Annecy gun victims 'were UK tourists':France shoot

Annecy gun victims 'were UK tourists':France shoot

The bodies of two women and a man were found in a British-registered BMW car. The fourth person killed was a cyclist.


A prosecutor said the identity of the man - described as the father - had been "almost certainly" established.

Two young girls were found alive, one eight hours after the deaths. The other is in a critical condition in hospital.

The fourth person killed was a cyclist, said by officials to be a resident of a neighbouring area.

The area has now been sealed off by some 60 police, who have started a criminal investigation into what they are calling a multiple murder.

One girl was initially reported to have died of her injuries but AFP later said Mr Maillaud, who had announced her death, had issued a correction.

He now says the child, thought to be aged eight, is in a critical condition in intensive care in Grenoble.

The car park where the bodies were found is in a quiet, forested area in the foothills of the Alps.
A large number of spent cartridges are said to have been found on the ground around the BMW.

Prosecutor Eric Maillaud told AFP news agency the two women victims were yet to be definitively identified. He said a four-year-old girl was discovered hidden under the bodies around midnight (22:00 GMT). She is thought to have kept still for up to eight hours.

Mr Maillaud said the family was on holiday camping on the edge of Lake Annecy in the Haute-Savoie region, which is a popular tourist destination known for its swimming and water sports.

Christians take 'beliefs' fight to European Court of Human Rights

Christians take 'beliefs' fight to European Court of Human Rights

They include an airline worker stopped from wearing a cross and a counsellor who refused to deal with gay couples.

All four lost separate employment tribunals relating to their beliefs.

The BBC's Robert Pigott says the result will mark a "watershed moment" in social change to Christian beliefs.

Earlier this year, the four were backed by the UK's equality watchdog, the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which said judges had interpreted equality laws "too narrowly" in religious claims.

It said this had led employers to place undue restriction on how far Christians could behave in accordance with their beliefs.

In Mrs Chapman's case, the NHS trust said the necklace her cross was on had breached health and safety guidelines. She lost her discrimination case in 2010.

Meanwhile, Miss Eweida, who was suspended by British Airways for breaching its uniform code, also lost her case against discrimination in 2010.

In the same year, Mr McFarlane, a Christian marriage guidance counsellor from Bristol, lost his court bid to challenge his sacking for refusing to give sex therapy to homosexuals.

And, also in 2010, the Supreme Court ruled against Ms Ladele, who was disciplined by Islington Council for refusing to conduct same-sex civil partnerships.

The court refused her bid to challenge an appeal tribunal which overturned a previous decision by an employment tribunal that the council had discriminated against her.

The cases involve British Airways check-in clerk Nadia Eweida, nurse Shirley Chaplin, relationship counsellor Gary McFarlane and registrar Lilian Ladele:


Ms Eweida, a Pentecostal Christian from Twickenham, south-west London, was sent home by her employer British Airways in 2006 after refusing to remove a necklace with a cross
Devon-based nurse Mrs Chaplin was moved to a desk job by Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Trust Hospital for similar reasons
Mr McFarlane, a Bristol counsellor, was sacked by Relate for refusing to give relationship advice to gay people
Ms Ladele was disciplined after she refused to conduct same-sex civil partnership ceremonies in north London

Wildfire near Los Angeles disrupts Labor Day

Wildfire near Los Angeles disrupts Labor Day




Firefighters, air tankers and helicopters replaced hikers and campers in the recreation-rich San Gabriel Canyon on Monday after a wildfire forced authorities to close the area for Labor Day.

Authorities evacuated the canyon Sunday after the fire broke out in Angeles National Forest, an urban recreation area near Los Angeles that is popular with hikers, campers and off-road vehicle enthusiasts.

About 50 residents and 1,000 campers were evacuated, CNN affiliate KABC reported.

"I know we have some neighbors up there that didn't leave. We're really worried about them," evacuee Toni Kova told KABC.

Kova and her husband live in Camp Williams, which was evacuated Sunday.

"We saw the smoke and the fire coming over the hill. The river is literally our front yard and the mountains that the fires were coming over," she said. "We were like, we gotta start packing up."

Officials told KABC the fight was made more difficult by the steep and rugged terrain. The U.S. Forest Service in California said on its Twitter feed it expected a "very active" fire because of low humidity and high temperatures.

Finding love without Vegan dating: meat or dairy

Looking for a vegan mate, is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Vegans do not eating meat, milk, fish or eggs and veganism is still a minority pursuit, which means that vegans looking for vegan dates sometimes have a hard time.

Whatever health benefits may come from not eating meat, milk, fish or eggs, veganism is still a minority pursuit, which means that vegans looking for vegan dates sometimes have a hard time.

Publisher Alex Bourke is a strict vegan. He does not eat any animal products. His last two girlfriends were vegans. Currently, he is single.

He is looking for vegan love.

"I have dated meat-eaters in the past and I have dated vegetarians and vegans. It is just so much easier when I can eat their food and they can eat mine," says Bourke.

But it is not just convenience that drives him to seek someone with a similar diet. It is also a question of ethics. For Bourke, eating meat is morally wrong.

"I cannot condone non-veggies any more than I can condone people who beat their children.
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    If I kiss someone I just do not want the hassle of wondering what's stuck between her teeth”

Alex Bourke Vegan

"I do not want any part of the cruelty involved, not just in factory farming, but in any kind of animal farming.

Looking for a vegan mate, is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Vegans do not eating meat, milk, fish or eggs and veganism is still a minority pursuit, which means that vegans looking for vegan dates sometimes have a hard time.

Publisher Alex Bourke is a strict vegan. He does not eat any animal products. His last two girl friends were vegans. Currently, he is single.

He is looking for vegan love.

"I have dated meat-eaters in the past and I have dated vegetarians and vegans. It is just so much easier when I can eat their food and they can eat mine," says Bourke.

But it is not just convenience that drives him to seek someone with a similar diet. It is also a question of ethics. For Bourke, eating meat is morally wrong.

"I cannot condone non-veggies any more than I can condone people who beat their children.

I do not want any part of the cruelty involved, not just in factory farming, but in any kind of animal farming.

"I did break up with someone over cheese," he says.

"Every week I go for restaurant meals and I meet dozens of friends, some of whom are very attractive, and sometimes things happen," says Bourke. "If I kiss someone I just do not want the hassle of wondering, what is stuck between her teeth?"

Looking for a vegan mate, however, is like looking for a needle in a haystack.

The British Vegan Society estimates that there are only some 150,000 vegans in the UK, out of 65 million people - that is about 1 in 400.

In the US the odds are a little better. The Vegetarian Resource Group estimates that there are some two million, out of a total population of 313 million - roughly one in 150. A Gallup poll published two weeks ago, on the other hand, suggests that as many as 2% of Americans are vegan.

UK 'threat' to arrest Wikileaks founder: Julian Assange

Britain has threatened to raid the Ecuadorian embassy in London to arrest Julian Assange, it was claimed last night.

The Government has reportedly warned in a letter that it could revoke the embassy’s diplomatic immunity if the WikiLeaks founder is not handed over – sparking a furious response from Ecuadorian officials.


Ecuador has accused the UK of making a "threat" to enter its embassy in London to arrest Wikileaks' Julian Assange.

Mr Assange took refuge at the embassy in June to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces questioning over assault and rape claims, which he denies.

Ecuador says a decision on his bid for political asylum will come later.



Demonstrators also protested outside the British embassy in Ecuador's capital. Images from Quito showed protesters holding signs saying "We are sovereign, not colonies" and a union jack being stepped on.

At a news conference in Quito on Wednesday, Ecuador Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said a letter from the UK government had been delivered through a British embassy official.

"Today we received from the United Kingdom an express threat, in writing, that they might storm our embassy in London if we don't hand over Julian Assange," he said.

"Ecuador rejects in the most emphatic terms the explicit threat of the British official communication."

He said such a threat was "improper of a democratic, civilised and rule-abiding country".

He added: "If the measure announced in the British official communication is enacted, it will be interpreted by Ecuador as an unacceptable, unfriendly and hostile act and as an attempt against our sovereignty. It would force us to respond.

Additionally, if Assange is granted asylum by Ecuador, he will still have to cross UK soil to leave the country.

The Foreign Office said on Wednesday (August 15) that it is "still committed to reaching a mutually acceptable solution" and noted that it has a "legal obligation" to extradite Assange.

"Throughout this process have we have drawn the Ecuadorians' attention to relevant provisions of our law, whether, for example, the extensive human rights safeguards in our extradition procedures, or to the legal status of diplomatic premises in the UK," a departmental spokesperson explained.



"We are not a British colony."

A Foreign Office spokesman said the UK remained "determined" to fulfil its obligation to extradite Mr Assange.

"Throughout this process we have drawn the Ecuadorians' attention to relevant provisions of our law, whether, for example, the extensive human rights safeguards in our extradition procedures, or to the legal status of diplomatic premises in the UK," the spokesman said.

"We are still committed to reaching a mutually acceptable solution."

Police have so far been unable to detain Mr Assange for breaching the terms of his bail as he is on diplomatic territory.

The law Britain has informed Ecuador it could use in the case is the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987.

It allows the UK to revoke the diplomatic status of an embassy on UK soil, which would potentially allow police to enter the building to arrest Mr Assange.

Militants attack major Pakistan air base; 8 killed

Islamist militants armed with rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons fought their way into one of Pakistan's largest air bases on Thursday, the air force said, in a brazen challenge to the nuclear-armed country's powerful military.

Only one aircraft was damaged, an air force spokesman said, adding that the Minhas air base at Kamra, in central Punjab province, did not house nuclear weapons. "No air base is a nuclear air base in Pakistan," he said.

A gunbattle raged for hours after the attack started. Commandos were called in to reinforce and police armored personnel carriers could be seen heading into the base.

Seven militants and one soldier were killed, the spokesman said.

The overnight assault cast doubts over official assertions that military operations had severely weakened militants waging a violent campaign to topple the US-backed government and impose strict Islamic rule.

Security forces opened fire on militants strapped with suicide bombing vests as they approached aircraft hangars, prompting other militants to fire rocket-propelled grenades from outside the base's walls, said the air force spokesman.

Base commander Air Commodore Muhammad Azam, who led the operation against the attackers, was wounded, but is in stable condition, said the spokesman.

It was not immediately clear if the attack was beaten back but a Reuters reporter who reached Kamra in the morning did not hear any gunfire.

"Security personnel are now in the process of scanning the entire area to check for the presence of any other miscreant," said the spokesman.

Minhas, 75 km (45 miles) northeast of Islamabad, is adjacent to the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex, a major air force research and development centre. Pakistan manufactures JF-17 fighter planes, jointly developed with China, at the site.

Suicide bombers launched attacks near the base and the aeronautical complex in 2007 and 2009, but news reports said defenses were not breached.

It was not immediately clear how the attackers managed to enter the sprawling base this time. Although the attack took place at about 2 a.m. (2100 GMT Wednesday), it is likely many of the soldiers on the base were awake for prayers or breakfast during the fasting month of Ramadan.

Faheemullah Khan, a civilian who lives near the base, said he was at a mosque praying when he heard gunfire and explosions which he thought were military exercises.

"Then we came to a restaurant, which is next to the main entrance to the base, and heard a louder explosion," he said.

"We saw six police vans rush in, and realized something was wrong."

Several squadrons of fighters and surveillance planes are believed to be based at Minhas.

"One body of a suicide bomber strapped with explosives has been found close to the impact area," said an air force statement.

Pakistan's Taliban movement has staged a number of high-profile attacks over the past few years, including one on army headquarters in Rawalpindi in 2009.

Last year, six Taliban gunmen attacked a naval base in Pakistan's biggest city Karachi to avenge the killing of Osama bin Laden. At least 10 military personnel were killed and 20 wounded in the 16-hour assault.

Those attacks, and the latest one, are embarrassing for Pakistan's military, which has ruled the country for more than half of its 65-year history and is seen as the most efficient state institution.

The Taliban, which is close to al Qaeda, is blamed for many of the suicide bombings across Pakistan, a strategic US ally.

Pakistan's military, one of the biggest in the world, has staged several offensives against Taliban strongholds in the unruly tribal areas near the border with Afghanistan.

But the operations have failed to break the back of the Taliban. Major suicide bombings have eased considerably over the past year but that could be due to a tactical shift and not pressure from the military.