Newtown: Obama To Unveil Gun Proposals

President Barack Obama will unveil a plan to curb gun violence, and is expected to renew the assault weapon ban.

Acting swiftly on the heels of the Newtown school massacre, Mr Obama is expected to ban military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition clips, and to enact more than a dozen executive orders to get around Congressional opposition to gun control.

Vice President Joe Biden, who Mr Obama directed to lead a panel tasked with creating the proposals, will join the president at the White House on Wednesday morning to announce the measures.

"The president and the vice president will hold an event here at the White House to unveil a package of concrete proposals to reduce gun violence and prevent future tragedies like the one in Newtown, Connecticut," White House spokesman Jay Carney said.

Mr Carney said several school children who wrote letters to the president calling for tougher gun restrictions after the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary will accompany Mr Obama and Mr Biden.

The Obama administration has been moving quickly on the issue following last month's massacre, which Mr Obama has called the worst day of his presidency.

20 children and six educators were killed in the Connecticut shooting

But opposition has strengthened among pro-gun groups and Americans who fear their weapons will be taken away. The US has the highest rate of gun ownership of any country in the world.

Mr Obama acknowledged a tough fight ahead in a deeply divided Congress, whose support would be needed to pass the most sweeping changes under consideration, including background checks for anyone seeking to purchase a gun.

Such changes "make sense," Mr Obama said. Lawmakers will have to "examine their own conscience" in the debate ahead, he added.

But the gun issue will have to compete for Congress' time in coming weeks with several looming fiscal issues, and Republican leaders have said action on guns will have to wait.

The president also can use his executive powers to make some changes, and congressional officials say he is considering 19 steps that he could enact without approval from Congress.

The plan's most contentious elements face intense opposition from the influential National Rifle Association, which enjoys strong support from Republicans as well as several Democrats, and is known to punish politicians who stray from its point of view.

The assault weapons ban, which Mr Obama has long supported, is expected to face the toughest opposition in Congress, which passed a 10-year ban on the high-grade, military-style weapons in 1994.

Supporters did not have the votes to renew it once it expired.

As the president spoke on Monday, some parents who lost children in the Connecticut shooting one month ago spoke out for the first time, calling for a national dialogue to help prevent similar tragedies.

New York Gov Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday signed the nation's toughest gun laws

"We want the ... shootings to be recalled as the turning point where we brought our community and communities across the nation together and set a real course for change," said Tom Bittman, a co-founder of Sandy Hook Promise group.

States and cities have been moving against gun violence as well. In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday signed into law the most restrictive gun law in the nation.

"This is a scourge on society," Gov Cuomo said. "At what point do you say, 'No more innocent loss of life?'"

The New York bill had bipartisan support, with the leader of the Republican-held state Senate saying it does not infringe on the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, which guarantees the right of citizens to bear arms.

At the national level, advocacy groups have also been pushing Mr Obama to order the Justice Department to crack down on those who lie on background checks - only a tiny number are now prosecuted.

Such a step has support from the NRA, which has consistently argued that existing laws must be enforced before new ones are considered.

The president's proposals are also expected to include steps for improving school safety and mental health care, as well as recommendations for addressing violence in entertainment and video games.

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Two Dead After Separate College Shootings

Two people have been shot dead at a community college in eastern Kentucky as a gunman injured himself and an administrator at another college in Missouri.

Authorities said a teenager was also wounded during the shooting in the car park at Hazard Community & Technical College in Kentucky.

Conor Duff, the college's evening coordinator, said the shootings took place around 4.30pm at the campus 90 miles south east of Lexington.

Police officers went through the college's two buildings to ensure no one else was at risk and the school has been placed under lockdown.

It comes after an administrator - a man in his 40s - was shot and injured in his office at the Stevens Institute of Business and Arts in St Louis, Missouri, before the gunman shot himself.

St Louis Police Chief Sam Dotson said the gunman was a student at the college who had no history of threatening behaviour. The motive for the shooting is not clear.

Both the administrator and the suspected gunman were undergoing surgery. It is not clear if their injuries are life-threatening.

Police found students huddled under desks and in closets at the college.

Angae Lowery, whose daughter Britanee Jones was among the students, said: "She sent a text message and said a gunman was in the building. She saw him (the gunman) go by the classroom.

"I'm so happy to see her come out of there. I'm relieved."

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Boeing Dreamliners Grounded By Japan Airlines

Boeing 787 Dreamliner Timeline

Updated: 4:05am UK, Wednesday 16 January 2013

The turbulent history of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner:

Jan 16, 2013: Japan Air Lines Co Ltd (JAL) follows suit and suspends Dreamliner flights from Japan over safety concerns

Jan 16, 2013: ANA grounds all 17 of its 787s after four of its aircraft suffer problems

Jan 16, 2013: ANA 787 Dreamliner makes emergency landing in Takamatsu, Japan, after smoke appears in cabin

Jan 11, 2013: The Federal Aviation Authority announces a review of the 787 design and systems

Jan 11, 2013: All Nippon Airways (ANA) discovers engine oil leak after a domestic flight lands at Miyazaki

Jan 11, 2013: A separate ANA flight to Matsuyama reported a crack appearing in the pilot's window

Jan 9, 2013: ANA cancels a Boeing 787 Dreamliner flight due to a brake problem

Jan 8, 2013: Japan Air Lines (JAL) grounds a jet at Boston Logan International Airport after a 787 leaks 150 litres of fuel

Jan 7, 2013: A fire erupts in a battery pack in another JAL Dreamliner at Boston

Dec 13, 2012: Qatar Airways grounds one of its Dreamliners because of a faulty generator

Dec 5, 2012: The Federal Aviation Administration orders inspections of all 787 Dreamliners in service in the US

Dec 4, 2012: A United Airlines 787 is forced to make an emergency landing in New Orleans after a generator fails

July 23, 2012: ANA grounds five Dreamliners due to an engine component issue

February 22, 2012: Boeing says around 55 Dreamliners may be affected by a flaw in the fuselage

October 26, 2011: The Dreamliner makes its maiden flight with paying passengers on board an ANA jet

September 26, 2011: Boeing delivers its first 787 Dreamliner to Japan's ANA, three years late

June 23, 2010: Boeing postpones the first flight of the Dreamliner because of a structural flaw

December 15, 2009: The passenger jet 787 Dreamliner takes off on its maiden test flight

April 9, 2008: Boeing says there will be a revised plan for the first 787 flight and initial deliveries

December 11, 2008: Boeing announces further delays due to strike action by machinists Sept-Nov

October 19, 2007: Boeing says there will be a six-month delay to deliveries due to assembly issues

July 8, 2007: The first assembled 787 goes on display to media, employees and customers

July 18, 2006: Boeing says it is making "solid progress" on the 787 Dreamliner programme

January 28, 2005: Boeing gives its new commercial airplane an official model designation number - 787

January 29, 2003: Boeing announces the launch of a new aircraft called the 7E7

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French President: Mali Operation Going Well

France's military intervention in Mali is progressing well, French President Francois Hollande has told Sky News.

The French military plans to more than double its current force in the West African state.

Speakling in Abu Dhabi, Mr Hollande said: "We have obtained results. We have a goal, it's very simple; to obtain the withdrawal of terrorists and to push them abroad.

"We want the African (countries') armies to come as soon as possible to take their place. I know that the British government is behind us."

French Mirage 2000 D jets on their way to Africa

Earlier he said French forces had carried out further air strikes overnight in Mali "which hit their targets".

"For now, we have 750 men and the number will increase so that as soon as possible we can leave the place to the African forces," he said.

Foreign Office minister Mark Simmonds said the situation in Mali is a "grave concern" to the UK amid fears the rebel-held north could become a "springboard for extremism".

But he stressed David Cameron had offered only limited military support to Mr Hollande.

Troops from other West African countries will join the action

"The Prime Minister has made categorically clear that the initial supporting deployment will be for a period of one week," he told the Commons.

"He has also made clear that there will be no combat troops from the UK involved and we have no plans to provide more military assistance."

The UK has offered two C-17 Globemaster transport planes to help out. One carrying French military personnel and supplies flew into the capital Bamako on Tuesday.

The US is also providing intelligence-gathering assistance to the French and the UN has now backed the military action.

The first of the C-17 Globemaster planes to arrive in Mali

It says more than 30,000 people have fled the fighting and accused the Islamists of stopping thousands of them from travelling south to government-held zones.

The Mali government appealed for France's help last week when the rebels, who have links to al Qaeda, began moving south.

Hundreds of French troops were deployed after they overran the strategically important town of Konna - about halfway between Mali's northern and southern borders - last Thursday.

On Tuesday afternoon hundreds of Malian and French troops headed for the western town of Diabaly, which Islamists seized the day before, prompting overnight airstrikes from French fighter jets.

The rebels want to turn Mali into an Islamist state

"Several hundred Malian and French soldiers left Niono (south of Diabaly) to take" back the town, said a local government official in Niono.

It will be the first time French ground troops have fought with the Islamists. So far only fighter jets have been used to target their bases.

"Our French brothers are currently with us in Niono on their way to Diabaly. Tomorrow we will take back Diabaly with the French," a Malian security source said on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, a convoy of some 30 French tanks left Bamako on Tuesday afternoon, heading in a northerly direction, an AFP journalist said.

They were seen leaving the city's airport, where they had been stationed, but their destination could not be confirmed.

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Honduras: British Tourist 'Shot Dead By Robbers'

A British tourist has been shot dead in an apparent mugging in Honduras.

The man was taking photos in San Pedro Sula, the Central American nation's second city, when he was attacked by two armed men, police said.

Deputy Police Chief Leonel Sauceda said: "It looks like he put up a fight when they stole his camera, so they shot him."

Witnesses told police he was shot dead as he ran away, El Heraldo newspaper said.

The city is a significant commercial and industrial hub, but drug-related violence has risen as Mexican and Colombian drug cartels have expanded their operations into Honduras.

The country has the world's highest murder rate with 87 killings per 100,000 people, according to the United Nations.

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Egyptian President In Anti-Semitic Rant

Before he became President of the Arab world's most populous nation, Mohamed Morsi called Jews "bloodsuckers ... warmongers ... descendants of apes and pigs".

These comments cannot be dismissed as the ranting of a callow anti-Semitic youth; they were made during a television interview in 2010 when he was a senior official in the Muslim Brotherhood.

They surfaced on the internet a couple of weeks ago but few people paid any attention. Only now have they attracted a small amount of interest because a group of influential US politicians, including former US presidential hopeful John McCain, is in Cairo meeting senior government figures.

Mr Morsi has also said that Jews "have been fanning the flames of civil strife wherever they were" adding that they were "hostile by nature".

So far so redolent of the Nazis in the 1930s, but he went on to say that no Arabs should have any dealings with Zionists and claimed the Palestinian Authority was created by Zionists and Americans in order to oppose the will of the Palestinian people. 

Away from the cameras Mr Morsi was busy advising the public that they should nurse their children and grandchildren on hatred for Jews.

That was then, this is now, and now Mr Morsi is President Morsi.

John McCain is currently in the Egyptian capital

So, when dealing with him, should politicians such as the British prime minister, the American president, the Palestinian president, and the Israeli prime minister, assume that as he is now a world leader he no longer holds these dangerous views?

After all Palestine's President Mahmoud Abbas might hope that Mr Morsi views him as a partner with whom to negotiate. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would prefer to be viewed as a human being rather an ape or a pig.

Or, should they look at the tape of him late last year when as president he was filmed praying in a mosque and fervently saying "amen" as the preacher urges Allah to "destroy the Jews and their supporters", and make a judgement on who they are dealing with?

Describing Jews as sons of pigs and monkeys is commonplace throughout the Middle East, it is routinely repeated on the street, in mosques, in TV debates, in cartoons, and in newspaper articles. The belief is based on three different verses in the Koran - 7:166, 2:65, and 5:60.

Some open-minded Muslims argue that the verses should be seen in historical context and that they refer to the problems between Jews and the new religion of Muhammad at the time of writing. Many others view them as literal and applicable for all time.

For the Egyptian President to use the phrase in a live TV interview in the 21st century suggests he takes the latter view. Core beliefs such as those he has espoused for decades are not normally reversed by a year in power although this cannot be definitively ruled out.

In Europe, when Europeans say things such as expressed above, we recognise them as 'Fascistic'. When expressed by people in some other parts of the globe we appear frightened to call things what they are.

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Pussy Riot Mother Wants Sentence Deferred

A member of punk band Pussy Riot has asked a Russian court to let her serve the rest of her two-year sentence when her five-year-old son is a teenager.

Maria Alyokhina argues that separating her from her child now will do irreparable psychological damage to the boy.

Alyokhina is petitioning the court in Berezniki, a remote Ural mountains town near where she is imprisoned, to make the rare decision to let her defer her sentence until her young son is 14.

She was convicted last year, along with bandmates Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and Yekaterina Samutsevich, of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred.

Splash and Wall Street star Daryl Hannah has called for the band's release

The group had performed a "punk prayer" at Moscow's Christ The Saviour Cathedral, pleading with the Virgin Mary for deliverance from President Vladimir Putin.

Samutsevich's sentence was suspended in October after she said she had been thrown out of the cathedral by security guards before she could take part in the stunt.

Alyokhina told the Berezniki court that while she wants her sentence deferred, she refused to plead guilty.

"No one will force me to say I'm guilty - I have nothing to repent for," she said.

But she said her son Filipp should not be without her as he goes through his formative years.

"I'm in a situation where I have to prove here that my son needs me, which is obvious," she insisted.

Several dozen supporters and journalists gathered outside the court building, which was guarded by riot police - a rare situation for the small town.

Sentence deferrals are uncommon, and there are several prison colonies for female convicts with small children who raise their babies behind bars.

Pussy Riot have attracted a worldwide following calling for the release of the remaining two women, with their celebrity supporters including Madonna, Lady Gaga and Daryl Hannah.

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Algeria: BP Raid Seems Like Revenge For Mali

The raid on the BP gas plant in Algeria looks as if it is linked to the foreign intervention in Mali.

Al Qaeda in the Maghreb (AQIM) warned they would take revenge for the intervention in Mali, saying they would bring the war to Paris.

That may yet happen, but in the short term it looks as if they are on the hunt for Westerners wherever they can find them.

A good place to look is the oil and gas industry, especially in Algeria. The five Japanese hostages taken may just be unlucky enough to be foreigners the hostage takers came across along with those they would prize more highly - Europeans and Americans.

The Islamist militant who phoned the news agency AFP claiming responsibility said the group involved was the Khaled Abu al Abbaas Brigade led by Mokhtar Belmokhtar and that the attackers had come from Mali.

BP operates the gas plant with Statoil and Algerian state firm Sonatrach

The claim is plausible. The desert stretching from northern Mali to southern Algeria is a lawless area, AQIM is known to operate there, and Belmokhtar is one of the most senior jihadists in the region.

The varied groups under the AQIM umbrella have for years taken hostages for ransom to fund their activities. It is thought over 50 hostages have been taken in the past few years earning the groups over $250m (£156m).

Belmokhtar is known in the Algerian press as 'The One Eyed' and wears an eye patch after losing an eye fighting in Afghanistan in the early 1990s.

He is thought to be in his late forties, was born in Algeria, but has roamed the Sahara region for years engaging in terrorist acts in several countries.

Intelligence experts believe he was one of the first AQIM leaders to spot the potential of Mali as a state which could not withstand an assault and that Islamist fighters could use the north of Mali, and parts of Algeria, Mauritania and Niger as a safe zone for their operations.

Europeans and Americans in several countries in the Sahel region are potentially at risk and already there are travel warnings issued by foreign ministries.

The British Foreign Office advises against all travel to Mali and says UK citizens living there should leave.

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BP Gas Site: Brits Caught Up In Hostage Drama

British nationals are caught up in a terrorist attack at a gas field in Algeria where several workers were taken hostage.

At least eight people, including an Irishman, have been kidnapped from the gas facility part-operated by BP, Sonatrach (the Algerian national oil company), and Statoil in Algeria.

Two people have reportedly been killed in the attack on the plant situated in the east of the country near the Libyan border.

Prime Minister David Cameron is chairing a meeting of the Government's crisis committee Cobra on the attack, attended by ministers from the Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence, as well as officials from other agencies.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "We can confirm that British nationals are caught up in a terrorist incident ongoing near the town of In Amenas at an oil installation near the Algerian border with Libya.

The In Amenas field (courtesy BP.com)

"The British embassy in Algiers is liaising with local authorities."

The Foreign Office said it is working with BP to support the families of those involved.

BP is yet to confirm a link to reports that Islamist militants, said to be connected to al Qaeda, had seized a number of people in an attack that had a possible revenge motive for French military action in Mali.

It said in a statement: "We can confirm that there is an ongoing security incident at the In Amenas gas field in the eastern central region of Algeria.

"The site was attacked and occupied by a group of unidentified armed people at about 5am UK time.

"Contact with the site is extremely difficult, but we understand that armed individuals are still occupying the In Amenas site.

"Our absolute priority is the safety and security of our staff.

"We do not yet have confirmed information on the status of personnel at the site, but believe some are being held by the occupiers."

The company said it was seeking information as to whether any staff or contractors had been injured - and the identities and intentions of the people occupying the site.

It added it was contacting relatives of workers on the site.

A French citizen was killed, according to the AP news agency, which quoted an Algerian security official.

He suggested the attack on the base, about 60 miles from the Libyan border, came at 2am and the militants involved came from Mali.

The official claimed that the Algerian army had since surrounded the militants and their hostages and negotiations had started.

In its statement BP said: "We can confirm that there has been a security incident this morning at the In Amenas gas field in the eastern central region of Algeria.

"The In Amenas field is operated by a joint venture of which BP is a member. Algerian authorities are engaged with the incident; UK authorities have also been advised.

"BP has activated its emergency response system and is setting up a helpline for relatives."

The company did not say whether foreigners were taken away from the facility.

Ireland's Department of Foreign Affairs (DPA) confirmed a 36-year-old married man from Northern Ireland, travelling on an Irish passport, was among those taken.

It is understood that Japanese, Norwegian and French nationals were also part of the group.

Ireland's Deputy Prime Minister Eamon Gilmore called for the Irishman's immediate release.

He said: "The Government stands ready to use all the resources available to us to ensure that our citizen is released as soon as possible.

"I would ask that the family be allowed privacy at this difficult time."

The country's Department of Foreign Affairs added it was providing consular assistance to the family and was in close contact with its international partners and a wide range of other contacts in order to establish the facts of the situation.

A spokesman said: "At this stage, the identity and motives of the kidnappers is unknown."

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Vanity Fair: Pope's Secretary Is New Cover Boy

By Nick Pisa, Sky News Reporter

It's usually Hollywood stars or models who grace the cover of Vanity Fair but in a break from tradition the Italian edition of the magazine has come out with a full page portrait of Pope Benedict's private secretary.

Georg Ganswein

Archbishop Georg Ganswein, 56, who has been dubbed "Gorgeous George" by the Italian media has been the Pope's righthand man for more than six years and is always at his side.

The softly spoken clergyman, who is also a pilot, likes to keep fit by playing tennis, is often pictured in glossy magazines because of his rugged good looks and some have even compared him to actor George Clooney.

Archbishop Ganswein has given a handful of interviews but is on the whole a private man - although there was a media frenzy recently after he was snapped late at night walking close to the Vatican with a mystery woman.

He was pictured on the cover of the latest issue of Vanity Fair alongside the headline ''Being beautiful is not a sin'' adding that he was a ''particular'' clergyman, describing him as the ''George Clooney of the Vatican.''

Archbishop Ganswein's main role is to organise Pope Benedict's day to day diary and he was recently in the spotlight over the Vatileaks scandal when it emerged he had angered senior Catholic Church figures because of the media's interest in him.

However he has insisted his mind is fully on the job and recently said: ''Personally I see my role or service with the Pope as similar to that of glass.

"The cleaner it is then it will achieve its task. I need let the sunlight and the less you see of the glass then the better it is. If you don't see it at all that means I'm doing my job well.''

During an interview with Vatican Radio he was asked about his good looks and he said: ''I have never had trouble with the so called fairer sex, I have always had a very serene and natural relationship with women.

''Of course in my youth there were women who I would happily see and there were others I was even happier to see.''

Archbishop Gaenswein in his offical role as the Pope's private secretary

He added: ''The Italian newspapers started this off and they wrote very complimentary pieces about me.

"At first it surprised me and to be honest I also found it irritating. I didn't know what to do - should I say something or should I ignore it. I decided to ignore it and now with time I have got used to it.

''The risk is that by just judging a person superficially you don't really find out what they are like inside.''

A spokeswoman for Vanity Fair said: ''It is just a close up profile of Archbishop Ganswein.

"He did not pose for the photograph and he didn't give an interview but he is such a interesting person we decided to put him on the cover - it's the first time a clergyman has been on the front of our magazine which is normally reserved for high profile celebrities.''

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