Mr Dershowitz Sued For Defamation In Prince Andrew Sex Case

January 8, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Lawyers representing a woman who has alleged Prince Andrew and law professor Alan Dershowitz had sex with her when she was a minor are suing Mr Dershowitz for defamation.

The lawyers accuse Mr Dershowitz of mounting a media assault on their reputation and character.

The development comes a day after he began legal proceedings to clear his name.

Both Buckingham Palace and Mr Dershowitz deny the claims.

On Monday, Mr Dershowitz filed papers at a court in Florida, where the case is being heard, to contest what he described as "absolutely outrageous claims".

Kurdish Fighters Seize Kobane Against Islamic State

January 8, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State (IS) in Kobane, northern Syria, have seized a key district and now control 80% of the town, activists say.

Syrian Kurds backed by Iraqi Peshmerga forces captured the security district including the police HQ, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

IS advanced on the town in September and quickly overran much of it.

Since then, however, Kurdish fighters helped by US-led air strikes have steadily pushed them back.

Iraq Clashes In Anbar Kill 23 Troops

January 8, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

At least 23 Iraqi troops and pro-government fighters have been killed in clashes with militants in the western province of Anbar, officials say.

A suicide bombing at a mosque in al-Jubba killed 10 anti-jihadist fighters. Militants then attacked police and army positions, killing 13, officials said.

A further 28 Iraqi troops were wounded, while militant casualties are unknown.

The incidents took place near the Ain al-Asad airbase, where US forces are currently training Iraq's military.

Palestinian Man Sentenced For Murdering Israeli Teenagers

January 8, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

An Israeli military court has sentenced a Palestinian man to three life terms for the abduction and murder of three Israeli teenagers in the West Bank.

Hussam Qawasmeh, a member of Hamas, must also pay $63,000 (£41,000) in compensation to the victims' families.

Two other suspects were shot dead by Israeli forces in Hebron in September.

The teenagers' murders in June set off an escalating cycle of violence and led to a 50-day conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza.

Deadly Bomb Blast In Yemen's Capital Sanaa

January 8, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

At least 37 people have been killed and 66 others injured by a bomb blast outside a police academy in Yemen's capital, Sanaa, police say.

Two men were seen getting out of a minibus and walking away shortly before it exploded beside dozens of people queuing to enrol at the academy.

Afterwards, body parts and debris from the bus were strewn across the street.

There has so far been no claim of responsibility, but an offshoot of al-Qaeda has carried out similar attacks.

Activist Keren Dunaway Gonzalez Freed

January 8, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

A teenage Honduran Aids activist who was abducted in the city of San Pedro Sula on Tuesday has been released.

Keren Dunaway Gonzalez, 18, was abandoned in a car eight hours after being seized, officials said.

Police said her captors had asked for ransom but had released her after her mother assured them the family had no money.

She came to prominence after giving an impassioned speech at the age of 12 at an international Aids conference.

Plea For Release

Mexico: Ex-Mayor's Wife Charged With Organised Crime

January 8, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

The wife of the former mayor of the Mexican city where 43 students went missing has been charged with organised crime and money laundering.

Prosecutors say Maria de los Angeles Pineda's brothers were in a drug gang that operated in Iguala, Guerrero.

They said police handed the students over to the drug gang after clashes in September. The gang then killed them and burned their bodies.

Maria Pineda and her husband Jose Luis Abarca were arrested in November.

He has been charged with organised crime, kidnapping and murder.

President Obama Supports Mexico In Fight Against Drug Violence

January 8, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

President Barack Obama has promised the US will stand alongside Mexico in its fight against drug-related violence.

The vow came after talks with President Enrique Pena Nieto in the White House, in which the two discussed the recent disappearance of 43 Mexican students.

The students were believed to have been handed over to a drugs gang. The case sparked protests around Mexico and more were held outside as the leaders met.

Mr Obama called it a "tragic" case and said he supported Mexico's response.

US Political Prisioners Released From Cuba

January 8, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

The Cuban government has released some of the 53 political prisoners on a US list, the state department has said.

Spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Washington hoped to see all those on the list released soon but did not specify who was now free.

Signalling a historic shift, last month US President Barack Obama ordered his administration to start re-establishing normal relations with Cuba.

This month Cuban and US officials will meet in Havana.

"They have already released some prisoners... Obviously we would like to see this completed in the near future," Ms Psaki said.

Dutch Journalist Held In Turkey On Terror Propaganda

January 8, 2015 / By Armoured Cars / In security

Turkish police have briefly detained a Dutch journalist on suspicion of "propaganda for a terrorist organisation" in Turkey's mainly Kurdish south-east.

Freelance reporter Frederike Geerdink, based in the city of Diyarbakir, tweeted as her house was searched by police. She was later released.

Turkey and its Western allies call the Kurdish rebel PKK group "terrorists".

The EU has criticised the Turkish authorities for harassing journalists.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan insisted on Tuesday that "nowhere in Europe or in other countries is there a media as free as the press in Turkey".