Putin Attacks Russia's 'Alien Interests'

By Amanda Walker, Moscow Correspondent

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned of foreign interference in the country's politics, claiming certain opposition politicians are funded by outside sources.

Mr Putin said Russia would follow its own democratic path and shrug off any "standards enforced on us from outside".

He added: "Direct or indirect foreign interference in our political processes is inadmissible. Those who receive money from abroad and serve alien interests shouldn't engage in politics in Russia."

In a speech strong on sovereignty and patriotism, Mr Putin vowed to strengthen the country's economy.

The Pussy Riot trial became a focus of anti-Putin sentiment

He said that on the global stage Russia must preserve its "national and spiritual identity", while strengthening the military should "guarantee its independence and security".

He also pledged to support "institutions that represent traditional spiritual values", suggesting further state support for the Russian Orthodox Church.

In August, three members of the punk band Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in prison for performing a 'punk prayer'  in Moscow's main cathedral against the church's backing for Mr Putin.

Putin has been tough with protests against his re-election as president

The case became widely perceived as symbolic of the President's lack of tolerance for dissent.

It was his first state of the nation address since controversially winning a third term in March's presidential election despite mass protests against his 12-year domination of Russian politics.

Since his inauguration, President Putin has taken a tough line on dissent with arrests of opposition activists and new laws that impose heavy fines on protesters.

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Vegas Weddings: Thousands Flock For 12/12/12

Thousands of couples are expected to descend on Las Vegas wedding chapels today - to be married on the memorable date of 12/12/12.

It will be the last time in most people's lifetimes that there is an auspicious triple-digit date, as the next one will not happen for another 89 years.

Previous propitious dates have been big draws for Las Vegas and Clark County.

On 07/07/07 a total of 4,333 couples were wed, whereas an average daily total is normally about 145.

More recent repeating digit dates attracted 3,090 couples on 10/10/10 and 3,342 on 11/11/11.

The Clark County Marriage Licence Bureau has nearly doubled its staffing level and around 80 wedding chapels have readied themselves for the rush.

According to Viva Las Vegas Weddings, the number 12 is particularly lucky.

The Egyptian theme for 12/12/12 at LasVegasWeddings.com

"The 'go-getting' 1 and the 'sensitive' 2 make this a very balanced number. 1 is the vibration of 'new beginnings' and starting things afresh," it explained on its website.

"The 2 vibration is about seeking 'balance' and that's certainly something that many will struggle with - balancing the bank balance, balancing the food and beverage intake, balancing the emotions … balancing in every way."

It offers a variety of wedding themes, including Cleopatra and Mark Antony, the Blues Brothers, the Grim Reaper, Alice Cooper, and Rocky Horror Show couple Brad and Janet.

Other wedding themes available in Sin City include pirates, Woodstock, Austin Powers, gangster and disco.

Traditionalists still have the option of choosing the standard Elvis-themed union.

Tourists from Britain, Europe, Brazil and Australia have lodged wedding applications for the day, in addition to thousands of Americans.

Chapel of the Flowers spokeswoman Aimee Stephens told the New York Times her firm would deal with 80 weddings instead of its normal 15 unions.

The last daily wedding peak was 07/07/07 when 4,333 couple tied the knot

She believes there is another reason beyond luck that has driven couples to get married on the 12th.

"People like being a part of something larger," Ms Stephens said.

She added that the brides also wanted "to make it easier for their husbands to remember" their wedding date.

While it can cost $60 for a wedding minister's fee, some themed marriages top $2,500.

Viva Las Vegas has put a premium on certain times of the day, boosting the price above its budget $712.12 themed ceremony cost.

It warned those searching for wedded bliss: "Please note the midnight 12/12, 12 noon, or midnight 12/13 slot must be the $1212.12 Diamond Wedding Package or higher."

Thousands of couples in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore are also tying the knot today, seeking good fortune for marriages begun on the century's last repeating date.

Couples also queued to marry in many mainland Chinese cities, on the basis that 12/12/12 sounded like "Will love/will love/will love" in Chinese, the official news agency Xinhua said.

:: Las Vegas wedding chapels are already preparing for the next big event, an alleged global apocalypse based on the end of the Mayan calendar on December 21.

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North Korea Rapped Over Rocket Launch

Rocket Is Propaganda Coup For Kim

Updated: 8:35am UK, Wednesday 12 December 2012

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent

North Korea had two points to prove with its latest rocket launch.

The first was that it had successfully overcome the technical problems that led to the embarrassing failure of an identical launch in April this year.

The second is that the country has indeed put a satellite into space, which would confirm its long-standing claim that all this is about pursuing a peaceful space programme.

It appears to have succeeded with the first point. The rocket remained airborne for a considerable period. It followed the planned and published trajectory and the three "stages" of the rocket separated and fell to the ocean as scheduled.

April's rocket was airborne for barely over a minute before it disintegrated and fell into the sea off South Korea. This time the rocket travelled for about 3,000km (1,864 miles).

The North Koreans claim to have succeeded in putting a satellite being carried by the rocket into orbit.

This is harder for them to prove. On two previous occasions, officials in the North Korean capital Pyongyang have said they have put satellites into space. But international observers including the US and Russia have found no evidence of this.

Pyongyang is yet to provide images of a working satellite being loaded into the rocket and that rocket then being launched. Even if they did, they would then need to prove that the satellite was in orbit. Only then can their claim that this is about pursuing a peaceful space programme begin to stand up.

The US and its allies, including the UK, believe the rocket launch is a straightforward test of North Korea's ballistic missile technology. They say the "space programme" claim is simply a cover.

North Korea has been conducting underground nuclear tests for some time. A combination of those tests with the successful launch and flight of a rocket would give the country somewhat of a credible nuclear deterrent. If it is creating ballistic missiles that can carry nuclear weapons, it could threaten areas as far away as the west coast of the US.

The timing of this launch is very significant. December 19 is the first anniversary of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, the father of the current leader Kim Jong-Un. December 19 also marks the presidential election in South Korea and the Japanese parliamentary election is on December 16.

The launch will prompt a wave of propaganda within North Korea. It is designed to solidify the leadership of Kim Jong-Un, who is in his early-30s and hugely inexperienced.

Pyongyang announced an intention to launch this latest rocket earlier this month. It gave a launch window of between December 10 and December 21. Last weekend, it extended that window to December 29 citing technical difficulties. The latest launch therefore caught people somewhat by surprise.

Within North Korea, a closed society with no access to international news, there will have been no announcements of the plan in case it failed again. The first North Koreans would have heard of the launch was this morning in a special broadcast on North Korean state TV.

What can the international community do now? Further sanctions perhaps, but they are unlikely to have much of an effect - North Korea is already among the most sanctioned countries in the world.

Pressure on China will no doubt come. Beijing is North Korea's only real ally. The Chinese leadership expressed concern about this latest launch plan, but only because its priority is stability in the region.

The removal of the Kim regime and a North Korea unified with the South would only add to America's clout in the region.

For Pyongyang's part, this launch will provide a massive boost of confidence. Kim Jong-Un and those behind him may now use this confidence and perceived new status to engage with the West in order to secure much needed economic assistance. The problem is, Western governments will never believe the claim that this is all about a space programme.

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Argentine Sex Slave Trial Clears 13 Accused

Judges have acquitted all the defendants in a high-profile case of an Argentine woman who was allegedly kidnapped and forced into sex slavery a decade ago.

When Maria de los Angeles "Marita" Veron vanished in 2002, her mother, Susana Trimarco, launched a one-woman campaign to find her - and rescued hundreds of women from sex slavery along the way.

Marita Veron, 23, had left to go to a doctor's appointment in their hometown in the northern Argentine province of Tucuman, but she never came back.

After getting little help from police, Ms Trimarco started her own investigation into a tip that Ms Veron was abducted and forced into sex slavery.

Ms Trimarco was the primary witness during the trial

Soon, Ms Trimarco was visiting brothels seeking clues about her daughter and the search took on an additional goal of rescuing sex slaves and helping them start new lives.

Ms Trimarco has been honoured by the US State Department and the Argentine government, and even nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize - but she has never found her daughter.

The 13 people on trial - seven men and six women - faced up to 25 years in prison if convicted on charges they abducted Marita Veron and made her work as a prostitute.

The three-judge panel delayed for more than four hours on Tuesday night before reading their unanimous verdict: not guilty of any of the charges.

The courtroom erupted at the news, with the defendants sobbing and spectators shouting expletives.

Politicians for and against Argentina's government tweeted in support of Ms Trimarco, who was honoured with a human rights award from Argentine President Cristina Fernandez on Sunday night.

Some of defendants react after being cleared

The judges later explained from the bench that despite the testimony of more than 130 witnesses, including a dozen former sex slaves who described brutal conditions in brothels, there was no physical evidence linking any of the defendants to Ms Veron, and no trace of her whereabouts.

"It's absolutely clear that this is an act of corruption," said one of Ms Trimarco's lawyers, Jose D'Antona.

Ms Trimarco was clearly upset but kept her composure as she left the courthouse.

Later, she told Argentina's TN news channel that she will promote an effort to impeach the three judges.

"We won't stop until these three con men are put on trial. These judges today were an embarrassment for Argentina," Ms Trimarco said.

Defence lawyer Hernan Molina defended the judges, however, saying they had done the right thing.

"There wasn't any evidence. The judges can't convict innocent people," he told reporters at the courthouse.

Ms Trimarco (3rd from L) receiving an award from Condoleezza Rice in 2007

The defendants, who were all accused of participating in organised crime in Argentina's provinces, told the judges as the trial wrapped up that they were the victims of a politically charged process.

Maria Jesus Rivero, owner of the car service allegedly used to kidnap Ms Veron, told the judges he had already been effectively convicted by Argentine security minister Nilda Garre, who had asked the judges to set an example by convicting them all.

"There isn't a single piece of evidence that links me to the people accused here, just the declarations of liars. Marita isn't here, and we don't have anything to do with this," Mr Rivero said.

Ms Trimarco was the primary witness during the trial, testifying for six straight days about her search for her daughter.

The road to trial was a long one.

With her husband and granddaughter in tow, Ms Trimarco disguised herself as a recruiter of prostitutes and entered brothel after brothel searching for clues.

A woman holds a photo of Ms Veron at a rally against people trafficking

She soon found herself immersed in the dangerous and grim world of organised crime, gathering evidence against police, politicians and gangsters.

In an interview last week, Ms Trimarco recalled how the very first woman she had rescued taught her to be strong.

"She told me not to let them see me cry, because these shameless people who had my daughter would laugh at me, and at my pain," Ms Trimarco recalled.

"Since then I don't cry anymore. I've made myself strong, and when I feel that a tear might drop, I remember these words."

When Ms Veron disappeared, she had a three-year-old daughter Micaela.

Now 13, Micaela has been by her grandmother's side throughout the year-long trial, contributing to publicity campaigns against human trafficking and keeping her mother's memory alive.

In 2008, the story of Ms Trimarco's search for Marita became the basis of a soap opera, Vidas Robadas (Stolen Lives).

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Mandela Doctors 'Satisfied' With Progress

Ailing Former South African President Nelson Mandela has "made progress during the past 24 hours", according to his doctors.

The 94-year-old is continuing to recover from the lung infection that has kept him in hospital for five days, the government has said.

"Doctors attending to former President Mandela have reported that he has made progress during the past 24 hours and they are satisfied with the way he is responding to treatment," President Jacob Zuma's office said a statement.

Mr Mandela was admitted to the 1 Military Hospital in Pretoria on Saturday for tests, but it was several days before authorities revealed he was ill.

His illness has been causing growing concern in South Africa, a nation of 50 million people that reveres Mr Mandela as the nation's first democratically-elected president after the apartheid era.

In January 2011, he was admitted to a Johannesburg hospital for what officials initially described as tests but what turned out to be an acute respiratory infection.

The chaos that followed saw the South African military take charge of his care and the government control information about his health.

Mr Mandela has a history of lung problems. He fell ill with tuberculosis in 1988 toward the tail-end of his prison years.

While doctors said it caused no permanent damage to his lungs, experts say TB can cause problems years later for those infected.

Mr Mandela was a leader in the struggle against apartheid and when he emerged from 27 years in prison in 1990 he won worldwide acclaim for urging reconciliation.

He won South Africa's first truly democratic elections in 1994, serving one five-year term as president before later retiring from public life to live in his home village of Qunu, in the Eastern Cape.

Mr Mandela made his last public appearance when his country hosted the 2010 World Cup football tournament.

He disengaged himself from South Africa's politics over the last decade but continued campaigning against AIDS. He has grown increasing frail in recent years.

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Bosnian Serb Commander Jailed For Genocide

A former senior Bosnian Serb Army commander is jailed for life for his role in Europe's worst massacre since World War II.

Judges at the UN court in The Hague said that General Zdravko Tolimir was the "right hand" of Bosnian Serb military chief General Ratko Mladic.

Mladic is considered the chief architect of the murder of some 8,000 Muslim men and boys at the Srebenica enclave in eastern Bosnia in July 1995.

Tolimir, 64, is the latest Serb soldier to be convicted in the bloody Bosnian war between 1992 and 1995, which left around 100,000 dead.

Mladic and his political master Radovan Karadzic are still on trial for overseeing Serb atrocities throughout the war, including the Srebrenica massacre.

Presiding Judge Christoph Fluegge said: "The accused not only had knowledge of genocidal intent of others but also possessed it himself.

"He is therefore responsible for the crime of genocide."

Judge Fluegge added: "The suffering these men went through in the moments leading up to their deaths must have been unbearable.

"On many occasions those waiting to be shot saw others executed."

Tolimir stood, crossed himself three times and removed his glasses, but showed no emotion when he was told he would spend the rest of his life in prison.

Before the judgement was read, he told the court: "I wish for these proceedings to be concluded in accordance with God's will."

He was the top Bosnian Serb intelligence officer and a trusted aide of Mladic.

Bosnian Serb forces overran Srebenica in 1995 despite the presence of Dutch UN peacekeepers who - outgunned and outnumbered - put up virtually no resistance.

Women were bussed away from the area before the Muslim men and boys were rounded up, taken to remote locations, executed and their bodies put into mass graves.

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Gerard Depardieu's Move To Belgium 'Pathetic'

Gerard Depardieu's move to Belgium to apparently avoid France's wealth taxes has been dubbed "pathetic" by the French Prime Minister.

PM Jean-Marc Ayrault criticised the actor's decision to buy a home in Belgium - which does not have a wealth tax - close to the border with France.

"Going just over the border, I find that fairly pathetic. Being a Frenchman means loving your country and helping it to get back on its feet," said Mr Ayrault on France 2 television.

Mr Depardieu has become the latest wealthy Frenchman after luxury magnate Bernard Arnault to look for shelter outside his native country following a series of tax hikes by socialist President Francois Hollande.

The Cyrano de Bergerac star bought a house in the village of Nechin where 27% of the population is made up of French nationals, local mayor Daniel Senesael told reporters.

The actor is believed to have bought this house in Belgium

He added that Mr Depardieu also enquired about procedures for acquiring Belgian residency.

Belgian residents do not pay wealth tax, which, starting at a rate of 0.25%, is now slapped on individuals in France with assets over 1.3m euros. Nor do Belgians pay capital gains tax on share sales.

France has also imposed a 75% tax on incomes exceeding one million euros.

The tax hikes have been welcomed by left-wingers who say the rich must do more to help redress the public finances but attacked by some wealthy personalities and foreign critics, who say they will increase tax flight and dampen investment.

Mr Depardieu's move comes three months after Arnault, chief executive of luxury giant LVMH, caused an uproar by seeking to establish residency in Belgium - a move he said was not motivated by tax reasons.

The left-leaning Liberation daily paper reacted with a front page headline next to a photograph of Mr Arnault telling him to "Get lost, you rich jerk", prompting luxury advertisers including LVMH to withdraw their advertisements.

Mr Ayrault said he did not support the idea floated by some socialist lawmakers to withdraw French nationality from people who sought residency abroad to lighten their tax bill.

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Pope's First Tweet Blesses Internet Faithful

Pope Benedict XVI has sent his first Twitter message under his handle @Pontifex, blessing his one million internet followers.

"Dear friends, I am pleased to get in touch with you through Twitter. Thank you for your generous response. I bless all of you from my heart," the pontiff tweeted.

Since the Pope announced earlier this month that he would start tweeting under his official Latin title, almost 800,000 people have registered to follow his main account in English.

He gained about a million followers in the eight languages of his account - Arabic, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese and Spanish - in addition to English.

However, the Pope does not plan to follow anyone.

To send his first tweet, the Pope tapped on his tablet during a general audience.

"An extraordinary moment," the secretary of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Monsignor  Paul Tighe, told Vatican Radio.

He said the response of the Twittersphere was impressive, with more than 2,000 re-tweets in under two minutes.

The Pope told his followers he was 'pleased' to be in touch through Twitter

Church officials said subsequent tweets would be sent by someone in the Vatican's secretariat of state, rather than the pontiff, but only after papal approval.

Subsequent papal tweets on Wednesday addressed some of the questions submitted to Benedict in the run-up to the launch at #askpontifex.

The first tweets drew jokes, criticism and some positive responses. Some accused the Pope for the sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Roman Catholic Church in recent years.

"hey @Pontifex you want 5000 followers in five minutes? stop protecting paedophiles in the church and follow back!" said user @elizabethdanger.

"May the connection to God gets closer...." joked one user, @Svidss.

The German-born Pope is an 85-year-old theologian used to writing philosophical dissertations and papal encyclicals.

But under his pontificate, the Vatican has pushed into the social media, using YouTube and Facebook for special events as it tries to reach out to the faithful, especially the young.

One user, @becsplanb, replying to the Pope's tweet asking how faith in Jesus can be lived in a world without hope, said: "I find drinking heavily helps."

Another appeared unimpressed with the question: "Seriously Pope I waited all this time for a Question," said @kataranRI.

Pope Benedict does have some previous experience of tweeting, having launched the official Vatican news site on Twitter, @news_va_en, in June last year, but this was his first tweet under his personal handle.

While a pope is infallible under Church doctrine, Benedict XVI's tweets are not, Vatican officials said.

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Syria Conflict: Explosion At Interior Ministry

A bomb has struck the interior ministry in Damascus, according to Syrian state TV.

The blast reportedly occurred at the main entrance to the building situated in the southwest district of Kafar Souseh - a battleground for rebels and forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al Assad.

"An explosion rocked the district of Kfar Sousa, and initial reports say a bomb targeted the main entrance to the interior ministry," state television said.

A resident who heard the blast said she head sirens and shouting after a "huge explosion".

Sky's foreign affairs editor Tim Marshall, who is in Damascus, said: "We think we heard it. It was an explosion much, much louder than most of the ones we hear. You could actually feel the shockwave

"There was a huge plume of white smoke near the government buildings.

"We hear the artillery firing every few minutes - it is a certain sort of boom. This was a much, much deeper sound and a much louder sound.

"I think that was the bomb that went off. The most likely thing would be a car bomb."

More follows...

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Oz Watchdog To Investigate Hoax Call Station

Timeline: Kate Prank Call Tragedy

Updated: 4:38am UK, Tuesday 11 December 2012

Here are some of the key developments surrounding the death of hospital nurse Jacintha Saldanha following a hoax phone call by two Australian radio hosts.

Monday, December 3
The Duchess of Cambridge is admitted to King Edward VII's Hospital in London with severe morning sickness.

Tuesday, December 4
2Day FM presenters Mel Greig and Michael Christian make their hoax call to the hospital in the early hours of the morning, posing as the Queen and Prince Charles. Nurse Jacintha Saldanha puts them through to a colleague who divulges details of how doctors have been treating the Duchess.

Wednesday, December 5
A King Edward VII's Hospital spokesman confirms the Australian radio station made the prank call, saying it "deplores" the act and is conducting a review of its phone system.

Thursday, December 6
The Duchess of Cambridge leaves hospital.

Friday, December 7
:: Ms Saldanha is pronounced dead at staff accommodation close to the hospital. She is thought to have taken her own life, although a post-mortem examination is yet to be held.

:: King Edward VII's Hospital releases a statement saying: "It is with very deep sadness that we confirm the tragic death of a member of our nursing staff, Ms Saldanha. She was an excellent nurse and well-respected and popular with all of her colleagues."

:: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge send their condolences to Ms Saldanha's family.

Saturday, December 8
:: Ms Saldanha's family in southwest India speak of their heartache. Her mother-in-law, Carmine Barboza, says: "Jacintha was a very caring woman. She used to call us every Sunday without fail. We just cannot believe what has happened."

:: Ms Greig and Mr Christian go on indefinite leave from the radio station after they are bombarded with abusive and threatening messages on social media websites.

::  Lord Glenarthur, chairman of the King Edward VII's Hospital, writes a latter to 2Day FM calling for the "truly appalling" broadcast to "never be repeated".

:: Max Moore-Wilton, chairman of Southern Cross Austereo which owns 2Day FM, describes the events over the past few days as "tragic", but adds: "The outcome was unforeseeable and very regrettable."

Sunday, December 9
:: It emerges Mel Greig and Michael Christian may be questioned by London's Metropolitan Police.

:: Ms Greig and Mr Christian express a desire to speak about the tragedy, but are still in hiding.

:: The Australian Communications and Media Authority, which regulates radio broadcasting, says it is considering whether it should launch an investigation into whether the presenters breached the commercial radio code of practice.

Monday, December 10

:: Mr Christian and Ms Greig break their silence, expressing their regret and sorrow over the tragedy in a series of emotional Australian TV interviews. They insist they never expected their phone call to go so far and thought hospital staff would hang up on them. Both extend sympathy to Ms Saldanha's family.

:: Ms Saldanha's family pay tribute to a "loving mother and wife". Speaking on their behalf, MP Keith Vaz says: "They are really grateful for the support of the British public and the public overseas for the messages of support and kindness."

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