Mafia 'Insurance Scam' Gang Busted By Police

A criminal gang behind one of Italy's biggest cash-for-crash insurance frauds has been smashed, according to Italian police.

The mafia-style clan allegedly staged hundreds of fake car crashes every year before submitting illicit insurance claims using a network of insiders to give the claims credibility.

The fraud was just one of the charges against 70 people sought for arrest in dawn raids by police in the Calabrian city of Lamezia Terme, southern Italy.

Eugenio Ferrano and an unidentified woman were among those arrested

"The scam permitted the boss to manage his clan, to buy guns and drugs, and to pay his men," said Rodolfo Ruperti, head of the police squad that carried out the investigation.

The group had local insurers, doctors, lawyers and car repairers on the payroll to pull off the fraud against Zurich Insurance Group, Mr Ruperti added.

He said it had earned over a million euros (£843,000) a year.

The gang were said to have stained Lamezia with 'blood and murder'

The insurance scam is just one of the crimes the gang is suspected of.

Boss Giuseppe Giampa, 32, allegedly extorted protection money from local businesses and sold the clan's votes to the highest bidder in a 2010 mayoral vote.

Police had a breakthrough when Giampa, who is also suspected of ordering 20 murders in a war for control of the city, reportedly turned informant.

Among those arrested on Friday were alleged hitmen thought to be behind 11 killings,

"It was a mafia system that not only stained Lamezia Terme with blood and murder, but it also bled dry the already fragile local economy," provincial police chief Guido Marino said.

A separate string of raids was carried out in Rome as part of a vast anti-mafia operation targeting around 100 people.

The blitz struck a "deadly blow to the mafia cell which had been operating in the capital for years" and was one of the largest operations ever mounted in the capital, police said.

Police spokesman Mario Viola told the news agency AFP that 51 people helping lead "illegal activities" were served with arrest warrants.

Some 500 police officers took part in the Rome raids, along with a helicopter, dog units and maritime police.

Police said the mobsters involved came from "the beating heart of the Roman and Sicilian crime world".

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Tunisian Leaders Assassinated With Same Gun

Tunisian politician Mohammed Brahmi was killed with the same gun that killed another opposition leader, the country's interior minister has confirmed.

Lotfi Ben Jeddou said the shots fired at Mr Brahmi outside the MP's home came from the 9mm automatic weapon used to kill Chokri Belaid six months ago, suggesting the involvement of the radical Islamist group Ansar al Sharia.

He named Boubacar Hakim, a hardline Salafist already being sought of suspicion of smuggling weapons from Libya, as the main suspect.

Mr Brahmi's daughter Balkis said she saw two men in black T-shirts and helmets fleeing the murder scene on scooters.

"At around midday, we heard gunfire and my father crying with pain," she said.

"We rushed out, my  brother, mother and I, to find his body riddled with bullets at the wheel of his car parked in front of the house.

"Local police took a long time coming and a neighbour took my father to hospital where he died. He lived as a man of principle and has left us a martyr."

An ambulance carrying Mr Brahmi's body is surrounded by mourners

Mr Brahmi's death threatened to plunge Tunisia into fresh political turmoil, with one of the country's biggest trade unions threatening a wave of strikes against a backdrop of widespread protests.

Thousands of people gathered outside the interior ministry in the capital Tunis, as protesters blamed the Islamist party Ennahda for the MP's killing.

The accusation was rejected by party leader Rached Ghannouchi, who described Mr Brahmi's death as "a catastrophe for Tunisia".

"Those behind this crime want to lead the country towards civil war and to disrupt the democratic transition," he said.

Mr Jeddou said there was no evidence of any political party's involvement in Mr Brahmi's assassination, while prime minister Ali Larayedh added: "I condemn in the strongest terms this odious crime which targets the whole of Tunisia and its security."

Further demonstrations are planned across Tunisia as Mr Brahmi's funeral takes place, while industrial action called for by the General Union of Tunisian Labour could further inflame tensions.

Mohammed Brahmi's daughter Belkaeis reacts to her father's death

A day of mourning has been declared and national airline Tunisair has cancelled all flights.

The assassination of Mr Belaid outside his home in February sparked a political crisis in Tunisia, as mass protests led to the resignation of then-prime minister Hamadi Jebali.

"Our family had the feeling Mohammed would suffer the same fate as Chokri Belaid," Mr Brahmi's sister Chhiba said.

Tunisia, the birthplace of the Arab Spring, is struggling with a democratic transition after the overthrow of dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali in 2011.

The country is led by Ennahda, which rules in a coalition with two secular parties.

However, the opposition has criticised the party for not cracking down on hardline Islamists, who have been blamed for many acts of violence in the last few years.

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US Will Not Seek Death Penalty For Snowden

Former National Security Agency analyst Edward Snowden would not face the death penalty for leaking secret information on surveillance programmes, the Attorney General has said.

In a letter dated July 23, Eric Holder said the criminal charges the ex-NSA worker faces do not carry the death penalty and that the US would not seek it even if Snowden is charged with additional crimes that were eligible for it.

Mr Holder said the letter follows reports that Snowden has filed papers seeking temporary asylum in Russia on the grounds that if he were returned to the US he would be tortured and face capital punishment.

The letter was sent to Alexander Vladimirovich Konovalov, Russian minister of justice.

In it, Mr Holder said: "I can report that the US is prepared to provide to the Russian government the following assurances regarding the treatment Mr Snowden would face upon return to the United States.

"First, the US would not seek the death penalty for Mr Snowden should he return to the US. Mr Snowden will not be tortured. Torture is unlawful in the US."

The letter added that he would be brought before a civilian court and would receive "all the protections that US law provides".

Whistleblower Snowden, who leaked information on largely secret electronic surveillance programmes, remains in a transit area at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport after travelling there from Hong Kong last month.

His passport has been revoked, but Mr Holder said he could still travel out of Russia because he remains a US citizen and is eligible for a limited validity passport which would allow him to fly directly to the US.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said Snowden can only be granted sanctuary in Russia if he stops actions that harm the US.

He has been offered asylum by three Latin American countries, but none of them is reachable by a direct flight from Moscow.

Snowden's father, Lon Snowden, said in an interview on NBC's Today show that some members of US Congress were trying to "demonise" his son.

He said politicians should be more focused on whether the NSA's collection of the phone records of millions of Americans is constitutional.

The House voted 217-205 on Wednesday to keep the NSA surveillance programme running.

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Putin Lands Giant Pike In Fishing Trip

Vladimir Putin has landed a giant pike on a recent weekend trip to Siberia, the Kremlin said, in the latest stunt by the Russian president.

The Kremlin said Mr Putin was joined on the trip by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, and both men were pictured in a relaxed mood during the weekend fishing expedition.

Mr Putin, 60, often resorts to outdoor stunts to prop up his ratings.

The recent photos showed the Russian president fishing, driving a motorboat and patting reindeers.

Earlier this month Vladimir Putin dived to the bottom of the Baltic Sea

The Kremlin said the pike weighed 21kg (46lb) and was shared with Mr Medvedev.

The two were shown in a video talk casually on a boat and smile as they drank tea together.

Some observers saw the expedition and resulting images as an attempt to prove Russia's top two remain unified despite reports of growing strains.

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Ohio Kidnapper Ariel Castro Accepts Plea Deal

The Cleveland man accused of holding three women captive in his home for about a decade has agreed to plead guilty in a deal to avoid the death penalty.

In exchange, prosecutors recommend Ariel Castro be sentenced to life without parole plus 1,000 years.

Castro was in court on Friday morning to enter the guilty plea.

When asked if he understood he would never be released from prison, Castro said: "I do understand that, your honour."

He added: "I knew I was pretty much going to get the book thrown at me."

Castro was far more interactive than in previous court appearances when he mostly kept his head down and eyes closed.

Castro kidnapped Gina DeJesus, Amanda Berry and Michelle Knight

During Friday's hearing, he answered the judge's questions in a clear, intelligible voice, saying he understood the proceedings and that he would never be released from prison.

Castro, who was born in Puerto Rico, said he could read and understand English well but had trouble with comprehension.

"My addiction to pornography and my sexual problem has really taken a toll on my mind," Castro told judge Michael Russo.

He later said he had been a sexual abuse victim as a child, but the judge cut him off, telling Castro he would have an opportunity to speak at his sentencing hearing.

The three women Castro held hostage - Amanda Berry, Gina DeJesus and Michelle Knight - said they were satisfied and relieved their former captor would remain behind bars for the rest of his life.

"Amanda, Gina, and Michelle are relieved by today's plea," the three women said in a statement released by the law firm Jones Day.

The women were held hostage for nearly a decade in Castro's home

"They are satisfied by this resolution to the case, and are looking forward to having these legal proceedings draw to a final close in the near future."

Castro's plea deal comes more than a month after a statement issued on behalf of the women said they were "hopeful for a just and prompt resolution" and had "great faith in the prosecutor's office and the court".

The 53-year-old had been scheduled to go on trial on August 5, charged with 977 offences.

They included two counts of aggravated murder related to accusations that he punched and starved one woman until she miscarried.

The former school bus driver also was charged with hundreds of counts of kidnapping and rape, plus assault and other counts.

News of the long-missing women's escape electrified the city of Clevelend

He was accused of repeatedly restraining the women, sometimes chaining them to a pole in a basement, to a bedroom heater or inside a van.

The charges alleged Castro assaulted one woman with a vacuum cord around her neck when she tried to escape.

The three women disappeared separately between 2002 and 2004, when they were 14, 16 and 20 years old.

Each said they had accepted a ride from Castro, who remained friends with the family of one of the women and even attended vigils over the years marking her disappearance.

The women escaped from Castro's house on May 6 when one of them kicked out part of a door and called to neighbours for help.

Castro was arrested within hours and has remained behind bars.

News that  the women had been found alive electrified the Cleveland area, where two of them were household names after years of searches, publicity and vigils.

Flanked by her sister, Amanda Berry with her daughter after their release

Castro fathered a six-year-old daughter with Miss Berry, authorities said.

They allege that on the day the child was born, Christmas 2006, Castro raped one of the other women, who had helped deliver the baby.

Miss Berry told authorities that she, her child and the other women never saw a doctor during their captivity.

Miss Knight said her five pregnancies ended after Castro starved and repeatedly punched her.

The three women recently appeared in an online video thanking the public for their support. They otherwise have tried to stay out of sight and have appealed for privacy.

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Warning Over 'Risky' Drilling In The Arctic

The Government has been accused of "complacently standing by" while oil and gas drilling starts in the Arctic despite the risks to the environment.

Companies such as Shell are not yet able to demonstrate they could clean up an oil spill in the harsh but pristine conditions of the Arctic, MPs on the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) said.

And a recent report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) warned that only a third of proved reserves of fossil fuels can be burnt before 2050 if global temperatures are to be kept from rising by more than 2C, widely regarded as the threshold for "dangerous" climate change.

As a result, exploring for new reserves in the Arctic is "needlessly risky", the MPs argued.

MPs claim Shell would be unable to clean up an oil spill in the Arctic

They accused ministers of failing to provide a coherent argument to support its view that exploring for oil and gas in the Arctic was compatible with avoiding dangerous climate change.

The report scrutinising the Government's Arctic policy follows an EAC report published last September which called for a halt to drilling in the Arctic until there were stronger protections against oil spills.

The latest report from the committee points to problems Shell has encountered in the Arctic in the past year, particularly the grounding of its Kulluk rig in December and the questions raised by US regulators as a result.

The US Department of the Interior has said that Shell entered the 2012 drilling season "not fully prepared" in terms of developing and testing critical systems, and had serious deficiencies in management of contractors, oversight and execution of operations in the Arctic.

Shell's problems, which led to it pausing its 2013 drilling plans, reinforced the need for a moratorium and the introduction of much higher - preferably unlimited - financial liability to cover any drilling that takes place in the future, the committee said.

2006: David Cameron "hugs" a husky to establish his green credentials

The MPs also reiterated their call for a sanctuary to be established in the Arctic, which is protected from oil and gas development.

EAC chairwoman Joan Walley said: "What happens in the Arctic will affect the UK, impacting our weather systems and biodiversity.

"Yet this Government is complacently standing by and watching new oil and gas drilling in the region, even though companies like Shell cannot prove they could clean up an oil spill in such harsh conditions."

A Government spokesman said: "We disagree with the committee's call for a moratorium on new oil and gas drilling. We are very aware of the possible environmental impact of an oil spill in the Arctic and support the use of the highest drilling standards.

"However, the UK is not an Arctic State and it is not for us to tell other countries which resources they can and cannot extract from their own sovereign territory.

"We also believe that our approach to oil and gas exploration in the Arctic is consistent with our commitment to limit average global temperature increase to two degrees."

In 2006, David Cameron was famously photographed in the Arctic, "hugging" a husky, as part of efforts to establish his green credentials while in opposition.

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North Korea: Kim Jong-Un Attends Huge Parade

North And South: A Quick History

Updated: 2:23pm UK, Thursday 25 July 2013

By Mark Stone, Asia Corespondent, in Pyongyang

On the Korean Peninsula there are two versions of history. The version people learn depends on whether they are North Korean or South Korean.

Either way though, understanding both versions is key to understanding this most unusual of countries: its quirks, its people, its politics and its government's ability to survive against the odds.

There is no logical reason why the land that makes up the Korean Peninsula should be split into two countries.

The people either side of the border speak the same language and have the same ancestors.

But since 1945, it has been two countries: the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea).

From 1910 until the end of World War Two, the Korean Peninsula was Japanese territory.

With Japan's defeat, America and the Soviet Union took control of the peninsula.

They decided to split it in two: America didn't want the communist administration in Moscow to control the whole thing. Moscow felt the same about total American control.

And an agreement was reached between Washington and Moscow and an arbitrary line was simply drawn across the middle.

The North became The Democratic People's Republic of Korea. It adopted the communist ideology of its Soviet masters.

A young war hero called Kim Il-Sung became its prime minister.

The South adopted American-style democracy and became the Republic of Korea.

Just five years later though in 1950, Kim Il-Sung and his new army, backed by communist China and Russia, invaded the South.

Within months North Korean forces controlled almost the entire peninsula.

An American-led United Nations force fought back and the Korean War had begun.

Three years of fighting left well over a million people dead. Among them were soldiers from both Koreas, America, China, Russia and Britain.

But no side could claim victory. The border remained where it had been at the start - across the 38th Parallel - and to this day it is a heavily guarded and mined demilitarised zone.

In the decades that followed, the Soviet Union and China continued to prop up the North.

Inside the closed country, Kim Il-Sung's government controlled information and adopted their own version of history which states that the US-backed South Koreans invaded the North.

In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed. North Korea had lost its main communist ally and trading partner.

The 1990s were dominated by a catastrophic famine in which millions died. A once strong country began to crumble.

And yet the country remained cut off, shunning most Western offers of help.

Kim Il-Sung, at his death in 1994, was declared Eternal President.

His son Kim Jong-Il ensured continuity and - on his death in 2011 - the leadership was assumed by his son, Kim Jong-Un.

And so through extreme control and isolation spanning 65 years, the Kim dynasty has cemented its cult of personality through which the state is still run.

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China: Toddler Pulled From Pram And 'Murdered'

A two-year-old girl who was thrown to the ground by a man during a row over a parking space in Beijing has died, state media say.

A witness told the Beijing Times that the man, identified only by his surname Han, wanted to park by a bus stop in Beijing.

But the toddler's mother, who was on foot, would not move out of his way as she tending to her daughter at the time.

Han got out of his car and allegedly hit the woman before taking the girl out of her pram, holding her up and throwing her "forcefully" to the ground, said the witness, a street-stall owner surnamed Zhou.

"The baby made no noises after being dropped, not even a cry of pain," the newspaper quoted Zhou as saying.

Another man came out of the car and also beat the mother before the pair drove away, it added.

The woman was waiting by a bus stop on Beijings Keji road

Police reportedly found Han, who was released from prison this year after serving a sentence for theft, in a hot spring bathhouse and detained him.

"Han was put in criminal detention on suspicion of intentional homicide on Thursday afternoon," state news agency Xinhua said, citing the Beijing Security Bureau.

Han could face the death penalty if he is convicted of murder.

The incident sparked outrage on Chinese social media as weibo users vilified the attackers and expressed grief over the toddler's fate.

"When you come back in another life, dear baby, be sure to be born in another country," one user wrote.

Another weibo user called the attackers "perverse animals" and a third called for the death penalty as punishment.

"For this kind of murderer with an evil nature, the death penalty should be carried out immediately," the post said.

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Egypt: 'Dozens Killed' As Rallies Turn Violent

Egypt: Timeline Of Unrest

Updated: 3:52pm UK, Saturday 27 July 2013

Key developments in Egypt since the beginning of the Arab Spring.

:: 2011

January 25: Egyptians stage nationwide demonstrations against the rule of President Hosni Mubarak.

February 11: Mubarak steps down and turns power over to the military, which dissolves parliament and suspends the constitution.

November 28: Egypt holds mutiple-stage parliamentary elections and the Muslim Brotherhood wins nearly half the seats in the law-making lower house.

:: 2012

May 23: First round of voting in the presidential elections.

June 30: Mr Morsi, elected with 51.7% of the vote, is sworn and becomes Egypt's first civilian and Islamist president.

August 12: The new president scraps a constitutional document that gave sweeping powers to the military and sacks Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, who ruled after Hosni Mubarak was ousted in February, 2011.

November 22: Mr Morsi announces sweeping new powers for himself.

November 30: Islamist-dominated constituent assembly adopts a draft constitution despite a boycott by liberals and Christians.

December 8: The president annuls the decree giving himself increased powers.

December 15 and 22: 64% of voters in a two-round referendum back the new constitution. Egypt plunges into political crisis, with demonstrations by Morsi supporters and opponents sometimes turning deadly.

:: 2013

January 24: There is violence between demonstrators and police on the eve of the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Mubarak. Nearly 60 people die in a week.

April 5: Four Christians and a Muslim are killed in sectarian violence.

May 7: President Morsi's cabinet reshuffle falls short of opposition demands.

May 16: Gunmen kidnap three policemen and four soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula. They are freed on May 22.

June 2: Egypt's highest court invalidates the Islamist-dominated senate, which assumed a legislative role when parliament was dissolved, and a panel that drafted the constitution.

June 15: Mr Morsi announces "definitive" severing of ties with Syria.

June 21: Tens of thousands of Islamists gather ahead of planned opposition protests.

June 23: Defence Minister Abdel Fattah al Sisi warns the army will intervene if violence erupts.

June 28: The US says non-essential embassy staff can leave after an American is killed during the protests.

June 29: The Tamarod (Rebellion) campaign which called rallies for June 30 says more than 22 million have signed a petition demanding Mr Morsi's resignation and a snap election.

June 30: Tens of thousands of Egyptians take to the streets nationwide determined to oust the president on the anniversary of his turbulent first year in power. At least 16 people die in protests across the country.

July 1: The opposition gives President Morsi a day to quit or face civil disobedience. Egypt's armed forces warn they will intervene if the people's demands are not met within 48 hours.

July 2: The presidency rejects the army's ultimatum, saying it will pursue its own plans for national reconciliation.

July 3: Mr Morsi is overthrown late in the day as the country's most senior army official announces the suspension of the Islamist-tinged constitution and a "road map" for a return to democratic rule to stop the bloodshed.

July 4: As Mr Morsi is held by the army, Supreme Constitutional Court Chief Justice Adly Mansour is sworn in as Egypt's interim president.

July 6: Fierce street battles between supporters of Morsi and their opponents leave at least 36 people dead.

July 8: Some 35 people are shot dead in clashes between Morsi supporters and the Egyptian army outside the Republican Guard's headquarters in Cairo.

July 9: Mr Mansour appoints economist Hazem el-Beblawi as prime minister and opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei as vice president. A military announcement backs up the appointments.

July 26: Millions pour into the streets of Egypt in rival demonstrations after a call by the country's military chief for protesters to give him a mandate to stop "potential terrorism" by supporters of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood. Five are killed in clashes. Prosecutors announce Morsi is under investigation for a host of allegations including murder and conspiracy with the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

July 27: Clashes in the early morning hours between security forces and Morsi supporters kill at least 120 protesters in Cairo.

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Train Crash Driver Held For 'Reckless Homicide'

The driver of a speeding train that hurtled off the rails killing 78 people in Spain has been detained for "reckless homicide", according to the country's Interior Minister.

Speaking at a news conference in the northwestern city of Santiago de Compostela where the accident happened, Jorge Fernandez Diaz said: "He has been detained since 7:40pm on Thursday for the alleged crimes of reckless homicide."

The driver, named by local media as 52-year-old Francisco Jose Garzon Amo, was arrested in the hospital where he was recovering after one of Europe's worst rail disasters.

Police said he refused to answer their questions on Friday from his hospital bed and the case has been passed to the courts.

The wrecked train at the site of the crash near Santiago de Compostela

The driver will be questioned by a judge on Sunday, the interior minister added.

Under Spanish law, a suspect can be detained for a maximum of 72 hours before being heard by a judge.

"There are reasonable grounds to consider that he may have been responsible for what happened, which must be established by a judge and the investigation which has been opened," Mr Fernandez Diaz said.

Although the court hearing will be closed, it will give hints about the status of the investigation. The judge will decide whether to jail the driver as an official suspect, release him on bail, or release him without charges. If a judge finds sufficient evidence for a criminal trial, the suspect will be charged and a trial date set.

Some 78 people were killed in one of the worst crashes in Spain's history

The eight-carriage train, packed with 218 passengers, was said to have been travelling at more than twice the speed limit on a curve when it hurtled off the rails and slammed into a concrete wall, with one carriage leaping up onto a siding.

The grey-haired driver, who reportedly boasted of his love for speed online, has been under police surveillance in hospital since the accident on Wednesday evening but he was discharged today and taken to a police station.

He reportedly suffered head injuries in the accident that required stitches. Pictures showed him being led away from the scene with blood covering the right side of his head.

While Garzon's official explanation for the crash is awaited, blame has increasingly fallen on the driver, with Spain's railway agency saying it was his responsibility to brake before going into the high-risk curve where the train tumbled off the rails and smashed into a wall.

A man lights a candle in memory of the victims of the rail disaster

But it is still not clear whether the brakes failed or were never used.

The president of Adif, the Spanish rail agency, said that the driver should have started slowing the train 4 kilometres (2.5 miles) before the dangerous bend. He said signs clearly marked this point when the driver must begin to slow.

Meanwhile, doctors are continuing to try to identify the last three bodies of the 78 passengers killed in the catastrophe.

A memorial service for the victims will be held on Monday in the cathedral at Santiago de Compostela, the city just outside which the rail disaster occurred and a destination for Catholic pilgrims from around the world.  

Some 130 people were also injured in the crash.  

The Alvia 730 series train was travelling from Madrid to the port city of Ferrol when it derailed at about 8.40pm local time - 7.40pm UK time - on Wednesday.

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