example of Saudi Arabia's "complete intolerance for anyone who may not share government-mandated religious, political, and social views."

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Germaine Greer gives Cardiff University oration despite campaign to prevent lecture

Feminist author and academic Germaine Greer gave a lecture at Cardiff University on Wednesday despite a petition with over 3,000 signatures calling for its cancellation.

	I feel like the words Germaine Greer has spouted in recent years has no place in our movement
—Emily Cotterill, LGBTQ rights activist

Australian Greer gave the Hayden Ellis Lecture entitled "Women and Power: The Lessons of the 20th Century" under security with uniformed police officers and university security guards. The lecture covered equal pay for women, and Emmeline Pankhurst and the Suffragettes.

Ms Greer had been criticised by LGBTQ rights activists for comments made about transgender reality television star Caitlyn Jenner, and her belief that 'post-operative' trans women aren't 'real women'. The women's officer of the Cardiff University Student Union called for cancelling the lecture in a Change.org petition which has received over 3,000 signatures. "I'm 76," Greer said in a BBC Newsnight interview, "I don't want to go down there and be screamed at and have things thrown at me." However, ultimately she did give the lecture.

The Independent reported a group of around two dozen protestors outside the lecture. LGBTQ rights activist Emily Cotterill, who was at the protest, said she believed transphobia had no place in modern feminism. "I feel like the words Germaine Greer has spouted in recent years has no place in our movement", Ms Cotterill said.

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Rwandan Senate approves constitutional change allowing third term for Kagame

The Senate of Rwanda today voted to amend the Rwandan constitution to allow a third term for President Paul Kagame.

President Kagame last year.
Image: Veni Markovski.

The changes, which require a referendum before becoming law, reduce the current limit of two seven-year Presidential terms to two five-year terms. Kagame receives an exemption allowing another seven-year term before starting to count his five-year terms. If approved the amendments can keep him in power until 2034.

Following Rwanda's genocide Kagame grew popular at home and abroad, leading to over three million petitioners demanding he be allowed to run again. The ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front has already gained approval from Parliament and seen off a Supreme Court challenge by the opposition Democratic Green Party.

Kagame has yet to decide if he will run again. Opposition leader Frank Habineza says his party will continue to oppose the change. Senate leader Bernard Makuza says he expects the referendum, the date of which is not yet set, to succeed.

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Nico Rosberg takes pole for 2015 Brazilian Grand Prix

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