Iran Claims Israel 'Wound' Comments Distorted

Iran president-elect Hassan Rouhani has attempted to distance himself from comments attributed to him referring to Israel as a "wound" in need of "cleansing".

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had been quick to respond to the comments, reportedly made by Mr Rouhani to journalists attending annual Quds Day rallies in Tehran.

"The Zionist regime is a wound inflicted for years on the body of the Muslim world that must be cleansed," Iranian media had reported Mr Rouhani as saying. 

Mr Rouhani will be inaugurated as president of Iran on Sunday after winning June elections by a landslide.

Mr Netanyahu immediately criticised Mr Rouhani's comments, saying they revealed the Iran government's real thinking.

Mr Ahmadinejad has often questioned Israel's legitimacy

"The true face of Rouhani has been revealed earlier than expected," he said in a statement.

"Even if the Iranians work to deny these comments, this is what the man thinks and reflects the regime's plans," he said.

However, as the diplomatic row threatened to escalate, Iranian state media claimed Mr Rouhani's comments had been distorted and that he had made no mention of the need to "cleanse" or "remove" Israel.

Mr Rouhani was seen in new video footage, broadcast by state-backed Press TV, saying: "In our region there's been a wound for years on the body of the Muslim world under the shadow of the occupation of the holy land of Palestine and the beloved al-Qods (Jerusalem)".

Earlier in the day, outgoing president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had whipped up anti-Israel sentiment at a Quds Day rally in the capital.

Mr Ahmadinejad said: "I will inform you with God as my witness, a devastating storm is on the way that will uproot the basis of Zionism. 

Prime Minister Netanyahu said Mr Rouhani had revealed his true thinking

He added Israel had "no place in this region". 

In his remarks, Mr Ahmadinejad accused Israel and its Western supporters of fomenting discord in the Middle East, saying "it was their dream to see the will of regional countries bent on destroying (Israel) diverted towards civil war".

"Who is happy for what is happening in Egypt and Syria?" he asked, charging that Israel was celebrating the unrest in those countries. 

Iran staged massive rallies to mark annual Quds Day, with speeches and sermons supporting the Palestinian cause and condemning Israel.

In the past, Mr Rouhani has pledged to follow a "path of moderation" and promised greater openness over Iran's nuclear program, which has placed it at odds with the West.

His remarks about Israel - his country's archenemy - follow in a long tradition of comments made by former Iranian leaders.

Quds Day is an annual event in Iran since 1979, traditionally held on the last Friday of Ramadan, to express solidarity with the Palestinian people.

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Yemen: UK To Close Embassy Temporarily

The British Embassy in the capital Sana'a is preparing to close for two days as a "precautionary measure".

The embassy, which is already operating with reduced staff, will close temporarily on August 4 and 5.

It comes as the Foreign Office issued further advice warning against all travel to the country and said British nationals who remain there are unlikely to be evacuated should violence escalate.

"If you travel to Yemen against our advice, you should regularly reassess your security and plan any movements around the country carefully," the Foreign Office said.

"The provision of close security protection and/or a military escort is extremely important.

"There is a high threat from terrorism throughout Yemen ... (and) there is a very high threat of kidnap from armed tribes, terrorists and criminals."

The warning comes as the US State Department issued a global travel alert amid fears of possible al Qaeda terrorist attacks.

Some 21 American embassies in the Middle East, including Yemen, will close on Sunday, although there was no immediate indication of any link between the British and US actions.

Clashes have been reported in Sana'a, where a group of soldiers who joined a mutiny in an elite military unit tried to storm the presidential palace.

At least one person was killed and six injured, with tanks and armoured vehicles deployed to maintain security.

The attackers were reported to be part of a group of Republican Guard troops loyal to Yemen's ousted president Ali Abdullah Saleh.

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Zawahiri Claims US Plotted Morsi's Downfall

Al Qaeda chief Ayman al Zawahiri has accused the United States of "plotting" to overthrow Egypt's Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

In an audio recording posted to militant Islamist forums, he said the US colluded with the Egyptian military, secularists and Christians to force out Mr Morsi.

Zawahiri, himself an Egyptian, said: "Crusaders and secularists and the Americanised army have converged ... with Gulf money and American plotting to topple Mohamed Morsi's government."

He accused Egypt's Coptic Christian minority of supporting the Islamist president's ouster to attain "a Coptic state stripped from Egypt's south".

Protests have been taking place in Egypt

They are the militant leader's first public comments on Mr Morsi's ousting.

The comments came as backers of Mr Morsi staged defiant rallies after the government ordered their protest camps to be broken up.

Supporters of Mr Morsi began to march after Friday prayers, pouring out of several Cairo mosques.

The afternoon rallies passed off peacefully, with demonstrators marching along main thoroughfares in the capital.

Mohamed Morsi was ousted in a military coup

By early evening, they held several smaller demonstrations, including by Cairo's Media Production City in the city's outskirts, where security forces fired tear gas after an alleged attempt by protesters to storm the building.

Protesters reportedly tore up the pavement to make barriers as police in armoured vehicles fired barrages of tear gas.

The marches came a day after US Secretary of State John Kerry angered Morsi loyalists by saying Egypt's military had been "restoring democracy" when it deposed the Islamist leader.

In an interview he said: "The military did not take over, to the best of our judgement - so far. To run the country, there's a civilian government. In effect, they were restoring democracy."

A spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood denounced the comments, accusing Washington of being "complicit" in the coup.

"Is it the job of the army to restore democracy?" asked Gehad al Haddad in a statement.

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Ireland Digs Deep For Economic Recovery

By David Blevins, Ireland Correspondent, in County Mayo

Seismic surveys are to be carried out to ascertain if Ireland has enough oil and gas reserves to export fuel.

Shell is already building the longest gas tunnel in Europe (4.9km) to transport fuel from one field, 85km off the west coast.

If Russia ever turns off the supply, Ireland may soon be able to offer an alternative.

Michael Crothers, managing director of Shell Ireland, explained: "Because Ireland is beside a major market, and the UK is looking at decommissioning nuclear facilities, having to shut down coal-fired power plants because of greenhouse gas emissions, there's an enormous opportunity for Ireland, if gas can be found, to export into that ready market."

At the peak of its 20-year life, gas from the Corrib field will meet two thirds of Ireland's need. 

The ambitious project has created 1,400 construction jobs in County Mayo, a remote region previously blighted by unemployment and emigration.

Bernadette McManamon, a civil engineer, said: "Sixty percent of my class, if not more, have emigrated and most of them are in Malaysia or Australia and some in America so I definitely wouldn't be working in Ireland … if it wasn't for the Corrib gas project."

The exploration has not been without its opponents. In 2005, five local protesters - the so-called 'Rossport Five' - went to prison.

Civil engineers will carry out the seismic surveys

Lessons have been learned about the need for greater engagement with communities along the coastline before any prospecting takes place.

Gerry Coyle, a Fine Gael councillor, said: "You cannot come in and go telling them what to do. You have to explain in great detail.

"Sometimes, it's very difficult on communities. This community were cast into the middle of this. They didn't go looking for gas. Gas came to them."

Mr Crothers agreed: "I really think it depends upon how they are approached. Any project is a balance between the social, the environmental and the economic and getting that balance right is key."

The gas has brought an estimated 6bn euros (£5bn) for Ireland's GDP.

Tommy Talbot, who opened a local hotel during the recession, said: "You drive from here to Dublin and there's a lot of towns on the way out - Roscommon, Leitrim, there's nothing in them. They really are struggling.

"Down here, we really have been cushioned by the development."

To date, they have found one trillion cubic feet of gas in the Corrib field, boosting the country's energy security.

If the seismic surveys turn up enough fuel for export, Ireland could have found the solution to its economic problems.

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Bloodhound: Russia Bars US Band For Pants Antics

American rock group Bloodhound Gang has been barred from a music festival in Russia after a band member shoved the country's flag into his underpants during a gig.

Bassist Jared Hasselhoff put the flag into the front of his pants and then pulled it out of the back during a concert in the Ukrainian city of Odessa on Wednesday.

"Don't tell Putin!" he said to the applause of the audience.

The antics were posted on YouTube.

Moscow reacted angrily by banning the band - which is famous for its sexually explicit songs - from performing at a festival in the Krasnodar Black Sea region, also known as Kuban.

The event, held on August 1-7, is expected to feature bands including The Prodigy, Guano Apes and Scooter.

Russian Culture Minister Vladimir Medinsky said on Twitter said: "I spoke to the Krasnodar region authorities. Bloodhound Gang is packing their suitcases. These idiots will not perform in Kuban."

The incident happened against the background of a deepening rift in relations between Russia and the US including the furore over the US fugitive spy agency contractor Edward Snowden who was granted asylum by Moscow this week.

Bloodhound Gang, famous for their provocative songs such as "You're Pretty When I'm Drunk", "I Wish I Was Queer So I Could Get Chicks" and "Kiss Me Where It Smells Funny?" apologised, according to local press.

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Prison Massacre: 25 Police Officers Jailed

Twenty five police officers have each been sentenced to 624 years in jail for their role in Brazil's infamous Carandiru prison massacre.

A total of 111 prisoners were killed and 87 injured when police began shooting at random during a riot at the Sao Paulo jail in 1992.

The officers were found guilty of killing 52 prisoners after a week-long trial.

The verdicts were the second of four tranches of a trial involving different floors of the prison.

Twenty three officers were jailed for life in the first stage in April after more than two decades of legal delays.

They were each sentenced to 153 years in prison after being found guilty of killing 13 inmates.

Prosecutors argue that the prisoners were executed, while the defence claims the officers were acting in self-defence.

Human rights groups point out that no officers were injured in the violence.

A woman walks past grafitti outside the jail

The only person previously tried for the massacre was the police chief in charge of the operation, Colonel Ubiratan Guimaraes, who was sentenced to 632 years prison in 2001.

Guimaraes later appealed the sentence and was freed. He was found shot dead in his Sao Paulo apartment in 2006.

The prison was closed in 2002 after a series of riots across Sao Paulo, and was later demolished.

At the time of the massacre, Carandiru had 8,000 inmates and was the largest prison in Latin America.

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Fired IT Worker Sues Zimmerman Prosecutor

A former IT director in the office of the prosecutor who tried George Zimmerman has filed a $5m lawsuit against his former boss claiming he was unlawfully fired.

Ben Kruidbos was fired after testifying that prosecutors failed to turn over potentially embarrassing evidence extracted from teenager Trayvon Martin's mobile phone to the defence, as required by evidence-sharing laws.

Zimmerman shot Travyon dead but was cleared of murder

Mr Kruidbos argues that he was dismissed by State Attorney Angela Corey's office in retaliation for giving evidence at the pre-trial hearing in which Mr Zimmerman's attorneys were seeking sanctions against prosecutors.

Judge Debra Nelson postponed the sanctions hearing until after Zimmerman's trial.

On July 13, Mr Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder in the shooting of Trayvon, a black, unarmed 17-year-old, in Florida.

The case prompted rallies nationwide calling for a civil rights probe and federal charges against him.

Mr Zimmerman, who identifies himself as Hispanic, rejected accusations he had racially profiled Trayvon, saying he fired his weapon in self-defence during a confrontation in a gated community in Sanford.

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Interpol Global Security Alert After Jailbreaks

A global security alert has been issued by Interpol as it urged countries to be on their guard following a series of prison breaks believed linked to al Qaeda.

The international police organisation warning comes after America's State Department put out a worldwide travel alert and will close 21 of its embassies and consulates across the Muslim world on Sunday.

The US measure was in response to non-specific information suggesting the terror network was planning attacks during the month of August.

The Obama administration has warned US citizens of the potential for terrorism particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.

US joint chiefs of staff chairman General Martin Dempsey said there was a "significant threat", describing it as "more specific" than previous threats.

A section of the British embassy compound in Yemen

Meanwhile, Britain is shutting the doors of its embassy in Yemen on Sunday for two days due to increased security concerns. France will also close its embassy for the same reason.

Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has withdrawn a number of staff from the capital Sana'a, and British nationals have been warned against all travel to the country.

Those still in Yemen have been advised to leave immediately, as it is "extremely unlikely" their evacuation could be arranged if the security situation deteriorates.

The FCO recommended particular vigilance during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, which ends on August 8, when "tensions could be heightened".

Interpol urged countries around the world to show "increased vigilance", following a series of prison escapes over the past month, which freed hundreds of terrorists in Iraq, Libya and Pakistan.

The State Department warned US citizens of the potential for terrorism

It said: "Interpol is asking its member countries to closely follow and swiftly process any information linked to these events and the escaped prisoners.

"They are also requested to alert the relevant member country and Interpol general secretariat headquarters if any escaped terrorist is located or intelligence developed which could help prevent another terrorist attack."

Yemen has become a stronghold of al Qaeda over recent years, with local offshoot al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula believed to have several hundred members.

This was despite efforts by the country's authorities to suppress the group and US drones killing leaders including Anwar al Awlaki.

Four Americans were killed in the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi

Yemen was the source of an attempt to bomb a US-bound airliner in 2009.

There has been unrest recently after the mutiny of troops in the Republican Guard, with fighting around the presidential palace on Friday.

The latest alert by the US warned that al Qaeda or its allies may target American government or private US interests.

It cited dangers involved with public transportation systems and other prime sites for tourists, noting that previous terrorist attacks have centred on subway and rail networks as well as aircraft and boats.

The US State Department issued a major warning last year informing American diplomatic facilities across the Muslim world about potential violence connected to the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

In Benghazi, Libya, four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed in an attack on the US consulate.

The deadly assault has prompted several calls for investigations from House Republicans who have accused the Obama administration of misleading Americans about the attack.

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Jewels Stolen At Hotel Du Cap Near Cannes

Thieves have made off with £35,000 ($53,000) of jewellery from a luxury hotel on the French Riviera - the latest in a string of heists in the area.

Two safes were cracked open at the Grand Hotel Hotel du Cap - in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, near Nice, and the thieves tried others without success, police said.

Identity papers were also taken in the raid.

The five-star hotel reported the incident on Friday evening and police blocked roads but the thief, or thieves, had escaped.

The luxury hotel is famous for hosting film stars, royalty and oligarchs.

It comes after a number of high-value raids in nearby Cannes.

Last weekend, a lone gunman stole nearly £90m of jewellery from a diamond exhibition at the Carlton Hotel.

The thief got away on foot with a suitcase full of gems in one of the biggest heists of its kind in recent years.

A few days later, men with a grenade and a gun held up a Cannes store selling luxury watches and left with goods valued between £870,000 and £1.3m.

Two jewellery raids during the French resort's film festival also hit the headlines this year, with gems stolen totaling more than £2m.

Police said the latest relatively small-scale theft is of a type that happens fairly frequently during the summer in France's Mediterranean resorts.

Detectives have not given any indication that the thefts are related.

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Zimbabwe: EU Concern On Election 'Irregularities'

Zimbabwe: Mugabe's Party Claims Win

Updated: 2:28pm UK, Thursday 01 August 2013

Zimbabwe Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai has dismissed the country's national elections as a "huge farce" and the results invalid because of intimidation and ballot-rigging by President Robert Mugabe's ruling party, which has claimed victory.

"In our view, that election is null and void," he said, after a senior Zanu-PF source earlier claimed a resounding victory for President Mugabe in Zimbabwe's presidential and parliamentary elections.

The unnamed senior official said the outcome was already clear and told Reuters news agency: "We've taken this election. We've buried the MDC. We never had any doubt that we were going to win."

The opposition, Mr Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), immediately claimed the elections had been "a monumental fraud" and held an emergency meeting.

"Zimbabweans have been taken for a ride by Zanu-PF and Mugabe, we do not accept it," a senior source told Reuters.

Releasing results early is illegal, and the police had warned they would arrest anybody making premature claims before the official five days the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission had said it could take to announce the result.

Riot police took up positions outside the Zanu-PF party's headquarters in central Harare and other key locations in the capital, including an MDC office.

The party later withdrew what it said was an unauthorised message on its Twitter feed claiming a landslide win, and insisted that it was awaiting the release of the official count.

The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN) - the country's leading domestic election monitoring agency - said the credibility of the vote was "seriously compromised" by irregularities on polling day.

It said as many as one million eligible voters were not on the electoral roll, and urban voters, who mainly favour Mr Tsvangirai, had been turned away from polling stations in their thousands.

Conversely, only a small number had been prevented from voting in the countryside, where President Mugabe has most support.

It also cast doubt on the authenticity of the voters' roll, noting that 99.97% of voters in the countryside were registered, compared to 67.9% in urban areas.

"It is not sufficient for elections to be peaceful for elections to be credible," ZESN chairman Solomon Zwana said. "They must offer all citizens ... an equal opportunity to vote."

Separate reports claimed key MDC members had lost their seats, even in the capital, and that the election was looking like a "disaster" for Mr Tsvangirai.

To win an outright victory, one of the candidates has to secure more than 50% of the vote.

Half the country's 12.9 million population was eligible to vote at the more than 9,000 polling stations nationwide.

The dispute erupted as polling stations closed and counting got under way amid fears of a repeat of the violence that marred the 2008 election.

Turnout was high, particularly in urban areas where the polling stations stayed open late into the evening to allow everyone in the queues to cast their votes.

The presidential contest pit the 89-year-old incumbent President Mugabe against his main rival Mr Tsvangirai, who his supporters believed a big turnout would favour, blunting the impact of any manipulation of the vote.

Zimbabweans voted in large numbers despite concerns about the credibility of the electoral process, and the vote was relatively peaceful compared to disputed and violent polls in 2008.

However, the fiercely contested election was dogged by claims of intimidation and vote rigging, despite assurances by official poll monitors of "a peaceful, orderly and free and fair vote".

It is the third time Mr Tsvangirai has tried to unseat President Mugabe, who denies vote rigging and said he would step down if he failed to extend his 33-year grip on power for another five years.

Sky Correspondent Emma Hurd, in South Africa, said: "Analysts inside Zimbabwe say it was going to be close anyway - that Robert Mugabe was not going to be wiped out in a landslide victory by the opposition.

"But what all independent observers seem to agree on is that there will have been some element of rigging in the process.

"The question remains how much, and whether Robert Mugabe really needed to do it in the first place to win."

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