Fort Hood Soldier Opens Fire On Army Base

An Iraq war veteran being treated for psychiatric problems has killed three fellow soldiers at Fort Hood before shooting himself in the head.

Sixteen others were injured in Wednesday afternoon's attack, the bases' commanding officer, Lieutenant General Mark Milley, told a news conference.

In 2009, a shooting rampage at the same Army base left 13 people dead.

Lt Gen Milley said there was no indication of terrorism in the latest attack, but added: "We're not ruling anything out."

The gunman, identified as Army Specialist Ivan Lopez, served in Iraq for four months in 2011.

Lieutenant General Mark Milley addresses the media at Fort Hood

He had sought help for depression, anxiety and other problems, and had been undergoing an assessment to determine whether he had post-traumatic stress disorder, Lt Gen Milley said.

The commanding officer described how the shooter "walked into one of the unit buildings, opened fire, got into a vehicle, fired from the vehicle, got out of the vehicle and opened fire again in another building".

"A military police officer responded. He was approaching her at about 20 feet. He put his hands up, then reached under his jacket. 

"He pulled out his gun, she pulled out her weapon, she then engaged and he put the weapon to his head" killing himself.

Lt Gen Milley said the motive was unclear. He said initial reports suggested "there may have been an argument in one of the unit areas".

All those hit by the soldier's recently purchased 45-calibre semi-automatic weapon were in the military. The gun had not been registered at the base.

Patients have been flown to hospital

Lopez arrived at Fort Hood in February. He was married and had a family.

President Barack Obama said he was "heartbroken" that the base had suffered again after the 2009 rampage.

"I want to assure everyone we are going to get to the bottom of what happened," said Mr Obama.

"Any shooting is troubling. Obviously this reopens the pain of what happened at Fort Hood five years ago. We know these families; we know their incredible service to this country and the sacrifices they make.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the entire community and we're going to do everything we can to make sure the community at Fort Hood has what it needs to deal with the current situation and any potential aftermath.

"We're heartbroken that something like this might have happened again."

Fort Hood is home to 45,000 soldiers and 9,000 civilians

The condition of those wounded in the attack ranges from "stable to quite critical".

All-clear sirens have now sounded at Fort Hood after several hours of lockdown. Personnel had been told to take shelter and stay away from doors and windows.

Sky's Amanda Walker said: "It's a huge military base. Around 45,000 soldiers are based there and 9,000 civilians.

"We don't know how the gunman got into the base.

"It is absolutely astonishing this has happened again at a secure military base that has had a terrible history with the previous shooting."

A Twitter alert posted by Fort Hood to implement a lockdown

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel called the shooting a "terrible tragedy".

Asked whether security improvements made since the 2009 tragedy have been adequate, Mr Hagel said: "Obviously when we have these kinds of tragedies on our bases, something's not working."

Army psychiatrist Major Nidal Hasan faces the death penalty for the 2009 killing spree, which also injured 30 people.

In statements to the judge, Hasan, an American-born Muslim, suggested he believed the attack was justified as a jihad against the US military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Major Nidal Hasan faces the death sentence following the 2009 shooting

The base is the biggest in the US, covering 340 square miles (880 sq km).

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Chile Hit By Second Powerful Earthquake

A second powerful earthquake has struck off northern Chile, a day after the region was hit by a deadly 8.2-magnitude tremor.

The 7.6-magnitude quake rattled buildings and triggered a new round of evacuations, although a tsunami alert issued for coastal communities was soon lifted.

It also caused a number of landslides near Alto Hospicio, a poor area in the hills above the port town of Iquique, where 2,500 homes and many fishing boats were damaged by Tuesday's quake.

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, who had travelled to nearby Arica to see how the city had been affected by the earlier disaster, was among those who fled a hotel.

Authorities estimate about 2,500 homes were damaged by Tuesday's quake

"I was evacuated like all citizens," she tweeted soon afterwards. "One can see that the people are prepared."

Authorities said six people were killed in Tuesday's earthquake but said further victims may be found as rescuers search older buildings in remote areas.

Schools in northern Chile remain closed amid fears of more aftershocks.

People living in the area have been expecting major tremors for years.

Tuesday's quake caused many boats to capsize in the port of Iquique

However, the so-called mega-quake many residents fear may be yet happen, according to Paul Earle, a seismologist at the US Geological Survey (USGS).

Chile is especially vulnerable to earthquakes because the Nazca and South American tectonic plates rub up against each other off the country's west coast.

Officials had reinforced emergency procedures after an unusually large amount of seismic activity in recent weeks, while residents had prepared by stocking up on food and rehearsing evacuation plans.

Tuesday's quake was located 14 miles south of Iquique at a depth of about 25 miles, according to the USGS.

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Airlines Warned Flying Over Crimea 'Risky'

Airlines have been warned to avoid the airspace over Crimea after it voted to split from Ukraine and was annexed by Russia.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) said there were "serious risks to the safety of international civil flights" after Russia said it intended to take over air traffic control over the peninsula.

The warning came as Russia summoned the German ambassador to Moscow over remarks made by the country's finance minister.

"We consider such pseudo-historical references by the German minister provocative," it said in a statement.

"The comparisons by him are a gross manipulation of historic facts."

An inquiry by authorities in Kiev blamed riot police for killing protesters

Wolfgang Schaeuble said Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea region were reminiscent of Adolf Hitler's aggression in 1938 that led to the annexation of German-speaking regions of Czechoslovakia.

The EASA said it was advising planes to avoid Crimean airspace citing an "unsafe situation", because of the possible risks posed by two countries trying to control it.

In the meantime, an inquiry by the Ukrainian authorities has blamed the killing of more than 100 protesters in February on the feared Berkut riot police.

Members of the Berkut during the February protests

It also concluded ousted President Viktor Yanukovych was involved in drawing up plans which saw police snipers shoot dead dozens of demonstrators, and indicated Moscow had a role in the deadly violence.

The suggestion of Russian involvement is likely to further increase tensions between the neighbouring countries, after Russia seized control of the southern Crimea region.

Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said: "The former government of the country gave criminal orders and a huge number of people suffered in the 'mincer'."

The killing of protesters, following three months of largely peaceful demonstrations over Mr Yanukovych's decision to seek closer ties with Russia rather than the EU, caused him to flee.

The Crimea crisis has strained East-West relations

Russia has denied any involvement in the unrest in Kiev.

Konstantin Dolgov, a Russian Foreign Ministry official, said: "We caution against forming hasty and politicised conclusions based on material and hypotheses that have 'suddenly' surfaced."

The stand-off over Crimea has caused the worst East-West crisis since the ending of the Cold War.

Moscow says the US needs to accept the Black Sea peninsula is now part of Russia.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said: "What can one advise our U.S. colleagues to do? Spend more time in the open, practice yoga, stick to food-combining diets, maybe watch some comedy sketch shows on TV."

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Musharraf Escapes Bomb Assassination Bid

Pakistan's former military ruler Pervez Musharraf has escaped an assassination attempt as a bomb exploded on his convoy's route.

The bomb was planted on Musharraf's route from an army hospital in Rawalpindi to his home on the outskirts of Islamabad and went off at around 2am (9pm GMT) on Wednesday - some 20 minutes before he was due to pass.

No one was injured in the blast - which reduced an area of the roadside to rubble - and there have been no claims of responsibility for the attack on the former general, who is on trial for treason.

The bomb was planted in a pipeline under a bridge

Senior police official Liaqat Niazi said the device contained 4kg of explosives and was planted in a pipeline under a bridge at the Faizabad interchange, which lies at the boundary of the two cities.

Muhammad Naeem, a spokesman for the Islamabad police, said Musharraf was the intended target.

Musharraf, who led Pakistan from 1999 to 2008, returned from self-imposed exile in March last year to fight in general elections, but was barred from taking part and has faced a series of legal cases including treason.

The area was cordoned off while experts hunted for more explosives

The Taliban also vowed to send a squad of suicide bombers to kill him, and security threats have prevented him from appearing at all but two of his treason hearings.

It was the fourth attempt on the ex-general's life, with the first three occurring while he was in office.

On Monday, a special court indicted Musharraf for treason in what was seen as a milestone for civilian authority in a country long dominated by the army.

The charges relate to his 2007 imposition of emergency rule, which came as the Supreme Court was due to rule on the validity of his re-election as president.

Musharraf supporters protest in Karachi after he was indicted for treason

Musharraf had been staying at the Armed Forces Institute of Cardiology (AFIC) in Rawalpindi since falling ill with a heart condition in January.

But he was believed to be keen to return to his comfortable villa in the scenic Bani Gala suburb of Islamabad.

Ahmad Raza Kasuri, a member of his legal team, told reporters that Musharraf had discharged himself.

Thursday's attack had echoes of the first major attempt on Musharraf's life in December 2003, when a powerful bomb went off minutes after his highly guarded convoy crossed a bridge in Rawalpindi.

A few days later, he survived another attempt by two suicide bombers which left 16 people dead.

In July 2007, an unknown group fired a submachine gun at Musharraf's plane as it took off from a runway in Rawalpindi.

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Iran Appoints American Hostage-Taker To UN

A US senator has vowed to bar Iran's appointment of a former hostage-taker involved in the 1979 seizure of the US Embassy in Tehran as the country's ambassador to the United Nations.

Sen Ted Cruz, a Texas Republican and Tea Party favourite, said he was outraged that Iranian President Hassan Rouhani had selected Hamid Aboutalebi.

Mr Aboutalebi was a member of a Muslim student group that held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days, beginning in November 1979.

Protesters stormed the embassy and took 52 Americans hostage

Mr Cruz proposed legislation that would prevent Mr Aboutalebi from obtaining a visa to enter the US.

He said: "It is unconscionable that in the name of international diplomatic protocol the United States would be forced to host a foreign national who showed a brutal disregard of the status of diplomats when they were stationed in his country.

"This person is an acknowledged terrorist."

Mr Cruz introduced legislation to block Mr Aboutalebi's entry to the US

A US State Department spokeswoman called Mr Aboutalebi's nomination "extremely troubling".

Marie Harf said: "We are taking a close look at the case now and we have raised our serious concerns about this possible nomination with the government of Iran."

Hamid Babaei, a spokesman for Iran's Mission to the United Nations, has not commented on the ambassadorial appointment.

The US has been trying to work out a nuclear deal with President Rouhani

Mr Cruz said that despite Mr Aboutalebi's insistence that his involvement in the Muslim student group was limited to translation and negotiation, he is still prominently featured on the group's website honouring those involved in the embassy takeover.

Fellow Republican Senator John McCain described it as "really kind of an in-your-face action by the Iranian government, sending a guy who was responsible for the absolutely, totally illegal incarceration of American citizens".

The move comes as the Obama administration continues to press for a settlement on Iran's nuclear programme.

In November the US, Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia reached a deal with Iran to curb Tehran's programme in exchange for limited sanctions relief.

On Tuesday, Mr Cruz questioned the Obama administration's continued talks with Iran in light of Mr Aboutalebi's appointment.

He said Mr Rouhani's decision "should serve as a wake-up call that the regime in Tehran is directed by the same policies that resulted in the hostage crisis in the first place".

"This nomination should dispel illusions" that Mr Rouhani is negotiating with the US in good faith, Mr Cruz added.

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Malaysian PM Visits Australian Plane Search HQ

Full Transcript Of Last Contact With MH370

Updated: 12:36pm UK, Tuesday 01 April 2014

A transcript of the final conversations between the control tower and Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been released.

MAS 370 (Kuala Lumpur to Beijing)

PILOT-ATC RADIOTELEPHONY TRANSCRIPT

Departure from KLIA: 8 March 2014

ATC DELIVERY

12:25:53 MAS 370 Delivery MAS 370 Good Morning

12:26:02 ATC MAS 370 Standby and Malaysia Six is cleared to Frankfurt via AGOSA Alpha Departure six thousand feet squawk two one zero six

12:26:19 ATC ... MAS 370 request level

12:26:21 MAS 370 MAS 370 we are ready requesting flight level three five zero to Beijing

12:26:39 ATC MAS 370 is cleared to Beijing via PIBOS A Departure Six Thousand Feet squawk two one five seven

12:26:45 MAS 370 Beijing PIBOS A Six Thousand Squawk two one five seven, MAS 370 Thank You

12:26:53 ATC MAS 370 Welcome over to ground

12:26:55 MAS 370 Good Day

LUMPUR GROUND

12:27:27 MAS 370 Ground MAS370 Good morning Charlie One Requesting push and start

12:27:34 ATC MAS370 Lumpur Ground Morning Push back and start approved Runway 32 Right Exit via Sierra 4.

12:27:40 MAS 370 Push back and start approved 32 Right Exit via Sierra 4 POB 239 Mike Romeo Oscar

12:27:45 ATC Copied

12:32:13 MAS 370 MAS377 request taxi.

12:32:26 ATC MAS37..... (garbled) ... standard route. Hold short Bravo

12:32:30 MAS 370 Ground, MAS370. You are unreadable. Say again.

12:32:38 ATC MAS370 taxi to holding point Alfa 11 Runway 32 Right via standard route. Hold short of Bravo.

12:32:42 MAS 370 Alfa 11 Standard route Hold short Bravo MAS370.

12:35:53 ATC MAS 370 Tower

12:36:19 ATC (garbled) ... Tower ... (garbled)

MAS 370 1188 MAS370 Thank you

LUMPUR TOWER

12:36:30 MAS 370 Tower MAS370 Morning

12:36:38 ATC MAS370 good morning. Lumpur Tower. Holding point..[garbled]..10 32 Right

12:36:50 MAS 370 Alfa 10 MAS370

12:38:43 ATC 370 line up 32 Right Alfa 10. MAS 370 Line up 32 Right Alfa 10 MAS370.

12:40:38 ATC 370 32 Right Cleared for take-off. Good night.

MAS 370 32 Right Cleared for take-off MAS370. Thank you Bye.

LUMPUR APPROACH

12:42:05 MAS 370 Departure Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:42:10 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero selamat pagi identified. Climb flight level one eight zero cancel SID turn right direct to IGARI

12:42:48 MAS 370 Okay level one eight zero direct IGARI Malaysian one err Three Seven Zero

12:42:52 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero contact Lumpur Radar One Three Two Six good night MAS 370 Night One Three Two Six Malaysian Three Seven Zero

LUMPUR RADAR (AREA)

12:46:51 MAS 370 Lumpur Control Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:46:51 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero Lumpur radar Good Morning climb flight level two five zero

12:46:54 MAS370 Morning level two five zero Malaysian Three Seven Zero

12:50:06 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero climb flight level three five zero

12:50:09 MAS370 Flight level three five zero Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:01:14 MAS370 Malaysian Three Seven Zero maintaining level three five zero

01:01:19 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:07:55 MAS370 Malaysian...Three Seven Zero maintaining level three five zero

01:08:00 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero

01:19:24 ATC Malaysian Three Seven Zero contact Ho Chi Minh 120 decimal 9 Good Night

01:19:29 MAS370 Good Night Malaysian Three Seven Zero

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Shark Takes Swimmer Near Australia Beach

Rescue crews are searching for the remains of a keen swimmer who was dragged away by a shark off a popular beach in Australia.

Christine Armstrong was attacked as she attempted to swim the 1,970ft (600m) stretch between the wharf and beach near the village of Tathra, 210 miles (340km) south of Sydney.

The 63-year-old was part of a group who met at the beach every morning to swim out to the wharf and back.

The beach close to where Mrs Armstrong was taken

Mrs Armstrong's family said she had been swimming at the beach for 14 years and had been a trainer at the local volunteer lifeguard club.

"Swimming brought her much joy and many friends," they said in a statement.

"She will be sadly missed by all who loved her, especially by Rob, her husband of 44 years."

A helicopter and boat are being used in the search for her remains.

The species of the shark involved in the attack is not known at this stage.

A search team looks for her remains

The Tathra Wharf to Waves - a swim from the wharf to the beach and back - is an annual event that attracts hundreds of swimmers every summer.

Sharks are common off Australia's coast, but the country has averaged fewer than two fatal attacks per year in recent decades.

Two men were killed in attacks off the east and west coasts within the space of a week in November - the only deaths in 2013.

On Wednesday police found the remains of a 38-year-old man who was reported missing last week after going diving south of the west coast city of Perth.

The remains had shark bites, but police said it is not clear whether the man had been bitten before or after he died.

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Cuban Social Network 'Funded By US Government'

A Cuban version of Twitter was set up by the US government in an attempt to push the communist island's young people towards dissent, it has been claimed.

The social media network - which lasted more than two years and picked up tens of thousands of subscribers - was built using secret shell companies, the Associated Press news agency reported.

Covert schemes such as this one would require authorisation from the President and congressional notification.

The project was dubbed ZunZuneo which is a slang term for a Cuban hummingbird's tweet.

Front companies in the Cayman Islands were used, it is alleged

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) set up front companies in Spain and the Cayman Islands to hide the source of the project's financing, it is alleged.

It also recruited CEOs without telling them the project was US taxpayer-funded.

A memo from Mobile Accord, one of the project's creators, reportedly said: "There will be absolutely no mention of United States government involvement.

"This is absolutely crucial for the long-term success of the service and to ensure the success of the Mission."

It was publicly launched in 2009.

The site was similar to Twitter

For more than two years, ZunZuneo grew and reached at least 40,000 subscribers.

The service vanished abruptly in 2012.

In a statement, USAID said it is "proud of its work in Cuba to provide basic humanitarian assistance, promote human rights and fundamental freedoms, and to help information flow more freely to the Cuban people."

It added Cubans "have lived under an authoritarian regime" for 50 years, and said its work was "consistent" with US law.

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Giant Man-Eating Crocodile Captured In Uganda

A 1,000kg crocodile said to have eaten four people on the shores of Lake Victoria has been captured.

Locals begged wildlife officials to hunt the reptile after it claimed its most recent victim, leaving Ugandan fishermen too scared to go out in their boats.

Friends of father-of-two Bosco Nyansi said they were only able to recover his clothes, which were found floating on the water, after he was mauled by the beast.

Fishermen gathered round to look at the reptile after it was captured

The crocodile was also blamed for seriously injuring a number of other fishermen at Wairaka, Rwabitooke, Masese and Wanyange in Jinja district, and Ntinkalu in Mayuge.

Experts managed to trap the animal with meat on a hook and it will now be transferred to the Murchison Falls national park.

More than a hundred locals and fishermen gathered to look at the crocodile as it was loaded on to a truck at Kakira.

Officials in Uganda believe the animal is 80 years old and weighs just 47kg less than the largest crocodile ever held in captivity - a 21ft saltwater crocodile named Lolong captured in the Philippines.

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Miley And Justin Gigs At Risk After US Sanctions

Miley Cyrus and Justin Timberlake's concerts in Finland are at risk of being cancelled because of US sanctions against Russia.

The Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, where both stars are due to perform, is owned by Russian Gennady Timchenko, co-founder of oil trader Gunvor, and brothers Boris and Arkady Rotenberg.

All three were included in a list of visa bans and asset freezes imposed by the US against close allies of President Vladimir Putin last month following Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine.

Concert promoter Live Nation Finland said its lawyers were discussing with US authorities whether the sanctions against the venue's owners would bar planned shows by American artists.

Timberlake has a sold-out concert in May and Cyrus is due to perform there in June.

"We are examining the possibility whether this could have an impact on American artists' shows," said Nina Castren, the chief executive of Live Nation Finland.

"If it does, then we will need to come up with a different solution. But I believe that the problem will be solved and the concerts will be held."

Mr Timchenko and the Rotenbergs bought a stake in Helsinki ice-hockey team Jokerit along with the arena, which is the team's home rink, last year.

Other acts due to perform at the Hartwall Arena include Robbie Williams and Elton John, but they will not be affected because they are British acts.

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