British Pakistani man released after terror probe

2013-10-20

The 29-year-old man, a Briton of Pakistani origin, had been held during a string of raids last Sundaythat included armed officers shooting out the tyres of a car near the Tower of London. — File Photo by Reuters

LONDON: British police said Saturday they had released one of four men arrested during a dramatic counter-terrorism operation in London a week ago.

The 29-year-old man, a Briton of Pakistani origin, had been held during a string of raids last Sunday that included armed officers shooting out the tyres of a car near the Tower of London.

“Three men remain in custody,” London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement, adding that the fourth man has been released without charge.

They include two 25-year-old Britons, one of whom is of Turkish origin and the other of Algerian descent.

They were arrested on Sunday evening after police shot at their car with Hatton rounds, special shotgun ammunition used to breach doors and tyres, 200 metres from the Tower of London, one of London’s busiest tourist attractions.

The third suspect is a 28-year-old Briton of Azerbaijani origin who was shown on CCTV footage being wrestled to the ground by police.

The three remaining suspects were continued to be held at a south London police station on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.

Police have until Sunday night to question them, after which they can apply for another seven-day extension.

The BBC quoted unnamed officials as saying the suspects were accused of a “serious” jihadist plot involving the use of firearms.

John Kerry to meet Pakistani PM on Sunday

AFP | Oct 19, 2013, 06.25 AM IST

The two men would meet before Kerry heads on a visit to Europe, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Friday.

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State John Kerry will hold talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif here on Sunday at the start of the highest level official Pakistani visit to the United States in several years.

The two men would meet before Kerry heads on a visit to Europe, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki told reporters on Friday.

Sharif is also due to meet President Barack Obama on Wednesday, October 23, for the highest level White House talks between the two countries since the start of the US administration in 2009, another US official said.

“It’s an opportunity to broaden and deepen the relationship that we’ve both been working very hard towards in the last few years,” the senior State Department official said.

Topping the agenda are likely to be counter-terrorism efforts, as well as Pakistan’s concerns over its economy and energy supply.

Sharif was elected in May, and Washington has praised his efforts to reduce tensions in South Asia.

Relations with the United States have also improved since they plunged to one of their lowest points in 2011 amid the killing of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in a US commando raid in Pakistan, as well as the killing of 24 Pakistani soldiers in a US airstrike.

“There have been significant irritants which I think have reduced quite a bit over the course of the last year,” the US official said.

Washington needs Pakistan’s cooperation as it prepares to withdraw thousands of pieces of heavy equipment from Afghanistan ahead of the end of NATO combat operations at the end of 2014.

It is also looking to Pakistan to try to help with reconciliation efforts between the Taliban and Afghan leaders.

The United States also wants the Pakistani government to do more to crack down on militant havens. Pakistan, meanwhile, is chafing at continued US drone strikes against militants on its territory.

Drones are “part of a very comprehensive conversation we have on security across the board,” the US official said.

“As we talk about all these security issues that will be a key theme, not drones necessarily, but the security situation writ large.”

Couple in China sell baby daughter for iPhone: Report

By AFP

Published: October 18, 2013

Investigators found that the mother used the money to buy an iPhone, high-end sports shoes and other goods. PHOTO: AFP/ FILE

SHANGHAI: A young Chinese couple are facing criminal punishment for “selling” their infant daughter and using the proceeds to buy an Apple iPhone, state media said Friday.

Shanghai prosecutors have brought a case against them for human trafficking after they illegally put their third child up for adoption online and accepted money for the baby, the Liberation Daily reported.

Investigators found the mother, whose full name was not given, used the money to buy an iPhone, high-end sports shoes and other goods, it said.

Apple’s products are wildly popular in China, where a teenager sold his kidney and used the funds to buy an iPhone and iPad in an incident widely reported last year.

But the couple told police that they wanted the girl to have a better upbringing than they could afford, since they already had two children.

“Giving away the child was not for obtaining benefits, but giving the child better guarantees,” one said.

Some Chinese, especially in rural areas, have a traditional preference for sons though reports did not say if the child’s gender was also a factor in the case.

Online commentary condemned the couple, though some used black humour to describe modern Chinese society and the quest for wealth.

“So cold-blooded! These people do not deserve the right to be parents!” said Wangzhan1969 in a microblog posting.

“This is good business – no capital, huge profit and no need to sell kidneys,” said another posting.

An official of the prosecutor’s office handling the case expressed worry over “sensationalism” surrounding the affair but declined to comment further to AFP.

Shanghai police could not be reached for comment.

Reports did not give the amount the couple received for the child, but their online postings asked for $4,900 and $8,200.

Apple last month launched the iPhone 5s, including a gold-coloured model, and the more budget-conscious iPhone 5c in China.

Photographer captures Germany’s nuclear power plants from a different angle

Soon after Germany decided to shut down its nuclear plants, Michael Danner had a unique idea: to photograph the facilities that had powered his generation, before they were closed down for good.

Over more than five years the Berlin-based photographer took pictures of German nuclear plants, from the Unterweser facility on the North Sea coast, to the Isar power station in Bavaria. For Danner, who grew up in 1970s environmentally-conscious Germany, the project was not an easy one, but something he saw as being necessary. ‘I see my role as contributing to the debate on nuclear power,’ the Berlin photographer told DW in an interview.

Danner relates the story of being regularly tested for nuclear radiation during his photo-taking trips. But, over time the 46-year-old realized that the nuclear power sites were, in many ways, just like any other workplace. ‘I didn’t include people in the pictures, but there are small items – backpacks or trophies, for instance – that give an indication about those who work here. Some staff members have been working at nuclear sites for decades.’

Danner says that the use of archive pictures in his book, entitled ‘Critical Mass,’ was important to give his modern photos some context. Protests against the use of nuclear power and the storage of nuclear waste have punctuated Germany’s modern history. Thus ‘Critical Mass’ includes historical pictures from environmental activist Günter Zint as well as photos of anti-nuclear demonstrations Danner got from police archives.

Aside from contributing to the ongoing energy debate in Germany, Danner sees the project as showing a part of Germany’s countryside that would otherwise be forgotten. ‘Many of these areas are a long way out of town, in places that we Germans have heard of from the media but know nothing about,’ Danner explained. ‘For me, growing up as I did, going to visit them was a bit like going to visit the enemy,’ he said.