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US agents arrest 'contract killers'

Written By Unknown on Senin, 30 September 2013 | 20.24

27 September 2013 Last updated at 23:34 ET

Three people have been arrested in connection with a conspiracy to murder a US law enforcement agent, officials announced on Friday.

Two former US soldiers and a German soldier were detained abroad and extradited back to the US following a federal undercover operation.

The suspects were described as international cocaine traffickers and contract assassins by US officials.

Two additional suspects have been taken into custody in Estonia.

The arrests stem from a US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) narco-terrorism undercover operation conducted in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean.

'Bone-chilling'

US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara described the allegations against the three men as "bone-chilling" and "ripped from the pages" of an espionage novel.

"The charges tell a tale of an international band of mercenary marksmen who enlisted their elite military training to serve as hired guns for evil ends," he said in a statement.

According to US officials, Joseph Manuel Hunter, 48, served as a sniper instructor and senior drill sergeant in the US Army until 2004, while Timothy Vamvakias, 42, served as an infantryman and attained the rank of sergeant.

Dennis Gogel, 27, was trained as a sniper in the German armed forces until 2010, US officials said.

Mr Hunter acted as a "contract killer" since leaving the military, and signed on as "head of security" for a reported narcotics trafficking organisation tied to an international DEA operation earlier this year.

In this role, Mr Hunter, also known as "Rambo", assembled a "security team" consisting of the other suspects, according to court documents.

Their duties included providing surveillance for narcotics trafficking operations, including overseeing an aircraft to be loaded with 300kg (660lb) of cocaine and shipped to New York.

Murder-for-hire

In communications with confidential sources, the three suspects also agreed to commit the murder-for-hire of a DEA agent as well as a US informant in Liberia.

In exchange, the three suspects were to be paid $800,000 (£495,712), according to the statement.

All three suspects face charges including five counts of conspiracy to import cocaine into the US and conspiracy to murder a law enforcement agent.

Mr Vamvakias and Mr Gogel were apprehended in Liberia before being extradited to the US and appeared before a US Magistrate Court on Thursday afternoon.

Mr Hunter was arrested in Thailand and is not expected to appear in federal court until Saturday.

Two other suspects have been arrested in connection with the investigation and currently await extradition to the US from Estonia, officials said.


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Obama and Rouhani speak by phone

28 September 2013 Last updated at 05:27 ET
US President Barack Obama speaking by phone to President Hassan Rouhani of Iran (27 September)

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US President Barack Obama: "The test will be meaningful, transparent and verifiable actions"

US President Barack Obama has spoken by phone to Iran's Hassan Rouhani - the first such top-level conversation in more than 30 years.

Mr Obama spoke of a "unique opportunity" to make progress with Iran's new leadership, amid a flurry of diplomacy over its nuclear programme.

Earlier, Mr Rouhani said Iran was keen to reach a deal soon.

He also asserted that Iran did not seek a nuclear bomb, as Western powers have long suspected.

Describing meetings at the UN this week as a "first step", he said he believed the nuclear issue could be settled "within the not too distant future".

Mr Rouhani said initial discussions had taken place in an environment that was "quite different" from the past.

On his arrival back in Tehran from the UN General Assembly forum in New York, Mr Rouhani was met by a number of key political figures, as well as both supporters and opponents from the public.

A New York Times reporter described the scene as chaotic, with dozens of hardliners hurling eggs and shoes at the president's convoy.

'Full backing'

The call with Mr Obama was made just before Mr Rouhani left New York, where he has been attending the annual summit of the UN General Assembly, Iranian news agency Irna said.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Hassan Rouhani's actions in New York reveal a man dealing with the inherent, overwhelming contradiction of his job: he has a popular mandate without actual power.

In a speech given on 17 September in Tehran, Ali Khamenei approved the use of "heroic flexibility" in diplomacy. This would appear to translate as an instruction to President Rouhani: by all means see what you can get from the Americans, but don't go around shaking Obama's hand.

The ayatollah-approved outreach in New York included the first sustained direct talks between the US and Iran at foreign minister level for more than 30 years.

Hassan Rouhani may be able to recommend a deal, he may be able to explain how concessions are the best way to get sanctions lifted, and improve the lives of ordinary Iranians. But in the end, it is the supreme leader who will have the final say.

White House officials described the 15 minute conversation - apparently initiated by Mr Rouhani - as cordial, the BBC's Bridget Kendall reports from New York.

Mr Obama raised concerns about American prisoners in Iran, but the bulk of the call was about efforts to reach a solution on the nuclear issue, she says.

Afterwards, Mr Obama said: "While there will surely be important obstacles to moving forward and success is by no means guaranteed, I believe we can reach a comprehensive solution."

Mr Rouhani, who is regarded as a moderate and was elected in June, has said he wants to reach a deal over the nuclear issue in three to six months.

He says he is fully empowered by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to negotiate.

On Friday, he told a press conference at the UN: "Whatever result we achieve through negotiations my government will have the full backing of all the main branches of power in Iran as well as the support of the people of Iran."

And he said he wanted a deal "within a very short period of time".

'Bomb is dangerous'

Earlier the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had held "very constructive" talks with Iran in Vienna.

IAEA Deputy Director-General Herman Nackaerts did not give details of Friday's talks, but said the two parties would meet again on 28 October.

"We will start substantial discussions on the way forward to resolving all outstanding issues," Mr Nackaerts said.

Reza Najafi, Iran's envoy to the IAEA, was quoted as saying that the aim was to reach an agreement "as soon as possible" and also spoke of a "constructive discussion".

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

If Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani can deliver what he has been saying in New York - and if the world's big powers can reciprocate - then there's a real chance to make progress"

End Quote

On Thursday US Secretary of State John Kerry held a rare meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Mr Kerry said he was struck by the "very different tone", but added that Iran still had questions to answer.

There had been speculation that Mr Rouhani and Mr Obama might meet in New York. Mr Rouhani told journalists that "in principle we did not have any problems with having a meeting", but "there was not sufficient time" for planning the encounter.

The Iranian president rebuffed questions about Iran's reliability as a negotiating partner, saying his country wanted to retain nuclear technology but would submit to IAEA supervision.

"We say explicitly that we do not seek a bomb," he said. "We say explicitly that we believe the building of a bomb is dangerous for us - for our region."

The US and China have said they expect Iran to respond to an existing offer by the US, Russia, Britain, France, China and Germany, who form a negotiating group known as the P5+1.

The group has asked Iran to halt production and stockpiling of uranium enriched to 20% - a step away from achieving a nuclear weapons capability.

They also demanded Iran shut down the Fordo underground enrichment facility, near Qom.

Substantive talks between Iran and the P5+1 are due to take place on 15 October, and Mr Rouhani said Iran would bring a plan to that meeting, though he did not give details.

Iran's key nuclear sites

Source: 1155/New Scientist Global Security


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Radio failings cited in fire deaths

28 September 2013 Last updated at 17:04 ET

An investigation into the deaths of 19 firefighters in Arizona on 30 June has found that inadequate communication played a role in their fate.

The dead men, members of an elite unit called the Granite Mountain Hotshots, were killed as they battled a wildfire near the town of Yarnell.

The report authors describe radio communications as "challenging throughout the incident".

The investigators found no evidence of negligence or reckless behaviour.

The report found that "brief, informal, and vague radio transmissions" meant that few people in the operation as a whole understood the team's intentions, movements and location once they left the relative safety of a ridge, where vegetation was burnt off, and went down into a valley where there was thick vegetation.

The 19 men were deploying fire shelters when the fire overtook them. The situation was "not survivable," the investigation concludes.


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US nuclear chief in gambling probe

29 September 2013 Last updated at 05:12 ET

The second-in-command of the US military's nuclear combat forces has been suspended during an investigation into illegal gambling.

Navy Vice Adm Timothy Giardina was removed from duty on 3 September, a US official said on Saturday.

Admiral Giardina was serving as the deputy in charge of the US Strategic Command, which oversees nuclear assets.

He has not been arrested or charged as part of the inquiry, into possible use of counterfeit casino chips.

The admiral, a career submarine officer, was referred to the US Naval Criminal Investigative Service after he became suspected in a case involving a casino in western Iowa.

Special agent David Dales of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation told AP "a significant monetary amount" was involved.

"We were able to detect this one pretty quickly and jump on it," he added.

Security clearance

It is not known whether Vice Adm Giardina's alleged actions at the Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs had the potential to compromise national security or operations at Strategic Command.

Navy Captain Pamela Kunze told Associated Press that he remains assigned to the command but is prohibited from performing nuclear-related duties or other activities requiring security clearance.

Air Force General Robert Kehlerr, who heads Strategic Command, has recommended that he be reassigned, Capt Kunze said.

Strategic Command, which oversees everything from America's land-based nuclear missiles to space operations governing military satellites, is located at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska.

Vice Adm Giardina's suspension follows several other incidents affecting the US military's nuclear establishment.

In May it was reported that 17 officers in charge of maintaining nuclear missiles were sidelined over safety violations at Minot Air Force base in North Dakota.

In August a nuclear missile unit at Malstrom Air Force base in Montana failed a safety and security inspection, after which a senior security officer was relieved of duty.


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Updated Falcon rocket blasts off

29 September 2013 Last updated at 17:59 ET By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News

The US SpaceX company has successfully launched a new version of its Falcon 9 rocket from California.

The vehicle, carrying the Canadian Cassiope research satellite, lifted clear of the Vandenberg Air Force Base at 09:00 local time (16:00 GMT).

The desired orbit was achieved nine minutes later.

SpaceX says the updated rocket, known as Falcon 9v1.1, incorporates a number of modifications to boost performance and simplify operations.

This first outing should now open the way for the new model to begin carrying satellites for the private sector.

In addition to the business it already has with Nasa to resupply the space station, SpaceX has a long backlog of commercial customers waiting for a Falcon to launch their spacecraft.

These include the big telecommunications companies which own the platforms that relay the world's TV and phone traffic.

It is a launch market that has become dominated in recent years by the European Ariane 5 vehicle. SpaceX aims to take a large slice of its work, and is offering very competitive prices.

New opportunities

The 9v1.1 features more powerful Merlin engines and stretched tanks for additional propellant.

Sunday's launch was also the first time the rocket had flown with its new payload fairing.

This 13m-tall, 5m-wide clamshell covering is necessary to protect satellites from the aerodynamic forces encountered during an ascent.

Another first was SpaceX's use of Vandenberg. Until now, all Falcon launches have gone out of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The West Coast facility allows the Falcon to undertake a greater range of missions. In particular, it enables the rocket to fly south out over the ocean, away from land, to reach the polar orbits favoured by Earth observation satellites.

SpaceX CEO and chief designer, Elon Musk, expressed satisfaction with the day's events: "It was a great day and we accomplished all of our primary mission objectives.

"We demonstrated a lot of new technologies successfully, including the Merlin 1D engine, the new stage-separation system, the much taller rocket which structurally performed very well, [and] the 17-ft diameter fairing, which separated successfully. Overall - really great."

Recycling rockets

There is sure to be a lot of interest, also, in the outcome of an experiment that SpaceX ran on Sunday with the Falcon's first stage.

Normally, this initial segment of a rocket falls back to Earth after burning out and is destroyed. But the company is endeavouring to develop a system that would allow it to recover and recycle these stages, further reducing the cost of launching a Falcon vehicle.

Ultimately, the idea is for Falcon first stages to have legs to permit them to make soft landings.

During Sunday's mission, three first-stage engines were commanded to reignite, to see if they could bring the rocket segment down through the atmosphere intact. A fourth engine was then ignited to try to slow the stage still further just before it touched the water.

Mr Musk reported that the test went well, although the stage lost stability in the moments prior to impacting the water - a behaviour he says his engineering team understands and can correct.

"So it hit the water relatively hard," he told reporters.

"We've recovered portions of the stage. But the most important thing is we now believe we have all the pieces of the puzzle."

And Mr Musk said SpaceX would attempt to land a stage on legs, on land, early next year.

The MDA Corporation, which built the Cassiope satellite, reported that the small research platform was performing as expected after being ejected by the Falcon's second stage. Cassiope, a project of the Canadian Space Agency, will study the Sun's interaction with Earth's upper atmosphere.

SES World Skies will be the first private sector customer to use the Falcon 9v1.1.

It has a telecommunication satellite called SES-8 that needs to be put 36,000km above the Asia Pacific region.


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Jesse Jackson continues Farc mission

29 September 2013 Last updated at 21:59 ET

The US civil rights activist Rev Jesse Jackson says he will go to Colombia to seek the release of a former US marine held hostage despite the government's rejection of his mediation offer.

President Juan Manuel Santos said on Saturday he did not want the freeing of the man held by left-wing Farc rebels to become a "media spectacle."

Only the Red Cross would be allowed to participate, Mr Santos said.

Meanwhile, the rebels have asked the president to reconsider his position.

The International Committee of the Red Cross also said on Sunday it is waiting for an agreement to get into the process.

"When both sides [the Farc and the government] reach an agreement, we will start playing our part," the ICRC spokesperson Erika Tovar told Colombian newspaper El Espectador.

From Havana, where he had met with Farc leaders who are in Cuba for the peace talks with the government, Rev Jesse Jackson said he still intended to go to Colombia "in a matter of days".

The country's largest rebel group captured US marine Kevin Scott Sutay in June.

He was allegedly backpacking through a conflict region, on his way to Brazil.

"Today he [Mr Sutay] is free to leave, but we need the ceasefire zone and the capacity to retrieve him," Rev Jackson told reporters.

The rebels say they are ready to free the veteran of the war in Afghanistan and appealed to the Colombian leader on Sunday.

"We call on President Santos to reflect, and that instead of unjustly prolonging Scott's stay in the jungle, we start planning the with the ICRC the security protocol required in such cases," the Farc said in a statement.

'Service to nation'

Earlier this month, during a visit to Colombia, Jesse Jackson had called on Colombia's largest rebel group to release Mr Scott.

The left-wing rebels responded by releasing a statement on Saturday inviting the civil rights leader to participate in the negotiations over the ex-soldiers' release.

Hours later, the American leader accepted the invitation in Cuba, where he had met rebel leaders who are in Havana for peace talks with the Colombian government, as a service "to Kevin Scott, his family and our nation".

The left-wing rebels had originally requested the involvement of former Senator Piedad Cordoba in the release process, but President Santos also dismissed this to avoid a "media spectacle".

The Farc say they want to free Mr Scott to boost peace talks.

So far, officially there has been agreement on only one of six points on the agenda - land reform.

Five decades of internal conflict in Colombia have led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people.

And a study by Colombia's National Centre for Historical Memory suggests 220,000 people have died in the violence.


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Nasa plans 3D printer space launch

30 September 2013 Last updated at 06:01 ET

US space agency Nasa is planning to launch a 3D printer into space next year to help astronauts manufacture spare parts and tools in zero gravity.

It will be the first time a 3D printer has been used in space and could help reduce the costs of future missions.

The device will have to withstand lift-off vibrations and operate safely in an enclosed space station environment.

Nasa has chosen technology start-up Made in Space to make the microwave-sized printer.

"Imagine an astronaut needing to make a life-or-death repair on the International Space Station," said Aaron Kemmer, the company's chief executive.

"Rather than hoping that the necessary parts and tools are on the station already, what if the parts could be 3D printed when they needed them?"

In 1970, Apollo 13 astronauts had to cobble together a home-made carbon dioxide filter using a plastic bag, a manual cover and gaffer tape.

A 3D printer might have solved the problem in minutes and helped them reach the Moon.

"If you want to be adaptable, you have to be able to design and manufacture on the fly, and that's where 3D printing in space comes in,'' said Dave Korsmeyer, director of engineering at Nasa's Ames Research Center.

Nasa is also experimenting with 3D printing small satellites that could be launched from the International Space Station and then transmit data to earth.

Additive manufacturing, as 3D printing is also known, builds up objects layer by layer, commonly using polymer materials.

But laser-melted titanium and nickel-chromium powders are now being used to build much stronger components.

In August, Nasa successfully tested a metal 3D printed rocket component as part of its drive to reduce the costs of space exploration.


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Critics praise Breaking Bad finale

30 September 2013 Last updated at 06:54 ET Spoiler alert: Multiple key plot details revealed below

Arguably the most talked-about television series of the past five years, the finale of Breaking Bad aired in the US on Sunday, swiftly followed by its UK premiere on Netflix.

Set in Albuquerque, the series followed the life of Walter White (Bryan Cranston), a high school chemistry teacher who was diagnosed with terminal cancer at the beginning of the first series.

In order to secure his family's future before he dies, he turned to a life of crime, making and selling methamphetamine.

Reviews in the US press, which contain several spoilers, have been generally favourable .

Perhaps the best thing about the finale of Breaking Bad is that it actually ended. So many shows, notably The Sopranos and Lost, have gone dark without anything approaching finality. Here, the writers were so determined to not leave unfinished business that the last episode was called Felina, an anagram of finale. And almost every loose end was tied. In some cases, a little too tightly, and in others, not quite as much. Breaking Bad brilliantly tracked Walt's transformation from teacher to criminal mastermind. But it's still a mystery why that talented chemist turned his back on fame and fortune and became a humble high school chemistry teacher.

Read the full review here

The final episode of Breaking Bad, like Walter White climbing into that frozen car in New Hampshire, had a lot of business to take care of in a short time. Felina, the last episode ever of the magnificent series... was a kind of machine gun of narrative, knocking down all of those questions with auto-fire efficiency. (Well, almost all.)

It was not flashy. It wasn't structurally ambitious, in the way other Breaking Bad episodes have been. It was not, in most respects, surprising. And that's OK. Because what Felina was - as effective, satisfying series finales are - was true. It was true to the five seasons that preceded it, true to Walter White's obsessions and pride, and true to what Breaking Bad is at heart: A Western. As in the song El Paso, the protagonist (I'm not going to say hero) rode back to town, faced his enemies, said his goodbyes, and died. A Western is meant to go out with a bang, and Breaking Bad went out with about 40 of them per second (plus a dose of ricin).

Read the full review here

Vince Gilligan

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Vince Gilligan

Like all big-talker shows that bring their heavy cargo in for a rough and breathlessly observed landing, Breaking Bad didn't quite leave itself enough runway to satisfactorily end some of its better story lines, especially once the chronology gap closed up between the flash-forwards from last year's episodes and Sunday night's conclusion. One could easily argue that there was just too much left to do in this one episode.

As a critic, I have to finally face the fact that my favourite series (possibly ever - I'd have to think long and hard about that) is now gone. And when trying to figure out why this show worked so well, so deeply for me, I keep coming back to one simple and not terribly profound idea: Breaking Bad was original.

Read the full review here

Not only did Vince Gilligan's five-season, hyper-violent prose poem to midlife male frustration tie up virtually every loose end in sight, it contained the Holy Grail of all storytelling: an Actual Moment of Truth. And not just this particular story's truth, but one that extended to the beloved and bloated genre Gilligan both elevated and mocked. "I did it for me. I liked it. I was good at it. And I was really ... I was alive."

The strongest moments of the final season came as Walt realised that great truism so often underscored in stories like his: Once you introduce evil into your life, you cannot control it. In the end, though, Walter White was triumphant. His money would go to his children, his enemies were dead, his foster son freed.

Read the full review here

In today's hyper-caffeinated age, precious little lives up to its hype. But the Breaking Bad finale - perhaps appropriately - got the chemistry just right... Sunday's finale made eminently clear, this was a show whose narrative fearlessness was only matched by its boundless creativity and unpredictability. The 75-minute finale written and directed by (Vince) Gilligan perfectly capped a final arc that was all forward momentum, with barely an ounce of fat on it, and almost nary a false note.

Read the full review here

In a stunning 75-minute extended finale, Vince Gilligan brought Breaking Bad to a supremely fitting close, tying up all the loose ends in his modern classic AMC series and killing off his now iconic anti-hero Walter White. And he did so in a way that confirmed Bad's status as one of TV's greatest series - and star Bryan Cranston as one of America's best actors.

Tense, witty, violent, oddly tender and, in its own strange way, as close to a "happy" ending as a story this dark could hope, this last episode brought the story to a straightforward, definitive conclusion, without the spirituality of Lost or the ambiguity of Sopranos.

Read the full review here

There was a lot of closure in Breaking Bad. You can say that Gilligan gave most of the viewers what they wanted (and, impressively, he did that by staying true to himself and the story without selling out or becoming unrecognisably saccharine as he tied the bow). This finale certainly wrapped up things - mostly - in a bow. It had similar strains to the shots that The Wire used and was nearly as effectively tidy as Six Feet Under was in spelling out the fate of those involved.

More than anything I love a creator's ability to end the story as he or she wishes. That doesn't make every decision acceptable. The finale to Dexter was an embarrassing, ham-fisted disaster. But the finale to Breaking Bad - even if it wasn't what I'd hoped would happen - was more than enough to thrill me and make me appreciate five seasons and six years of brilliant work. What an outstanding achievement.

Read the full review here


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Kercher murder retrial open in Italy

30 September 2013 Last updated at 07:47 ET

The retrial of two suspects over the 2007 murder of British student Meredith Kercher has opened in Italy.

Amanda Knox, from the US, and her Italian then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were found guilty in 2009 but acquitted on appeal in 2011.

In March, Italy's highest court overturned both their acquittals.

The suspects spent four years in prison before their acquittal, and have always insisted they are innocent. Neither was in court.

'So scary'

The retrial is being held in the central Italian city of Florence. The first session is expected to discuss procedural issues such as dates for further hearings.

Raffaele Sollecito

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Raffaele Sollecito: "I'm fighting and striving to see the light"

The retrial was ordered after the prosecution had taken the case to Italy's Supreme Court.

The court strongly criticised the way the appeals court had dismissed important DNA evidence, ordering the whole process to begin all over again.

Ms Knox, 26, has since returned to the US and was not required to be present for the retrial.

Earlier this month, she said she expected to win another acquittal, but that "common sense" told her not to return to Italy.

"I was already imprisoned as an innocent person in Italy," she told America's NBC television. "I just can't relive that."

"I thought about what it would be like to live my entire life in prison and to lose everything, to lose what I've been able to come back to and rebuild.

"I think about it all the time. It's so scary. Everything is at stake.''

However, if her previous conviction is confirmed, Italy would be expected to request her extradition.

Mr Sollecito, 29, has been living in the Dominican Republic, but it has been reported that he intends to return to Italy to attend parts of the retrial.

Meredith Kercher, from Coulsdon, south London, was found dead in a flat she shared in Perugia with Ms Knox, a fellow exchange student.

Prosecutors said Miss Kercher, who had been repeatedly stabbed, died in a sex game that went wrong. She was 21.

Both Ms Knox and Mr Sollecito maintain their innocence.

Ms Knox insists that on the night of Miss Kercher's death she was at Mr Sollecito's flat, smoking marijuana and watching a film.

Another man - Rudy Guede from Ivory Coast - was convicted in a separate trial and sentenced to 16 years for the killing.


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US shutdown looms amid stalemate

30 September 2013 Last updated at 09:21 ET

A US government shutdown looms as Democrat and Republican lawmakers remain unable to strike a deal on a new plan to continue funding its operation.

If they fail to reach an agreement by midnight (04:00 GMT Tuesday), the US government will be forced to close all non-essential federal services.

More than 700,000 staff could be sent home on unpaid leave, with no guarantee of back pay once the deadlock is over.

The shutdown would be the first in the US for 17 years.

One of the key points of contention in the political stalemate has been President Barack Obama's healthcare law, popularly known as Obamacare.

Republicans in the House of Representatives - and their allies in the Senate - have demanded the law be repealed or stripped of funding as a condition for continuing to fund the government.

Major portions of the law, which passed in 2010 and has been validated by the US Supreme Court, are due to take effect on Tuesday.

Impact of shutdown
Continue reading the main story
  • State department will be able to operate for limited time
  • Department of defence would continue military operations
  • Department of education would still distribute $22bn (£13.6bn) to public schools, but staffing would be severely hit
  • Department of energy - 12,700 staff would be sent home, 1,113 remain to oversee nuclear arsenal
  • Department of health and human services to send home more than half of staff
  • The Federal Reserve, dept of homeland security, and justice dept would see little or no disruption
  • US Postal Services would continue as normal
  • Smithsonian institutions, museums, zoos and many national parks would be closed

Early on Sunday, the Republican-run House of Representatives passed an amended version of the Senate spending bill that removed funding from the healthcare law and repealed a $29bn (£17.9bn) medical device tax, raising the chances of a shutdown.

US Senate Majority leader Harry Reid vowed that his Democrat-led chamber would reject the Republican bill.

"[On Monday], the Senate will do exactly what we said we would do and reject these measures," said Adam Jentleson, a spokesman for Mr Reid.

"At that point, Republicans will be faced with the same choice they have always faced: put the Senate's clean funding bill on the floor and let it pass with bipartisan votes, or force a Republican government shutdown."

Speaking for the president, White House spokesman Jay Carney said: "Any member of the Republican Party who votes for this bill is voting for a shutdown." The president, he said, would also veto the Republican bill.

Continue reading the main story

The shenanigans in Congress are more twisted than a sack of snakes, but the basics are easy to get straight"

End Quote

If the government does shut down on 1 October, national parks and Washington's Smithsonian museums would close, pension and veterans' benefit cheques would be delayed, and visa and passport applications would go unprocessed.

Programmes deemed essential, such as air traffic control and food inspections, would continue.

The defence department has advised employees that uniformed members of the military will continue on normal duty, but that large numbers of civilian workers will be told to stay home.

Borrowing crisis

The looming shutdown is not the only crisis the US government is facing.

The US government and Republicans are also at loggerheads over extending the government's borrowing limit.

US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has warned that the US will hit its debt ceiling by 17 October, leaving the government with half the money needed to pay its bills.

Continue reading the main story

AAA-rating

The best credit rating that can be given to a borrower's debts, indicating that the risk of borrowing defaulting is minuscule.

Earlier this month, Mr Lew said that unless the US was allowed to extend its borrowing limit, the country would be left with about $30bn (£18.5bn) to meet its commitments, which on certain days can be as high as $60bn.

A failure to raise the limit could also result in the US government defaulting on its debt payments.

President Obama has warned that "failure to meet this responsibility would be far more dangerous than a government shutdown".

Washington faced a similar impasse over its debt ceiling in 2011. Republicans and the Democrats only reached a compromise on the day the government's ability to borrow money was due to run out.

That fight was resolved just hours before the country could have defaulted on its debt, but nevertheless led to ratings agency Standard & Poor's downgrading the US for the first time ever.

The 2011 compromise included a series of automatic budget cuts known as the "sequester" which came into effect earlier this year.

The US government has not experienced a shutdown since 1995-96, when services were suspended for a record 21 days.

Republicans demanded then-President Bill Clinton agree to their version of a balanced budget.

After weeks of negotiation, they reached a compromise similar to what they discussed prior to the shutdown.


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Arrests in 'trashed house' party

Written By Unknown on Minggu, 29 September 2013 | 20.24

26 September 2013 Last updated at 21:53 ET

Six people have been arrested after hundreds of young partiers broke into a former American football player's vacation home and caused $20,000 (£12,471) in damage.

Police in New York state expect more arrests over the 31 August incident over the Labour Day holiday.

Ex-New England Patriots lineman Brian Holloway was in Florida when he learned of the raging party through Twitter.

He posted online photos taken at the party, gathered through social media.

Mr Holloway said he did so to urge the young people to take responsibility for their actions - and to mend their ways.

As many as 400 teenagers attended the raucous party at Mr Holloway's vacant vacation home in Stephentown in upstate New York on 31 August, spreading word about the event through social media such as Twitter.

Mr Holloway, who also played for the Los Angeles Raiders, told reporters his 19-year-old son alerted him to the tweets and that he watched as the young people posted photos and accounts of the partying - and the destruction - at his home.

"They were drinking (underage), doing drugs, selling drugs and destroying property," Mr Holloway wrote.

'A shocker'

Before Mr Holloway reported the incident to the police, he learned on Twitter that officers had already arrived at the scene and broken up the party, according to media reports.

When Mr Holloway travelled to the home later, he found broken doors and windows, urine-soaked carpets, graffiti-covered walls and missing personal property.

The motivational speaker and father of eight created a website and posted pictures of the party pulled from social media websites, asking anyone involved to come forward and take responsibility.

When only four people did, he authorised county police to bring charges in the incident, Mr Holloway told the media.

Police identified Seth Hawk, 19, as the alleged ringleader of the party and have charged him with felony counts of burglary and criminal mischief.

Mr Holloway told reporters Mr Hawk's arrest "was a shocker", as he was a troubled former classmate of his son's whom the family had taken in for a time.

Those arrested on Thursday range in age from 17-21 and face charges including larceny and trespassing.


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Anti-paparazzi bill becomes law

27 September 2013 Last updated at 05:54 ET

New legislation which will limit the paparazzi's ability to photograph stars' children has become law in the state of California.

Bill 606, championed by actress Halle Berry, who testified before the state assembly, sets out to protect the children of those in the public eye.

It lays out penalties for taking photos and video of a child without parental consent and in a harassing manner.

It would be "the beginning of the end," Berry said, for "aggressive paparazzi".

Earlier this week, it was signed into California law by state governor Jerry Brown.

"I started this fight with a great deal of hope and a bit of uncertainty so I cannot express my immense gratitude that Gov. Brown has recognized, and acted to remedy, the plight of children who are tormented because of the identity or prominence of their parents," said Berry.

The Academy award-winning actress was seen shouting at photographers taking pictures of her family after arriving at Los Angeles International airport in April, with her partner Olivier Martinez and her daughter.

Pregnant Berry also thanked actress Jennifer Garner and British singer Adele for joining her in her fight.

"I am forever in awe of the support I got within my community from the enormously talented musician Adele to fellow actor Jennifer Garner, who travelled with me to Sacramento to share her children's stories, experience and her desire to give them a better life."

The law comes into effect in January. Those breaking it could receive between 10 days and one year in jail, as well as a fine of up to $10,000 (£6,252).

The bill also allows for parents to bring a civil action against violators to seek damages and legal fees.

"Kids shouldn't be tabloid fodder," said Senator Kevin de Leon, who put forward the bill, adding that the new law "will give children, no matter who their parents are, protection from harassers who go to extremes to turn a buck".

The Motion Picture Association of America was among several groups that opposed the legislation, saying it infringes upon free speech protections.

Mr De Leon's office claimed the bill does not infringe on First Amendment rights because it targets the photographer's conduct, not the act of taking a photograph.

Other organisations in opposition include the National Press Photographers Association and the California Broadcasters Association.

"It is for all of us that I rejoice today and hope that this fight will continue and that the proper enforcement of this law will truly make a positive impact on the daily lives of all children," said Berry.


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Ku Klux Klan to rally at Gettysburg

27 September 2013 Last updated at 10:42 ET

A Maryland Ku Klux Klan group has been granted a permit to hold a rally at a renowned Civil War battlefield, US authorities have said.

The white supremacist group will hold the event on 5 October at the site of the July 1863 Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania.

Park officials said US freedom of speech rules required them to make the site available to the group.

As many as 50,000 soldiers were killed or wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg.

The battlefield, named for the small town nearby, is also known as the site of the Gettysburg Address, a short speech by President Abraham Lincoln that became one of the most celebrated moments of American oratory.

At the dedication of a cemetery there the following November, Lincoln envisioned "a new birth of freedom" for America out of the ashes of the war between the southern slave-holding states and the northern free states.

The Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist group established in the aftermath of the conflict, is known for its violent past and white-hooded ceremonial costume.

Richard Preston, leader of the Confederate White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, was quoted by a local newspaper as saying his group was a "white separatist" organisation dedicated to throwing US President Barack Obama, who is black, out of office and to advocating stricter immigration laws.

"This is about America for Americans," Mr Preston said. "The only thing we want is our country back."

The group held a membership rally earlier this month at the Antietam battlefield in Maryland, the site of the deadliest single-day battle of the war.

In a statement, the National Park Service said: "As custodians of land owned by the American people, the National Park Service has a responsibility to make that land available for exercising [free speech] rights."

Park officials added that Gettysburg staff would work "to ensure that park resources and visitors will not be adversely affected by this event".


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Pilot suffers midair heart attack

27 September 2013 Last updated at 19:05 ET

A plane carrying 161 passengers was forced to make an emergency landing after the pilot suffered what was later proved to be a fatal heart attack.

The United Airlines flight from Houston, Texas to Seattle, Washington was diverted to Boise, Idaho on Thursday evening.

Passengers on board with medical training attempted life saving manoeuvres prior to landing.

Pilot Henry Skillern, 63, later died in hospital.

He had worked for the airline for 26 years.

The flight's first officer radioed the Boise airport's control tower at 19:55 (2:55 GMT) on Thursday to report a medical emergency.

Two military medical residents onboard tended to Mr Skillern as the plane made its emergency approach, according to media reports.

The plane landed at the airport by 20:10 and was greeted by firefighters who removed Mr Skillern and transported him to a local hospital.

The Texas resident later succumbed to a fatal heart attack.

An airport official told the Associated Press news agency the 161 passengers on board the Boeing 737 aircraft appeared to handle the incident well.

"It seemed like they felt that everything that could be done, was being done. The passengers were concerned for him, but everyone was very calm," Boise airport spokeswoman Patti Miller said.

Another pilot later joined the crew and flew the original plane on to its final destination in Seattle.


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New Jersey gay marriage ban lifted

27 September 2013 Last updated at 20:51 ET

A New Jersey court has lifted a ban on same-sex marriage but state Governor Chris Christie has said he intends to appeal against the decision.

Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson handed down the decision on Friday, finding the state's civil union system deprived those couples of certain federal benefits.

The ruling takes effect on 21 October.

Thirteen US states, including much of the Northeast region, currently allow same-sex marriage.

The ruling follows a July US Supreme Court decision striking down key parts of a law that prohibited the federal government from granting benefits to same-sex partners.

That same month, a group of same-sex couples and gay rights groups sued the state of New Jersey. They said the separate classification of "civil unions" did not entitle them to the same benefits as married persons.

Judge Jacobson ruled in their favour, finding the separate labels excluded gay couples from certain benefits, such a filing a joint federal tax return.

"Every day that the state does not allow same-sex couples to marry, plaintiffs are being harmed," she wrote in her opinion.

The order will not take effect until 21 October, allowing the state time to challenge the ruling.

Following the decision, a spokesman for New Jersey Gov Chris Christie told the media his office intends to lodge an appeal against the ruling with the state Supreme Court.


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US agents arrest 'contract killers'

27 September 2013 Last updated at 23:34 ET

Three people have been arrested in connection with a conspiracy to murder a US law enforcement agent, officials announced on Friday.

Two former US soldiers and a German soldier were detained abroad and extradited back to the US following a federal undercover operation.

The suspects were described as international cocaine traffickers and contract assassins by US officials.

Two additional suspects have been taken into custody in Estonia.

The arrests stem from a US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) narco-terrorism undercover operation conducted in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean.

'Bone-chilling'

US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara described the allegations against the three men as "bone-chilling" and "ripped from the pages" of an espionage novel.

"The charges tell a tale of an international band of mercenary marksmen who enlisted their elite military training to serve as hired guns for evil ends," he said in a statement.

According to US officials, Joseph Manuel Hunter, 48, served as a sniper instructor and senior drill sergeant in the US Army until 2004, while Timothy Vamvakias, 42, served as an infantryman and attained the rank of sergeant.

Dennis Gogel, 27, was trained as a sniper in the German armed forces until 2010, US officials said.

Mr Hunter acted as a "contract killer" since leaving the military, and signed on as "head of security" for a reported narcotics trafficking organisation tied to an international DEA operation earlier this year.

In this role, Mr Hunter, also known as "Rambo", assembled a "security team" consisting of the other suspects, according to court documents.

Their duties included providing surveillance for narcotics trafficking operations, including overseeing an aircraft to be loaded with 300kg (660lb) of cocaine and shipped to New York.

Murder-for-hire

In communications with confidential sources, the three suspects also agreed to commit the murder-for-hire of a DEA agent as well as a US informant in Liberia.

In exchange, the three suspects were to be paid $800,000 (£495,712), according to the statement.

All three suspects face charges including five counts of conspiracy to import cocaine into the US and conspiracy to murder a law enforcement agent.

Mr Vamvakias and Mr Gogel were apprehended in Liberia before being extradited to the US and appeared before a US Magistrate Court on Thursday afternoon.

Mr Hunter was arrested in Thailand and is not expected to appear in federal court until Saturday.

Two other suspects have been arrested in connection with the investigation and currently await extradition to the US from Estonia, officials said.


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Obama and Rouhani speak by phone

28 September 2013 Last updated at 05:27 ET
US President Barack Obama speaking by phone to President Hassan Rouhani of Iran (27 September)

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US President Barack Obama: "The test will be meaningful, transparent and verifiable actions"

US President Barack Obama has spoken by phone to Iran's Hassan Rouhani - the first such top-level conversation in more than 30 years.

Mr Obama spoke of a "unique opportunity" to make progress with Iran's new leadership, amid a flurry of diplomacy over its nuclear programme.

Earlier, Mr Rouhani said Iran was keen to reach a deal soon.

He also asserted that Iran did not seek a nuclear bomb, as Western powers have long suspected.

Describing meetings at the UN this week as a "first step", he said he believed the nuclear issue could be settled "within the not too distant future".

Mr Rouhani said initial discussions had taken place in an environment that was "quite different" from the past.

On his arrival back in Tehran from the UN General Assembly forum in New York, Mr Rouhani was met by a number of key political figures, as well as both supporters and opponents from the public.

A New York Times reporter described the scene as chaotic, with dozens of hardliners hurling eggs and shoes at the president's convoy.

'Full backing'

The call with Mr Obama was made just before Mr Rouhani left New York, where he has been attending the annual summit of the UN General Assembly, Iranian news agency Irna said.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Hassan Rouhani's actions in New York reveal a man dealing with the inherent, overwhelming contradiction of his job: he has a popular mandate without actual power.

In a speech given on 17 September in Tehran, Ali Khamenei approved the use of "heroic flexibility" in diplomacy. This would appear to translate as an instruction to President Rouhani: by all means see what you can get from the Americans, but don't go around shaking Obama's hand.

The ayatollah-approved outreach in New York included the first sustained direct talks between the US and Iran at foreign minister level for more than 30 years.

Hassan Rouhani may be able to recommend a deal, he may be able to explain how concessions are the best way to get sanctions lifted, and improve the lives of ordinary Iranians. But in the end, it is the supreme leader who will have the final say.

White House officials described the 15 minute conversation - apparently initiated by Mr Rouhani - as cordial, the BBC's Bridget Kendall reports from New York.

Mr Obama raised concerns about American prisoners in Iran, but the bulk of the call was about efforts to reach a solution on the nuclear issue, she says.

Afterwards, Mr Obama said: "While there will surely be important obstacles to moving forward and success is by no means guaranteed, I believe we can reach a comprehensive solution."

Mr Rouhani, who is regarded as a moderate and was elected in June, has said he wants to reach a deal over the nuclear issue in three to six months.

He says he is fully empowered by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to negotiate.

On Friday, he told a press conference at the UN: "Whatever result we achieve through negotiations my government will have the full backing of all the main branches of power in Iran as well as the support of the people of Iran."

And he said he wanted a deal "within a very short period of time".

'Bomb is dangerous'

Earlier the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had held "very constructive" talks with Iran in Vienna.

IAEA Deputy Director-General Herman Nackaerts did not give details of Friday's talks, but said the two parties would meet again on 28 October.

"We will start substantial discussions on the way forward to resolving all outstanding issues," Mr Nackaerts said.

Reza Najafi, Iran's envoy to the IAEA, was quoted as saying that the aim was to reach an agreement "as soon as possible" and also spoke of a "constructive discussion".

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

If Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani can deliver what he has been saying in New York - and if the world's big powers can reciprocate - then there's a real chance to make progress"

End Quote

On Thursday US Secretary of State John Kerry held a rare meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Mr Kerry said he was struck by the "very different tone", but added that Iran still had questions to answer.

There had been speculation that Mr Rouhani and Mr Obama might meet in New York. Mr Rouhani told journalists that "in principle we did not have any problems with having a meeting", but "there was not sufficient time" for planning the encounter.

The Iranian president rebuffed questions about Iran's reliability as a negotiating partner, saying his country wanted to retain nuclear technology but would submit to IAEA supervision.

"We say explicitly that we do not seek a bomb," he said. "We say explicitly that we believe the building of a bomb is dangerous for us - for our region."

The US and China have said they expect Iran to respond to an existing offer by the US, Russia, Britain, France, China and Germany, who form a negotiating group known as the P5+1.

The group has asked Iran to halt production and stockpiling of uranium enriched to 20% - a step away from achieving a nuclear weapons capability.

They also demanded Iran shut down the Fordo underground enrichment facility, near Qom.

Substantive talks between Iran and the P5+1 are due to take place on 15 October, and Mr Rouhani said Iran would bring a plan to that meeting, though he did not give details.

Iran's key nuclear sites

Source: 1155/New Scientist Global Security


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Radio failings cited in fire deaths

28 September 2013 Last updated at 17:04 ET

An investigation into the deaths of 19 firefighters in Arizona on 30 June has found that inadequate communication played a role in their fate.

The dead men, members of an elite unit called the Granite Mountain Hotshots, were killed as they battled a wildfire near the town of Yarnell.

The report authors describe radio communications as "challenging throughout the incident".

The investigators found no evidence of negligence or reckless behaviour.

The report found that "brief, informal, and vague radio transmissions" meant that few people in the operation as a whole understood the team's intentions, movements and location once they left the relative safety of a ridge, where vegetation was burnt off, and went down into a valley where there was thick vegetation.

The 19 men were deploying fire shelters when the fire overtook them. The situation was "not survivable," the investigation concludes.


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US shutdown nears after House vote

29 September 2013 Last updated at 03:16 ET

The US government has less than 48 hours to avert a shutdown of government services amid political divisions over President Obama's healthcare law.

On Sunday, the Republican-run House of Representatives voted to pull the law's funding, raising chances of a shutdown.

The government needs to agree a new policy-wide spending bill before the US fiscal year ends at midnight on Monday.

If it fails, non-essential federal services face closure, with employees sidelined or left working without pay.

Early on Sunday, the House passed an amended version of the Senate spending bill that removed funding from the healthcare law.

US Senate Majority leader Harry Reid has vowed that his Democrat-led chamber will reject the Republican bill.

Continue reading the main story

Shutdown scenarios

  • About 800,000 federal workers could be placed on unpaid leave
  • National parks and federal wildlife refuges face closure
  • About 1.4m military personnel will stay on duty but pay could be delayed
  • Air-traffic controllers and border guards must also report to work
  • Some White House staff might be told to stay home
  • Possible disruption to services like passport, visa and mortgage applications.

But with the Senate not due to meet again until Monday afternoon, it will have just hours to pass a stand-alone bill free of any measures that undermine the law.

In a statement, Senator Reid said that "after weeks of futile political games from Republicans, we are still at square one".

He added that Republican efforts to change the bill - that would delay the healthcare law for a year and repeal a tax on medical devices - were pointless.

Speaking for the president, White House spokesman Jay Carney said: "Any member of the Republican Party who votes for this bill is voting for a shutdown." The president, he said, would also veto the Republican bill.

Democrat Marcy Kaptur and Republican Jack Kingston

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Republican Jack Kingston and Democrat Marcy Kaptur gave their views ahead of the vote

However, House Republicans went ahead with the changes, ignoring the veto threat and passing the bill in a late-night session by 231 votes to 192.

The Senate is controlled by Mr Obama's Democratic party, while the Republicans hold the majority in the House of Representatives.

"House and Senate like two locomotives barreling toward one another ... in slow motion," tweeted Republican Representative Scott Rigell.

'Acting responsibly'

The looming shutdown, which would be the first for 17 years, is one of two fiscal crises facing the US government.

On 17 October, the US treasury department's authority to borrow money to fund its debt obligations expires unless Congress approves a rise in the so-called debt ceiling.

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

After weeks of futile political games from Republicans, we are still at square one"

End Quote Harry Reid US Senate Majority leader

On Friday, President Obama urged House Republicans to pass the Senate's stopgap budget bill and to extend the debt limit, and demanded they not threaten to "burn the house down because you haven't gotten 100% of your way".

Mr Obama said if the nation were to default on its debt, it would have a "profound destabilising effect" on the world economy.

"Voting for the treasury to pay its bills is not a concession to me," he said. "No-one gets to hurt our economy... just because there are a couple of laws [they] don't like."

He described the healthcare law as "a done deal" and said the Republican-backed repeal effort was "not going to happen".

Mr Obama said the Senate had "acted responsibly" in passing the budget measure and that now it was up to Republicans in the House of Representatives "to do the same".

Civilian cuts

If the government does shut down on 1 October, as many as a third of its 2.1 million employees are expected to stop work - with no guarantee of back pay once the deadlock is resolved.

National parks and Washington's Smithsonian museums would close, pension and veterans' benefit cheques would be delayed, and visa and passport applications would be stymied.

Programmes deemed essential, such as air traffic control and food inspections, would continue.

The defence department has advised employees that uniformed members of the military will continue on "normal duty status", but "large numbers" of civilian workers will be told to stay home.


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US nuclear chief in gambling probe

29 September 2013 Last updated at 05:12 ET

The second-in-command of the US military's nuclear combat forces has been suspended during an investigation into illegal gambling.

Navy Vice Adm Timothy Giardina was removed from duty on 3 September, a US official said on Saturday.

Admiral Giardina was serving as the deputy in charge of the US Strategic Command, which oversees nuclear assets.

He has not been arrested or charged as part of the inquiry, into possible use of counterfeit casino chips.

The admiral, a career submarine officer, was referred to the US Naval Criminal Investigative Service after he became suspected in a case involving a casino in western Iowa.

Special agent David Dales of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation told AP "a significant monetary amount" was involved.

"We were able to detect this one pretty quickly and jump on it," he added.

Security clearance

It is not known whether Vice Adm Giardina's alleged actions at the Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs had the potential to compromise national security or operations at Strategic Command.

Navy Captain Pamela Kunze told Associated Press that he remains assigned to the command but is prohibited from performing nuclear-related duties or other activities requiring security clearance.

Air Force General Robert Kehlerr, who heads Strategic Command, has recommended that he be reassigned, Capt Kunze said.

Strategic Command, which oversees everything from America's land-based nuclear missiles to space operations governing military satellites, is located at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha, Nebraska.

Vice Adm Giardina's suspension follows several other incidents affecting the US military's nuclear establishment.

In May it was reported that 17 officers in charge of maintaining nuclear missiles were sidelined over safety violations at Minot Air Force base in North Dakota.

In August a nuclear missile unit at Malstrom Air Force base in Montana failed a safety and security inspection, after which a senior security officer was relieved of duty.


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Montana rapist freed after 30 days

Written By Unknown on Sabtu, 28 September 2013 | 20.24

26 September 2013 Last updated at 15:34 ET

An ex-teacher convicted in the US state of Montana of raping a 14-year-old girl has been freed after 30 days in jail, as critics demand the judge who tried the case be removed from the bench.

Stacey Rambold was convicted of the 2007 rape of student Cherice Moralez, who later killed herself.

Judge Todd Baugh said the victim was "older than her chronological age" as he passed the lenient sentence.

Prosecutors have appealed against the sentence to the state Supreme Court.

Rambold, 54, was met by a family member at a Montana state prison on Thursday and was expected to return to the city of Billings, a prison spokeswoman told the Associated Press news agency.

He is a registered sex offender and will remain on probation through 2028. Moralez took her own life in 2010 before Rambold went to trial.

In August, after Rambold was convicted Judge Baugh said Moralez had been "as much in control of the situation" as her rapist, drawing outrage from the victim's mother, protesters and critics across the US.

He sentenced Rambold to 15 years in prison - but with all save one month suspended.

After a national outcry erupted, Judge Baugh said his comments were "stupid and wrong". But his subsequent attempt to modify Rambold's sentence was prohibited by Montana's Supreme Court.

State prosecutors have appealed against Rambold's effective 30-day sentence. Rambold will remain free as the appeal winds through the state Supreme Court, a process prosecutors say could take six to 18 months.

A formal effort to have Judge Baugh removed from the bench is pending before the state Judicial Standards Commission.


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New rules urged over FBI drone use

27 September 2013 Last updated at 04:37 ET

US justice authorities are facing calls for new rules on drone surveillance after it was revealed the FBI has been deploying unmanned aircraft since 2006.

A report by the Department of Justice's watchdog said the FBI has spent $3m (£1.9m) on drone deployment.

The audit is the first time the full extent of drone use in US law enforcement has been acknowledged.

It comes amid privacy concerns and criticism of President Barack Obama over surveillance and drone activity.

Four US Justice Department units, including the FBI, spent $3.7m acquiring and testing drones between 2004 and May this year, the report by the department's inspector general revealed.

None of the unmanned aircraft was armed or carried "releasable projectiles," the report said.

The FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have developed or are developing guidelines on drone use, it added.

'Unique concerns'

But by relying on existing rules governing manned aircraft use, the inspector general said that the FBI risked violating privacy rights.

The report urged new protocols to restrict improper surveillance.

Drones "can be used in close proximity to a home and, with longer-lasting power systems, may be capable of flying for several hours or even days at a time, raising unique concerns about privacy and the collection of evidence," it said.

The Justice Department said it had agreed with the watchdog's recommendations.

A statement from the American Civil Liberties Union said it welcomed the report and called on authorities to take action.

"No agency, including the FBI, should deploy domestic surveillance drones without first having strong privacy guidelines in place," Jay Staley, the group's senior policy analyst, said.

"We urge the Justice Department to make good on its plans to develop privacy rules that protect Americans from another mass surveillance technology," he added.

Increasing criticism

In June, Robert Mueller, then director of the FBI, told the US Senate's Judiciary Committee that US law enforcement agencies were using drones in some circumstances.

The FBI said later that unmanned aircraft were only used to monitor stationary subjects and to avoid serious risk to law officers.

The Obama administration has come under increasing criticism for using drones overseas - chiefly to carry out deadly missile attacks against suspected militants in Pakistan, Yemen, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

It has also had to defend its surveillance activities after a series of leaks by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden claimed the US was able to eavesdrop on vast amounts of electronic communications with little oversight.


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Anti-paparazzi bill becomes law

27 September 2013 Last updated at 05:54 ET

New legislation which will limit the paparazzi's ability to photograph stars' children has become law in the state of California.

Bill 606, championed by actress Halle Berry, who testified before the state assembly, sets out to protect the children of those in the public eye.

It lays out penalties for taking photos and video of a child without parental consent and in a harassing manner.

It would be "the beginning of the end," Berry said, for "aggressive paparazzi".

Earlier this week, it was signed into California law by state governor Jerry Brown.

"I started this fight with a great deal of hope and a bit of uncertainty so I cannot express my immense gratitude that Gov. Brown has recognized, and acted to remedy, the plight of children who are tormented because of the identity or prominence of their parents," said Berry.

The Academy award-winning actress was seen shouting at photographers taking pictures of her family after arriving at Los Angeles International airport in April, with her partner Olivier Martinez and her daughter.

Pregnant Berry also thanked actress Jennifer Garner and British singer Adele for joining her in her fight.

"I am forever in awe of the support I got within my community from the enormously talented musician Adele to fellow actor Jennifer Garner, who travelled with me to Sacramento to share her children's stories, experience and her desire to give them a better life."

The law comes into effect in January. Those breaking it could receive between 10 days and one year in jail, as well as a fine of up to $10,000 (£6,252).

The bill also allows for parents to bring a civil action against violators to seek damages and legal fees.

"Kids shouldn't be tabloid fodder," said Senator Kevin de Leon, who put forward the bill, adding that the new law "will give children, no matter who their parents are, protection from harassers who go to extremes to turn a buck".

The Motion Picture Association of America was among several groups that opposed the legislation, saying it infringes upon free speech protections.

Mr De Leon's office claimed the bill does not infringe on First Amendment rights because it targets the photographer's conduct, not the act of taking a photograph.

Other organisations in opposition include the National Press Photographers Association and the California Broadcasters Association.

"It is for all of us that I rejoice today and hope that this fight will continue and that the proper enforcement of this law will truly make a positive impact on the daily lives of all children," said Berry.


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Miss Teen USA webcam hacker charged

Miss Teen USA

A 19-year-old student has been charged with hacking Miss Teen USA's webcam.

Jader James Abrahams is charged with trying to blackmail Cassidy Wolf into sending him nude photos.

He surrendered to FBI agents and faces up to two years in prison, said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller.

Last month, Ms Wolf told NBC's Today show that she had received an anonymous email in which the sender claimed to have stolen images from the beauty queen's computer camera.

The sender of the email threatened to make the images public unless she would provide nude pictures of herself, Eimiller said.

Miss Teen USA

Ms Wolf, 19, was crowned Miss Teen USA in August.

Abrahams is accused of using malicious software to remotely operate webcams to get nude photos and videos of at least seven women as they changed clothes.

Some of these women he knew personally and others he found by hacking Facebook pages.

Continue reading the main story

I'll tell you this right now! I do not have a heart. However, I do stick to my deals. Also age doesn't mean a thing to me

Jader James Abrahams

The agent who interviewed him claims that Abrahams admitted to controlling 30 to 40 hacked computers and extorting some women.

Abrahams is studying computer science at university. He is currently on bail and only allowed to use his computer, which is being monitored, for coursework.

After getting the nude pictures he would send emails threatening to post them on their hacked social media accounts unless they either sent him more nude photos, a nude video, or logged onto Skype and followed his orders for five minutes.

Court records say that one teenager in Ireland wrote back: "Please remember I'm 17. Have a heart."

They claim Abrahams responded: "I'll tell you this right now! I do not have a heart. However, I do stick to my deals. Also age doesn't mean a thing to me!"

Follow @BBCNewsbeat on Twitter


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Ku Klux Klan to rally at Gettysburg

27 September 2013 Last updated at 10:42 ET

A Maryland Ku Klux Klan group has been granted a permit to hold a rally at a renowned Civil War battlefield, US authorities have said.

The white supremacist group will hold the event on 5 October at the site of the July 1863 Battle of Gettysburg in Pennsylvania.

Park officials said US freedom of speech rules required them to make the site available to the group.

As many as 50,000 soldiers were killed or wounded at the Battle of Gettysburg.

The battlefield, named for the small town nearby, is also known as the site of the Gettysburg Address, a short speech by President Abraham Lincoln that became one of the most celebrated moments of American oratory.

At the dedication of a cemetery there the following November, Lincoln envisioned "a new birth of freedom" for America out of the ashes of the war between the southern slave-holding states and the northern free states.

The Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist group established in the aftermath of the conflict, is known for its violent past and white-hooded ceremonial costume.

Richard Preston, leader of the Confederate White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan, was quoted by a local newspaper as saying his group was a "white separatist" organisation dedicated to throwing US President Barack Obama, who is black, out of office and to advocating stricter immigration laws.

"This is about America for Americans," Mr Preston said. "The only thing we want is our country back."

The group held a membership rally earlier this month at the Antietam battlefield in Maryland, the site of the deadliest single-day battle of the war.

In a statement, the National Park Service said: "As custodians of land owned by the American people, the National Park Service has a responsibility to make that land available for exercising [free speech] rights."

Park officials added that Gettysburg staff would work "to ensure that park resources and visitors will not be adversely affected by this event".


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US braces for possible shutdown

27 September 2013 Last updated at 18:09 ET
President Barack Obama (27 September 2013)

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President Obama: "Nobody gets to threaten the full faith and credit of the US just to extract political concessions"

The US government is bracing for a possible shutdown, as Republicans and Democrats in Congress remain deadlocked on a budget to continue its funding.

Agencies have begun making contingency plans ahead of the 1 October deadline to pass a new funding resolution.

The Senate has passed a bill to fund the government until 15 November.

But House Republicans have said they refuse to approve the bill without a provision to strip funding from President Barack Obama's health law.

The Senate is controlled by Mr Obama's Democratic party, while the Republicans hold the majority in the House of Representatives.

As a result, lawmakers are at a stalemate as the deadline approaches.

Government agencies have been selecting workers considered essential should funds stop flowing.

Obama exhorts conservatives

The looming shutdown is one of two fiscal crises facing the US government. On 17 October, the US treasury department's authority to borrow money to fund its debt obligations expires unless Congress approves a rise in the so-called debt ceiling.

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid

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Mr Reid tells reporters 'time is gone' for Republican efforts to stall a spending bill

On Friday afternoon, President Barack Obama urged House Republicans to pass the Senate's stopgap budget bill and to extend the debt limit, and demanded they not threaten to "burn the house down because you haven't gotten 100% of your way".

Mr Obama said if the nation were to default on its debt, it would have a "profound destabilising effect" on the world economy.

"Voting for the treasury to pay its bills is not a concession to me," he said. "No-one gets to hurt our economy... just because there are a couple of laws [they] don't like."

He described the healthcare law as "a done deal" and said the Republican-backed repeal effort was "not going to happen".

Mr Obama said the Senate had "acted responsibly" in passing the budget measure and that now it was up to Republicans in the House of Representatives "to do the same".

Civilian cuts
Continue reading the main story

Katy Watson BBC News, Washington


President Obama is all too aware that time is running out - so he's using that time to appeal once again to Congress in what's become a familiar drama here in Washington.

He warned a shutdown would throw a wrench into the gears of the economy, just as those gears were gaining traction.

In a pointed attempt to shame Republicans in Congress, perhaps in the hope that making them feel guilty might make them change their minds, he asked them to think about who they're hurting.

"There are probably young people in your office right now who came to work for you without much pay because they believed that public service was noble," he said. "You're preparing to send them home without a paycheque."

If the government does shut down on 1 October, as many as a third of its 2.1 million employees are expected to stop work - with no guarantee of back pay once the deadlock is resolved.

National parks and the Smithsonian museums in the nation's capital would close, pension and veterans' benefit cheques would be delayed, and visa and passport applications would be stymied.

Programmes deemed essential, such as air traffic control and food inspections, would continue.

The defence department has advised employees that uniformed members of the military will continue on "normal duty status", but "large numbers" of civilian workers will be told to stay home.

Last week, the US House of Representatives approved a bill that would maintain the US government's funding levels until 15 November but strip funding from Mr Obama's health law, known as Obamacare.

On Friday the Senate passed a version of the bill with the defunding provision removed 54-44, largely on party lines.

"The Senate has acted and we've done it with bipartisan co-operation. We've passed the only bill that can avert a government shutdown Monday night," Democratic Senate leader Harry Reid said.

"This is it, time is gone."

The US Capitol in Washington DC

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Shutdown explained, in 60 seconds

The House is now expected to take up that bill at the weekend. Unless the two chambers can come to a consensus and pass a bill for Mr Obama to sign, the federal government will close on 1 October.

Analysts say House Speaker John Boehner and his leadership team are pushing for the chamber to approve the Senate-passed bill and move on to the debt limit fight next week.

But more conservative members of his restive Republican caucus object, hoping to use the threat of a shutdown as leverage to force a halt to Mr Obama's health law.

That law passed in 2010, was subsequently ruled constitutional by the US Supreme Court, and was a central issue in the 2012 presidential election won by Mr Obama.

After the Senate vote on Friday, Republican Senator Ted Cruz and two other conservative senators denounced the result and vowed to press on with their effort to get rid of Obamacare.

"This will not end here," Senator Marco Rubio told reporters.

'A show'
Senator Marco Rubio

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Senator Marco Rubio: "The only thing we want to shut down is Obamacare"

Meanwhile, wrangling over the debt limit extension continues, with the Republicans seeking to win a series of major policy concessions by tying them to an increase.

On Thursday, the number-two Republican in the House, Majority Leader Eric Cantor, said the party would introduce a bill extending the debt ceiling for a year - but also delaying for a year major provisions of Mr Obama's health law.

While Congress narrowly avoided a government shutdown in 2011, the high-stakes political wrangling has become especially chaotic.

Analysts point to infighting in the Republican Party caucuses in both the House and Senate.

Republican Senator John McCain told CBS News on Friday he had never seen such dysfunction in Congress in his three decades as a senator.

"We are dividing the Republican Party rather than attacking Democrats," he said.


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Pilot suffers midair heart attack

27 September 2013 Last updated at 19:05 ET

A plane carrying 161 passengers was forced to make an emergency landing after the pilot suffered what was later proved to be a fatal heart attack.

The United Airlines flight from Houston, Texas to Seattle, Washington was diverted to Boise, Idaho on Thursday evening.

Passengers on board with medical training attempted life saving manoeuvres prior to landing.

Pilot Henry Skillern, 63, later died in hospital.

He had worked for the airline for 26 years.

The flight's first officer radioed the Boise airport's control tower at 19:55 (2:55 GMT) on Thursday to report a medical emergency.

Two military medical residents onboard tended to Mr Skillern as the plane made its emergency approach, according to media reports.

The plane landed at the airport by 20:10 and was greeted by firefighters who removed Mr Skillern and transported him to a local hospital.

The Texas resident later succumbed to a fatal heart attack.

An airport official told the Associated Press news agency the 161 passengers on board the Boeing 737 aircraft appeared to handle the incident well.

"It seemed like they felt that everything that could be done, was being done. The passengers were concerned for him, but everyone was very calm," Boise airport spokeswoman Patti Miller said.

Another pilot later joined the crew and flew the original plane on to its final destination in Seattle.


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New Jersey gay marriage ban lifted

27 September 2013 Last updated at 20:51 ET

A New Jersey court has lifted a ban on same-sex marriage but state Governor Chris Christie has said he intends to appeal against the decision.

Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson handed down the decision on Friday, finding the state's civil union system deprived those couples of certain federal benefits.

The ruling takes effect on 21 October.

Thirteen US states, including much of the Northeast region, currently allow same-sex marriage.

The ruling follows a July US Supreme Court decision striking down key parts of a law that prohibited the federal government from granting benefits to same-sex partners.

That same month, a group of same-sex couples and gay rights groups sued the state of New Jersey. They said the separate classification of "civil unions" did not entitle them to the same benefits as married persons.

Judge Jacobson ruled in their favour, finding the separate labels excluded gay couples from certain benefits, such a filing a joint federal tax return.

"Every day that the state does not allow same-sex couples to marry, plaintiffs are being harmed," she wrote in her opinion.

The order will not take effect until 21 October, allowing the state time to challenge the ruling.

Following the decision, a spokesman for New Jersey Gov Chris Christie told the media his office intends to lodge an appeal against the ruling with the state Supreme Court.


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US agents arrest 'contract killers'

27 September 2013 Last updated at 23:34 ET

Three people have been arrested in connection with a conspiracy to murder a US law enforcement agent, officials announced on Friday.

Two former US soldiers and a German soldier were detained abroad and extradited back to the US following a federal undercover operation.

The suspects were described as international cocaine traffickers and contract assassins by US officials.

Two additional suspects have been taken into custody in Estonia.

The arrests stem from a US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) narco-terrorism undercover operation conducted in Asia, Africa, Europe and the Caribbean.

'Bone-chilling'

US Attorney for the Southern District of New York Preet Bharara described the allegations against the three men as "bone-chilling" and "ripped from the pages" of an espionage novel.

"The charges tell a tale of an international band of mercenary marksmen who enlisted their elite military training to serve as hired guns for evil ends," he said in a statement.

According to US officials, Joseph Manuel Hunter, 48, served as a sniper instructor and senior drill sergeant in the US Army until 2004, while Timothy Vamvakias, 42, served as an infantryman and attained the rank of sergeant.

Dennis Gogel, 27, was trained as a sniper in the German armed forces until 2010, US officials said.

Mr Hunter acted as a "contract killer" since leaving the military, and signed on as "head of security" for a reported narcotics trafficking organisation tied to an international DEA operation earlier this year.

In this role, Mr Hunter, also known as "Rambo", assembled a "security team" consisting of the other suspects, according to court documents.

Their duties included providing surveillance for narcotics trafficking operations, including overseeing an aircraft to be loaded with 300kg (660lb) of cocaine and shipped to New York.

Murder-for-hire

In communications with confidential sources, the three suspects also agreed to commit the murder-for-hire of a DEA agent as well as a US informant in Liberia.

In exchange, the three suspects were to be paid $800,000 (£495,712), according to the statement.

All three suspects face charges including five counts of conspiracy to import cocaine into the US and conspiracy to murder a law enforcement agent.

Mr Vamvakias and Mr Gogel were apprehended in Liberia before being extradited to the US and appeared before a US Magistrate Court on Thursday afternoon.

Mr Hunter was arrested in Thailand and is not expected to appear in federal court until Saturday.

Two other suspects have been arrested in connection with the investigation and currently await extradition to the US from Estonia, officials said.


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Obama and Rouhani speak by phone

28 September 2013 Last updated at 05:27 ET
US President Barack Obama speaking by phone to President Hassan Rouhani of Iran (27 September)

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US President Barack Obama: "The test will be meaningful, transparent and verifiable actions"

US President Barack Obama has spoken by phone to Iran's Hassan Rouhani - the first such top-level conversation in more than 30 years.

Mr Obama spoke of a "unique opportunity" to make progress with Iran's new leadership, amid a flurry of diplomacy over its nuclear programme.

Earlier, Mr Rouhani said Iran was keen to reach a deal soon.

He also asserted that Iran did not seek a nuclear bomb, as Western powers have long suspected.

Describing meetings at the UN this week as a "first step", he said he believed the nuclear issue could be settled "within the not too distant future".

Mr Rouhani said initial discussions had taken place in an environment that was "quite different" from the past.

On his arrival back in Tehran from the UN General Assembly forum in New York, Mr Rouhani was met by a number of key political figures, as well as both supporters and opponents from the public.

A New York Times reporter described the scene as chaotic, with dozens of hardliners hurling eggs and shoes at the president's convoy.

'Full backing'

The call with Mr Obama was made just before Mr Rouhani left New York, where he has been attending the annual summit of the UN General Assembly, Iranian news agency Irna said.

Continue reading the main story

Analysis

Hassan Rouhani's actions in New York reveal a man dealing with the inherent, overwhelming contradiction of his job: he has a popular mandate without actual power.

In a speech given on 17 September in Tehran, Ali Khamenei approved the use of "heroic flexibility" in diplomacy. This would appear to translate as an instruction to President Rouhani: by all means see what you can get from the Americans, but don't go around shaking Obama's hand.

The ayatollah-approved outreach in New York included the first sustained direct talks between the US and Iran at foreign minister level for more than 30 years.

Hassan Rouhani may be able to recommend a deal, he may be able to explain how concessions are the best way to get sanctions lifted, and improve the lives of ordinary Iranians. But in the end, it is the supreme leader who will have the final say.

White House officials described the 15 minute conversation - apparently initiated by Mr Rouhani - as cordial, the BBC's Bridget Kendall reports from New York.

Mr Obama raised concerns about American prisoners in Iran, but the bulk of the call was about efforts to reach a solution on the nuclear issue, she says.

Afterwards, Mr Obama said: "While there will surely be important obstacles to moving forward and success is by no means guaranteed, I believe we can reach a comprehensive solution."

Mr Rouhani, who is regarded as a moderate and was elected in June, has said he wants to reach a deal over the nuclear issue in three to six months.

He says he is fully empowered by Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to negotiate.

On Friday, he told a press conference at the UN: "Whatever result we achieve through negotiations my government will have the full backing of all the main branches of power in Iran as well as the support of the people of Iran."

And he said he wanted a deal "within a very short period of time".

'Bomb is dangerous'

Earlier the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said it had held "very constructive" talks with Iran in Vienna.

IAEA Deputy Director-General Herman Nackaerts did not give details of Friday's talks, but said the two parties would meet again on 28 October.

"We will start substantial discussions on the way forward to resolving all outstanding issues," Mr Nackaerts said.

Reza Najafi, Iran's envoy to the IAEA, was quoted as saying that the aim was to reach an agreement "as soon as possible" and also spoke of a "constructive discussion".

Continue reading the main story

"Start Quote

If Iran's new President Hassan Rouhani can deliver what he has been saying in New York - and if the world's big powers can reciprocate - then there's a real chance to make progress"

End Quote

On Thursday US Secretary of State John Kerry held a rare meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif.

Mr Kerry said he was struck by the "very different tone", but added that Iran still had questions to answer.

There had been speculation that Mr Rouhani and Mr Obama might meet in New York. Mr Rouhani told journalists that "in principle we did not have any problems with having a meeting", but "there was not sufficient time" for planning the encounter.

The Iranian president rebuffed questions about Iran's reliability as a negotiating partner, saying his country wanted to retain nuclear technology but would submit to IAEA supervision.

"We say explicitly that we do not seek a bomb," he said. "We say explicitly that we believe the building of a bomb is dangerous for us - for our region."

The US and China have said they expect Iran to respond to an existing offer by the US, Russia, Britain, France, China and Germany, who form a negotiating group known as the P5+1.

The group has asked Iran to halt production and stockpiling of uranium enriched to 20% - a step away from achieving a nuclear weapons capability.

They also demanded Iran shut down the Fordo underground enrichment facility, near Qom.

Substantive talks between Iran and the P5+1 are due to take place on 15 October, and Mr Rouhani said Iran would bring a plan to that meeting, though he did not give details.

Iran's key nuclear sites

Source: 1155/New Scientist Global Security


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Senator's marathon health law speech

Written By Unknown on Kamis, 26 September 2013 | 20.24

25 September 2013 Last updated at 12:48 ET
US Senator Ted Cruz speaks on the Senate floor on Capitol Hill in Washington, on 25 September 2013

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Senator Ted Cruz reads a popular children's story to fill the time during his marathon anti-Obamacare speech

After more than 21 hours, Republican Senator Ted Cruz has finished speaking against the Obama health law, amid bipartisan attempts to avert a looming government shutdown.

The Tea Party Texan's filibuster-style oratory continued through the night, after he vowed to speak "until I am no longer able to stand".

Some of Sen Cruz's own Republican colleagues accused him of political grandstanding, warning it could backfire if the government does shut down next week, as scheduled.

Congress has until 1 October to pass a temporary budget bill to keep federal agencies running.

The Republican-controlled House of Representatives last week passed its own version of the spending measure.

Nazis evoked

Lawmakers in that chamber inserted a provision - largely at the behest of Sen Cruz and his Tea Party allies - that would strip funds from President Barack Obama's 2010 healthcare bill.

Continue reading the main story

Some Republicans despair of both Sen Ted Cruz's tactics and his ego. But he won't care - he has embraced Sen John McCain's description of him as a "wacko bird". Reading Dr Seuss' Green Eggs and Ham from the Senate floor can only elevate him from Daffy Duck to Roadrunner in the esteem of his public admirers.

Some Republicans think what he is doing is either pointless or dangerous. Pointless because this is not a classic filibuster - it stands no chance of actually killing the bill. Beyond that, it is odd, because the bill he is delaying couples paying the government's bills to defunding Obamacare.

That linkage is a core conservative tactic, which Mr Cruz himself agrees with. As Dr Seuss once wrote: "From there to here, from here to there, funny things are everywhere!"

That part will be removed from the version in the Senate, which on Wednesday held a procedural test vote on the matter, voting 100-0 to take up the House bill.

If, as expected, the Senate revises the House bill, the House will then have to decide whether to pass that bill or find a compromise with the Senate. They have until next Tuesday to avert a shutdown.

Sen Cruz, who began talking at 14:41 local time (18:41 GMT) on Tuesday, held the floor for 21 hours and 19 minutes, but had to yield at midday. It was the fourth-longest speech in Senate history.

Analysts say his marathon talk was a mainly symbolic gesture of defiance, rather than a filibuster - a tactic made famous by the 1939 Jimmy Stewart film, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington - as it could not hold up Senate proceedings.

Republicans sympathise with Sen Cruz's attempts to neuter the health law, which they label Obamacare.

But many deem his strategy to be politically unfeasible as long as Democrats control the Senate and White House.

With an eye on next year's midterm congressional elections, a number of Republicans are also concerned that voters might blame them for the havoc that results from any government shutdown.

Forgoing his cowboy boots for tennis shoes, Sen Cruz, a potential 2016 presidential candidate, railed all night against the Obama health law, calling it the country's "biggest jobs killer" and comparing his struggle to the fight against the Nazis, or the American Revolution.

'Bad haircuts'

To fill the time, the first-term senator covered a range of subjects, sharing with the largely empty chamber his penchant for the mini-hamburgers at fast-food chain White Castle; quoting from a reality television show, Duck Dynasty, as well as lyrics by country singer Toby Keith; and praising a recent speech by actor Ashton Kutcher on the value of hard work.

Senator Ted Cruz speaks on Senate floor

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Ted Cruz: "Neville Chamberlain told the British people to accept the Nazis"

At one point on Tuesday night, Sen Cruz read bedtime stories - including the Dr Seuss favourite, Green Eggs and Ham - to his two young daughters, who he said were watching at home.

He also poked fun at fellow lawmakers: "Almost all of us are in cheap suits with bad haircuts. Who cares?"

Several Tea Party allies, including Senators Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, gave Sen Cruz some respite by taking to the lectern in his support.

Under the chamber's rules, Sen Cruz was allowed to give way to colleagues for long-form questions, but could not leave the floor or sit down while his speech was under way.

He took advantage of the break by strolling, stretching and leaning against desks.

But the top two Republicans in the Senate, Mitch McConnell and John Cornyn, refused to back him.

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid dismissed Mr Cruz's speech on Wednesday.

"For lack of a better way of describing this, it has been a big waste of time," Mr Reid said.

  • The longest filibuster came when US Senator Strom Thurmond spoke against civil rights reforms for 24 hours 18 minutes in 1957
  • US Senator Alfonse D'Amato (above, left) of New York kept going for 23 hours and 30 minutes in an attempt to block a military bill in 1986
  • Robert Byrd (right) of West Virginia spoke against the 1964 Civil Rights Act for 14 hours 13 minutes.
  • Huey Long (centre) of Louisiana discussed the merits of various recipes during his 15-hour filibuster in 1935
  • In March this year, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul criticised US drone policy for nearly 13 hours

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