Prsent News

Disney profits lifted by Avengers

2012-08-08T12:36:00.000+06:00

The Walt Disney Company has reported higher profits, driven by the success of films such as The Avengers.

Net income for the three months to June rose 24% to $1.83bn (£1.17bn) from the previous year.
"We had a phenomenal third quarter, delivering the largest quarterly earnings in the history of our company," said Robert Iger, Disney's chief executive.
Revenue at its parks and resorts increased 9% to $3.4bn.
At its film studio, operating income increased more than six-fold to $313m.
"Higher worldwide theatrical results reflected the performance of the current quarter releases including Marvel's The Avengers and Brave compared to Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and Cars 2 in the prior-year quarter," the media giant said.
In May, superhero movie The Avengers smashed the record for the biggest US opening weekend, taking $200m.
Operating income at Cable Networks increased due to growth at the Disney and ABC Family channels in the US, offsetting a drop at sports channel ESPN.

Ernesto reaches hurricane strength over Central America

2012-08-08T12:35:00.000+06:00

Tropical Storm Ernesto has reached hurricane strength while passing northern Honduras, and is approaching Belize and Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said it is bringing heavy rains and winds of up to 130km/h (80mph).
It was 185 miles (298 km) east of Chetumal, Mexico, at about 18:00 GMT on Tuesday, and moving north-west.
A hurricane warning is in effect along parts of the eastern Yucatan peninsula and the entire coast of Belize.
Tropical storm warnings are also in effect for much of the Honduras coast and remaining sections of the Yucatan peninsula.
Officials in Nicaragua and Guatemala are also on alert.
"These rains are likely to cause dangerous flash floods and mudslides over higher terrain," the Miami-based NHC said in its warning.
It forecast that the storm could still strengthen before hitting the coast of Yucatan and then moving across the peninsula overnight.
In Mexico, the authorities ordered the closure of the port of Chetumal port and evacuated a fishing village in the state of Quintana Roo, where the major city of Cancun is located, the AP news agency reports.
At least 1,500 people have been moved away from Nicaragua's coastal areas and its border with Honduras.
Officials in Honduras said they were monitoring the situation and working on plans for evacuation and delivery of humanitarian aid.
The Belize government has issued weather alerts for its residents, the Reuters news agency reports, and in Guatemala, relief supplies and rescue equipment are being sent to the vulnerable areas.

Asia Pacific Breweries: Thailand firm launches new bid

2012-08-08T12:33:00.002+06:00

Heineken's bid to take control of Asia Pacific Breweries (APB), the maker of Tiger Beer, has taken a surprise twist after a Thai firm, Kindest Place, offered to buy a stake in the brewer.

It has offered S$55 ($44; £28) a share for a 7.3% stake in APB, currently held directly by Fraser and Neave (F&N).
That is 10% higher than Heineken's offer to F&N for its 40% direct and indirect stakes in APB.
F&N's board had accepted Heineken's bid but it requires shareholder approval.
Analysts said that the Dutch brewer may have to pay more if it wants shareholders to vote in its favour.
"With this latest turn of events, Heineken's current offer will fail," said Goh Han Peng, an analyst at DMG & Partners Securities in Singapore.
"It will have to offer more than S$55 per share to outbid the Thai group, possibly S$60 per share."
Battle for control Asia's beer market is expected to be among the fastest growing in the world in the coming years.
APB, which is one of the largest brewers in the region, is expected to benefit from the growth in the sector.
However, the brewer's current ownership structure is complicated and various stakeholders have been trying to increase their control on the firm.
Heineken currently controls 42% of the brewery and also owns a direct 9.5% stake in APB.
Singapore conglomerate F&N owns a 40% direct and indirect stake in APB. Meanwhile, Japanese brewer Kirin owns almost 15%of F&N.
If accepted, Kindest Place's bid will take its holding in APB to more than 15%.

Profile: Wisconsin Sikh temple shooter Wade Michael Page

2012-08-08T12:31:00.000+06:00

How did an apparently sensitive child who used to enjoy family camping trips turn into a hate-filled extremist who went on a gun rampage at a Sikh temple?

Wade Michael Page appears to have been a ticking time bomb of rage long before he opened fire on worshippers in suburban Milwaukee on 5 August.
Originally from the US state of Colorado, the 40-year-old was living in the southern Wisconsin town of Cudahy in the days before he launched his attack.
Neighbours have said Page, who was shot dead by police at the scene, seemed friendly and told them he had recently broken up with his girlfriend.
"We talked, but it was really about nothing," said Kurt Weins, who rented a room to Page in June. "He seemed pretty calm. He didn't seem like the type to raise his voice."
Peter Hoyt, who lives nearby, said: "He was friendly with me. When I found out it was him, I was astounded."
A civil rights group described the heavily tattooed skinhead as a "frustrated neo-Nazi" who had been a part of the white power music scene since 2000.
'Racial holy war'
He played in bands called Blue Eyed Devils and Definite Hate, and in 2005 created a group called End Apathy, the Southern Poverty Law Center said.
They performed songs with lyrics that mentioned killing Jews, black people, gay people and other minorities.

Neighbours remember seeing Wade Michael Page sitting on the front porch or walking in the area

In a 2010 interview posted online, Page said his lyrics "vary from sociological issues, religion, and how the value of human life has been degraded by being submissive to tyranny and hypocrisy that we are subjugated to".
Band members were shown performing in front of extremist flags, including one bearing the swastika emblem of the Nazi Party.
A former friend, Christopher Robillard, of Oregon, told CNN that Page would "talk about the racial holy war, like he wanted it to come".
Page was active in online, far-right forums, encouraging others to action.
He posted as many as 250 comments on one website between March 2010 and mid-2012.
"If you are wanting to meet people, get involved and become active," Page wrote last year, "stop hiding behind the computer or making excuses."
'Precious little boy' In November, Page challenged someone who commented online that he would leave the US if black Republican candidate Herman Cain became president.
"Stand and fight, don't run," he wrote.

A memorial for the six victims of the Sikh temple shooting

Page described himself as a member of the Hammerskins Nation, a skinhead "brotherhood" based in Dallas, Texas.
He spent his childhood in the Denver area of Colorado and lived with his mother until her death, when Page was about 13 or 14 years old.
His former stepmother, Laura Page, told the New York Times that the boy had struggled to cope with his mother's death.
She said: "He was a precious little boy, and that's what my mind keeps going back to."
She also said that the family used to camp and fish and do "normal things" together.
In 1992, after finishing high school, Page joined the US Army and was stationed at various points in Oklahoma, Texas and North Carolina. He was not deployed overseas.
He was a qualified parachutist who received several good conduct awards and a National Defense Service Medal. He was also trained in psychological operations and as a Hawk missile systems repairman.
But in 1998, Page was discharged from the army later that year for "patterns of misconduct" and ruled ineligible to re-enlist.
He had been demoted from sergeant to the rank of specialist after getting drunk on duty and going absent without leave, defence officials said.
Page was also fired from his job as a lorry driver in 2010 after he was pulled over in North Carolina for driving while impaired, the Washington Post reported.

Bank of England expected to cut UK growth forecasts

2012-08-08T12:30:00.002+06:00

The Bank Of England is expected to cut growth forecasts close to zero from the 0.8% predicted in May as the double-dip recession intensifies.

The quarterly inflation report is likely to indicate no growth for 2012 compared with 2% predicted a year ago.
Governor Sir Mervyn King is expected to be asked about a possible interest rate cut from the current record 0.5%.
Presenting his last report in May, he said the UK would not be "unscathed" by the eurozone "storm".
The UK recession deepened between April and June, with output falling by 0.7%, official data released at the end of July showed.
The Office for National Statistics said the bigger-than-expected contraction, which followed a 0.3% drop in the first three months of the year, was largely due to a sharp slowdown in the construction sector.
BBC economics editor Stephanie Flanders said many in the City would be bracing themselves for bad news on Wednesday morning when they opened the Bank's latest quarterly report.
She said that, when it drew up its last forecasts, it was expecting the economy to do poorly in the first half of the year - but not shrink by more than 1%.
And the Bank thought the UK economy would get bigger, not smaller, over the course of 2012 but that now looked increasingly unlikely, she added.
Funding for Lending The Monetary Policy Committee has continued its programme of quantitative easing (QE) in which it pumps fresh money into the banking system to try to boost lending and thus the wider economy.
In July, it injected a further £50bn into the system, taking the total value of the Bank's QE programme up to £375bn.
The Bank and the Treasury have also launched launched a new scheme to increase lending to households and companies.
Under the Funding for Lending initiative, the Bank of England is initially expected to lend about £80bn at below-market rates to banks and building societies.
The BBC's economics editor said that, if the quarterly inflation report showed the Bank expecting much lower growth and inflation even with this extra help, the City would be betting on more action to support the economy by November.
This could include a cut in interest rates to another all-time low, she added.
Meanwhile, eurozone speculation is currently focused on Spain, which has already secured a 100bn-euro rescue deal for its banks.
It is feared that if Spain's government is cut off by the markets and has to seek a full-blown bailout, Italy may follow not far behind which would exhaust the eurozone's current bailout capacity.

Twitter subpoenaed by police on Mike Tyson threat

2012-08-08T12:22:00.000+06:00

New York police have subpoenaed Twitter to force it to identify a user who threatened to shoot up Mike Tyson's one-man Broadway show.

The company initially refused a police request after officials learned one user had tweeted threats that referred to a recent mass shooting.
Mr Tyson's show, Undisputed Truth, opened last Thursday, and police have increased security at the theatre.
The user has made threats against other celebrities, ABC News reports.
Twitter has complied with the subpoena, the New York Police Department said on Tuesday evening.
In late July to early August, the unidentified person sent several tweets describing planning an attack on the theatre "step by step".
"Yo I'm serious people are gonna die just like in aurora," reads one tweet.
Twelve people were killed and 58 were injured on 20 July when a gunman opened fire inside a cinema at a midnight screening of a Batman movie in Aurora, Colorado.
In a later tweet, the account responded to another person's question, saying that they would act on the threat: "I'm in Florida rite now but it'll happen i promise I'm just finishing up my hit list."
Twitter initially told the NYPD via email that the account and tweets in question "does not appear to fall under those strict parameter[s]" to allow an emergency disclosure.
The company's guidelines call for "a good faith belief that there is an emergency involving the death or serious physical injury to a person" before giving out information to law enforcement.
"They said... there doesn't appear to be a threat," police spokesman Paul Browne said earlier on Tuesday. "We think our police judgment should trump that."

Jared Loughner pleads guilty to six deaths in shooting

2012-08-08T12:20:00.000+06:00

The man accused of shooting a US congresswoman in Arizona and killing six others has pleaded guilty after a judge found him mentally competent.

Last year, Jared Loughner's case was put on hold after experts said he had schizophrenia.
The plea deal spares Loughner, 23, from the death penalty, and he is expected to be sentenced to life in jail.
Former Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords was wounded in the January 2011 attack and has since left office.
Earlier on Tuesday she said she would be satisfied with Loughner's plea deal. Her husband Mark Kelly wrote: "The pain and loss caused by the events of January 8, 2011, are incalculable.
"Avoiding a trial will allow us - and we hope the whole southern Arizona community - to continue with our recovery and move forward with our lives."
Courtroom outburst The Reuters news agency has reported that under the terms of the deal, Loughner has pleaded guilty to 19 criminal counts related to the deaths of six people and wounding of 13 more in the shooting rampage in Tucson, Arizona.
Loughner appeared in court wearing a khaki jumpsuit, with his hair cut short. Witnesses say that, seated beside his lawyers, he appeared to pay attention to the proceedings.
When Judge Larry Burns asked the defendant if he understood the charges against him, Loughner replied: "Yes, I understand."
The judge said that seeing Loughner in court left no doubt that "he understands what's happening today".
Initially, Loughner had been charged with 49 criminal counts including first-degree murder.
Before Tuesday's hearing, Loughner had been forcibly medicated with psychotropic drugs for more than a year at a prison hospital in Springfield, Missouri.
A not-guilty plea was entered on his behalf last year.
Tuesday's proceedings were the fourth time he appeared in court for a judge to determine his mental competence.
In May 2011 Loughner was declared unfit to stand trial after he had an outburst in the courtroom.
His stay in hospital was previously extended after a judge found that "measurable progress" had been made by those treating him.
Dr Christina Pietz, a forensic psychologist appointed by the court, testified on Tuesday that Loughner was "one of the worst" mentally ill patients she had seen.
She added that he had improved to the point where he was no longer hearing voices and could understand the proceedings, CNN reported.
'Justice was done' The college dropout is charged with killing six people and wounding 13 others, including the former congresswoman, in the attack in Tucson, Arizona.
Ms Giffords, a Democrat, was holding a regular constituency event at a supermarket when she was shot in the head at close range.
A federal judge and a nine-year-old girl were among the victims of the shooting.

Gabrielle Giffords was seen as a rising star within the Democratic Party before the shooting

Ms Giffords' seat is now occupied by Ron Barber, her former aide, who was also injured in the shooting. He is standing for re-election to a full two-year term in November.
"I truly believe that justice was done today," Mr Barber said after the hearing. "It is important to me that this individual never again is in a position in which he can cause harm to anyone else."
Susan Hileman, who accompanied the nine-year-old Christina-Taylor Green to the meeting, said that while the plea was the best result she could have expected, it would not bring back Green or prevent similar shootings.
"This is a damaged young man who did terrible things, and we need to pay attention to one another," she said.

Syria crisis: Amnesty alarm at Aleppo 'bombing' images

2012-08-08T12:15:00.000+06:00

New satellite images show an increased use of heavy weapons in and around Syria's city of Aleppo, raising urgent concerns over the welfare of residents, Amnesty International has said.

The rights group says the photos reveal more than 600 craters, which were probably caused by artillery shells.
Both government troops and rebels may be held criminally responsible for failing to protect civilians, it warns.
Meanwhile, Iran has reiterated support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
During talks in Damascus, Iran's security chief Saeed Jalili said Syria was part of a vital regional alliance that Tehran would not allow to be broken.
Mr Jalili said Damascus was an essential part of an "axis of resistance".

Christoph Koettl Amnesty International

Correspondents say "axis of resistance" refers to Iran, Syria, Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas in Gaza.

Mr Jalili's comments came a day after Syrian Prime Minister Riad Hijab defected to the opposition.
'Clear message' In a statement, Amnesty says the new images in and around Aleppo "show an increased use of heavy weaponry, including near residential areas".
Some of the pictures, the group says, reveal "more than 600 probable artillery impact craters" from heavy fighting between government troops and rebel forces in the nearby town of Anadan.
In one case, Amnesty adds, a crater is seen next to what appears to be residential housing complex in the town.
"Amnesty International is sending a clear message to both sides in the fighting: any attacks against civilians will be clearly documented so that those responsible can be held accountable," said the group's US emergency response manager, Christoph Koettl.
"Turning Syria's most populous city into a battlefield will have devastating consequences for civilians. The atrocities in Syria are mounting already," he added.
Neither the government in Damascus, nor the rebels have publicly commented on Amnesty's claims.
However, independent experts the BBC has talked to agree with the group's interpretation of the images, the BBC's Mike Wooldridge reports.
'Intense attacks'

Civilians have become caught up in further clashes in the northern city of Aleppo

On the ground, new clashes were reported in Aleppo earlier this week and the army is said to have stepped up its bombardment of the northern city.
Government forces are trying to dislodge rebel fighters who say they control up to half of Aleppo.
Opposition activists report intense attacks on rebel-held areas on the north-east and south-west sides of the city.
State media said troops had clashed with "terrorists" in several places inflicting heavy losses.
British-based activist group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 61 civilians died in Aleppo province on Monday.
Further deaths were reported in Damascus on Tuesday. State news agency Sana said a "terrorist hideout" had been stormed by security forces.
Activists estimate more than 20,000 people have died since the uprising against President Assad began in March last year.
Reports of casualties often cannot be independently verified.

Why Australia fell at the London Olympics

2012-08-08T12:12:00.000+06:00

Is Australia the victim of a great Olympics betrayal?

As a proud sporting nation sifts through the ashes of a below-par showing so far in London, swimming bosses have announced a review of the team's performance in the pool and there are now questions about how to stop the poaching of Australian coaches by overseas competitors.
From rowing to cycling, and swimming to the triathlon, some of Australia's smartest tacticians have been recruited by rival nations to boost their medal tally at the 2012 Olympics.
"How [the] world stole the brains behind Australian sport", blares a headline in Sydney's Daily Telegraph, which notes that "Australian coaches are giving Australians black eyes all over London".
Shaun Stephens, Australia's head triathlon coach, says money and better career opportunities abroad are largely responsible.
"Sport is a major industry these days and not too different to any other competitive industry where top companies fight to attract the best talent in the world," he argues.
School sport decline Australia has finished at least sixth in the medal table at the last three Olympics but it is unlikely to reach those heights in London.
There is a concern that its training regimes and funding will continue to be surpassed by its opponents, which have lured some of its brightest sporting minds.

"We have to accept that around the world things are different," says Matt Favier, the head of the Australian Institute of Sport, which was founded after the Aussies failed to win a gold medal at the Montreal Olympics in 1976.

"It's more competitive now than it's ever been."
The head of the Australian Olympic Committee, John Coates, believes that a long-term approach is now needed to restore his country's elite sporting reputation.
He wants more effort and money put into schools in the hope of unearthing more gems with the pedigree of swimming legend Ian Thorpe and sprint queen Cathy Freeman.
"Unfortunately it's taken the debacle at London to really highlight the decline of school sport in the Australian educational system," explains Dr Steve Georgakis, a senior lecturer in Pedagogy and Sports Studies at the University of Sydney.
"I've been quite critical of John Coates in the past but he's spot on here."
In the meantime, Mr Coates is in damage control and is urging a frustrated nation to be patient.
"You're entitled to your disappointment," he told his fellow countrymen and women.

"I hope you'll continue to be proud of these fine young Australians who are representing you but I'm disappointed in the total picture at the moment.

"We were hoping for a top five [finish], which we'd need to do something equivalent to Beijing, which would be 45 medals [or] something like that. We won't get there."
Eyes on Glasgow Despite the gloom, the government in Canberra insists there is no reason to panic.
"What we're seeing at the Olympics at the moment is that we're coming so close so many times," said Sports Minister Kate Lundy.
"It is a millimetre or a millisecond and it's just not going our way. I don't think that diminishes the achievements of our silver medallists. They are on the podium. We are still way up there with the best of the best in the world in sport."
Many of the athletes who competed in the green and gold kit feel the same, and believe that criticism of them in London is unfair.
"[It is] a little bit hurtful when people say we have been underperforming because we pour our heart and soul into every single performance," explains Cate Campbell, a member of the victorious women's 4x100m freestyle relay team.
"It is just that the world has stepped up and they have just reined us in, and hopefully we will just be doing the reining in next time and that's just the way it goes. It goes in waves."
Swimming Australia is already charting its journey back to glory and wants the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in two years to be the start of a great comeback.

Egypt launches Sinai 'air strike'

2012-08-08T12:11:00.000+06:00

Egyptian security officials say military helicopters have fired missiles on suspected Islamist militants in Toumah village in the Sinai peninsula.

Up to 20 people are reported to have been killed.
The strikes came after security checkpoints were allegedly attacked by gunmen in the town of al-Arish, leaving a number of people injured.
On Sunday, 16 Egyptian border guards were killed in the area.
After that attack, Israeli forces said they killed at least seven gunmen who broke through into Israel.
Patrols have been stepped up in Northern Sinai, and Egypt's Rafah border crossing to Gaza has been indefinitely closed as security forces hunt the remaining attackers.
Operations 'ongoing' This is the first time Egypt has fired missiles in Sinai since the 1973 war with Israel, when it attempted to recapture the Sinai peninsula, security officials told Associated Press.
A Sinai army commander told Reuters news agency the army had received information that there were many militants in Toumah village.
"We have succeeded in entering al-Toumah village, killed 20 terrorists and destroyed three armoured cars belonging to terrorists. Operations are still ongoing," he told Reuters.
The attack came hours after three security checkpoints were attacked in al-Arish, near the Israeli border.
Six people - including one civilian - were reportedly wounded in those attacks.
The Egyptian military also carried out separate helicopter attacks around an area called Sheikh Zuwayed just east of al-Arish, security officials said.
Both Israeli and Egyptian officials blamed Sunday's attack on Islamist militants - though Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood accused the Israeli spy agency Mossad of being responsible, a claim Israel rejected as "nonsense".
The rising violence in the area is a test of credibility for the government of President Mohammed Mursi, the BBC's Kevin Connolly says.
Israel wants tighter security in the Sinai, but it does not want that to be achieved with a large increase in numbers of Egyptian troops near its border, our correspondent adds.
Egypt's military sent extra tanks and troops into the Sinai last year, under terms that had to be agreed with Israel under the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries, which returned Sinai to Egyptian control.

Weight training 'reduces diabetes risk'

2012-08-07T14:11:00.000+06:00

Weight training helps to prevent type 2 diabetes in men, research suggests.

Researchers found regular weights reduced the risk by up to a third, in the study of more than 32,000 men published in the Archives of Internal Medicine journal.
It is already well known that regular exercise can prevent the disease.
But the report is considered important as weights provides an alternative to aerobic exercises such as running for people who are not so mobile.
Researchers from Harvard School of Public Health in the US and the University of Southern Denmark followed the men over an 18-year period, during which time nearly 2,300 developed the condition.
'Difficulty' They found 30 minutes of weights a day, five times a week could reduce the risk of diabetes by 34%.
But they also reported that even less regular exercise - up to an hour a week - had an impact, cutting the risk by 12%.
Nonetheless, aerobic exercise was still found to be slightly better with regular activity halving the risk.
The two combined had the greatest effect, reducing it by up to 59%, the study found.
Lead author Anders Grontved said: "Many people have difficulty engaging in or adhering to aerobic exericse.
"These new results suggest that weight training, to a large extent, can serve as an alternative."

Rover shoots movie during descent''By Jonathan Amos Science correspondent, BBC News, Pasadena

2012-08-07T14:09:00.000+06:00

Images that the Curiosity rover took of the surface of Mars as it made its historic descent on Monday (GMT) have now been released.

Nasa has provided almost 300 thumbnails from a sequence of pictures that will eventually be run together as a colour hi-def movie.
Visible in the timelapse is the heatshield discarded by the vehicle as it neared the ground.
So too is the dust kicked up by the rover's rocket-powered crane.
It was the crane that finally settled the robot on to the surface.
A signal confirming the Curiosity rover had landed on Mars was received here at mission control at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory at 05:32 GMT; 06:32 BST on Monday (22:32 PDT Sunday).
The vehicle - also known as the Mars Science laboratory (MSL) - put down in a deep equatorial depression known as Gale Crater.
Pictures from the Mars Descent Imager (Mardi), even in their thumbnail form, have now allowed engineers to work out Curiosity's precise position on the planet - a latitude of -4.5895 and a longitude of 137.4417.
The full set of high-resolution pictures from Mardi will take some weeks to downlink.

The best image yet of Curiosity's ultimate quarry - the 5.5km-high Mount Sharp

The mission team has also got its best view yet of Mount Sharp, the 5.5km-high peak sitting in the middle of Gale.
This comes from a hazard avoidance camera mounted on the lower-front of the vehicle.
Ordinarily, hazcam pictures are very wide-angle in view and therefore distorted, but image processing software has been used to correct the geometry.
The mountain is the ultimate destination for this $2.5bn (£1.6bn) mission.
Satellite data has indicated that sediments at the base of Mount Sharp were laid down in the presence of abundant water.
Curiosity, with its sophisticated suite of 10 instruments, will study those rocks to try to determine if ancient environments on Mars were ever favourable for life.
Released earlier on Monday was a spectacular shot acquired not by the rover but of the rover. This came from one of the US space agency's satellites at the Red Planet - the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

MRO played a key role in Monday's landing by recording telemetry from the robot as it approached the ground.
But Nasa also tasked it with trying to get a picture of the new arrival. The rover is seen when still inside its protective shell.
Moments after this image was acquired, the vehicle would have dropped out of the capsule to ride its rocket-powered crane to the base of the crater. The resolution in the picture is such that it is even possible to pick out the discarded heatshield.
The mission team is now in its first full day of Martian operations (Sol 1). One of the key activities will be to deploy Curiosity's high-gain antenna. This unit will allow the vehicle to talk direct to Earth, in addition to relaying data via satellites like MRO.
Another action planned for Sol 1 will be to get a colour shot from the Mars Hand Lens Imager (Mahli).
This camera is mounted on the rover's tool-bearing turret at the end of its robotic arm. The picture, which should be released on Tuesday, will provide the most detailed view of the rover's surroundings to date.

(A) Curiosity will trundle around its landing site looking for interesting rock features to study. Its top speed is about 4cm/s
(B) This mission has 17 cameras. They will identify particular targets, and a laser will zap those rocks to probe their chemistry
(C) If the signal is significant, Curiosity will swing over instruments on its arm for close-up investigation. These include a microscope
(D) Samples drilled from rock, or scooped from the soil, can be delivered to two hi-tech analysis labs inside the rover body
(E) The results are sent to Earth through antennas on the rover deck. Return commands tell the rover where it should drive next

Obama calls for 'soul searching' after Wisconsin attack

2012-08-07T14:07:00.000+06:00

US President Barack Obama has said "soul searching" is needed on how to reduce violence following a second mass shooting event in the US in a month.

Wade Michael Page, 40, killed six and injured three at a Sikh temple in near Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Sunday.
He was shot dead by police in the temple's car park during the attack.
Officials say they are investigating reports that Page had white supremacist links, and the FBI is treating the attack as possible domestic terrorism.
The temple attack follows a shooting in Aurora, Colorado at a midnight screening of the new Batman film on 20 July. Twelve people were killed and 58 were injured in the attack.
"All of us recognise that these kinds of terrible, tragic events are happening with too much regularity for us not to do some soul searching to examine additional ways that we can reduce violence, " Mr Obama said during an unrelated bill signing on Monday.
Mr Obama has pledged to work with members of both political parties and civic organisations to reach a consensus on the matter, but has not given details.
Debate on gun control issues has featured very little during the US presidential campaign, which has mainly focused on the economy, correspondents say.
'Ambushed' The gunman opened fire at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek as dozens of people were preparing for a service on Sunday morning.
Oak Creek Police chief John Edwards told a Monday morning news conference they were confident Page was the only shooter.

The victims were identified on Monday as Sita Singh, 41, Ranjit Singh, 49, Satwant Singh Kaleka, 65, Prakash Singh, 39, Paramjit Kaur, 41 and Suveg Singh, 84.

Three others, including a policeman, remain in critical condition.
Chief Edwards said Lieutenant Brian Murphy, 51, had been tending to a victim at the scene when he was "ambushed" by the gunman.
The policeman was shot eight or nine times at "very close range", and was in critical condition on Monday.
The gunman also fired at a police car and ignored orders to drop his weapon, before he was shot dead outside by police, said the authorities.
Page used a 9mm semi-automatic pistol, which was recovered at the scene and had been bought legally, authorities said.

Edwards: Police officer was ambushed by shooter

Officials told reporters on Monday they were treating the case as possible domestic terrorism.
"We are looking into ties of white supremacist groups," FBI Special Agent in Charge Teresa Carlson said, but declined to specify details of their investigation.
Ms Carlson also said the FBI was looking for a "person of interest" at the scene who left before he could be questioned.
A civil rights group, the Southern Poverty Law Center, has described Page as a "frustrated neo-Nazi who had been the leader of a racist white-power band".
He left his native Colorado and joined a skinhead music group, End Apathy, in 2005, the civil rights organisation said.
On Sunday night, the authorities searched Page's house in the town of Cudahy, a few miles from the temple.
American Sikhs have reported being targeted since the 9/11 attacks, often because they are mistaken for Muslims as a result of wearing turbans and beards.
The Sikh Coalition has reported that there have been more than 700 incidents of harassment or assault against Sikhs in the US since the 9/11.
The Sikh Temple of Wisconsin was founded in 1997 and is said to have a congregation of about 400 worshippers.
"These are people I've grown up with," Gurpreet Kaur, 24, told the Associated Press. "They're like aunts and uncles to me. To see our community to go through something like this is numbing."

Sikh activists in India have protested over the shootings

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is himself a Sikh, spoke of his shock on Monday at the shooting.
"That this senseless act of violence should be targeted at a place of religious worship is particularly painful," Mr Singh said.
Dozens of Sikhs have protested over the shootings in the Indian cities of Delhi and Jammu.
Police in New York and Chicago said they had taken extra measures to monitor Sikh temples in those cities.
Wisconsin, which passed a law in 2011 allowing citizens to carry a concealed weapon, has some of the most permissive gun laws in the US.

Grenada parties after Kirani James wins Olympic gold

2012-08-07T14:04:00.000+06:00

The win by James (third from left) came on a night of Caribbean success

The Caribbean island nation of Grenada erupted in celebration after Kirani James stormed to victory in the men's 400m at the London Olympics.

Grenadians danced, cheered and waved flags in the streets as James, 19, won the country's first Olympic gold in a personal best of 43.94 seconds.
James was a "real good role model for our young people," Grenada's Prime Minister Tillman Thomas told the BBC.
The government has declared Tuesday afternoon a holiday.
James, already the world champion, became the first non-US athlete to run the distance in under 44 seconds.
"My message to Kirani James is to continue doing what he's been doing. He's been a very good influence on our young people," Mr Thomas said.
"He's very disciplined, very organised and very focused."
There were noisy celebrations in James's home village of Gouyave.
Local journalist Nicole Best told AFP news agency that most Grenadians thought he would leave his mark on the Garmes.
"Achieving gold went beyond our expectations".
Grenadians are hoping the win by James will raise the profile of their nation, which has a population of just over 100,000 and is largely reliant on tourism.

Standard Chartered shares dip on laundering allegations

2012-08-07T14:01:00.000+06:00

Shares of Standard Chartered bank have tumbled despite the bank denying allegations that it illegally "schemed" with Iran to launder money.

Shares fell 15% in early London trade, after falling 7.5% in Hong Kong.
The New York State Department of Financial Services said the UK-based bank laundered as much as $250bn (£161bn) over nearly a decade.
It said the bank hid transactions for "Iranian financial institutions" that were subject to US economic sanctions.
The regulator said that Standard Chartered had hidden 60,000 such secret transactions.
However, the bank denied the allegations saying that it "strongly rejects the position or portrayal of facts as set out in the order" issued by the regulator.
'Not a full picture' The US regulators labelled UK-based Standard Chartered a "rogue institution" and ordered the bank to "explain these apparent violations of law" from 2001 to 2010.

Penelope Lepeudry Kroll Advisory Solutions

The regulator also said that it would hold a formal hearing over the "assessment of monetary penalties". The bank has also been threatened with having its US banking licence revoked.

However, the bank said the order issued by the US regulator did not present "a full and accurate picture of the facts".
It said that it had conducted a review of its transactions, primarily those relating to Iran for the period between 2001 to 2007 and had given regular updates to the US authorities on the results of the investigation.
"As we have disclosed to the authorities, well over 99.9% of the transactions relating to Iran complied with U-turn regulations," the bank said.
"The total value of transactions which did not follow the U-turn was under $14m."
The so-called U-turns are started outside the US by non-Iranian foreign banks and only pass through the US financial system on the way to other non-Iranian foreign banks.
To ascertain whether these transactions are permitted or not under the current U-turn laws, US clearing banks use the wire-transfer messages they get from the banks involved.
If the banks do not have enough information, they are supposed to freeze the assets.
Penelope Lepeudry, managing director of Kroll Advisory Solutions, a consulting firm specialising in financial investigations, told the BBC that "if the allegations are confirmed this is a very serious development".
"The regulators are not going to be merely convinced by a statement from the bank - they need to see the details," she said.
"The bank will need to open up its books and back the statements with facts."
Other schemes found The allegations are far larger than those involving HSBC, which was recently accused by the US Senate of failing to prevent money laundering from countries around the world including Mexico and Iran.
It has set aside $700m to deal with any fines and penalties arising from those allegations.
The regulator said it had also uncovered evidence with respect to what are apparently similar schemes to conduct business with other countries under sanctions - Libya, Burma and Sudan.

Nigeria church attack in Kogi state 'kills 15'

2012-08-07T14:00:00.000+06:00

At least 15 people have been killed in a gun attack on a church in central Nigeria, officials say.

Gunmen stormed the church near the city of Okene in Kogi state and fired on worshippers, they say.
"I can confirm 15 [dead]," a spokesman for Kogi state governor Jacob Edi is quoted by AFP as saying.
It is not clear who carried out the attack but militant Islamist group Boko Haram has carried out numerous raids on churches and other targets in Nigeria.
The joint military force commander in the state, Lt Col Gabriel Olorunyomi, said the pastor was among those killed in the attack on Deeper Life Bible Church in the town of Otite, near Okene, the AP news agency reports.
Many others were wounded in the attack and rushed to different hospitals, Lt Col Gabriel Olorunyomi said.
The authorities are searching for more victims who may have run into the bush nearby, he added.
In April, Nigeria's security forces raided a suspected bomb-making factory in the Okene area, killing at least nine alleged Islamist militants.
The raid, in the Okene district of Kogi state, came after the authorities discovered the facility they believe was run by the Boko Haram sect.

London 2012 Olympics: Team GB aims to top Beijing golds

2012-08-07T13:58:00.000+06:00

Team GB are hoping to secure the two gold medals which will allow them to surpass the tally of 19 won in Beijing.

Sir Chris Hoy is going for a GB record sixth Olympic gold - other GB cyclists after gold on the last day at the velodrome include Victoria Pendleton.
Hopes are also high in the dressage equestrian event and men's triathlon.
Meanwhile, PM David Cameron has attended an event to mark the 40th anniversary of the deaths of 11 Israeli athletes killed at the Munich Games.
He said the world must "never forget" the 11 Israelis and one German police officer killed by the Black September Palestinian group in 1972.
"As the world comes together in London to celebrate the Games and the values it represents, it is right that we should stop and remember the 11 Israeli athletes who so tragically lost their lives when those values came under attack in Munich 40 years ago," he said.
Mr Cameron said the 7 July London bombings, which killed 52 on London's public transport system in 2005, meant the two countries shared "the same determination to fight terrorism and to ensure that these evil deeds will never win".

Israeli judo Olympic silver medallist Yael Arad lit one of 11 candles representing the victims of the attack

Ankie Spitzer and Ilana Romano - the widows of two of the killed team-mates - were at the commemoration at London's Guildhall, which was also addressed by Labour leader Ed Miliband, Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg and International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge.
The women criticised Mr Rogge for ruling out holding a moment of silence at the opening ceremony.
Before the Games, he said the IOC was determined "to continue commemorating" the Israeli athletes - but believed the opening ceremony was not the right place to do it.
On Tuesday Team GB's sportsmen and women will hope to add to medals won on Monday which included:

Team GB showjumpers - Nick Skelton, Ben Maher, Scott Brash and Peter Charles - won Great Britain's first showjumping gold since the 1952 Helsinki Games after a jump-off with the Netherlands
Cyclist Jason Kenny won gold by outclassing world champion Gregory Bauge in the final of the men's sprint
The most decorated GB gymnast in history, Beth Tweddle, 27, won bronze in the uneven bars final - her first Olympic medal in her final Games
Great Britain's Perri Shakes-Drayton lost her place in the 400m hurdles final after a disqualified Czech athlete was reinstated on appeal
Holly Bleasdale - disappointed to finish sixth in Monday's pole vault final - accepted a proposal of marriage from boyfriend Paul Bradshaw later in the day
Alex Morgan sealed a place in the Olympic women's football final for holders USA in the last minute of extra-time as they beat Canada 4-3 at Old Trafford
The Dominican Republic's Felix Sanchez was a surprise winner in the 400m hurdles - repeating his gold medal win in Athens 2004 with the same time of 47.63 seconds - while Britain's Dai Greene finished fourth

Also on Monday, two spectators dressed in full wrestling attire with Swedish flags painted on their faces, jumped from the stands on to the floor of the ExCeL Centre.

The pair, who breached security after their countryman Johan Euren claimed bronze in the Greco-Roman super-heavyweight category, were escorted away by stewards.

Team GB, hoping to pass the 19 golds achieved in Beijing in 2008, stand third in the London 2012 medal table - behind China and the US - with 18 gold, 11 silver and 11 bronze.
At the Velodrome on Tuesday, Sir Chris and Pendleton will go for their second gold medals of the Games, in the keirin and the sprint respectively.
Fellow cyclist Laura Trott is going for gold in the omnium event while brothers Alistair and Jonny Brownlee are strong contenders in the triathlon at Hyde Park.
And Britain's dressage team of Carl Hester, Laura Bechtolsheimer and Charlotte Dujardin hold a narrow lead over Germany going into Tuesday's final round of the team event.
Other Team GB medal hopefuls include Robbie Grabarz, in the men's high jump final, and in windsurfing Nick Dempsey and Bryony Shaw are hoping for silver and bronze respectively.
Meanwhile, two Met Police officers are facing possible disciplinary action after a sticker used for marketing purposes - reading "I've met the Met" - was allegedly stuck onto a police van from a visiting force from Wales.

Philippine capital paralysed by floods

2012-08-07T13:54:00.000+06:00

Flooding caused by torrential rain has paralysed parts of the Philippine capital, forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes and closing schools, offices and the stock exchange.

Casualties have been reported, with a number of people buried in a landslide in Manila and reports of other deaths elsewhere.
Officials said that water was up to waist and neck levels in some areas.
More than 50 people died after Typhoon Saola struck over a week ago.
Widespread flooding has been reported in the capital and the surrounding provinces, according to a statement from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.
It said "the south-west monsoon enhanced by Tropical Storm 'Haikui' located 300km [184 miles] north-east of Taiwan" was expected to bring more rain.
"Expect landslides/flashfloods in mountainous areas and floods in low-lying areas."
President Benigno Aquino met civil defence officials to discuss the situation. "Everybody who is supposed to do something is doing what he is supposed to do," he said.
The severity of the rain since Monday afternoon - in an already saturated city - has led officials to issue the highest level of alert, says the BBC's Kate McGeown in Manila.
For many Manila residents, these rains will be a reminder of the deadly floods caused by Typhoon Ketsana in 2009, which killed more than 400 people, our correspondent adds.
Casualties Local media said several members of one family had been killed or were missing after a landslide hit shanty houses in Quezon City in Manila.
A local police official was quoted as saying four people had drowned in a province close to Manila, but this has not been confirmed.
Weather officials warn that the floods could get worse as the overflowing La Mesa dam, which holds back Manila's main reservoir, spills more water.
"If we put it in a percentage, at least 50% of Metro Manila is flooded," Jean Navarez, from the state weather service, was quoted by AFP as saying.
Residents living in slums and shanty-towns on low ground have taken shelter in community buildings, reports said.
Several key roads were impassable and power had also been cut in some areas, mostly as a precaution, officials said.
Dams and waterways in affected areas are also being closely monitored. Rescue efforts are now underway to help stranded residents.
"As of now, it's difficult to rescue the trapped residents, as we are battling strong currents with our life crafts," police rescuer Eric Baran told Reuters news agency.

Mumbai lovers find haven as attitudes to dating change''By Rajini Vaidyanathan BBC News, Mumbai'

2012-08-01T12:09:00.000+06:00

Finding a place to love in Mumbai, India's most populous city, is not always easy.

Every day hundreds of young couples line the city's seafront, to escape the prying eyes of their parents. In India dating is still seen as taboo by many.
"When you come here all you see is love," exclaims Rama Shankar. "All they do is kiss, but it's nice watching them kiss," he adds.
Shankar is a mere peanut seller, not a voyeur, but as he roams around the seafront in one of Mumbai's suburbs, it is hard for him to avoid catching a glimpse of an embrace or even more.
Atop rocks with jagged edges which jut out onto gentle waves, sit dozens of young couples.
Many are holding onto each other with an iron grip, the girlfriend's head resting on her boyfriend's shoulder, his arm wrapped around her back protectively.
Some stare out into the sea, barely exchanging glances, while others, the ones who catch Shankar's attention most, are engaged in full-on, lip-locking, saliva-sharing, kisses.
This area, next to the remains of an old Portuguese fort, at Bandra Land's End, is one of the many stretches of the city's coastline which are a haven for young lovers desperate to find a secluded place to be together.
For others, it is not just a place, but space.
'Parents can't catch us' Mumbai, with a high population density of more than 20,000 people per square kilometre, is a cramped city, where there is simply not enough room to conduct a relationship.
While dating is slowly becoming more acceptable in India, it is still not the norm.
Culture has always dictated that you did not have any boyfriends or girlfriends and, instead, waited for your parents to introduce you to a suitable match. Times might be changing, but not as fast as many young people here would like them to.

"This is the most private place for us to be alone," say Ashima and Mayur, who are both 20. It took the couple, who have been together for four years, more than an hour to travel to this spot.

"It's too far for our parents to catch us if we're here," says Mayur.
What makes this journey all the more remarkable is that the pair live next door to each other, but are very afraid of being caught.
"I have no idea how they'd react if they saw us here," adds Mayur, as he grabs his girlfriend's hand to reassure her.
The couple say they only come here to talk and hold hands. "Some people kiss here, but not us," says Ashima, keen that I note this fact down.
In fact, very few of the couples here admit they kiss, even if they perhaps do. This is a country which allowed kisses in Bollywood films only a few years ago. Romance might be revered in the movies, but is often a cause of revulsion in real life.
Twenty-one-year-old Kirti bows her head, blushing, as her boyfriend reveals what she feels is an intimate detail of their relationship, which perhaps shouldn't be shared.
"Sometimes we kiss here," says Aashish, who says his parents know about his three-year-old relationship.
The couple live in the same block of flats, again more than an hour away from here, and met during a religious festival.
"My friend saw him and said, 'he's nice'," says Kirti. "She's just so beautiful" Aashish interjects.
Kirti's parents still have no knowledge of the affair. "I don't know when I'll tell them."

Many couples want to escape Mumbai's crowded streets

Haven The setting is not as romantic as it first seems. Beneath the craggy rocks are piles of rubbish, rotting food, and a large number of discarded flip flops, the casualties of misplaced footsteps.
The smell in the midday heat can be pungent, but almost all of the couples I meet here ignore these details, happy they can be alone and admire stretches of the stunning coastline.
Most couples are bashful and shy about sharing the details of why they are here. Some are, on the face of it, boastful.
"We're not children, our parents don't mind," says Sachin. "We kiss and hold hands here - why not?"
Sachin comes here with his girlfriend Madhu once a week, making a two-hour round trip. "I asked him out, I just knew it was going to last a lifetime," says Madhu, glancing at her boyfriend proudly, before smiling at me.
And yet, despite their profession of being a modern, open couple, they talk to me away from the view of others, hidden underneath brightly coloured umbrellas.
But, it seems that even if this is a space for freedom, just admitting you might be doing something your parents forbid, is enough to cause shame for many of the young lovers here.
"We're only best friends," say Ashwin and Ritika, the second I approach them. Moments earlier, their hands were intertwined, and the body language from afar seemed to suggest something more than just a platonic connection.

To many Indians public kissing is seen as indecent, but some couples flout convention

"Lovers do come here to date, but we just come here to feel better," says Aswhin.
Half an hour later, as I spot the pair in an embrace, they quickly spring apart.
Despite this jumpiness, the area is seen as a safe haven for couples.
Times are changing A few security guards patrol the area, but even in a city where public displays of affection are banned, and people can be fined for any behaviour which can be construed as indecent, the police here appear to turn a blind eye.
"You can't go to each couple and tell them to stop kissing," says one police officer in the area. "Besides, times are changing," he adds.
They might be, but there will always be detractors.
Like Deep and Shiksha, who had an arranged married six months ago, and who are also here to admire the view.
Well, most of it.
"We don't like these young kids coming here, we don't like seeing them kiss and all that," says Deep. "It's inappropriate, what they're doing, especially as a lot of families want to come here."
Some might brand Deep a killjoy, determined to puncture the pursuit of true love. But in India, this view is still deeply held too.
On the silver screen, true love always prevails, but in this city, the home of Bollywood, finding the strength and space to love remains a challenge for young couples.

Saif al-Islam Gaddafi seeks Hague trial

2012-08-01T12:06:00.000+06:00

Col Gaddafi's son has said he wants to be put on trial in The Hague, rather than in his home country, his lawyers have said.

Saif al-Islam said if he was executed after a trial in Libya then it would be tantamount to murder, according to documents submitted to the International Criminal Court.
The 40-year-old is being held by militia in the city of Zintan.
He has been indicted by the ICC for crimes against humanity.
Libya's interim government has so far refused to hand him over for trial in the Netherlands, where the international court is based, arguing that he should face justice in his own country.
Col Gaddafi, whose autocratic rule lasted for 42 years, was killed in unclear circumstances after being captured by rebels in October, in an act criticised by rights groups.
'Fake guard' "I am not afraid to die but if you execute me after such a trial you should just call it murder and be done with it," Saif al-Islam was quoted by lawyers as saying.
In June, a team sent by the ICC were arrested after meeting Saif al-Islam, and held for more than three weeks.
The documents filed to the court said that during that meeting an official who had pretended to be an illiterate guard had stopped an ICC lawyer from taking a sworn statement from Saif al-Islam.
"The 'guard', who is actually Mr Ahmed Amer - a councillor who speaks several languages - was planted in the room to deliberately trick the delegation," the filing said, according to Reuters.
"He came back into the room and (in the presence of the ICC interpreter), started shouting that this statement was very dangerous, violated Libyan national security, and that the Defence could not have it back."
The meeting was cut short after 45 minutes and their documents were confiscated, the lawyers said. The team were later detained.
The actions of the authorities appeared to show they viewed it as "illegal, treason, or a violation of national security for either Mr Gaddafi or his Counsel to indicate that Mr Gaddafi does not wish to be tried before Libyan courts", the lawyers said in the filing.
Libyan officials accused lawyer Melinda Taylor, who was leading the ICC delegation, of smuggling spying devices and a coded letter to Saif al-Islam during the meeting.

Ted Cruz wins Texas Senate run-off election'

2012-08-01T12:04:00.002+06:00

A Tea Party Republican has beaten an establishment rival in a closely fought, expensive US Senate run-off election in Texas, projections show.

With more than half of votes counted Ted Cruz had 55%, with Lieutenant Governor David Dewhurst on 45%.
The candidates fought for the seat of outgoing Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison.
The Republicans secured a majority in the US House of Representatives in 2010 and are seeking control of the Senate in November's election.
Hispanic Senator? The Texas Senate seat is considered a safe one for Republicans, but correspondents say it is noteworthy that Mr Cruz, who is backed by the Tea Party, has been successful in the primary process.
His victory comes on the heels of victories for other Tea Party-backed candidates competing against veteran Republicans in state primaries in Indiana and Nebraska.
Mr Cruz, 41, is a lawyer from Houston and was formerly the state's solicitor general. He has never held elected office, but his campaign was endorsed by conservative figures such as Sarah Palin and South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint.
He faced Mr Dewhurst, 66, a wealthy businessman who presided over the Texas state Senate and has served in the US Air Force and CIA.
His campaign had the support of much of the Republican mainstream, including an endorsement from Texas Governor Rick Perry.
It was reported that Mr Dewhurst spent $19m (£12m) of personal funds on the race.
Mr Cruz was born in Cuba and would become the first Hispanic Senator from Texas if - as expected - he defeats the Democratic nominee in November's elections.

Oswaldo Paya death: Spanish politician in jail in Cuba

2012-08-01T12:03:00.002+06:00

Cuba has decided that Spanish politician Angel Carromero should stay in custody over the death of well-known dissident Oswaldo Paya in a car crash.

Mr Carromero was driving a rental car that crashed against a tree as it hit an unpaved stretch of road in eastern Cuba on 22 July.
A preliminary investigation blamed the driver for the crash.
A Cuban prosecutor has up to six months to decide whether to press charges against Mr Carromero.
An article published in the official newspaper, Granma, says he "has been accused of the charge of homicide while driving a vehicle on public roads".
Mr Carromero and Swedish politician Jens Aron Modig survived the crash that claimed the lives of Mr Paya and 30-year-old Cuban human rights campaigner Harold Cepero.
Mr Paya's family rejected the official findings and suggested that the car might have been pushed off the road.
But on Monday Mr Carromero appeared in a pre-recorded video released by the Cuban authorities admitting that he had lost control of the car and denying that a second vehicle had been involved in the crash.
In the video, he also asked the international community to focus on getting him out of Cuba and he made a pledge for the accident not to be used "for political ends".
Mr Modig appeared in a media conference in Havana and said he had no memory of a second car hitting them.

Oswaldo Paya, a Roman Catholic, was the founder of the Christian Liberation Movement

Breaking the law Mr Modig, a member of Sweden's Christian Democratic Party, and Angel Carromero, from Spain's centre-right Popular Party, admitted that they had taken some 4,000 euros ($4,900; £3,100) for Oswaldo Paya and other dissidents, which is illegal in Cuba.
They were driving Mr Paya and Mr Cepero to meet other dissidents when their rental car crashed in eastern Granma province.
After apologising for breaking the law, Mr Modig was released and has now returned to Sweden.
Oswaldo Paya, who was 60, was best known as the founder of the Varela project, a campaign begun in 1998 to gather signatures in support of a referendum on laws guaranteeing civil rights.
In May 2002, he presented Cuba's National Assembly with a petition of more than 10,000 signatures calling for an end to four decades of one-party rule.
The Cuban government described Mr Paya as an agent of the US who was working to undermine the country's revolution.

Argentina war cemetery vandalised in Falklands

2012-08-01T12:02:00.000+06:00

The figure of the Virgin Mary was removed until the shrine was repaired

The Argentine war cemetery in the Falklands, where the bodies of more than 200 soldiers are buried, has been vandalised.

The glass that protects a figure of the Virgin Mary at the cemetery has been smashed and shattered.
The Falkland Islands government has condemned the action and has said the police are investigating.
Families of the Argentine war dead have described the attack as an "act of sacrilege".
The Virgin figure has been removed until the shrine is repaired.
Falklands legislator Dick Sawle appealed for anyone on the islands with any information to contact the police.
"Clearly we condemn any action of this sort and very much regret that this might have happened," he said in a statement.

The commission representing the relatives of Argentina's fallen in the 1982 conflict sent a note to the British ambassador in Buenos Aires, John Freeman, and Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman.
"We believe this act reflects escalating hostility by certain British sectors who are influential locally," the note said.
The cemetery, which lies on a hilltop near Darwin, was the renewed focus of attention earlier this year when ceremonies were held to mark the 30th anniversary of the war.
Two hundred and fifty-five UK servicemen and three Falklands civilians died in the war.
An estimated 650 Argentines were also killed.
Argentina claims sovereignty of the islands which it calls the Malvinas, accusing Britain of colonialism.
Britain says Argentina should respect the wishes of the local population.
"As long as they wish to remain a British territory, that is the way it will stay," Prime Minister David Cameron said earlier this year.

US author Gore Vidal dies aged 86

2012-08-01T12:00:00.000+06:00

Celebrated writer and political commentator Gore Vidal has died aged 86, according to US media.

He died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening of complications from pneumonia, his nephew, Burr Steers, told AP.
A prolific writer, Gore Vidal produced 25 novels, including the best-selling Burr and Myra Breckenridge, more than 200 essays, and several plays.
He also ran for political office twice and was a well-known commentator.
Mr Steers told the Associated Press that his uncle had been ill "for quite a while".
Along with such contemporaries as Norman Mailer and Truman Capote, Gore Vidal was among a generation of literary writers who were also genuine celebrities - fixtures on talk shows and in gossip columns.
He wrote his first book aged only 19 and later went on to become one of America's most distinguished authors, although he was not always comfortable with the literary and political establishment.
Born in 1925, Eugene Luther Vidal was also the scion of one of America's grandest political dynasties.
His grandfather, TP Gore, was a senator and his father a one-time Secretary of Aviation under President Franklin D Roosevelt.

Olympic female badminton players face charges

2012-08-01T11:58:00.000+06:00

The Badminton World Federation has charged eight female Olympic doubles players with "not using one's best efforts to win a match".

Four pairs of players - two from South Korea, one from China and one from Indonesia - could be disciplined.
Meanwhile, Team GB's gold medal hopes on day five of the Games lie mainly with rowers Helen Glover and Heather Stanning, and cyclist Bradley Wiggins.
And America's Michael Phelps has won a record 19th Olympic medal.
Spectators booed the two badminton matches played at Wembley Arena on Tuesday, in which the four accused pairs of players were appearing.
China's Yu Yang and Wang Xiaoli and South Koreans Jung Kyung-eun and Kim Ha-na are among those facing charges.
The longest rally in their game lasted four shots, with match referee Thorsten Berg coming on to court at one point to warn the players. The players also appeared to deliberately serve into the net and hit the shuttlecock out of the court.
Both pairs were already through to the quarter-finals. Reports have suggested they both wanted to lose to secure an easier draw.

The unseeded South Koreans eventually won their match, meaning they would next play China's Tian Qing and Zhao Yunlei.

The South Korean pair did not comment, but Yu said she and Wang were saving energy for the knockout stages.
And a later match between South Korean third seeds Ha Jung-Eun and Kim Min-Jung and Indonesian pair Meiliana Juahari and Greysia Polii is also under scrutiny by the Badminton World Federation.
Both pairs of those teams had also already qualified for the knockout stages, with the winner of Group C to play Yu and Wang and the Korean pairs to face each other if Ha and Kim lost.
At one point the referee, Berg, again intervened and brandished a black card to disqualify the players. However, he then rescinded his decision following protests from the two teams.
Both teams appeared keen to lose and therefore not play the Chinese in the next round, but the Koreans eventually won by two sets to one.
A statement from the BWF confirmed that all four pairs would face charges of "not using one's best efforts to win a match" and "conducting oneself in a manner that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport".