Irish Author Colum McCann Beaten At Hotel

Police are hunting a suspect who brutally assaulted award-winning author Colum McCann in a Connecticut hotel after witnesses said he tried to help a woman in a domestic dispute.

The 49-year-old Dublin-born writer was taken to hospital with significant facial injuries after the attack on Saturday night in New Haven.

Investigators say the woman's companion was the assailant during the incident, which happened at about 10pm at the Study Hotel in the city.

McCann's wife, Allison Hawke, said he cannot comment because he is getting dental work.

Assistant Police Chief Archie Generoso told the East Haven Independent: "He saw a woman pushed to the ground. He tried to assist the woman.

"He asked the woman if she wanted him to call the police. He urged her to do so. She said she didn't want to call the police."

McCann was assaulted as he tried to walked away. He was found bleeding on the pavement outside the hotel.

"He was completely innocent," Mr Generoso added. "He was trying to be a Good Samaritan."

Police told the East Haven Register they have "significant leads" in their investigation.

McCann's novel Let the Great World Spin, a story of interlocking lives in New York, won the 2009 US National Book Award for Fiction.

He lives in New York City. 

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Aisles Flooded As Qantas Plane Springs Leak

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

Passengers on board a double-decker Qantas A380 airline have spoken of their horror when a torrent of water poured down cabin aisles.

Travellers were settling down for the long-haul flight between Los Angeles and Melbourne when pipes began pouring fresh water into the cabin.

Staff tried to mop up the mid-air leak (Pic: Susanna Halliday)

Hollywood actress Yvette Nicole Brown said the incident was "the scariest thing I have ever seen" and she feared the torrent would short-circuit the plane's electrics over the Pacific Ocean.

The star of the movie (500) Days of Summer was flying to Australia when the bizarre incident happened an hour into the journey.

The captain decided to turn the jet around and flew back to Los Angeles' LAX airport.

"It looked like a trickle at first and I thought someone had spilt a soda or pop or something and it just got bigger and bigger and it filled up both aisles," Ms Brown told CNN.

"It literally was like a river running down the aisles of the plane. It was the scariest thing I have ever seen."

The actress said she feared the plane could short out or passengers could be hurt.

Water leaked on passengers from the flooded cabin above (Pic: 7 News)

"It seemed like a problem to me because it is water and electricity," she said.

"All I kept thinking about was, 'We are over the Pacific and I'm in something that is full of electricity and there is water.'

"The other thing was it was a double-decker plane so I was wondering where the water was going because it flowed by us.

"But I'm thinking there's people below us.

One passenger tweeted an image of her drenched seat (Pic: Susanna Halliday)

"There's a staircase behind us and sure enough it became a downpour for them."

Qantas says at no point was passenger safety compromised and the jet turned back for the comfort of those on board.

The flight from LA to Australia is 15.5 hours, one of the longest scheduled non-stop flights.

Passengers were offered hotel accommodation in LA while the issue was resolved.

One traveller, Susanna Halliday, tweeted pictures of her sodden seat and of blankets mopping up water on the plane's staircase.

She posted: "After being rained on during my #Qantas flight I'm in one of the worst hotels I've ever stayed at in my life. No sleep for the weary."

Qantas have promised to look into what caused the flood

The airline said in a statement: "Crew on board did everything they could to help customers, including moving them to unaffected areas and providing spare blankets so they could stay dry."

"We apologise to customers for the inconvenience.

"We are liaising with Airbus to understand what caused this fault."

Brown, although scared, was full of praise for Qantas flight and gate crews, describing them as "awesome".

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World Cup Fanatics Head Overland For Brazil

By Paul Kelso, Sports Correspondent, Rio de Janeiro

While the football has lit up the stadiums at Brazil's World Cup, the host cities have been illuminated by the army of supporters from around the world who have converged here.

The Brazilian government estimate that as many as 600,000 tourists have come to be part of the World Cup party, but there is probably no counting the real number who have travelled from across Latin America to be here.

Roger Zambrono Rojas: 'I sold my Colombia shirt to pay for the petrol'

While visitors from Europe, North America and Asia have flown in, fans from Brazil's neighbours have crossed the borders by road in their thousands.

Few have travelled further however than the Colombians who have driven more than 3,000 miles from their home in Duitama, near Medellin, to Rio.

Roger Zambrono Rojas and Lizeth Soler are students, and together with Lizeth's boyfriend they embarked on their road trip almost two months ago.

Argentina's soccer team players attend a training session in Belo Horizonte

The vehicle is a much loved, customised Renault Four in yellow and green, with a bespoke spoiler.

Roger re-covered the seats in leather embroidered with World Cup logos to make the journey more comfortable, and a roof rack carries everything that won't go in the boot, including a barbecue, a tent and a kettle.

A small Colombian flag flutters on the roof, a reminder they are here to see their team take on Brazil in the quarter-finals on Friday.

They set out with a limited budget and have been forced to improvise when it comes to fuel and food.

Mauro Mignaqui: 'Argentina will win, we will take the trophy home'

"I sold my Colombia shirt for petrol money along the way and the guy who bought it from me gave me a Brazilian club shirt, Vasco de Gama, to replace it," says Roger.

"The truck drivers along the way have been really friendly. When they see we are Colombian they have given us food and drink to keep us going."

Lizeth says the chance to travel to a World Cup in Brazil was too good to miss despite the discomfort.

"It's not the biggest car but the new seats help. We are very proud to be following Colombia in Brazil," she said.

Colombia's national team players stretch during a practice session in Cotia

The camaraderie among supporters is evident along the beach. When the Renault declined to start, a group of Argentines offered a push start to help the Colombians on the long road to Fortaleza for the game against Brazil.

The northern end of the Copacabana seafront resembles a caravan park by the middle of the second week as supporters park up for the football.

Chileans were prominent among them in the build up to their game against Spain, however they were outnumbered by the Argentinians.

Colombia fans watch a broadcast of their match with Uruguay

An estimated 120,000 drove across the border to Porto Alegre for their group match in the most southerly venue, and many have stayed.

The influx prompted the authorities in Rio to turn part of the Samba-drome, normally used only for the Lent carnival, into an impromptu campsite. Argentines are the majority residents.

Mauro Mignaqui is a factory worker who has taken the summer off to travel up Brazil's Atlantic coast with a group of friends, surfing between matches.

"We all believe that Argentina will win, we all believe we will be taking the trophy home," he said.

Brazilians have proved perfect hosts so far, though they would rather they left empty handed.

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Sarkozy Hits Back Over Corruption Charge

Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has said the country's legal system is being used for political means after he was accused of corruption.

Mr Sarkozy, 59, was placed under formal investigation - a step which often, but not always leads to trial - after he was questioned for 15 hours by police.

It marked the first time a French ex-head of state had been taken into custody in a criminal investigation and could wreck his hopes of a political comeback.

He was detained at a police station in Paris over a suspected attempt to illegally influence judicial proceedings in one of a string of corruption cases in which he is implicated.

Later, the conservative politician denied any wrongdoing in an interview with Europe 1 radio and claimed the allegations were politically motivated.

"The situation is sufficiently serious to tell the French people where we stand on the political exploitation of part of the legal system today," he said.

"I say to all those who are listening or watching that I have never betrayed them and have never committed an act against the Republic's principles and the rule of law."

Nicolas Sarkozy is escorted by police to appear before a judge on Tuesday

The allegations are a major setback to his viability as a candidate in France's 2017 elections following his 2012 defeat by Socialist rival Francois Hollande.

Magistrates are looking at whether Mr Sarkozy used his influence to secure leaked details of an inquiry into alleged irregularities in his victorious 2007 campaign.

He is suspected of corrupting officials and benefiting from a breach of professional secrets.

Mr Sarkozy's supporters have cast doubt on the impartiality of one of the investigating magistrates, with Nice mayor Christian Estrosi telling France Info state radio that Mr Hollande's government had whipped up "an atmosphere of hate".

Prime Minister Manuel Valls dismissed accusations of a plot.

Investigating magistrates have a unique and powerful role in French law, both gathering evidence and determining whether it is solid enough for a trial.

After the inquiry, the magistrates can drop the case for lack of proof or charge the accused, sending the case to trial.

If convicted of the charges, Mr Sarkozy could face a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

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Pregnant Woman Falls Under Train And Survives

A pregnant woman is lucky to be alive after she was run over by an underground train in Beijing.

The train driver was forced to slam on the emergency brake as the woman, who is five months pregnant, toppled on to the subway tracks on Tuesday.

A photograph shows Yue Yan Mai, 31, crouching under the oncoming train as it screeched to a halt.

The front of the train passed over the woman and was able to crawl out from under it.

Alarmed onlookers then pulled her off the tracks and she was taken to a local hospital where she was treated for minor injuries.

The woman reportedly said she had been tired and impatient to get home so had leaned over the platform to look for an approaching train.

She then overbalanced and fell on to the tracks.

The lucky escape came days after a woman in New York survived after being run over by three separate trains.

The 22-year-old Irish woman fell on to the tracks at Times Square station.

She suffered an injury to the shoulder, but was otherwise unscathed.

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Parents Kept Autistic Son Locked In Cage

The parents of a severely autistic boy have been arrested after California police determined the 11-year-old had been kept in a cage.

Authorities said the metal cage - similar to an extra-large dog kennel - was found in the couple's home in Anaheim with a mattress and other bedding inside.

It was roughly 6ft (1.8m) tall, 5ft (1.5m) long and about 4ft (1.2m) wide with room to stand.

Loi Vu, 40 (L), and Tracy Le, 35.

The boy was not inside when police went to the house.

But family members gave investigators varying accounts of how long he had been kept in it, ranging from hours to days, police Lieutenant Bob Dunn said.

He said early indications were that the family might have been having difficulty coping with the boy.

"It appeared that as he grew older his episodes of violence and outbursts were increasing and perhaps the parents utilised the cage as a tool to modify that and to contain him when that was happening," he said.

The boy's parents, identified by police as Loi Vu, 40, and Tracy Le, 35, were held on suspicion of felony child endangerment and false imprisonment.

A mattress was found inside the cage

Officers went to the Anaheim home and arrested the parents after an anonymous tipster called Orange County Child Protective Services.

The child was well-nourished and appeared otherwise healthy and his two siblings, ages eight and 10, were also unharmed.

They were all placed in protective custody.

The parents, of Vietnamese origin, speak limited English, and investigators were using translators to sort out details in the case.

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US Warns Of Terror Threat To Ugandan Airport

US authorities have warned of a "specific threat" to Entebbe Airport in Uganda later today.

The US embassy in Kampala said Ugandan police had informed them that intelligence sources believe there could be an attack by an unknown terrorist group.

In a statement the embassy said the threat was apparently aimed for "today, July 3rd, between the hours of 2100-2300".

It added: "Individuals planning travel through the airport this evening may want to review their plans in light of this information."

Although the embassy did not name any group, al Qaeda-linked Shebab insurgents have claimed recent attacks in Kenya and Djibouti, and at home in Somalia.

Shebab militants

Ugandan Army spokesman Paddy Ankunda said troops had been deployed at the airport and in the capital, some 35km (20 miles) from Entebbe.

"People must be vigilant in the face of this threat, report any suspicious individuals seen in their areas," he said, calling on people to "stay calm and alert."

Homeland security chief Jeh Johnson

The Ugandan alert comes after security at British airports was increased following warnings from the US that terrorists are developing bombs that can be smuggled on to planes without detection.

US Homeland Security chief Jeh Johnson said he had asked officials to "implement enhanced security measures in the coming days at certain overseas airports with direct flights to the United States".

A statement issued by the US Department for Homeland Security said: "We are sharing recent and relevant information with our foreign allies and consulting the aviation industry.

"These communications are an important part of our commitment to providing our security partners with situational awareness about the current environment and protecting the travelling public."

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said the additional security was not expected to cause "significant" disruption to flights.

He told Sky News: "There will be extra security checks but they will be made in the course of events people already go through and I hope there will not be significant delays."

Armed police patrol Heathrow airport

But British aviation security expert Philip Baum said heightened security will inevitably mean longer queues and increased waiting times to board flights at UK airports.

"It will mean (more) random searches, secondary searches and an increase in the number of passengers asked to remove shoes and possibly all passengers being asked to remove shoes if they're going on certain flights," he said.

US officials said their general security warning followed intelligence reports that Islamist groups in Yemen and Syria had joined forces to prepare an attack on the US.

Al Nusra Front militants

Bomb-makers from al Nusra Front, al Qaeda's affiliate in Syria, and Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) are believed to be working together to develop the new devices.

According to ABC News, they are trying to build non-metallic bombs that could evade metal detectors.

In consequence security enhancements are likely to include greater scrutiny of US-bound passengers' electronics and footwear and installation of additional bomb-detection machines.

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Israel Sends More Troops To Gaza Border

Clashes Erupt As Teen Found Dead In Jerusalem

Updated: 2:02pm UK, Wednesday 02 July 2014

Palestinian protesters have clashed with police in Israel after the discovery of the body of an Arab teenager who is suspected to have been killed in retribution for the deaths of three Israeli youths.

Sky News' Middle East Correspondent Sherine Tadros said violence erupted in the Arab suburb of Shuafat in Jerusalem after news of the discovery spread.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for calm on all sides as video footage showed protesters throwing rocks at police who responded with tear gas and rubber bullets.

Special forces have been sent in and all roads in the area have been closed.

The body is believed to be that of Palestinian teenager Mohammed Abu Khudair, 16, who was reported missing in the early hours of the morning.

Witnesses said they saw him being forced into a vehicle outside a supermarket in the Shuafat area.

Israeli police are yet to formally the identity of the body, which was found in the Jerusalem Forest in West Jerusalem.

Israel's Ynet website reported that it was charred and showed signs of violence.

Palestinian news reports have blamed Israeli settlers for the abduction.

One Israeli security source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said officials suspect the youth was killed in retribution for the deaths of three Israeli teenagers whose bodies were found in the West Bank on Monday.

Israel has accused the Palestinian militant group Hamas of abducting and killing Gilad Shaar, 16, Eyal Yifrach, 19, and Naftali Frenkel, 16.

They went missing while hitchhiking home from the Jewish seminaries where they studied near Hebron.

Naftali Frenkel's family has spoken out against acts of retribution.

His uncle, Yisahi Frenkel, said: "If the Arab youth was murdered because of nationalistic motives then this is a horrible and horrendous act.

"There is no difference between (Arab) blood and (Jewish) blood. Murder is murder. There is no forgiveness or justification for any murder."

Prime Minister Netanyahu has issued a statement urging all sides "not to take the law into their own hands".

Overnight police in Jerusalem arrested 47 Israelis overnight who attended a hardline "anti-Arab" protest in the city. Chants of "death to Arabs" were heard among the several hundred protesters.

Mr Netanyahu had earlier pledged to find those responsible for the Israeli youths' deaths.

Speaking to reporters, he said: "Whoever was involved in the kidnapping and the murder will bear the consequences. We will neither rest nor slow down until we reach the last of them and it does not matter where they will try to hide."

Mr Netanyahu also warned Israel's response would include stepping up military activity in Hamas-controlled Gaza if rocket fire from the territory continues.

"The Israeli Defence Force has been active in recent days against Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, and here as well we are still active," he said.

"If need be, we will expand the operation as much as is needed."

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Pistorius Trial: 'Fleeing Was Not An Option'

The final defence witness in the Oscar Pistorius trial has told a court why the athlete did not flee from his house on the night he shot dead his girlfriend.

On the 37th day of the trial, the defence read from Pistorius' evidence - the part he was questioned about why he went towards danger after allegedly being startled by a noise.

Professor Wayne Derman, who worked with the South African Paralympic team, said the response was consistent with the "flight or fight" reflex, adding there was less ability to "think" after such instincts kicked in.

The physician said fleeing was not an option as the athlete has no lower legs.

The only other option was to fight and approach danger, he said.

Pistorius denies murdering 29-year-old model Reeva Steenkamp, claiming he shot her after mistaking her for an intruder at the Pretoria property.

Mr Derman said the defendant, who fired his pistol through a closed toilet door in his home, was hyper-sensitive to sound and has a heightened fight or flight response.

He told the court the 27-year-old South African is vulnerable and his fear of crime is exacerbated by his physical disability.

The athlete's lower legs were amputated as a baby because he was born without fibula bones.

Mr Derman, a professor of sport and exercise medicine at the University of Cape Town, also described the athlete as a "paradox".

He said there were "two" Oscars - one who won races with his hands aloft, standing tall on his prosthetic legs, the other disabled on stumps.

"It is different each day," he said, adding the contrast causes stress and anxiety for the double-amputee runner.

Pistorius has admitted killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp

The defence wants to show Pistorius' alleged sense of vulnerability was a factor in the night-time shooting on Valentine's Day last year.

Under cross-examination, the prosecution claimed Mr Derman could not give objective evidence as an "expert" as it might harm his patient.

But Mr Derman rejected this and said he had backed up his points with science.

On Wednesday, the court heard the defendant has been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) since shooting Ms Steenkamp and needs to continue being treated to avoid the risk of suicide.

A psychiatric report found Pistorius is not mentally ill but has been "severely traumatised" by the events of last year.

The athlete, who is on bail, faces between 25 years and life in prison if found guilty of premeditated murder.

But he could also be sentenced to a shorter prison term if convicted of murder without premeditation or negligent killing.

The trial was adjourned until Monday.

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Saudi Arabia 'Deploys Troops To Iraq Border'

Red-Bearded Chechen Fighter Is Face Of ISIS

Updated: 10:15am UK, Thursday 03 July 2014

A red-bearded Chechen fighter with a deep hatred of Americans has emerged as the public face of al Qaeda splinter group ISIS.

Omar al Shishani - which means Omar the Chechen - has appeared on the group's recent propaganda videos and may have been promoted to overall military chief.

He is among hundreds of Chechens who are considered some of the toughest and most ruthless jihadi fighters in Syria and Iraq.

In a video released by the group over the weekend, al Shishani is shown standing in front of black masked militants declaring the elimination of the Iraq-Syria border.

Up until recently, the 28-year-old has been considered the group's military commander in Syria, leading an offensive towards the Iraq border.

But he may now have risen to become overall military chief, a post left vacant after the death of Iraqi militant Abu Abdul Rahman al Bilawi al Anbari.

Al Shishani, whose real name is Tarkhan Batirashvili, is an ethnic Chechen from the Caucasus nation of Georgia, specifically from the Pankisi Valley.

The area is a centre of Georgia's Chechen community and once a stronghold for militants.

Former comrades say he was raised by a Christian father and Muslim mother, who died of cancer. 

With a deep hatred for the Kremlin, he played a role in the 2008 Russia-Georgia War, spying on Russian tanks and relaying their positions back to Georgian artillery.

He is described by those who knew him before ISIS as a sober and respected person who did not show signs of religious extremism.

Reports suggest he rose to the rank of sergeant in the Georgian army, but was discharged after contracting tuberculosis in 2010.

He later spent 16 months in a Georgian prison after being charged for possessing illegal weapons.

It was during his time in jail that al Shishani apparently developed a deep hatred of Americans as "the enemies of Allah and the enemies of Islam".

"I promised God that if I come out of prison alive, I'll go fight jihad for the sake of God," he told a jihadist website.

As soon as he was released in 2010, al Shishani  left for Turkey and later surfaced in Syria in 2013.

There, he led the al Qaeda-inspired "Army of Emigrants and Partisans", a group including many fighters from the former Soviet Union.

A meeting was soon organised with ISIS overall chief Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, an Iraqi, in which al Shishani pledged loyalty to him, say reports.

He first showed his battlefield prowess in August 2013, when his fighters proved pivotal in taking the Syrian military's Managh air base in the north of the country.

His high profile contrasts sharply with al Baghdadi, who remains deep in hiding and has hardly ever been photographed. 

Al Shishani's father described his son as "a man with no job, no prospects - so he took the wrong path".

That path appears to have taken him to the upper echelons of the most formidable jihadist organisation in the world.

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