Bomb Blast Near Cairo Police Academy

Egypt Bombings Bear The Mark Of Al Qaeda

Updated: 8:35pm UK, Friday 24 January 2014

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Not unprecedented, not unpredicted, the Cairo bombings blamed on radical Islamist groups do have a new distinctive signature - al Qaeda.

The global Jihadi movement has specialised for years in what the military call "complex attacks" - the assault of several targets in close chronological order.

The Egyptian capital was rocked by three explosions in one morning.

They were mostly targeting the organs of the state but, by hitting a metro station, they also signalled to the Arab world's most populous state that violence is going to continue to be a way of life.

Ironically, the terror attacks suit the military-dominated government of Egypt as much as it furthers the agenda of the violent groups who want to bring it to its knees.

The massive car bomb outside the state security building in Cairo, which left a gaping hole in the street and at least four dead, was easily predicted.

It flows directly from the massacre of supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi during July and August last year as they protested against the military coup that deposed him.

The former president's Muslim Brotherhood has foresworn the use of violence, and continues to insist that this is its position.

But the scale of the killing of Egyptian citizens by their own military last year inevitably led to a violent backlash.

This started in the Sinai where local tribes have been infiltrated by al Qaeda agitators, and further radicalised through violent Islamist groups from neighbouring Gaza, a Palestinian territory.

It has been inflamed by the banning of the Brotherhood late last year and the arrest of many of its leaders who have, therefore, been denied a peaceful platform.

Poor, disenfranchised, youth across the Middle East have been easy prey for the radicalising messages of al Qaeda-style groups who offer a simple means - violence - to a simple solution to their many woes - the establishment of an Islamic caliphate.

By launching attacks on the capital, the terrorists have played into the narrative of the military - that ridding the country of the Brotherhood is part of a necessary fight against terrorism.

The bombs are likely to signal greater attacks on personal freedoms by the government which have already resulted in the rounding up of non-Islamic pro-democracy activists and even the extended detention of foreign journalists.

The military calculation, which has the support of many Egyptians, is that it can crack down on radical Islamic groups so hard that it can crush them - much as it did for decades before the revolution which ended military rule in January three years ago.

The difference today is that al Qaeda-style violence is a global phenomenon which is tearing into the Middle East in Iraq, Syria, the Lebanon, and parts of the Palestinian territories.

It is ultimately self-sustaining, but it is fuelled by oppression.

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Syria Peace Talks Get Under Way in Geneva

The two sides in Syria's bloody civil war have met for the first time at peace talks in Geneva.

The negotiations have been dogged by delays with both factions blaming each other for a lack of progress.

Syria's Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad told Sky News he was to propose the best way for the country to move forward is to hold fresh elections.

Both sides sat at a U-shaped table and the international mediator Lakhdar Brahimi addressed delegates.

The talks are being overseen by the special envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi

The two sides entered and left the room through separate doors following the 30-minute session.

The talks are seen by many diplomats as the best hope for an eventual end to Syria's three-year conflict, which has left at least 130,000 people dead.

Sky's Sam Kiley said: "It's going to be a long, slow process."

Opposition spokesman Monzer Akbik said the regime had had to listen to them and the 'voice' of the Syrian people.

"The Syrian people want transition from dictatorship to democracy," he said.

He also revealed there had been no handshake.

Both sides shelved the major stumbling block regarding the future of President Bashar al Assad, to allow the talks to proceed.

Initial discussions will focus on local ceasefires and gaining access for humanitarian aid.

The major sticking point, however, remains demands for the formation of a transitional government, which had threatened to scupper the talks on Friday.

It led  the Syrian government delegation to issue an ultimatum that it would leave the summit if "serious" discussions did not start within 24 hours.

But diplomats have said even getting the sides to the same table could be considered an achievement.

More follows...

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'Francois Hollande To Separate' Claim Denied

Officials in France have denied reports that the country's president is to announce he is separating from his partner.

French newspaper Journal du Dimanche claimed Francois Hollande was expected to confirm he is leaving First Lady Valerie Trierweiler, following allegations he had an affair with a French actress.

However, a spokesman for the Elysee Palace, the president's official residence, told Sky News the "rumour" was "not true" and said it was not preparing to issue a statement.

Earlier this month, Mr Hollande admitted he was going through a "painful time" in his personal life, after a French gossip magazine printed photos it claimed showed him spending a night with Julie Gayet.

Julie Gayet appeared in a 2012 election film for Mr Hollande

Closer has since removed the report from its website, although it did not order copies of the publication to be pulled from newsstands.

Ms Gayet, 41, is suing the magazine for €50,000 (£41,650) in damages and €4,000 (£3,330) in legal costs, claiming it breached French privacy rules.

Mr Hollande, who has himself threatened legal action over the pictures, said he was "totally indignant" about the story, which he claimed threatened the principle of "respect for private life and people's dignity".

Although the president is not married to Ms Trierweiler, they are long-term partners.

She was admitted to hospital on January 10 after the allegations about Mr Hollande's private life were published, and was released only last weekend.

Journal du Dimanche, which did not cite its sources in its report, claimed the president wanted to settle the issue of his relationship with the first lady before she embarks on a charity trip to India.

He is due to travel to the US next month and previously promised to clarify matters before then.

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Gang Rape Villagers Flee India Police Inquiry

India's Supreme Court has ordered an investigation into the alleged gang rape of a young woman on the orders of a village council.

The woman told police that the rape by people she "knew as neighbours, as uncles and brothers" carried out the attack in West Bengal as punishment for her falling in love with a man from a different ethnic group.

Thirteen suspects, including the head of the village council, have already been arrested.

Other local men were reported to have fled, fearing arrest. Women and children left behind in the village were reluctant to talk about the events.

Police near the village of Subalpur, about five hours drive from the state capital Kolkata, said locals tried to prevent the alleged victim from reporting her ordeal by surrounding her house and threatening her with further violence.

"Members of the village council threatened her with dire consequences if she lodged a complaint with the police," police officer Kazi Mohammad Hossain said.

"The villagers surrounded her house but on Wednesday afternoon she managed to escape and came to the police station to file the complaint.

"She was limping and bleeding when she came to the police station."

The woman was reportedly raped through the night

Some neighbours described the victim as a charming woman and said she planned to marry her partner, who is Muslim.

The rape has rekindled the outrage in India over the treatment of women and brought fresh scrutiny to the role of village councils, which are common in rural India.

The councils decide on social norms in the village, and in some cases they dictate the way women can dress or who they can marry.

Those who flout the councils risk being ostracised.

Relationships remain an extremely sensitive subject in rural areas, where pre-marital sex is taboo and marriages are usually arranged within the same community, caste or religious group.

Punishments outside of India's law and justice system are common with regular reports of women being forced to parade naked or being flogged publicly for "disobeying" local laws.

The gang rape and murder of a young woman on a bus in December 2012 highlighted the issue of violence against women in India.

Unprecedented protests took place in the national capital and across the nation, and the government brought in new laws to protect women.

According to India's National Crime Records Bureau, rape is the singular fastest-growing crime in India.

From 1971 to 2012 the number of reports has grown by 900%. The conviction rate is just 1%.

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Frankfurt Court 'Revenge' Killing Leaves Two Dead

Two men have been killed in a possible revenger attack at a court complex in Frankfurt, officials say.

The attacker - reported to be a 47-year-old Afghan national and resident of nearby Eschborn - was believed to have fired shots in a courtyard by the courthouse, fatally injuring the first victim.

The other victim fled inside the building but was then fatally stabbed, police spokesman Ruediger Reges said.

Frankfurt prosecutors reportedly said the killings appeared to be linked to the case of a fatal stabbing of a car dealer in 2007, which was being heard in he court this week. 

Deputy police chief Gerhard Bereswill said the suspect was believed to be the brother of the 2007 victim, who was injured in the earlier attack.

The two men who were killed on Friday were suspects in the case.

The suspect ran off after the attack but was quickly detained and arrested.

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China: Four Jailed Over Hospital Baby Thefts

Four former hospital officials in China have been jailed for their part in a baby trafficking case.

The four defendants, tried in Weinan, in the northwest province of Shaanxi, were found guilty of dereliction of duty over the trafficking of seven newborns.

They were given jail terms of up to a year.

The four defendants pleaded guilty

The defendants included the former boss of Fuping County maternity hospital, the former deputy head of the obstetrics department and a member of the administration staff of the hospital.

The judge said the four defendants' behaviour had allowed obstetrician Zhang Shuxia to sell seven babies to traffickers, severely infringing the rights of the victims and their families.

The court took into account the defendants' admission of guilt and "obvious regret" for their crimes, and imposed lesser sentences accordingly.

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Supernova In Nearby Galaxy Stuns Astronomers

The explosion of a star in a nearby galaxy is causing amateur astronomers around the world to rush to their telescopes.

Designated SN 2014J the blast was caused by the complete destruction of a white dwarf - a small, incredibly dense star the size of a planet.

The stellar explosion, or supernova, was discovered in the M82 galaxy just 12 million light years away and was photographed by Nasa's Swift space observatory in low orbit around the Earth.

This makes the blast the nearest optical supernova to Earth in 20 years.

Such supernova blasts happen in one of two ways. Either the white dwarf pulled mass from another star until it reached a critical point and exploded, or it simply collided with another star, including possibly a second white dwarf.

Photographs sent back to scientists show a superheated shell of gas expanding outwards into space at tens of millions of miles per hour. The brightness of the shell depends on its size, transparency and how radioactive it is.

Astronomers expect SN 2014J to continue to brighten into the first week of February, by which time it may be bright enough to be visible from Earth using binoculars.

M82, also known as the Cigar Galaxy, can be located in the Ursa Major, or Great Bear, constellation and is a popular target for small telescopes.

The galaxy is undergoing a powerful episode of star formation that makes it many times brighter than our own Milky Way galaxy.

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Bear Scare As Couple Attacked Outside Home

A Scottish couple have had a brush with a bear after walking past it on the doorstep of their holiday home without even realising it was there.

CCTV footage shows Bob and Irene McKeown locking up their Californian holiday home as the creature lurks just metres from their front door.

The oblivious couple then walk towards their car, followed by the curious cub - and only realise the animal is there when it lurches towards them.

Mr McKeown said he suffered "a couple of scratches and a wee bit of bruising" after his encounter with the bear, which is believed to have been searching for food in Pasadena, near Los Angeles National Forest.

The animal, which neighbours said is a regular sight in the neighbourhood on days when rubbish is due to be collected, is not currently a risk to public safety, according to game warden Charlie Healy.

"It's just a bear knocking through a neighbourhood," he said. "We're just going to let the problem fix itself."

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Ukraine: Buildings Stormed As Protests Grow

Protesters have stormed government buildings in Ukraine amid continuing unrest in the country.

Demonstrators let off fire extinguishers against riot police as they forced their way into a regional administration office in the town of Vinnytsia, around 120 miles from the capital Kiev.

Earlier, about 100 anti-government activists rushed the country's energy ministry in Kiev, where clashes with police have continued.

President Viktor Yanukovych and opposition leader Vitali Klitschko

Energy Minister Eduard Stavytsky said their actions had threatened the country's entire power supply.

Protesters also continue to occupy Kiev city hall, which they have turned into a makeshift headquarters.

Officials have warned police could storm the building to free two officers allegedly being held by demonstrators.

Until the past week, the protests had centred mainly in Kiev, with only smaller rallies elsewhere.

But following the latest clashes, a series of local government buildings have been seized in the west of the country, where support for President Viktor Yanukovych is weak.

The protest map tweeted by Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt

It is being reported Mr Yanukovych is holding new talks with the country's opposition.

He had previously announced concessions to demonstrators to try to restore calm.

Mr Yanukovych offered to reshuffle his government and to grant an amnesty to dozens of activists arrested during weeks of rioting that has left four protesters dead and dozens of police officers injured.

But opposition leader and former heavyweight boxing champion Vitali Klitschko said only Mr Yanukovych's resignation would mollify the protests.

The rallies in Kiev began in November last year after Mr Yanukovych scrapped a treaty with the European Union in favour of a bailout loan from Russia, following lobbying by Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Political activists began by calling for stronger unification with Europe rather than a new alliance with Russia but the protests have since evolved to call for Mr Yanukovych's resignation and the scrapping of harsh anti-protest legislation.

Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt suggested Mr Yanukovych was losing control over his country. He posted a map of Ukraine on Twitter showing which regions had been hit by protests.

"If Kiev regime tries a military solution to this situation, it will be very bloody and it will fail," he tweeted.

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Bieber Emerges From Miami Hotel After Arrest

Justin Bieber has emerged from a private Miami hotel where he was holed-up after being bailed for driving under the influence.

The pop idol was arrested on Wednesday and charged after police said they caught him drag racing in Miami Beach, Florida, allegedly after drinking and smoking marijuana.

The 19-year-old left the boutique hotel shielded behind a bodyguard with his head covered in a red hooded top.

A crowd of screaming fans and photographers swarmed around him as he rushed, head down, into an SUV without making any comment.

Crowds throng a Miami hotel where Bieber stayed after being bail

He has thanked his fans for their support following his arrest, tweeting: "YOU ARE ALL WORTHY NO MATTER WHAT ANYONE SAYS >> BE STRONG GOD IS WITH US ALL> MY BELIEBERS CHANGED MY LIFE> I WILL FOREVER BE GRATEFUL."

Bieber posted bail of £2,500 (£1,500) on Friday after a brief court appearance where he was also accused of resisting arrest and having an expired driving license.

The Canadian-born star's latest run-in with the law could potentially see him deported from the US, according to immigration lawyers.

Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, violation of any US or foreign drug law - apart from the possession of a small personal amount of marijuana - is grounds for deportation.

Bieber thanks his 50 million fans for the support

"If ICE wanted to go after him, they could make a case," New York immigration lawyer Michael Wildes told ABCNews.com, referring to the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement unit.

Bieber is also under investigation for allegedly hurling eggs at a neighbour's house in Los Angeles - an incident that led police to search his mansion, where they seized illicit drugs and arrested one of his associates.

Although 50 million so-called Beliebers have thrown their support behind the singer, a petition calling for his green card to be revoked had received more than 17,000 signatures by Saturday afternoon.

The petition needs 100,000 signatures by February 22 to elicit a White House response.

Justin Bieber pictured after he was arrested. Pic: Miami Beach Police

It said: "We the people of the United States feel that we are being wrongly represented in the world of pop culture. We would like to see the dangerous, reckless, destructive, and drug abusing, Justin Bieber deported and his green card revoked.

"He is not only threatening the safety of our people but he is also a terrible influence on our nation's youth."

Bieber lives and works in the US under a so-called O-1 visa - which state's a person must "demonstrate extraordinary ability by sustained national or international acclaim" to work temporarily in the country.

Diana Scholl, of the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington, suggested Bieber could dodge deportation on account of his fame and fortune.

The singer waves to fans after his release from jail

"If convicted, another immigrant in his situation would very likely languish in immigration detention before being deported," she said on the ACLU.org website.

Immigration lawyer Stacy Tolchin, quoted in the Los Angeles Times newspaper, said a drug conviction could pose a "big problem".

But she added that while Bieber's alleged offences were "not good," they were unlikely to add up to a violation of his visa status.

Ms Tolchin said: "Let's say if it's assault, a felony assault, and he's convicted, that's a big problem... He really needs to get excellent criminal defence and an excellent immigration attorney."

Bieber's booking form after his arrest

One in 10 deportees are legal permanent residents, or "green card" holders, a majority of whom had merely committed "minor, non-violent crimes," said the Immigration Policy Center in Washington in a 2010 report.

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