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Tag: InternationalNews

  • Embassy Life Like ‘a Space Station,’ Assange Says

    Four months holed up in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London has been “a little like living in a space station” but beats prison, fugitive WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Thursday.

    Assange sought refuge in the embassy in June, after losing a court battle against extradition to Sweden. Since then, he has been living in a single room with a frosted-glass window while the business of the diplomatic mission goes on around him.

    “It’s a little like living in a space station, because there’s no natural light and you’ve got to make all your own stuff. You can’t go out to shops and so on,” Assange told CNN in an interview Thursday.

    “But I have been in solitary confinement. I know what life is like for prisoners. It’s a lot better than it is for prisoners.”

    Embassy staffers would not allow CNN to view his living quarters, but Assange appeared relaxed and healthy despite his restricted circumstances.

    His comments came the same day WikiLeaks began disclosing a new round of U.S. military documents dealing with handling prisoners in American military custody.

    Ecuador granted Assange asylum in August, amid a diplomatic row between the United Kingdom and his South American hosts.

    British courts have approved his extradition to Sweden, and Assange faces arrest if he sets foot outside the embassy.

    Assange has not been charged with a crime, but Sweden has said it wants to question him about allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman there.

    Assange has denied the allegations and says they’re a ruse to get him to Sweden, which would then extradite him to the United States.

    Though the first of the newly published documents include no bombshells, Assange said the records his group will put out are “documents of incredible historical importance” and demonstrate a “climate of unaccountability” within the U.S. government.

  • Israel Accused of Bombing Sudan Arms Factory

    Sudan said on Wednesday that an Israeli air strike had caused the huge explosion and fire at an arms factory in Khartoum that killed two people, while Israel’s defence minister declined to comment.

    Sudan, which analysts say is used as an arms-smuggling route to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip via neighbouring Egypt, has blamed Israel for such strikes in the past but Israel either has refused to comment or said it neither admitted nor denied involvement.

    Asked by Israel’s Channel Two News about Sudan’s accusations, Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak said: “There is nothing I can say about this subject.”

    A huge fire broke out late on Tuesday at the Yarmouk arms factory in the south of the capital which was rocked by several explosions, witnesses said. Firefighters took more than two hours to extinguish the fire at Sudan’s main factory for ammunition and small arms.

    “Four military planes attacked the Yarmouk plant … We believe that Israel is behind it,” Information Minister Ahmed Belal Osman told reporters, adding that the planes had appeared to approach the site from the east.

    “Sudan reserves the right to strike back at Israel,” he said, saying two citizens had been killed and that the plant had been partially destroyed. Another person was seriously injured, he added.

    Around 300 people gathered in the evening at the courtyard of a government building where the Sudanese cabinet was meeting at an emergency session, shouting “Death to Israel” and “Remove Israel from the map.”

    “Israel is a country of injustice that needs to be deterred,” Vice President Ali Osman Taha, standing next to President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, told the crowd. “This attack only strengthens our firmness.”

    The governor of Khartoum state initially had ruled out any “external” cause for the blast but officials later showed journalists a video from the vast site. A huge crater could be seen next to two destroyed buildings and what appeared to be a rocket lying on the ground.

    Osman said an analysis of rocket debris and other material had shown that the attack had been engineered by Israel, which Sudan views as an enemy.

  • Movie: ‘Paranormal’ Debuts at No. 1 with $30.2M

    Scary movie fans are still into “Paranormal Activity,” though the horror franchise looks as though it’s starting to run out of steam at the box office.

    Paramount’s “Paranormal Activity 4” debuted at No. 1 with $30.2 million, a big drop from the $40 million and $50 million opening weekends of the last two installments, according to studio estimates Sunday.

    Perpetual hit maker Tyler Perry failed to find an audience for his new persona as an ace crime solver. Summit Entertainment’s “Alex Cross,” starring Perry as author James Patterson’s brilliant criminal profiler, was a dud, opening at No. 5 with $11.8 million.

    Perry has written, directed and starred in a string of hits featuring his sassy grandma Madea, which mostly have had opening weekends two and three times bigger than that of “Alex Cross.”

    Fans didn’t buy into Perry as the title character, who goes up against a diabolical serial killer.

    “He’s become so identified and so successful with the Madea franchise that when he steps outside of that, it doesn’t necessarily follow that the audience is going along with him,” said Paul Dergarabedian, an analyst for box-office tracker Hollywood.com. “It’s fun for him to stretch out a little bit, but it didn’t really pay off.”

    Ben Affleck’s Iran hostage tale “Argo” held up well in its second weekend, remaining at No. 2 with $16.6 million, dropping just 15 percent from its debut. Big studio releases often drop 50 percent or more in subsequent weekends, but “Argo” has proven a hit with critics and audiences alike, earning Academy Awards buzz and strong word of mouth that should give it a long run at theaters.

    Affleck, who also directed “Argo,” plays a CIA specialist who concocts a wild plan to rescue six Americans hiding in Tehran after the 1979 takeover of the U.S. embassy there.

    Released by Warner Bros., “Argo” raised its domestic total to $43.2 million.

    Liam Neeson’s action sequel “Taken 2,” which had been No. 1 the previous two weekends, slipped to fourth place with $13.4 million, lifting the 20th Century Fox release’s domestic haul to $106 million.

    Adam Sandler’s animated hit “Hotel Transylvania,” from Sony Pictures, also held up well at No. 3 with $13.5 million, pushing its domestic earnings to $119 million.

    While domestic revenues were way down for the fourth “Paranormal Activity” flick, the franchise remains a big moneymaker for distributor Paramount.

    “Paranormal Activity 4” was produced on a tiny budget of $5 million, continuing the franchise’s trend of turning minimal investments into tidy profits.

    “For us, the focus is always, what are these movies made for and how profitable are they? Within Paramount, it’s a colossal success,” said Don Harris, the studio’s head of distribution.

    “A $5 million movie that has an opening weekend of over $30 million, it’s really kind of irrelevant what No. 2 or No. 3 did. The movies really stand on their own.”

    Overseas, “Paranormal Activity 4” had a good start with $26.5 million in 33 countries, giving it a worldwide total of $56.7 million.

    In limited release, Fox Searchlight’s acclaimed drama “The Sessions” did solid business, opening with $121,005 in four theaters in New York City and Los Angeles, for a healthy average of $30,251 a cinema.

    By comparison, “Paranormal Activity 4” averaged $8,851 in 3,412 theaters.

    “The Sessions” stars John Hawkes and Helen Hunt in the true-life story of a man, paralyzed by polio and stuck in an iron lung most of his life, who hires a sexual surrogate so he can lose his virginity. The film expands to more cities over the next month.

    While “Paranormal Activity 4” fell short of the franchise’s third installment, which opened over the same weekend last year, overall Hollywood revenues continued to rise after a late-summer slump.

    Strong holdovers such as “Argo,” “Hotel Transylvania” and “Taken 2” made the difference, with domestic business totaling $131 million, up 8 percent from the same weekend a year ago, according to Hollywood.com. Revenues were up for the fourth-straight weekend.

    “Last year, the box office was so top-heavy with `Paranormal Activity 3,’ and the rest of the films really underperformed,” Dergarabedian said. “This year, we have a much more balanced lineup.”

    Estimated ticket sales are for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Hollywood.com. Where available, latest international numbers are also included. Final domestic figures will be released Monday.

    1. “Paranormal Activity 4,” $30.2 million ($26.5 million international).

    2. “Argo,” $16.6 million ($1.2 million international).

    3. “Hotel Transylvania,” $13.5 million ($14.5 million international).

    4. “Taken 2,” $13.4 million ($23.6 million international).

    5. “Alex Cross,” $11.8 million.

    6. “Sinister,” $9 million ($2.3 million international).

    7. “Here Comes the Boom,” $8.5 million.

    8. “Pitch Perfect,” $7 million ($320,000 international).

    9. “Frankenweenie,” $4.4 million ($4.1 million international).

    10. “Looper,” $4.2 million ($5.6 million international).

  • Korea to Launch Naro Rocket into Space Friday

    Korea has started its countdown for the expected launch of the Korea Space Launch Vehicle-1, also known as the Naro rocket.

    There is slight chance of rain on the day of its third attempt to shoot it into space, but officials said the launch schedule remains set for Friday at 3:30 p.m.

    This will be the first and last launch of Naro using Russian technology including a liquid-fueled rocket engine, should it succeed.

    Korea has an agreement with Russia in which the latter will provide three engines taking into account of the possibility of launch failure, not its rocket propulsion technology.

    However, Russia has agreed to share design and operational know-how in launch pads with Korea.

    The so-called “joint venture” rocket launched purely for scientific purposes has failed to launch twice into space, and everyone ranging from government officials to the public is counting on Naro to make history this Friday.

    Experts said that a successful launch will provide a foothold for the country to further develop its proprietary rockets and satellites that can monitor climate change and the environment among other things crucial to the society.

    But the country still has a long way to go before it can catch up with other advanced economies ― even China. Korea’s space budget is one-tenth of that of Japan, and one-hundredth of China.

    In comparison with automobiles, Korea’s level of space technology is on a par with the Hyundai Pony using foreign engines, said Lee Chang-jin, professor of aerospace engineering at Konkuk University.

    “However, Naro would be a stepping stone for Korea to develop indigenous application satellites with our own made-in-Korea rocket engine equivalent to luxury automobiles such as BMW as Korea has sufficiently learned from its past failures,” Lee said.

    He added that developing a space program will need time and patience.

    Their potential, which may not be noticeable in the near term, should be seen like other industries such as shipbuilding and semiconductors whose success did not happen overnight.

    Prof. Chang Young-keun of Korea Aerospace University said that space is all about “trials and errors,” and the next crucial step after the Naro launch is to develop Korea’s domestic rocket propulsion technology.

    “That technology will define Korea’s space capability over the next 10 years,” said Chang.

    This is the area where South Korea not only lags behind other advanced economies but also North Korea, which already has the know-how in developing liquid rocket engines.

    North Korea’s Taepodong missile rockets use liquid engines, which initially pushed South Korea to launch its space and rocket programs.

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  • Barcelona vs Celtic: 2-1

    Celtic produced a performance full of heart and tactical discipline but lost out to an injury-time Jordi Alba goal.

    The visitors led after the presence of Georgios Samaras helped force Javier Mascherano to divert a Charlie Mulgrew free-kick into his own net.

    Barcelona were not at their best, but produced a moment of sheer class to allow Andres Iniesta to equalise.

    Celtic stood firm in the face of relentless pressure until the dying seconds when Alba stole in to score.

    It was incredibly cruel on Celtic, who were outstanding to a man.
    They remain second in Champions League Group G but now trail Barcelona, who maintain their 100% record, by five points.

    Spartak Moscow, who beat Benfica earlier in the day, are a point behind Neil Lennon’s side with the Portuguese side bottom with a single point.

    It had looked ominous for the visitors as early as the second minute when Barcelona sliced through their defence for the first time, Iniesta providing the killer ball, only for Alexis Sanchez to dink the ball wide of Fraser Forster’s right-hand post.

    That apart though, Celtic began the match comfortably, coping well with the constant passing and movement of the Catalan side.

    Forster’s first major test came 17 minutes in, and he dealt with it brilliantly.

    Lionel Messi floated the ball over the Celtic defence, Iniesta turned it across goal where Marc Bartra flashed a header on target, only for the giant Celtic keeper to push it away.

  • Barcelona vs Celtic: 2-1

    Celtic produced a performance full of heart and tactical discipline but lost out to an injury-time Jordi Alba goal.

    The visitors led after the presence of Georgios Samaras helped force Javier Mascherano to divert a Charlie Mulgrew free-kick into his own net.

    Barcelona were not at their best, but produced a moment of sheer class to allow Andres Iniesta to equalise.

    Celtic stood firm in the face of relentless pressure until the dying seconds when Alba stole in to score.

    It was incredibly cruel on Celtic, who were outstanding to a man.
    They remain second in Champions League Group G but now trail Barcelona, who maintain their 100% record, by five points.

    Spartak Moscow, who beat Benfica earlier in the day, are a point behind Neil Lennon’s side with the Portuguese side bottom with a single point.

    It had looked ominous for the visitors as early as the second minute when Barcelona sliced through their defence for the first time, Iniesta providing the killer ball, only for Alexis Sanchez to dink the ball wide of Fraser Forster’s right-hand post.

    That apart though, Celtic began the match comfortably, coping well with the constant passing and movement of the Catalan side.

    Forster’s first major test came 17 minutes in, and he dealt with it brilliantly.

    Lionel Messi floated the ball over the Celtic defence, Iniesta turned it across goal where Marc Bartra flashed a header on target, only for the giant Celtic keeper to push it away.

  • Apple Unveils iPad Mini

    Apple is set to start selling an 8-inch version of the iPad to compete with Amazon.com’s Kindle and other smaller tablets, but it set a higher-than-expected price tag of $329 that Wall Street fears could curb demand.

    Apple’s pencil-thin, smaller iPad Mini will cost much more than its competitors when it goes on sale on Friday, signalling the company is not going to get into a mini-tablet price war.

    The company debuted the iPad Mini on Tuesday, with a screen two-thirds smaller than the full model and half the weight. In a surprise, Apple also revamped its flagship, full-sized iPad just six months after the launch of the latest model.

    Apple’s late founder Steve Jobs once ridiculed a small tablet from a competitor as a “tweener” that was neither big enough nor small enough to compete with tablets or smartphones. Now Apple’s own Mini enters a growing small-tablet market dominated by the Kindle Fire.

  • Apple Unveils iPad Mini

    Apple is set to start selling an 8-inch version of the iPad to compete with Amazon.com’s Kindle and other smaller tablets, but it set a higher-than-expected price tag of $329 that Wall Street fears could curb demand.

    Apple’s pencil-thin, smaller iPad Mini will cost much more than its competitors when it goes on sale on Friday, signalling the company is not going to get into a mini-tablet price war.

    The company debuted the iPad Mini on Tuesday, with a screen two-thirds smaller than the full model and half the weight. In a surprise, Apple also revamped its flagship, full-sized iPad just six months after the launch of the latest model.

    Apple’s late founder Steve Jobs once ridiculed a small tablet from a competitor as a “tweener” that was neither big enough nor small enough to compete with tablets or smartphones. Now Apple’s own Mini enters a growing small-tablet market dominated by the Kindle Fire.

  • Syrian Government Won’t Bomb on Eid

    International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi has said the Syrian government has agreed to a ceasefire during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, a decision Damascus would announce shortly.

    “After the visit I made to Damascus, there is agreement from the Syrian government for a ceasefire during the Eid,” Brahimi told a news conference at the Cairo-based Arab League on Wednesday.

    The holiday starts on Thursday and lasts three or four days.

    Brahimi, a mediator appointed by the United Nations and League, did not specify the precise time period.

    Brahimi, who arrived in Cairo on Tuesday, is due to meet with the head of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi for talks on the 20-month conflict.

    The envoy wanted “a long-lasting ceasefire that will enable a political process to unfold”.

    The 15-member Security Council is bitterly divided over the conflict with Western nations pressing for international actions against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and Russia and China blocking these moves.

    UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous spoke on Monday of tentative plans top assemble a peacekeeping force if the ceasefire takes hold.

    “We are getting ourselves ready to act if it is necessary and a mandate is approved,” Ladsous said..

    The Syrian authorities “are still optimistic,” deputy foreign minister Faisal Muqdad said. “The visit was successful and [Syria’s] co-operation with Brahimi is without limits.”

  • Syrian Government Won’t Bomb on Eid

    International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi has said the Syrian government has agreed to a ceasefire during the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, a decision Damascus would announce shortly.

    “After the visit I made to Damascus, there is agreement from the Syrian government for a ceasefire during the Eid,” Brahimi told a news conference at the Cairo-based Arab League on Wednesday.

    The holiday starts on Thursday and lasts three or four days.

    Brahimi, a mediator appointed by the United Nations and League, did not specify the precise time period.

    Brahimi, who arrived in Cairo on Tuesday, is due to meet with the head of the Arab League Nabil al-Arabi for talks on the 20-month conflict.

    The envoy wanted “a long-lasting ceasefire that will enable a political process to unfold”.

    The 15-member Security Council is bitterly divided over the conflict with Western nations pressing for international actions against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad and Russia and China blocking these moves.

    UN peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous spoke on Monday of tentative plans top assemble a peacekeeping force if the ceasefire takes hold.

    “We are getting ourselves ready to act if it is necessary and a mandate is approved,” Ladsous said..

    The Syrian authorities “are still optimistic,” deputy foreign minister Faisal Muqdad said. “The visit was successful and [Syria’s] co-operation with Brahimi is without limits.”