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With pain etched on their faces, the family of murdered British soldier Lee Rigby today paid an emotional visit to the scene where he was hacked to death.
Drummer Rigby's mother Lyn, stepfather Ian and estranged wife Rebecca looked at the thousands of tributes in Woolwich and left a balloon from his two-year-old son Jack saying 'Dad in a million'.
The relatives arrived at the place where he was killed at 12.40pm. They hugged and comforted each other before crossing the road to look at the spot where he was murdered on Wednesday.
One clutched a teddy bear, while others held baskets of flowers which they left at the scene. They then spent a few moments in reflection, still clutching each other.
And among the masses of poignant messages left in south-east London, one very personal message was placed separately yesterday. Aimee West, his fiancée, laid flowers with a handwritten note.





Hopefully, given the patience and steadfast in this exam.

Japanese coastguard ships sailing near Chinese patrol ships, Haijian No.. 51 (front) sailing in the waters around the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, an area disputed between Japan and China.
China summoned Japan's ambassador to protest against Chinese rule over their ships entry into the territorial waters around the islands of Senkaku / Diaoyu dispute that the two countries.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Japan, Tuesday, October 23, 2013, said his government summoned the ambassador Bamboo Curtain country after eight Chinese ships entered the waters near the Senkaku Islands / Diaoyu.
The islands have been incorporated into the Japanese archipelago map in September 2012.

In one incident, Chinese ships repel about 10 boats carrying 80 activists nationalist Japan, Ganbare Nippon, which is sailing in the area on Tuesday morning local time, 23 April 2013.

The Chinese ships were then pulled out of the waters after getting orders from Japan Coast Guard patrol boat patrol when a Chinese patrol ship approaching.

Intelligence experts reported that there are a large number of Chinese ships entered Japanese territorial waters, "said a coast guard member who asked not to be named told the activists.

Japan's chief Cabinet Secretariat, Yoshihide Suga on Tuesday, April 23, 2013, confirmed the incident. "Today there are eight Chinese surveillance vessels entering the Senkaku Kepulauian around Uotsuri Jima."

According to China, shipping by Ganbare Nippon is illegal and create problems. "We filed a formal protest to the Japanese government," said a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
We wait for good news hopefully both sides can be reconciled.

JAKARTA - The tensions in the Korean Peninsula creating instability in the region of Asia. Australia assessing the North's actions are very disturbing.

"The actions that interfere with (from korut) causing instability in the region," said the foreign minister of Australia Bob Carr at the Foreign Ministry, Jakarta, Wednesday (04/03/2013).

"This raises support for our Japanese colleagues, South Korea. But we hope this disturbing attitudes could soon be over," he continued.

Carr added, it does not have a specific strategy to address the current conditions. Australia according to Carr, has no time limit for dealing with North Korea's behavior.

"We do not have a time limit. We will consult with neighboring countries in asia and south east asia. But the act korut destabilizing," he explained.

Carr insists his side will also discuss the possibility of expanding sanctions against North Korea in the UN Security Council. As is known, Prime Minister Julia Gillard visits to China over the weekend also intended to discuss the issue of North Korea.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un confirmed, it was set up rockets to deal with the threat from the United States (U.S.). The rockets were prepared by Jong-Un to anticipate the U.S. bomber aircraft. Through an emergency meeting with his generals, Jong-Un is also a strategy to invade the land of Uncle Sam.

State Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that Gov. Pat Quinn to move forward with closing some prisons and juvenile justice facilities.

In its ruling, the court ordered Alexander County judge to dissolve a preliminary injunction that stopped the government Quinn and complete closure, which was originally scheduled to go into effect by October 31.

American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees has sued to prevent the closure, saying they would worsen the lives of prison overcrowding and put employees in danger. AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall said the union was "very disappointed" with the decision.

Slated for closure only Tamms super max prison in the country far south Illinois, along with the Dwight Correctional Center for women in central Illinois and the justice center in Joliet and Murphysboro. Three transition center for inmates, including one in the West Side of Chicago, will also be closed.

Parliament has set aside enough money in the budget to keep the facility open, but Quinn vetoed the money out, arguing it would be better spent on state agency that oversees the welfare of children.

Members of Parliament (Senate) and disregard the veto that move when they meet in Springfield last month, but the House chose not to follow. So the governor's veto was upheld.

A spokesman for Quinn said the ruling was "good news for Illinois, taxpayers will no longer be on the hook to spend millions of dollars we do not have the facility was half empty, unnecessary and very expensive." Spokeswoman Brooke Anderson said once fully implemented, the closure will save taxpayers approximately $ 100 million per year.

By ABC NEWS
October 17, 2012
During the debate, this page will be updated with the most recent transcript releases from the second presidential debate.


PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA AND FORMER GOV. MITT ROMNEY PARTICIPATE IN A CANDIDATES DEBATE, HOFSTRA UNIVERSITY, HEMPSTEAD, NEW YORK

OCTOBER 16, 2012

SPEAKERS: FORMER GOV. MITT ROMNEY, R-MASS.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

CANDY CROWLEY, MODERATOR

[*] CROWLEY: Good evening from Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. I'm Candy Crowley from CNN's "State of the Union." We are here for the second presidential debate, a town hall, sponsored by the Commission on Presidential Debates.

CROWLEY: The Gallup organization chose 82 uncommitted voters from the New York area. Their questions will drive the night. My goal is to give the conversation direction and to ensure questions get answered.

The questions are known to me and my team only. Neither the commission, nor the candidates have seen them. I hope to get to as many questions as possible.

CROWLEY: And because I am the optimistic sort, I'm sure the candidates will oblige by keeping their answers concise and on point.



Each candidate has as much as two minutes to respond to a common question, and there will be a two-minute follow-up. The audience here in the hall has agreed to be polite and attentive -- no cheering or booing or outbursts of any sort.

Highlights from Obama and Romney's town hall... View Full Size

Candy Crowley Reins In Obama, Romney Watch Video

Mitt Romney: Obama 'Took Detroit Bankrupt' Watch Video

Obama: Mitt Romney Has a 'One Point Plan' Watch Video
We will set aside that agreement just this once to welcome President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney.

Gentlemen, thank you both for joining us here tonight. We have a lot of folks who've been waiting all day to talk to you, so I want to get right to it.

Governor Romney, as you know, you won the coin toss, so the first question will go to you. And I want to turn to a first-time voter, Jeremy Epstein, who has a question for you.

QUESTION: Mr. President, Governor Romney, as a 20-year-old college student, all I hear from professors, neighbors and others is that when I graduate, I will have little chance to get employment. What can you say to reassure me, but more importantly my parents, that I will be able to sufficiently support myself after I graduate?

ROMNEY: Thank you, Jeremy. I appreciate your -- your question, and thank you for being here this evening and to all of those from Nassau County that have come, thank you for your time. Thank you to Hofstra University and to Candy Crowley for organizing and leading this -- this event.

Thank you, Mr. President, also for being part of this -- this debate.

Your question -- your question is one that's being asked by college kids all over this country. I was in Pennsylvania with someone who had just graduated -- this was in Philadelphia -- and she said, "I've got my degree. I can't find a job. I've got three part- time jobs. They're just barely enough to pay for my food and pay for an apartment. I can't begin to pay back my student loans."

So what we have to do is two things. We have to make sure that we make it easier for kids to afford college.

ROMNEY: And also make sure that when they get out of college, there's a job. When I was governor of Massachusetts, to get a high school degree, you had to pass an exam. If you graduated in the top quarter of your airlines, we gave you a John and Abigail Adams scholarship, four years tuition free in the college of your choice in Massachusetts, it's a public institution.

Vice Presidential Debate: Who Won, Paul Ryan or Joe Biden?

The first and only 2012 vice presidential debate has come to an end.
Who do you think was the winner of the showdown in Kentucky?

After last week's presidential debate disaster for Barack Obama, V.P. Joe Biden was tasked with righting the ship, while Rep. Paul Ryan sought to keep Mitt Romney's momentum going.

Which candidate do you think better achieved his goals coming in?

What was the most meaningful exchange? Did Ryan help make the case for Romney and the GOP's views on foreign and domestic issues over this 90-minute tussle?

Or was it Democrat Biden who bettered his boss' chances for re-election?

Share your comments below, and vote in our survey:

Who won the 2012 Vice Presidential debate?


Biden
Ryan

THG Caption Contest: Mitt Romney's New BFF


Welcome, readers, to another edition of THG's Caption Contest!

After the AP released (and later apologized for not explaining) this classic Mitt Romney photo this week, we knew it was prime Caption Contest material.

The possibilities are endless. What would the best caption be?!

You tell us! Just leave comment(s) below with the best caption(s) for the photo! Go to it! Winner will be announced on Monday. Best of luck!

Four key suspects of Malala attack held in Swat
Mushtaq Yusufzai
Saturday, October 13, 2012 
From Print Edition

PESHAWAR: The law-enforcement agencies in Swat have arrested four key suspects, including a woman, reportedly involved in shooting Malala Yousafzai, but the mastermind of the attack, identified as Attaullah, is said to have escaped from the scenic valley.

A senior police official in Swat said the four suspects were captured during raids in different areas outside the Mingora city on Thursday night.

During initial interrogation, the official said the suspects revealed that Attaullah, a resident of Sangota area near the Mingora city, was the mastermind of the attack on Malala in which two other young girls were also injured.“Before the police and other law-enforcement could raid the hideout of Attaullah, he escaped,” a source said.

Security officials familiar with the development, however, said that Attaullah had already left Swat.“Besides Attaullah, there are other people who masterminded the attack on Malala. We are now utilising all means to trace the culprits,” a security official said on condition of anonymity.

The sources said those who attacked Malala were aged between 20-30 and were not involved in militancy at the time when the Maulana Fazlullah-led Taliban held sway in Swat.“The people who are presently carrying out terrorist attacks and targeting their opponents in Swat are totally a new lot. They are specially-trained in carrying out attacks people in the cities,” the official said.

The Afghanistan-based militants from Swat refused to confirm if any of their members have been arrested, but claimed that they had dozens of trained target-killers in the valley.Spokesman for the Swat Taliban Sirajuddin Ahmad, who is now based in Afghanistan’s Kunar province, said Maulana Fazlullah had personally ordered Malala’s killing after her father Ziauddin Yousafzai, who runs his school and is also a spokesman for the Swat Qaumi Jirga, allegedly failed to stop her from speaking against the Taliban.

He said PML-N leader Afzal Khan was his close relative, but he ordered the target-killers to kill him as he was against the Taliban.“We have a clear stance. Anyone who sides with the government shall die at our hands. You will see other important people would soon become victims of our trained squad in Swat,” Sirajuddin warned.

Our correspondents/agencies add: Yaum-e-Dua was held across the country to pray for early recovery of Malala Yousafzai, while Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf along with other political leaders visited Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) to inquire after the health of Malala.

Prayers were held in mosques throughout the country after the Jumma prayers, while the students, political parties, lawyers, social activists and other people belonging to different walks of life took out rallies and offered Dua for early recovery of Malala.

According to ISPR, health of injured Malala is satisfactory while the next 48 hours are critical.“According to neurosurgical and intensive care specialists, health of Malala Yousafzai is satisfactory but next 36 to 48 hours are critical,” said DG ISPR Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa at a press briefing.

He said Malala has been placed on ventilator but the team of doctors has described her health condition as satisfactory.General Bajwa said Malala was shifted to Rawalpindi on the advice of doctors’ panel treating her as there are better intensive care facilities at the AFIC as compared to CMH Peshawar.

He said all the medical sketches and pathological investigations of Malala were carried out afresh in AFIC, according to which all her vital organs are well intact and working properly.

The DG ISPR added that a special medical team, headed by a major general, had been constituted and the decision to send Malala abroad would be taken by the medical board.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Pervaiz Ashraf said attack on Malala is not a crime against an individual but a crime against humanity and an attack on the country’s core moral and social values.

Talking to media persons at Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC), the prime minister said the nation stands united in condemning the brutality and degradation of those who perpetrated this crime and the poisoned mindset that seeks to destroy the soul of the nation.

He said that extremists attacked Malala for what she stands because they were scared of the power of her vision.He said that she had a simple message, “The right for girls to be educated”. “Malala is a true Pakistani and is the real face of Pakistan. We will not allow anyone to destroy the face of Pakistan,” he maintained.

Pervaiz Ashraf said Malala has created a movement across Pakistan. “Our girls want to follow her footprints,” he added.“I have often said that we face a threat from a bigoted and radicalised mindset, which wants to rob us of our cherished values of peace, pluralism, moderation, tolerance and passion for knowledge,” the premier said.

“Today, we pledge to fight this mindset. It was this mindset which was behind the martyrdom of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. We pledge that we will not allow the future of our children to be endangered by the militant mindset,” he maintained.

The prime minister the enemies of Pakistan will never be allowed to succeed. “We pledge that we will uproot this menace of extremism and militancy. We pledge that we will not surrender the soul of the nation.” The premier said every Pakistani is praying for the complete recovery of Malala. He said Malala is under the best possible care and being treated by the best professionals of the country. He further said that he has inquired from the doctors about her condition and was told that next 36 hours are critical for her.

The PML-Q president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has suggested to the prime minister that Malala Yousafzai, who raised her voice for education and peace, should be named as Pakistan ambassador for peace and education.

During his meeting with the prime minister, Chaudhry Shujaat said that the decision to appoint Malala Yousafzai as ambassador for education and peace would be welcomed both nationally and internationally and this would also reflect determination and commitment of the Pakistan government to eliminate extremism and terrorism, establishing peace and spreading of education.

Malala: Lawyers' boycott, stage demos
October 13, 2012 - Updated 1116 PKT 
From Web Edition

KARACHI: Protesting against the heinous attack on Swat’s brave girl Malala Yousufzai, all judicial businesses came to a halt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and in most cities of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhaw, Geo News reported Saturday.

The lawyers of Islamabad High court and District courts are observing strike to show their slodarity with Malala Yusufzai, the couragous girl who despite life threats from the Taliban continued pusing education and fought for the rights of female eductation, which the Taliban have declared un-Islamic.

The lawyers hailing from Lahore High Court (LHC), Rawalpindi Bar, District Bar Rawalpindi, Chakwal, Attock, Jhelum and Islamabad went on strike today against the brazen broad daylight gunfire attack on a small girl while she was riding her way back home on board a school van.

The lawyers, boycotting the judicial proceedings, did not appear before any courts, causing the adjournment of the hearings of cases.

Khyber Pukhtunkhaw lawyers on the call of KPK Bar Council went on strike protesting the attack on Malala and passeed resolutions condemning the barbaric act of the Taliban. The lawyers wearing black bands showed sympathy and solidarity with the cause for which Malala stood for.

The bar associations of Nausehroferoze, Patidan, Thatta and other cities/towns in Sindh, while in Balochistan Lasbela Bar Association besides other bars of the towns and cities of the province boycotted the courts and staged demos in support of Malala and strongly condemned the cowardly attack of Taliban.

Malala still on ventilator: ISPR
October 13, 2012 - Updated 1248 PKT 
From Web Edition

ISLAMABAD: A school girl, Malala Yusufzai shot in the head by the Taliban remained on a ventilator in hospital Saturday afternoon, as people continued to pray for her recovery, the military said.

The shooting of 14-year-old Malala Yousafzai, who campaigned for the right to an education, has been denounced worldwide and by the Pakistani authorities, who have offered a reward of more than $100,000 for the capture of her attackers.

"(The) health condition of Malala continues to remain satisfactory. Her vitals are okay and she is still on ventilator," the military said in an update. "A board of doctors is continuously monitoring her condition," it added.

Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf visited Malala on Friday, paying tribute to her and two friends who were also wounded when a gunman boarded their school bus on Tuesday and opened fire.

"It was not a crime against an individual but a crime against humanity and an attack on our national and social values," he told reporters, pledging renewed vigour in Pakistan's struggle with Islamist militancy.

Military spokesman Major General Asim Saleem Bajwa Friday said the next 36 to 48 hours would be critical for Malala. The attack has sickened Pakistan, where Malala won international prominence with a blog for the BBC that highlighted atrocities under the Taliban who terrorised the Swat valley from 2007 until a 2009 army offensive.

Activists say the shooting should be a wake-up call to those who advocate appeasement with the Taliban, but analysts suspect there will be no seismic shift in a country that has sponsored radical Islam for decades. Schools opened with prayers for Malala on Friday and special prayers were held at mosques across the country for her speedy recovery at the country's top military hospital in the city of Rawalpindi.

Afghan students pray for Malala's health
October 13, 2012 - Updated 1316 PKT 
From Web Edition

KABUL: Schools in Afghanistan opened Saturday with special prayers for the quick recovery of a Pakistani schoolgirl shot in the head by Taliban, in a move officials said was to show solidarity with her.

The Pakistani Taliban shot Malala Yousafzai, a teenage children's rights activist, in the head on her school bus Tuesday, to avenge her campaigns for the right to an education in the militants' former stronghold of Swat. The shooting of the 14-year-old activist was denounced around the world.

"To show sympathy to Malala Yousafzai around 9.5 million students all over the country in 15,500 schools and education centres offered prayers for her quick recovery," education ministry spokesman Amanullah Iman told AFP. "The students also expressed their solidarity to their sister (Malala) because the attack on her was an attack on education," he said.

"Malala is just a girl and student like us, she shouldn't have been shot," Freshta, a 10 grade pupil told AFP. "Today we recited Quran and prayed for her recovery," she said.

The show of solidarity to Malala comes two days after armed men attacked a girls' school in relatively peaceful Bamyan province in central Afghanistan, causing considerable damage but no injuries, official said.

The Taliban government, removed from power by a US-led invasion in 2001, had enforced a strict ban on girls attending schools. There are fears that gains made by women and girls since the Taliban were ousted from power in a US-led invasion in 2001 could be eroded when international troops pull out by 2014.

Malala: Suspects held in Swat, Nowshera

SWAT/NOWSHERA: Some key-accused involved in the Malala Yousafzai attack have been arrested on Saturday here, Geo News reported.

Law enforcing agencies said that on the information obtained from the persons held in Swat, an operation was launched and police officials at Bara Khara of Akbarpur in Nowshera arrested three brothers involved in the attack on Malala.

All the three accused Irfan, Abdul Haji and Inam belong to Tehreek-e-Taliban and are residents of Mingora, Swat. The accused have been shifted to an unknown place for interrogations. Weapons and other documents recovered from the accused have also been taken into custody.

Earlier, four persons including a chowkidar and an accountant of Malala’s school were taken into custody in Swat.

Syria Crisis: Turkey Scrambles Fighter Planes To Border

HACIPASA, Turkey, Oct 12 (Reuters) - Turkey scrambled two fighter planes to the border with Syria on Friday after a Syrian military helicopter bombed the Syrian border town of Azmarin, a Reuters witness said.

There has been intense fighting between rebels and Syrian government forces this week in Azmarin and neighbouring towns, an area strongly opposed to President Bashar al-Assad's rule.

Shells fired onto the town from surrounding hills sent thick plumes of smoke and dust rising into the air during fighting on Thursday and a voice amplified through loudspeakers, audible from the village of Hacipasa in Turkey's Hatay province, called on rebel fighters to surrender, warning of an air assault.

Fighting along Turkey's 900-km (560-mile) border with Syria has repeatedly spilled over into Turkish territory in the past week, with the Turkish army responding in kind to gunfire and mortar shells fired from Syria.

Turkish Chief of Staff General Necdet Ozel said on Wednesday his troops would respond "with greater force" if the shells continued to land on Turkish soil, and parliament last week authorised the deployment of troops beyond Turkey, heightening fears that Syria's civil war would drag in regional powers.

Malala Yousufzai Shooting: Taliban Sent Hit Squad After Teenage Activist

MINGORA, Pakistan — Pakistani police have arrested a number of suspects in the case of a 14-year-old girl shot and wounded by the Taliban for promoting education for girls and criticizing the fundamentalist Islamic movement, officials said Friday.

The shooting of Malala Yousufzai along with two classmates while they were on their way home from school Tuesday horrified people in Pakistan and internationally. It has been followed by an outpouring of support for a girl who earned the enmity of the Taliban for publicizing their acts and speaking about the importance of education for girls.

The Taliban have claimed responsibility for the shooting, saying that the girl was promoting "Western thinking." Late on Thursday, a spokesman for one of the group's branches in the country's north said the top leadership of the Taliban's Swat Valley chapter decided two months ago to kill Yousufzai in a carefully planned attack after her family ignored repeated warnings.

Police have been questioning people in the town of Mingora, in the Swat Valley, where the shooting took place.

Mingora police chief Afzal Khan Afridi said arrests had been made, but he declined to give any details about the number of people detained or what role they're suspected of having in the shooting. He said he did not want to endanger the ongoing investigation.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik told reporters Friday that the two gunmen who staged the attack were not among those arrested, but he said investigators had identified the masterminds of the shooting and efforts were under way to capture all those involved.

The Taliban spokesman, Sirajuddin Ahmad, said Yousufzai's family had been warned three times – the most recent warning coming last week – before the decision was made to kill her.

Ahmad said local Taliban leader Maulana Fazlullah and his deputies selected three attackers, including two trained sharpshooters, who carefully studied the girl's route home from school.

Even before the Taliban took over the Swat Valley, Fazlullah's radio broadcasts spread fear among residents in the area. The group first started to exert its influence in 2007 and quickly extended its reach to much of the valley by the next year. They set about imposing their will on residents by forcing men to grow beards, preventing women from going to the market and blowing up many schools – the majority for girls.


Malala wrote about these practices in a journal for the BBC under a pseudonym when she was just 11. After the Taliban were pushed out of the valley in 2009 by the Pakistani military, she became even more outspoken in advocating for girls' education. She appeared frequently in the media and was given one of the country's highest honors for civilians for her bravery.

Fazlullah, along with much of the Swat Taliban's top leadership, escaped the offensive and is believed to be operating from a base in eastern Afghanistan and sending fighters back across the border to attack northwest Pakistan.

But there are indications that he was trying once again to make inroads into the area.

Between April and June, Pakistani authorities arrested nearly 100 militants in the Swat Valley, said two security officials and a senior government official.

One of those arrested was a woman identified as Naheed Bibi, who was married to Fazlullah and had been sent by him to the valley to help reactivate militant sleeping cells there, the officials added.

Her interrogation led security officials to over 60 telephone numbers of SIM cards she and her aides had bought in various northwestern cities. By monitoring all the numbers, authorities rounded up the militants – including several would-be suicide bombers – and a large number of weapons and explosives was also seized, the officials said.

The officials did not want to be identified because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Pakistanis across the country held services to pray for Yousufzai's recovery Friday. Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf visited the hospital in Rawalpindi where she's being treated to pay his respects and check on her condition.

As the school Yousufzai attended reopened, children and teachers tried to come to terms with what happened to their star pupil, shot in a bus roughly 300 meters (yards) from her classrooms. Police were deployed around the school, but many students still stayed away.

"We have decided to open the school after two days to overcome the fear among our students that gripped them due to the attack," said one of the teachers, Zafar Ali Khan.

The school is owned and operated by the teenage activist's father, who takes great pride in his daughter's accomplishments and is a champion of education for girls.

The girl was initially airlifted from Mingora to a military hospital in the frontier city of Peshawar, where doctors removed a bullet from her neck. On Thursday, she was transferred to a hospital in Rawalpindi, where the Pakistani army is headquartered near the capital, Islamabad.

Maj. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa said she is being kept on a ventilator and is in stable condition. Bajwa said the bullet entered her head and went into her neck toward her spine, but it was too soon to say whether she had any significant head injury.

"Her blood pressure is normal. Heartbeat is normal, and thanks to God, her condition is satisfactory," Bajwa said.

Nobel Peace Prize 2012: European Union Wins For Role In Uniting Continent

OSLO, Norway (AP) — The European Union won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for its efforts to promote peace and democracy in Europe – an award given even though the bloc is struggling with its biggest crisis since it was created in the 1950s.

The Norwegian prize committee said the EU was being honored for six decades of contributions "to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe."

"The stabilizing part played by the European Union has helped to transform a once-torn Europe from a continent of war to a continent of peace," Nobel committee chairman Thorbjoern Jagland said.

The EU grew out of the tremendous devastation of World War II, fueled by the conviction that ever-closer economic ties would make sure that century-old enemies never turned on each other again. It's now made up of 500 million people in 27 nations, with other nations lined up, waiting to join.

But the European project is now facing its greatest challenge yet – a debt crisis that has stirred deep tensions between north and south, caused unemployment to soar across the bloc and is threatening the euro, the common currency used by 17 of its members.

Social media exploded with strong reactions Friday, both for and against, awarding the prize – worth 8 million Swedish kronor ($1.2 million).

"The EU is an unique project that replaced war with peace, hate with solidarity. Overwhelming emotion for awarding of (hash)Nobel prize to EU," Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament, wrote in a tweet.


"Nobel prize for the EU. At a time Brussels and all of Europe is collapsing in misery. What next? An Oscar for Van Rompuy?" said Dutch euro-skeptic lawmaker Geert Wilders, referring to Herman Van Rompuy, president of the European Council.

The idea of a united Europe began to take on a more defined shape when, on May 9, 1950, French Foreign Minister Robert Schuman proposed that France and the Federal Republic of Germany pool their coal and steel resources in a new organization that other European countries could join.

"Today war between Germany and France is unthinkable. This shows how, through well-aimed efforts and by building up mutual confidence, historical enemies can become close partners," the committee said.

The citation also noted the democratic conditions the EU has demanded of all those nations waiting to join, referred to Greece and Spain when they joined the 1980 after dictatorships, and to the countries in Eastern Europe who sought EU membership after the 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall.

"The EU is currently undergoing grave economic difficulties and considerable social unrest," Jagland said. "The Norwegian Nobel Committee wishes to focus on what it sees as the EU's most important result: the successful struggle for peace and reconciliation and for democracy and human rights.

It was not yet clear who would accept the prize for the EU.

The EU has been seen as possible candidate for the Nobel for many years, and the members of the committee had previously praised the community's significance as a promoter of peace and democracy in Europe. The chairman, Jagland, is also the secretary-general of the Council of Europe, a human rights group.

But skepticism against the EU runs high in oil-rich Norway, which is not a member and where popular opinion is firmly against membership. Norwegian voters rejected joining the EU twice, in 1972 and 1994.

Over time, the EU has grown from six countries to 27, absorbing countries in Eastern Europe as they emerged from decades under communist rule.

The EU's success in making war between Germany and France unthinkable is beyond dispute. On the contrary, those two countries these days tend to be the EU's dominant players, with the French president and the German chancellor often getting together to, in effect, hash out EU policy. Britain has always been a half-hearted member since joining in the 1970s, and is not part of the 17-nation eurozone which shares a common currency.

While there have never been wars inside EU territory, the confederation has not been able to prevent European wars outside its borders. When the deadly Balkans wars erupted in the 1990s, the EU was unable by itself to stop them. It was only with the help of the United States and after over 100,000 lives were lost was peace eventually restored in Bosnia and Kosovo.

Balochistan govt has lost right to rule: SC
QUETTA: Ruling that the Balochistan government had lost its constitutional authority to govern the province because of violation of the fundamental rights of the people and cannot be allowed to continue as a silent spectator to the violation of fundamental rights, the Supreme Court on Friday called upon the federal government to ensure immediate action under the Constitution to provide security to the people of Balochistan.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry headed a three-member bench, including Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, which heard a petition on the Balochistan law and order situation at the Quetta Registry of the apex court.

In its interim order in the case, the court observed that the Balochistan government had failed to establish the writ of law in the province because of which the fundamental rights of citizens, including civilians, police, Levies, Balochistan Constabulary and Frontier Corps (FC), were violated. Consequently, the provincial government had lost the ability of governance and constitutional authority to govern the province in accordance with the Constitution.

The court observed that the federal government had attempted to protect the provincial government against internal disturbance in discharge of its functions since 2006 onward and the FC was deployed to assist the provincial government for the purpose of controlling disturbances. Since then, 432 FC personnel were killed and more than 600 were injured, the court noted.

The court observed that there were prima facie serious allegations of the FC’s involvement in cases of missing persons as evident from the reportsubmitted by the IG Police that in every third missing person case, the FC personnel were being accused. Pointing out that mutilated dead bodies had been recovered in the province for the last four years, the court remarked that neither the provincial nor the federal government had succeeded in identifying the culprits involved in the killing of such persons inasmuch as no report was registered by the law-enforcement agencies. The court observed that the position in respect of the missing persons, target killings, abduction for ransom and sectarian killings was also the same.

The court remarked that during the hearing of the case, it got registered FIRs but not a single accused had been brought to book. It was a routine exercise in the province that a great majority of the cases of the same kind were found untraced. The people in general and employees, both civilians and non-civilians, had no protection as to the security of their lives and properties, dignity and professions.

The court noted that the provincial government as well as the federal government, despite clear directions of the court, including obtaining the commitment on July 31, 2012 signed by the secretaries interior and defence, Balochistan chief secretary, secretary home, inspector general of police and inspector general of the FC, failed to honour the commitment, as a result whereof disappointment, despondency and anarchy was increasing day by day among all citizens.

The court observed that under the circumstances, it was the constitutional obligation of the federation to exercise all constitutional options to ensure that the fundamental rights of the people are fully protected and secured, particularly relating to the security of their lives. But no option had so far been exercised as such options were to be followed or exercised taking into consideration the political decisions by the democratic governments while remaining within the four corners of the Constitution but regrettably despite having noticed the situation prevailing in Balochistan, nothing had so far been done.

“However, we are of the view that even now it is the constitutional obligation under Article 148(3) of the Constitution to control the internal disturbance in Balochistan as early as possible to provide security to the lives of the people of Balochistan, the provincial government which had lost its constitutional credibility cannot be allowed to continue as a silent spectator to the violation of fundamental rights,” the court remarked.

“The federal government is, therefore, called upon to ensure immediate action under the Constitution to provide security to the people of Balochistan against all the criminal aggression, including the recovery of mutilated dead bodies, missing persons, target killings, abduction for ransom and sectarian killings,” it added.

In its order, the court said it had already directed registration of cases in respect of the mutilated dead bodies, missing persons, abduction for ransom, sectarian killings, etc, and on its intervention the Balochistan government had decided to register criminal cases and make payment of compensation to the heirs of those whose dead bodies were recovered.

The court directed the Balochistan government to accelerate this process and at the same time prepare a scheme for the purpose of providing maintenance, etc, to the families whose members had been killed.

The court directed the federal and provincial governments to take steps for the rehabilitation of more than 150,000 IDPs, particularly in Dera Bugti, immediately and to take necessary steps not only for the restoration of their properties but also for providing security to their lives and property and restoring civil administration such as schools, hospitals, courts, police stations, etc.

The court ruled that the interference in the affairs of Balochistan by the secret agencies was prima facie established, as a good number of people were being issued permits to keep plying non-tax paid vehicles. Similarly, the permits were also reportedly issued to allow unauthorised possession of illicit arms and reportedly whenever such persons being involved in crimes were apprehended, they took shelter behind such unlawful permits/documents, it added.

The court reiterated that in future no such permit, either for vehicles or for arms, should be issued by any of the secret agencies i.e. ISI, MI, IB or the federal or the provincial governments. It directed that if any person produced such a permit, the law-enforcement agencies functioning under the Balochistan government should arrest him to be dealt with strictly in accordance with the law without any exception.

The court remarked that the Customs Department had also its role in creating a poor law and order situation because it knew well that thousands of smuggled vehicles were being plied throughout the province and were being used in crimes to disturb the law and order situation. “Therefore, in view of earlier directions, the FBR is directed to recover all these vehicles as early as possible and in future no such vehicle including motorcycles, etc, shall be allowed to ply without the payment of customs duty and if any such vehicle is found, the same shall be impounded and the accused persons shall be dealt with under the law,” the court ordered.

The court observed that the problem in maintaining the law and order, as it had been noticed, was also because there was no prohibition of purchasing telephone SIMs. “In this behalf, we have already issued directions on May 21, 2012 that this should be located and dealt with strictly in accordance with law,” the court ordered.

The court observed that the people of Balochistan suffered from various deprivations, as there were little industry and no chances of jobs with the result youngsters who, after having obtained education, failed to get a suitable job/work to earn their livelihood.

The court noted that the people started showing frustration because merit was totally disregarded. “Therefore, the constitutional functionaries in the province are hereby directed to take all necessary steps to remove the sense of deprivation and it is only possible if the due share in the resources of the province of Balochistan after passing of the constitutional amendment, as notified under Article 172 (2) of the Constitution, are made available to the province as early as possible and are spent transparently through an honest constitutional dispensation in the province.”

The court observed that the allegations of corruption against the government functionaries were also required to be looked into by constitutional functionaries both by the province as well as by the federation and it should also be ensured that in future the development funds, etc, were spent transparently and the persons who were responsible for misappropriating such funds, already available to the province, should be brought to book and dealt with strictly in accordance with law.

The learned advocate general representing Balochistan stated that the only solution, according to him, regarding internal disturbances within the province was the holding of true, free and fair elections to ensure representation of the people by their duly elected representatives, the court observed. In view of the statement on behalf of the province, it added, it was observed that the federal government must fulfil its duty and obligation under Article 148(3) of the Constitution.

The court observed that as under the Constitution, the elections were likely to take place, therefore, the federal as well as provincial constitutional functionaries were required to create an atmosphere and exercise their constitutional authorities for the purpose of electing true representatives.

“On our directions, investigation being carried out against the culprits allegedly involved in the commission of forced disappearances (missing persons, abduction for ransom, sectarian killings, target killings and recovery of mutilated bodies), we are not satisfied with the level of investigation either by the police or by the Levies, therefore, we direct that all these cases shall be transferred to CID,” the court order said.

About printing, publishing or disseminating any material to incite hatred or give projection to any person convicted for a terrorist act or any proscribed organisation or an organisation placed under observation or anyone concerned in terrorism, the court order said: “A person commits an offence if he prints, publishes or disseminates any material, whether by audio or video-cassettes [FM radio station] or by written, photographic, electronic, digital, wall-chalking or any the method which [glorifies terrorists or terrorist activities] incites religious, sectarian or ethnic hatred or gives projection to any person convicted for a terrorist act, or any person or organisation concerned in terrorism or proscribed organisation or an organisation placed under observation: Provided that a factual news report, made in good faith, shall not be construed to mean ‘projection’ for the purposes of this section.

“We are told that in this behalf restraint order has also been passed by the High Court of Balochistan, therefore, we confirm the order which has been passed by the High Court of Balochistan that in future the above provision of law shall be followed strictly both by the electronic and print media,” the apex court added.

Arab Sheikh underestimate Scotland Yard

London - Son of billionaire sheikh from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) underestimated the British security forces, Scotland Yard. "Arab Money speaks," he said. What happened?

Ferrari FF sempatdipajang orange black strip in front of the British Police Headquarters (HQ Met). On the windshield was affixed tulisanuninsured vehicle Seized by police. Scotland Yard intention is to educate the public, that any expensive car, if without insurance, remain illegal and should be subject to legal action.

However, the existence of flashy Ferrari it was not long. Prior to his business completed, the police had to restore the car to its owner, who turned out bin Humaid Al Nuaimi adalahRashid, son of Emir Ajman.

Related to this, the young man who in Ajman known as RRR, which stands for Rich in Real estate Resources is also menggemborkannya on your Facebook page. "My Ferrrari seized in London, but they soon returned, after knowing who I am."

In the comments for that post, Rashid explained. "I took him to London and did not pay for insurance. British police later confiscated, but I tell them who I am. "
Then he wrote "Arab money talks" followed by a smiley face emoticon.

Cars for 200 thousand pounds, or about Rp3, 1 billion it is recognized to be a spokesman for the British Police in their offices. However, they admitted that the car was actually not come as easy as it says Rashid.

"Ferrari has taken the owner. We can not talk personal. But to pick it up, the owner must pay fines, cost recovery, storage and filling documents within the law, "said the spokesman.

The car was seized in South Kensington, part of a campaign against drivers without insurance. The program was initiated by Commissioner Hogan-Howe Bernadr of the British Police. If the owner does not take care of it, the car will be auctioned or destroyed.

Angela Merkel and Jas Various Colors
Berlin - Every public appearance, German Chancellor Angela Merkel always wear a suit. After the note, it has almost all the colors for his favorite models.

Merkel who always looked confident, has a unique fashion sense. Fashion watchers often say Merkel is a woman who knows what she likes and likes what he knew.
Merkel is rarely seen wearing a different style than usual. In fact, the media was not sure Merkel had tried other styles. Is the flagship model of a blazer with a long jacket just below the waist.

There is padding on the shoulder. Then there are three buttons, though sometimes four buttons added. Two pockets on the front and a small pocket on the chest. This style is her favorite.

Merkel so in love with this style, so he had been photographed wearing almost all the colors that exist in this world, but still with his trademark jacket. As seen from the photos the Daily Mail.