Protester Attacks Draghi At News Conference

Written By Unknown on Rabu, 15 April 2015 | 23.11

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The president of the European Central Bank has been interrupted at a news conference by a protester shouting "end ECB dictatorship".

Mario Draghi was outlining the bank's latest monetary policy thinking when a lone woman jumped onto the desk above Mr Draghi and showered him with items including what looked like confetti and sheets of paper.

The bank suspended the video feed of the news conference as security officials grabbed her but she flashed a V for victory sign and smiled as two men in grey suits took her away holding her arms and legs.

Mr Draghi, who had held up his hands as protection, looked shocked but was apparently unhurt and continued his presentation shortly afterwards.

The Reuters news agency reported that activist group Femen was claiming responsibility for the incident on Twitter - although some reports suggested the protester was believed to have left the feminist movement.

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Gallery: Protester Disrupts ECB Conference

A protester jumps on the table in front of the European Central Bank President Mario Draghi during a news conference in Frankfurt, Continue through for more images

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Speculation on the woman's motive could also focus on the renewed financial troubles in Greece, which has yet to secure additional bailout funds from its creditors, including the ECB.

Some activists accuse the bank of trying to enforce budget austerity measures on eurozone countries, such as Greece, that are under financial bailout programmes.

There is likely to be an investigation into how she managed to get into the news conference.

The bank's Governing Council had earlier left the ECB's benchmark interest rates on hold following signs its policy tools, including quantitative easing, were having a positive effect on demand in the eurozone economy.

But Mr Draghi sought to play down market speculation the ECB would scale back its QE plans as a response, saying he was "surprised" by such talk.

He insisted the bank expected to fully implement its €1tn government bond-buying programme until September 2016, as previously announced.

"Our focus will be on the full implementation of our policy measures," he said but added that the programme was "flexible enough" to be adjusted if necessary.

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Hundreds Of Migrants Feared Drowned Off Libya

Some 400 illegal migrants may have drowned when their boat capsized off the coast of Libya on Sunday, according to survivors who were rescued and brought to Italy.

Those rescued claimed the vessel was carrying between 500 and 550 people trying to make their way to Europe when it sank.

Flavio Di Giacomo, a spokesman for the International Organisation for Migration, said between 144 and 150 survivors arrived on Tuesday at Reggio Calabria in southern Italy after being picked up by the Italian coastguard.

"We are continuing to investigate in order to understand how the shipwreck happened," he said.

There has been a suggestion the boat may have capsized after passengers began moving around when they saw the Italian rescue team approach.

The Italian coastguard says it has recovered nine bodies.

"There were 400 victims in this shipwreck, which occurred 24 hours after (their vessel) left the Libyan coast," the charity Save the Children said in a statement, citing survivors.

"There were several young males, probably minors, among the victims," the statement continued, adding there were also children among the survivors.

Speaking to Sky News, Save the Children spokeswoman Carlotta Bellini said: "The situation in Libya is really bad.

"Many migrants, including many children, have been victims of violence and many of them have reached Italy over the past few days.

"They have mentioned that extremism and violence on migrants is growing (in Italy).

"They are being transferred to a migrant centre in northern Italy."

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Gallery: Stranded Migrants Leave 'Ghost Ship' In Italy

Migrants smile after disembarking from the ship

The Ezadeen cargo ship was stopped by Italian authorities after smugglers sent it speeding toward the coast in rough seas with nobody at the helm

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Hundreds Of Pearl Harbor Dead To Be Exhumed

The remains of 388 Americans killed during the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor during World War Two are to be exhumed for DNA testing.

Most of the crew on board the torpedoed USS Oklahoma could not be identified after Japan's surprise attack - a pivotal moment which convinced the US to enter the war.

Their remains were interred at Hawaii's National Memorial Cemetery but now the Pentagon plans to transfer them to a Defense Department lab on the island to hopefully bring closure to some families.

Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work said the government remained "committed to fulfilling its sacred obligation to achieve the fullest possible accounting for US personnel lost in past conflicts".

"Recent advances in forensic science and technology, as well as family member assistance in providing genealogical information, have now made it possible to make individual identifications for many service members long-buried in graves marked 'unknown,'" said Mr Work.

"While not all families will receive an individual identification, we will strive to provide resolution to as many families as possible."

For the exhumation to happen, Government rules state there must be a chance of identifying at least 60% of the troops. Family members of the dead crew are set to provide samples to help the process.

Some 429 sailors and Marines on the USS Oklahoma died in the attack on 7 December 1941.

In all, Japan's two-hour airborne onslaught destroyed eight battleships and 164 planes - more than a 100 other vessels were also sunk or damaged.

But it was the deaths of more than 2,400 serviceman and civilians on home soil that truly shocked the US and led President Roosevelt to famously declare it "a day that will live in infamy".

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Gravestone Of Hillary Clinton's Dad Toppled

By Sky News US Team

The gravestone of Hillary Clinton's father has been found toppled over at a Pennsylvania cemetery in what police believe is likely to be an act of vandalism.

Hugh Rodham's gravestone is at Washburn Street Cemetery in Scranton.

The stone was reported tipped over on Tuesday, two days after Mrs Clinton announced she was running for president.

Police Chief Carl Graziano told The Times-Tribune that it is unclear how the stone fell but he suspected vandals were responsible.

"I'm not sure how else it would have fallen over," he was quoted as saying.

According to the caretaker, the stone was intact on Friday.

There has been no public comment from Mrs Clinton, who had her first campaign event in Iowa on Tuesday.

Mr Rodham grew up in Scranton, a city about 120 miles north of Philadelphia.

He owned a small textiles business in Chicago, and died in Little Rock, Arkansas, in 1993 at age 82.

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Safe Sex Warning Over Ebola Virus In Semen

Traces of Ebola have been found in the semen of a man who had been given the all-clear six months earlier, according to the World Health Organisation.

The man, from Liberia, was declared free of the virus last September.

Ebola was previously detected in semen about three months after a patient was declared virus-free.

The Geneva-based UN health agency is urging survivors of the often deadly virus to practise safe sex "until further notice".

WHO spokesman Mr Jasarevic said the organisation would not be able to give more detailed advice until there was more research on the after-effects of the disease.

"We need to understand better if this particular case is an anomaly or if there really are groups of people who might (carry) parts of the Ebola virus longer," he said.

The WHO's Bruce Aylward says studies are being conducted and talks are under way about whether there should be systematic screening after three months of a patient's recovery to see how they are.

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Gallery: The Desperate Fight To Contain The Ebola Outbreak

A man rests outside the clinic.

A woman is comforted after medical officials remove her husband, who is suspected of having the disease.

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EU Charges Google With Abusing Market Position

The EU has formally charged Google with abusing its search market position in Europe, leaving it open to a fine of more than $6bn (£4bn).

The European Commission has been examining whether Google, which holds about 90% of the search market in Europe, has been illegally rigging its search results to favour its own services.

Tech rivals such as Microsoft, who urged the EU to bring the case, want more competition in areas like online maps, search and shopping.

EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager said Google has given "an unfair advantage to its own comparison shopping service".

Rivals object to the firm placing adverts for its Google Shopping service ahead of other links in relevant searches.

The EU has issued a statement of objections which Google has 10 weeks to respond to before action can be taken.

Ms Vestager said that a separate antitrust investigation has been ordered into Google's mobile operating system Android.

She said: "In the case of Google I am concerned that the company has given an unfair advantage to its own comparison shopping service, in breach of EU antitrust rules.

"Google now has the opportunity to convince the Commission to the contrary. However, if the investigation confirmed our concerns, Google would have to face the legal consequences and change the way it does business in Europe."

An internal Google memo informed staff that the company believes it has a "strong case". In a blog post the tech giant used a series of graphs to show that competition continues to thrive.

The company has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. It could face an eventual fine of up to 10% of its worldwide turnover, which reached $66bn (£44.7bn) in 2014.

The filing of charges may increase pressure on Google to settle, to avoid a potentially damaging case and massive fine resulting from the allegations.

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Japan Scrambles Warplanes At Cold War Levels

Jet fighter scrambles by Japan have soared back to Cold War levels in the face of increased air incursions by neighbouring Russia and China.

Japanese warplanes were sent up 943 times in the year to March - a 16% increase on the previous year - according to the country's Self Defence Force (SDF).

This is the second highest number of intercept flights ever recorded over a 12-month period since records began in 1958 and only one less than a record 944 in 1984.

An SDF spokesman said: "It represents a sharp increase."

Although not a direct measure of Russian and Chinese military activity, the figures indicate an increase in operations by the two countries.

It reflects an increasingly assertive China which is hiking defence spending by more than 10% a year and a resurgent Russia in the wake of Moscow's annexation of Crimea last year.

Japan has also increased defence spending, although to a lesser extent, buying a range of new military hardware, including longer-range patrol aircraft, cargo jets, helicopter carriers and stealth fighters.

The military is also set to be boosted with plans by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to relax constitutional restrictions on the country's defence forces that will allow them to operate more freely overseas and increase cooperation with US forces.

Russian bombers and patrol planes often enter Japan's airspace close to Japan's northern Hokkaido island and close to four smaller islands which are claimed by both countries.

There was also an upturn in Russian reconnaissance flights close to Japan following a missile launch by North Korea last year and joint military exercises held by the US and South Korea around the same time.

Chinese fighter incursions are concentrated in the East China Sea, close to disputed uninhabited islands near Taiwan.

The SDF spokesman said an increased number of Chinese planes have flown through Japanese airspace into the Western Pacific over the last year.

Japan is not the only country contending with increased military activity by Moscow.

RAF Typhoon jets were scrambled this week after Russian military aircraft were identified flying close to UK airspace.

And warships from Russia's Northern Fleet entered the English Channel ahead of planned anti-aircraft and anti-submarine drills.

They are the latest in a series of similar incidents in recent months amid strained relations over Ukraine.

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