New Yorker Jailed For Role In Failed Bomb Plot

A Bosnia-born US citizen has been sentenced to life in prison for his role in a foiled suicide-bomb plot on New York City subways in 2009.

Adis Medunjanin, 28, was convicted this year of conspiracy to use weapons of mass destruction, attempting to commit an act of terrorism and other terrorism charges in a plot authorities called one of the closest calls since the 9/11 attacks.

Prosecutors had argued for a life term for Medunjanin, saying he "committed a host of heinous crimes aimed at killing and maiming his fellow American citizens in order to alter and take revenge for American foreign policy".

The trial ending in May was mostly notable because it featured the first-ever testimony from admitted homegrown terrorists about al Qaeda's determination to strike America on its home turf.

Two of Medunjanin's former high school classmates, Najibullah Zazi and Zarein Ahmedzay, testified that the three men sought terror training after falling under the influence of inflammatory recordings of US-born extremist cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.

Zazi was flown to New York after his arrest in Colorado in 2009

The government's case was built on the testimony of Zazi, Ahmedzay and two other men: a British would-be shoe bomber and a man originally from Long Island who gave al Qaeda pointers on how best to attack a Walmart store.

Zazi and Ahmedzay, who testified as part of plea deal, told jurors that the scheme unfolded after the trio travelled to Pakistan in 2008 to avenge the US invasion of Afghanistan.

While receiving terror training at outposts in the South Waziristan region of Pakistan, al Qaeda operatives encouraged the American recruits to return home for a suicide-bombing mission intended to spread panic and cripple the economy.

Among the targets considered were the New York Stock Exchange, Times Square and Grand Central Terminal, the men testified.

In a later meeting in New York, the plotters decided to strap on bombs and blow themselves up at rush hour on Manhattan subway lines because the transit system is "the heart of everything in New York City," Zazi said.

When leaving Pakistan, Zazi relocated to Colorado, where he perfected a homemade detonator in a hotel room and set out for New York City by car around the eighth anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

Zazi moved to Colorado after returning from Pakistan

The plot - financed in part by $50,000 (£31,500) in credit card charges - was abandoned after Zazi noticed that everywhere he drove in New York, a car followed.

"I think law enforcement is on us," he recalled telling Ahmedzay. Later, he said he told Medunjanin in a text message, "We are done."

Aside from Zazi and Ahmedzay, two other convicted terrorists were called as witnesses to give a rare glimpse into al Qaeda's training methods and the mindset of its leadership.

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Hague War Court Frees Croatian Generals

Two Croatian generals have returned home to a hero's welcome after a UN court overturned their convictions for war crimes during the bloody 1990s breakup of Yugoslavia.

The acquittal of Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markac by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia was met with tears of joy in Croatia - and outrage in Serbia.

Within hours, the two men returned home from The Hague and were being cheered by tens of thousands of people waving Croatian flags and singing nationalist songs in Zagreb's main square.

In Serbia, the decision was condemned as politically motivated - critics claiming it will allow Croatia to enter the EU with a clean slate.

"We are happy to be with you tonight, this is our joint victory. The war belongs to history, let's turn to the future all together," Gotovina told the crowd.

Gotovina and Markac, both 57, were last year jailed for 24 and 18 years respectively on nine counts including murder and inhumane acts committed against Serbs.

Markac and Gotovina are considered heroes in Croatia

Judges at the time ruled that they deliberately plotted a systematic campaign of terror and violence aimed at ridding Croatia's Krajina region of its large Serbian population.

The prosecution said 324 Serb civilians and soldiers were killed and "close to 90,000 Serbs were forcibly displaced with the clear intention that they never return".

Serbian president Tomislav Nikolic slammed the ruling as a "scandalous, political decision" and warned it would "open old wounds".

Several high ranking Serbian officials as well as Belgrade's Bosnian Serb wartime allies Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic are still on trial at the court.

But Croatian President Ivo Josipovic said the acquittal was a vindication for Croatia.

"The verdict confirms everything that we believe in Croatia - that generals Gotovina and Markac are innocent and that there was no joint criminal enterprise of the Croatian leadership and the armed forces aimed at persecuting civilians, our citizens of Serb nationality," he said.

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Oil Rig Fire Leaves Two Missing Off US Coast

Two people are missing and four more are in hospital with burns after an explosion and fire ripped through an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico.

A small amount of oil spilled from the rig when workers using a torch cut into a pipeline on the platform.

US Coast Guard Captain Ed Cubanski said the well was not producing at the time of the explosion and no oil was leaking.

The fire had since been extinguished, said Coast Guard spokesman Drake Foret. He said Coast Guard aircraft and boats were searching for two missing people. Nobody was believed to have been killed in the fire.

The platform is for oil production from an established well, unlike the Deepwater Horizon rig, which was drilling an exploratory well for oil giant BP in deep water when it blew up and triggered a massive oil spill in 2010.

That site is well to the east of Friday's incident.

Coast Guard says workers were using a cutting torch when explosion occurred

Taslin Alfonzo, of West Jefferson Medical Centre in New Orleans, said four workers were airlifted to hospital in critical condition with second and third-degree burns over much of their bodies.

The production platform, owned by Black Elk Energy, is about 25 miles southeast of Grand Isle, Louisiana.

The Coast Guard said 26 people were aboard the platform at the time of the explosion. Capt Cubanski said the platform appeared to be structurally sound.

After the April 2010 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon, that rig burned for about 36 hours before suffering structural collapse and sinking to the Gulf floor.

The Black Elk platform is in 56 feet of water. Capt Cubanski said 28 gallons of oil were in the broken line.

A federal official in Washington said a team of environmental enforcement inspectors was flying by helicopter to the scene. They will scan for any evidence of oil spillage and investigate the cause of the explosion.

Black Elk is an independent oil and gas company headquartered in Houston, Texas. The company's website says it holds interests in properties in Texas and Louisiana waters, including 854 wells on 155 platforms.

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Twilight Shooting Plot Foiled In Missouri

A man has been accused of plotting a shooting inside a cinema during a screening of the new Twilight film after his mother contacted police.

Blaec Lammers, 23, has been charged with first-degree assault, making a terrorist threat and armed criminal action.

His mother alerted police after fearing her son had purchased weapons similar to those used in a cinema shooting earlier this year in Aurora, Colorado, during a midnight screening of The Dark Knight Rises.

Bolivar Police Chief Steve Hamilton said: "Thankfully we had a responsible family member or we might have had a different outcome."

He said Lammers had been under a doctor's care for mental illness, while court documents said the suspect was "off of his medication".

Lammers' mother contacted authorities on Thursday, saying she worried that with this weekend's opening of the final film in the vampire series, her son "may have intentions of shooting people at the movie," police said.

She said she thought the weapons - two assault rifles and hundreds of bullets - resembled those used by the gunman who opened fire inside the Aurora cinema in July.

James Holmes, 24, is accused of killing 12 people in that attack.

Lammers told authorities he bought tickets for a screening of The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 in Bolivar on Sunday and planned to shoot people inside the cinema.

He also planned to "just start shooting people at random" at a Walmart store less than a mile away, police said.

Lammers also stated he wanted to stab a Walmart employee to death and followed an employee around in a store before officers intervened in 2009, according to police.

He said he had purchased weapons and if he ran out of bullets, he would "just break the glass where the ammunition is being stored and get some more and keep shooting until police arrived".

Police said Lammers bought one firearm on Monday and another on Tuesday. He then went to the town of Aldrich to practise shooting because he "had never shot a gun before and wanted to make sure he knew how they shot and how they functioned".

Mr Hamilton said it appeared the suspect obtained the firearms legally but that police were continuing to investigate "to determine how in fact he was able to obtain a permit".

Ashley Miller, who lives in a nearby town, said she has known Lammers for about a year and described him as "one of the sweetest guys I had ever met" but "very emotional," noting he would periodically stop talking to her.

Lammers is expected to appear in court on Wednesday.

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Burma Import Ban Waived Before Obama Visit

The US has suspended its ban on imports from Burma ahead of Barack Obama's landmark visit to the country on Monday.

The State Department called the waiving of the ban – in place since 2003 - another step in the normalisation of bilateral economic relations with the former outcast state.

It is "intended to support the Burmese government's ongoing reform efforts and to encourage further change, as well as to offer new opportunities for Burmese and American businesses," a department statement said.

A ban on imported gems – an industry seen to drive corruption and violence - will stay in place. Investment sanctions had previously been eased.

Mr Obama will be the first US president to visit the country which has been mired in decades of repression but is slowly embracing democracy.

The president also will visit Thailand and attend a regional summit in Cambodia on his first overseas trip since June.

A shop in Yangon on Friday ahead of Mr Obama's visit

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in September that the US would be easing the restriction to reward the reformist government of President Thein Sein, who has shifted the country from five decades of ruinous military rule.

Mr Sein has released hundreds of political prisoners, including democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who was elected to parliament in April.

The government and Ms Suu Kyi have made clear their desire for the import ban to be lifted to help integrate Burma into the global economy, the State Department said.

The US has fielded criticism from Burmese activist groups for being too hasty in rewarding Mr Sein's government.

Concern remains within the government about Burma's corruption, ethnic conflicts, political prisoners and continued military ties to North Korea.

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Crocodile Attack: 'Human Remains' Found

Australian authorities searching for a seven-year-old girl have found what appears to be human remains inside a 3m crocodile.

An extensive search began at first light for the girl who was last seen swimming at the natural pool at an outstation about 210 miles (340km) east of the city of Darwin on Friday afternoon.

The girl was swimming with other children and an adult at the time.

"Witnesses have told police that a crocodile attacked the male adult before pulling the girl under water," Senior Sergeant Shaun Gill said.

Police searching the waterhole shot dead a 3m crocodile at the Gumarrirngbang outstation on Saturday.

An examination of the animal revealed what are believed to be the human remains in its stomach, but more testing will be conducted.

"Further forensic testing will be conducted in Darwin to determine if the remains are human and if found human, the identity of the person," said Gill.

"This is now a matter of investigation and a report will be prepared for the coroner."

An earlier search by police and volunteers on Friday failed to find the child and extra police were flown to the remote area, about 100 kilometres from the Aboriginal community Maningrida.

"Everyone involved in this search has been working under difficult conditions. This is a heartbreaking outcome for the family and the community," said Senior Sergeant Gill.

Saltwater crocodiles, which can grow up to 7m (23ft) long and weigh more than a ton, are a common feature of Australia's tropical north.

They have been protected since the 1970s and their numbers have increased steadily since, along with the number of human encounters.

An average of two people are killed each year in Australia by saltwater crocodiles.

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Tornado Hits Portugal's Algarve: Eight Hurt

A tornado has hit Portugal's popular holiday hotspot the Algarve, tossing and flipping vehicles - some with people inside - and causing flooding in areas.

Hundreds of people have been left homeless, trees uprooted, balconies, roof tiles and framework ripped off, and windows shattered as the violent winds struck the region.

Eight people were injured and taken to hospital for treatment. Firefighters said most of those injured had to be pulled out of overturned vehicles.

An overturned car

Television footage showed the tornado approaching the shore from the Atlantic near the town of Lagos.

The Algarve is a popular tourism destination, although November is low season.

Tornadoes are not common in Europe, but do occur occasionally in the northwest and south of the continent.

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Abortion: India Puts Ireland Under Pressure

The Indian government has contacted the Irish government over the death of a woman who was allegedly refused an abortion.

New Delhi has demanded a "transparent" probe into the death of Savita Halappanavar after doctors in Ireland apparently rejected her requests for a termination even though she was miscarrying.

Foreign Minister Salman Khurshid said: "I'm confident that the Irish government, with whom we are in constant touch will properly investigate this case and will strive for a system so such incidents do not happen again."

On Friday, foreign ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said the concern over Mrs Halappanavar's death was growing in India.

About 100 opposition protesters held a demonstration outside the Irish embassy on Friday - accusing authorities of committing "medical murder".

India is demanding a transparent probe into the death

 MrMrs Halappanavar's family said the 31-year-old dentist repeatedly asked staff at University Hospital in Galway to terminate her pregnancy but doctors kept telling her "this is a Catholic country".

Abortion is illegal in Roman Catholic-dominated Ireland unless it occurs during medical intervention to save the life of the mother. There is no agreed method for determining such circumstances.

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny described her death as a "tragedy", while two separate investigations have been announced.

Indian communist party leader Brinda Karat said Mrs Halappanavar's condition should have been treated as a "medical emergency" as she joined calls for a tough line with Ireland over the incident.

Mrs Halappanavar was allegedly refused an abortion

"The fact that they didn't is a crime and the Irish authorities are responsible for committing a crime of a loss of a human life and I think the Indian government must step in here," she told reporters.

Smriti Irani, president of the women's wing of the main opposition Bharatiya Janata party, was among the protesters outside the embassy and she was allowed in as part of a four-person delegation to meet the ambassador.

"The Irish ambassador assured us that there could be a possibility of inviting international experts to be part of the investigation and we told him that Savita's husband should also be part of it," Ms Irani said.

She added that the ambassador had acknowledged the "intense pressure" from around the world following the death.

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Egypt School Bus Crash Leaves Dozens Dead

Fifty people have been killed after a train collided with a bus in a city south of the Egyptian capital Cairo.

A senior security official in Assiut, near the crash site, said 48 of the dead were children, aged between four and eight years.

One woman and a man, who was the bus driver, also died, he added.

The state news agency said another 15 people were injured. A medical source said as many as 28 were injured, 27 of them children.

"They told us the barriers were open when the bus crossed the tracks and the train collided with it," doctor Mohamed Samir said, citing witness accounts.

Distraught locals search through the wreckage at the crash site

He said the bodies of many of those killed were severely mutilated, indicating the force of the crash, which took place in the city of Manfalut, near Assiut, some 190 miles south of the capital.

President Mohamed Mursi ordered his ministers to offer support to the families of those killed.

Transport Minister Mohamed Rashad has offered his resignation as has the head of the railways authority, which President Mursi was considering, state media reported.

The governor of Assiut, Yahya Keshk, has ordered an inquiry.

Egypt's roads and railways have a poor safety record.

Egyptians have complained that successive governments have failed to enforce basic safety standards, leading to a string of deadly accidents.

Earlier this month, at least three Egyptians were killed and more than 30 injured in a train crash in Fayoum, another city south of Cairo.

In July, 15 people were injured in Giza, close to the capital, when a train derailed.

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Explosion In Tel Aviv After Gaza Pounded

Sirens are sounding in Tel Aviv following an explosion, a day after a rocket crashed into the sea off the Israeli city.

The sirens sent people running for cover as TV images showed the Iron Dome anti-missile system firing on an incoming rocket, hitting it in mid-air according to the Israeli military.

The Israeli ambulance service said there were no casualties.

The armed wing of Hamas said it had fired a long-range Fajr-5 rocket at the city.

Damage to an apartment block in Ashdod caused by a rocket fired from Gaza

Earlier on Saturday, four rockets hit the southern city of Ashdod. 

Israel's military said on Twitter: "4 rockets fired from #Gaza struck Ashdod: 1 on a house, 1 on a car, 1 near a kindergarten & 1 in an open area." 

No-one was killed in the attack.

Before Saturday's rocket attacks, Israel carried out nearly 200 airstrikes on Gaza City overnight

The strikes hit targets in the territory including the Hamas Prime Minister's office, a police compound and a vast network of smuggling tunnels.

Israeli aircraft kept pounding their original targets in the airstrikes

Israeli aircraft also kept pounding their original targets, the militants' weapons storage facilities and underground rocket launching sites.

Rocket fire by Palestinian militants into Israel resumed after dawn following a relative lull overnight. 

Medics told news agency AFP that eight people died in central and southern Gaza and 30 were injured in the latest strikes.

The latest deaths raised the overall death toll in Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip to 38, as both sides continued to hurl missiles at each other. 

Tunisia's Foreign Minister (L) meets with a senior Hamas member in Rafah

Three Israelis have been killed in the recent violence. Four soldiers were also hurt in rocket fire along the southern flank of Israel's border with Gaza, the army said on Saturday.

Israel stepped up its air assault in retaliation to an unprecedented rocket strike aimed at Jerusalem.

Israel's military also called up 75,000 reservists, raising speculation of a ground invasion.

Despite the violence, Tunisia's foreign minister Rafik Abdessalem arrived in the coastal enclave early Saturday in a show of Arab solidarity, heading to a hospital to visit the wounded.

A house near Ashdod in Israel damaged by a rocket fired from Gaza

Mr Abdessalem called on the world to help stop Israel's "blatant aggression", and said the Arab League should act as it gathers for talks in Cairo.

Since the start of its operation, Israel's army says militants have fired more than 640 rockets over the border, 410 of which hit Israel, and 230 of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome anti-missile system.

Israeli leaders have threatened to widen Operation Pillar of Defence if the rocket fire from the Gaza Strip does not halt.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said options included the possible assassination of Hamas' Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and other top leaders.

"Every time that Hamas fires there will be a more and more severe response," he told Israel's Channel 2 TV.

US President Barack Obama has reiterated his country's support for Israel's right to defend itself against rocket attacks from militants in the Gaza Strip.

In a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr Obama also expressed his regret over the loss of Israeli and Palestinian civilian lives, the White House said.

The fighting in Gaza escalated on Wednesday when Israel killed Hamas's military chief in an airstrike.

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