- Real Madrid win their 10th European Cup
Player reaction
- Real Madrid win their 10th European CupReal Madrid goalscorer Gareth Bale: "We played Atletico four times already this season, every one was very close and difficult, when they get ahead they are difficult to break down. Once we got the goal, we had the momentum into extra time."When we play our game, we win football games. We knew if we kept attacking, we would win."
- Real Madrid win their 10th European Cup
Gareth Bale says Real Madrid believed that if they kept attacking the goals would come. They certainly did.
Player reaction
Real Madrid win their 10th European Cup
Sergio Ramos, Real Madrid goalscorer: "All our team are heroes. With the way the group work you pick up titles."The goal is not only mine, it is for all Madrid's people, those who came here or those that stayed at home. We were waiting for this a long time. Today we can finally enjoy it."- Real Madrid win their 10th European CupSergio Ramos is doing a matador routine with a Spain flag in front of the Real fans before he cuts out a piece of the goal net for his memory box.
Player reaction
Real Madrid win their 10th European CupGabi, Atletico Madrid captain: "In extra time we didn't have many chances and Real Madrid played better. Before the extra time Diego Simeone told us to keep working."We were close to getting the trophy but the title is not yours until it is all over. We fought hard but now we want to congratulate the champions."- Real Madrid win their 10th European Cup
Carlo Ancelotti has now won three Champions League titles, a Serie A title, a Coppa Italia, a Premier League, an FA Cup, a French League, a Copa del Rey and a Club World Cup
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Real Madrid champions League Winner 2014
Somalia parliament attacked by al-Shabab in Mogadishu
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| "Al-Shabab can hit almost at will" http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-27557925 |
Islamist militants from the al-Shabab movement have attacked the Somali parliament in Mogadishu, leaving at least 10 people dead.
Explosions and gunfire were heard and witnesses reported seeing bodies.
Somali police were joined by African Union troops as they engaged the attackers.
Al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaeda, once controlled large areas of Somalia but was pushed out of major cities in 2011 and 2012.
However, it is still able to mount complex attacks. It has frequently targeted the UN-backed parliament.
A car bomb exploded outside the gates of parliament shortly before midday local time (09:00 GMT), followed by more blasts and bursts of gunfire.
The attackers then stormed the front of the parliament building as security forces fired back.
"Fighting is going on inside the parliament building and we are fighting rebels inside the building but we evacuated members of parliament," Col Mahamed Dahir said.
At least four police officers and several militants were reported killed. Eyewitnesses saw a number of bodies in military fatigues but could not confirm whether they were members of the security forces.
Two MPs were reportedly wounded in the attack as they were taken out of the back of the building.
Somali soldiers took up positions around the parliament building as MPs were evacuated
Security forces returned fire as the militants attacked the front of the parliament building
African Union troops joined Somali soldiers in trying to repel the attack
"The enemy can now access everywhere," MP Mohamed Nor told Associated Press, criticising the army's failure to protect parliament.
An al-Shabab spokesman told the AFP news agency: "The so-called Somali parliament is a military zone. Our fighters are there to carry out a holy operation."
African Union (AU) troops from the 22,000-strong Amisom security force joined the Somali army in fighting the insurgents around parliament, an Amisom spokesman said.
Analysis by Mark Doyle, BBC World Affairs correspondent
Al-Shabab were pushed out of Mogadishu in 2011 but are still able to mount attacks in the Somali capital
Spectacular attacks on prestige targets attract attention - that's part of their purpose for al-Shabab. But they're just the tip of the iceberg. I've visited Somalia with African Union forces - Amisom - three times in the past year. There were smaller attacks by al-Shabab almost every single day I was there.
The African Union soldiers seek to dismiss these as mere 'harassment' of their garrisons. But these probing attacks - sometimes roadside bombs, sometimes sniper fire - pin the troops down. This is asymmetric warfare and it costs the African Union blood and equipment.
In the past three years Amisom has made significant military advances, pushing al-Shabab out of its fixed positions in Mogadishu and retaking major towns such as Kismayo and Baidoa.
But al-Shabab has the capacity to keep coming back. It is generally accepted in Somalia that if Amisom - with US backing - was not there, the government in Mogadishu would almost certainly fall.
The UN envoy to Somalia Nicholas Kay said he was "horrified" by the attack and paid tribute to the response of Somali and African Union forces.
Somalia has experienced almost constant conflict since its government collapsed in 1991.
With Mogadishu and other towns now under government control, basic services such as street lighting and rubbish collection have now resumed.
Many Somalis have returned from exile, bringing their money and skills with them.
The parliament in Mogadishu - which operated as a transitional assembly from 2004 to 2012 - has been attacked several times, including in 2009 and 2010.
Last month, a Somali parliamentarian was blown up and another shot dead in separate attacks.
In February, al-Shabab militants attacked the presidential palace in Mogadishu, leaving at least 16 people dead.
Al-Shabab, whose name means "The Youth" in Arabic, advocates the strict Saudi-inspired Wahhabi version of Islam.
California drive-by gunman kills six in Santa Barbara
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| Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown says they have evidence that the shooting was premeditated |
The shootings took place late on Friday in Isla Vista near the University of California-Santa Barbara campus.
The suspected gunman was found dead in his car with a bullet wound. It is unclear whether it was self-inflicted.
Police are looking into a possible link with a Youtube video in which a young man complains of repeated rejection by women and threatens to take revenge.
Seven other people are in hospital, and being treated for bullet wounds.
The shootings occurred at several sites in the town of Isla Vista, and there were nine crime scenes, police said.
Witnesses described seeing a black BMW speeding through the streets, with shots being fired at people.
Student Michael Vitek told local TV station KEYT he had seen one woman being fatally struck and another critically injured. "I heard shots, scream, pain," he said
Witnesses spoke of running for their lives
Police say they were alerted to the shootings around 21:30 on Friday (04:30 GMT on Saturday). Six minutes later, the suspect and responding officers exchanged gunfire.
The suspect fled. But after a second exchange of fire with police, he eventually crashed into a parked vehicle.
He was found dead in his car with a bullet wound to the head. A semi-automatic handgun was recovered from the vehicle.
Investigators know the suspect's name but would not release it before all relatives were notified, Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown told reporters.
Police say they have identified nine separate crime scenes in the Isla Vista area
Officers have so far not disclosed the name of the suspect
Local station KEYT-TV showed a body on the ground after the shootings
"We have obtained and are currently analysing videotaped evidence that suggests that this atrocity was a premeditated mass murder," Mr Brown said.
He said police were familiar with a YouTube video entitled Elliot Rodger's Retribution, in which a man says he is aged 22 and vows revenge on women, with whom he says he has never had an intimate experience.
Santa Barbara shootings timeline, 23 May
21:27 local time: Shootings begin
21:33: Police exchange fire with gunman, who flees in his vehicle
Seconds later: More police exchange fire. Car crashes in Del Playa Drive, alleged gunman found dead
Brussels fatal gun attack at Jewish museum
Three people have been shot dead at the Jewish Museum in the Belgian capital Brussels, officials say.
A fourth person was seriously wounded, emergency services said.
Belgian broadcaster RTBF said the shooting had taken place inside as well as outside the museum.
Deputy Prime Minister Didier Reynders, who was one of the first people to arrive at the scene, said he was shocked by the attack.
The gunman arrived at the museum at around 15:50 (13:50 GMT) carrying a backpack, then opened fire before fleeing in a car, Belgian media reported.
Brussels Mayor Yvan Mayeur said three men and a woman had been caught up in the attack. "It's clearly extremely serious," RTBF quoted him as saying.
A number of people were treated for shock after the shooting in the central Sablon area of the city.
Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo expressed his condolences and support for the victims' families.
Friday, May 23, 2014
Thai army detains ex-PM Yingluck
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| Protests have broken out on the streets of Bangkok, as Jonah Fisher reports |
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-27539284
Thailand's ex-PM Yingluck Shinawatra and a number of members of her family have been detained, as leaders of the nation's military coup tighten their grip on power.
Ms Yingluck and scores of politicians from the deposed government had been told to report to the military.
She was kept for several hours and then driven to an undisclosed location.
Army chief Gen Prayuth Chan-ocha also met key officials, telling them reform must come before any elections.
Gen Prayuth summoned governors, business leaders and civil servants to the Bangkok Army Club on Friday.
Six of Thailand's most senior military officers have now been appointed to run the country, with provincial commanders supervising local government.
Suspended constitution
The BBC's Jonathan Head in Bangkok says that, unlike in previous coups, there have been no promises of a quick return to civilian rule.
Gen Prayuth told the meeting: "I want all civil servants to help organise the country. We must have economic, social and political reforms before elections. If the situation is peaceful, we are ready to return power to the people."
Ms Yingluck, who had been prime minister until being removed by the judiciary this month, had been ordered to report to the military along with more than 100 other politicians, including acting PM Niwatthamrong Boonsongphaisan.
It was unclear whether Gen Prayuth met either of them.
There were reports Gen Prayuth was to meet Thailand's revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the royal palace in Hua Hin, south of Bangkok, on Friday to explain the coup, but this has not been confirmed.
On Thursday the military suspended the constitution, banned gatherings and detained politicians, saying order was needed after months of turmoil.
Russia's Vladimir Putin 'to respect' Ukraine vote
President Vladimir Putin made his comments at an economic forum in St Petersburg
Russia's President Vladimir Putin has said he will respect the outcome of Ukraine's presidential election.
Speaking in St Petersburg, he said Russia was prepared to work with whoever was elected Ukraine's president in Sunday's vote.
It is the first time Mr Putin has explicitly indicated that he will accept Ukraine's election result.
Violence in the east, particularly Donetsk and Luhansk, has seriously disrupted preparations for the polls.
Separatist insurgents in the two regions declared independence after disputed referendums earlier this month and have pledged to derail the presidential poll.
After the votes on 11 May, Moscow said it respected the results and called for peaceful "practical implementation" of the "will of the people", even though Mr Putin had urged a delay to the referendums days before.
'Civil war'
The presidential elections were called after the last elected president, Viktor Yanukovych, was deposed in February amid mass protests against his pro-Russian policies.
"We understand that the people of Ukraine want their country to emerge from this crisis. We will treat their choice with respect," President Putin told an economic forum in St Petersburg.
"It would have been better to hold a referendum and adopt a new constitution. Under the current constitution (Viktor) Yanukovych is still in power," he added.
Until now he has left open the possibility that Russia might question the election result on Sunday, says the BBC's diplomatic correspondent Bridget Kendall.
But now he has left little doubt that he has decided to accept the outcome, even if somewhat reluctantly, she adds.
A pro-Ukrainian soldier was wounded in a gun battle with separatist fighters near Donetsk on Friday
Members of the pro-Russia Vostok Battalion assembled after clashes with the pro-Ukrainian fighters
Mr Putin also voiced concern that Ukraine would join Nato and said that he hoped the leadership in Kiev would end military action in eastern Ukraine.
He said he believed Ukraine had descended into "full-scale civil war" but denied that Moscow was behind acts involving pro-Russia separatists.
His comments follow some of eastern Ukraine's deadliest violence, with at least 14 government soldiers killed in clashes with pro-Russia separatists in the Volnovakha area on Thursday.
Further clashes were reported on Friday between pro-Russia separatists and self-defence fighters near the village of Karlivka in the Donetsk region, with reports of at least two people killed.
Quote of the day from President Jonathan
“We must be careful not to politicize the campaign against terrorism. When a bomb goes off in Kabul, Afghanistan, the people of Afghanistan do not blame the government, they blame the terrorists.
“When a bomb goes off in Baghdad, Iraq, the people of Iraq do not blame the government, they blame the terrorists. When a bomb goes off in Islamabad, Pakistan, the people of Pakistan do not blame the government, they blame the terrorists. When a bomb goes off in Nigeria, we must all unite to fight the terrorists."
Egypt crisis
Egypt: Sinai Islamist leader Shadi al-Menei shot dead
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| An airstrike in Sinai killed five fighters thought to be members of Ansar Beit al-Maqdis last August |
Egyptian security officials say a key leader of a militant group has been shot dead in the Sinai peninsula.
Shadi el-Menei was the purported head of Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, suspected of a string of recent attacks.
Several other members of the al-Qaeda-inspired group were said to have been killed but this has not been confirmed.
The deaths of more than 200 Egyptian soldiers and officials have been blamed on Ansar Beit al-Maqdis since President Mohammed Morsi was ousted in July 2013.
- Al-Qaeda-inspired Salafist jihadist group based in Sinai
- Name means Champions of Jerusalem
- Critical of Muslim Brotherhood for participating in elections, though some observers believe group has links to the MB
- Regards interim-backed government an "apostate regime"
- Has claimed responsibility for deadly attacks around Egypt, and rocket attacks on Israel
- Group said it was behind bombing of police station in Mansoura in Dec 2013 which killed 16 people
There are conflicting reports as to who carried out the assault.
AFP news agency quoted unnamed officials as saying security forces opened fire on the men as they were about to carry out an attack on a gas pipeline in central Sinai.
A different account came from officials who told the Associated Press that Shadi el-Menei and at least three associates were killed by 15 attackers in revenge for the killings of tribesmen by Ansar Beit al-Maqdis.
Islamist groups in the Sinai have stepped up their attacks against Egypt's army and police forces in the last year.
The Egyptian army launched a major operation against militants in the Sinai but attacks have continued.
Last week, two army officers and five militants were said to have died in a gunfight during a raid on a warehouse linked to Islamist militants north of Cairo.
Officials said the militants were from Ansar Beit al-Maqdis.
ICC gives Congo warlord Germain Katanga 12-year jail term
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| ICC presiding Judge Bruno Cotte delivers the sentencing |
The International Criminal Court has sentenced ex-Congolese militia leader Germain Katanga to 12 years in prison for aiding and abetting war crimes.
Katanga was found guilty in March, only the second person to be convicted by the Netherlands-based court.
He was behind the 2003 massacre of hundreds of villagers in the north-east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The fighting escalated into an inter-ethnic conflict that is estimated to have killed 50,000 people.
In a statement read out to the court in The Hague, presiding Judge Bruno Cotte said that the more than six years the 36-year-old former militia leader had spent in ICC custody would be taken into account.
The chamber said that he would not be asked to pay a fine.
Known to his supporters as Simba, or "the lion", Katanga was found guilty of planning the ambush on the village of Bogoro in gold-rich Ituri province.
'Particularly cruel'
"The scars of the fighting that occurred that day are still be seen today," Judge Cotte said.
Katanga was also found to have procured the weapons - including guns and machetes - used to kill more than 200 of the villagers, but he was acquitted of direct involvement.
• Convicted of accessory to one crime against humanity (murder) and four war crimes (murder, attacking a civilian population, destruction of property and pillaging)
• Acquitted of one crime against humanity (sexual slavery) and three counts of war crimes (using child soldiers, sexual slavery, rape)
As a militia commander, he had the support of the Lendu ethnic group in the region and his fighters targeted villagers from the Hema ethnic group, some of whom were killed as they slept.
The use of machetes in the attack was "particularly cruel and caused extreme suffering", the AFP news agency quotes the judge as saying.
Child soldiers were common in DR Congo but the judges found Katanga not guilty of using them in his attack
The rebel leader, who was 24 at the time the crimes took place, was also cleared of using child soldiers and of committing sexual crimes.
The evidence proved that women who survived the massacre had been raped or kept as sex slaves but the judges did not find enough proof to convict Katanga of carrying out these crimes.
After the end of the Ituri conflict, peace deals were signed and Katanga was given a position in the Congolese army.
Judge Cotte said Katanga's role in helping with the demobilisation of child soldiers at the time was taken into consideration by the chamber in handing down its sentence.
The judges also noted his age at the time, that he had a young family, including six children, and he had shown willingness to change, he said.
A year after joining the military, Katanga was imprisoned for bad behaviour and was still in jail when the ICC issued its arrest warrant for him.
His is one of the longest-running cases at the ICC.
In July 2012, Thomas Lubanga, a rival militia leader in Ituri, was sentenced to 14 years in jail by the ICC for recruiting and using child soldiers.
50cent explains why he didn't attend his son's high school graduation
In an appearance on BET's 106 and Park yesterday, 50 Cent explains;
"My son -- I haven't received an invitation. When he graduated, I was in Budapest on a movie with Melissa McCarthy, Jude Law, and Jason Statham. I think, at some point, the reason why it actually comes out is because his mom is going to TMZ. I wish she'd find someone so she could leave me alone
Thursday, May 22, 2014
UN committee imposes sanctions on Nigeria's Boko Haram
Under the command of Abubakar Shekau, Boko Haram has stepped up its attacks
The UN Security Council has approved sanctions against the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram, five weeks after it kidnapped more than 200 schoolgirls.
It will now be added to a list of al-Qaeda-linked organisations subject to an arms embargo and asset freeze.
US envoy Samantha Power said it was an "important step" in support of efforts to "defeat Boko Haram and hold its murderous leadership accountable".
It was earlier blamed for the deaths of 27 people in a north-eastern village.
Residents said gunmen had shot dead farm workers in Chikongudo, set fire to nearly all the homes there and stolen food in an attack on Wednesday night. The assailants stormed the village in cars and motorbikes, a trademark of Boko Haram, the residents added.
It came a day after twin bombings killed 122 in the central city of Jos. The authorities suspect Boko Haram of being behind them, but there has so far been no claim of responsibility from the group.
'Al-Qaeda training'
Boko Haram was added to the al-Qaeda Sanctions Committee's list of designated entities on Thursday at the request of Nigeria.
"Today, the Security Council took an important step in support of the government of Nigeria's efforts to defeat Boko Haram and hold its murderous leadership accountable for atrocities," Ms Power said.
The sanctions designation would help "close off important avenues of funding, travel and weapons" to the group, she added.
On Wednesday, Nigeria's permanent representative, U Joy Ogwu, said: "The important thing is to attack the problem, and that is terrorism."
A video emerged earlier this month showing about 130 of the schoolgirls held by Boko Haram
The BBC's Barbara Plett Usher in New York says Boko Haram's links with al-Qaeda have come under scrutiny.
Reports quoting a draft UN document said its members had received training from al-Qaeda affiliates and fought alongside them in Mali.
Protests
Boko Haram, which has killed thousands of people in Nigeria through a wave of bombings and assassinations since 2009, is fighting to overthrow the government and create an Islamic state.
The government's failure to prevent attacks since launching an offensive against Boko Haram a year ago has triggered widespread anger.
On Thursday, protesters demanding the return of the schoolgirls snatched from their classrooms in the north-eastern town of Chibok and taken hostage five weeks ago were prevented from reaching the presidential villa in the capital, Abuja.
A statement from President Goodluck Jonathan read out to the demonstrators said the state was doing all it could to secure their release.
He also urged them to ensure their "zeal is matched with a realistic understanding of the situation".
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| Some of the protesting teachers |
The statement did little to placate the crowd, and one protester shouted: "Another small window for Jonathan and he refuses to use it."Teachers across Nigeria also held a day of protests on Thursday in support of the abducted schoolgirls.Teaching unions said they were also marching in memory of the 173 teachers killed by militants and called on the authorities to increase protection for schools, which were closed for the day.
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