US Senate approves Venezuela sanctions bill

bill

Demonstrations against high crime levels this year spread and turned into mass protests against the government

The United States Senate has approved a bill which would impose sanctions on Venezuelan officials found to have violated protesters' rights.

Thousands of activists who took part in anti-government protests which erupted across the Latin American country in February were arrested.

The bill will now go to the House of Representatives for approval.

The Obama administration opposed sanctions in the past but recently signalled it might support the bill.

Deadly protests

Relations between the two countries have been frosty since they recalled their ambassadors four years ago.

The Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Acttargets current and former Venezuelan officials who directed "significant acts of violence or serious human rights abuses against persons associated with the anti-government protests in Venezuela that began on 4 February".

More than 40 people from both sides of the political divide were killed in the anti-government protests which took place in Venezuela between February and May.

The United Nations condemned "all violence by all sides in Venezuela" and called on the government "to ensure that people are not penalised for exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and to freedom of expression".

The government said opposition leaders had incited protesters to violence and had been planning a coup against the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

The opposition said its activists had been unfairly targeted for their political convictions.

At the height of the protests in February, opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez was arrested. He has been charged with inciting violence.

And last week, Venezuela's chief prosecutor launched an investigation into leading opposition politician Maria Corina Machado over an alleged plot to assassinate President Maduro.

'Bright spotlight'

If the bill is passed, Venezuelan officials deemed to have violated the rights of protesters could be denied visas to the US and see their assets frozen.

Opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez has been held since February on charges of inciting violence

Senator Robert Menendez said the bill was an "unequivocal message" to the Venezuelan government

President Maduro says the threat of sanctions is just another "US intrigue"

Senator Robert Menendez, who introduced the bill, said it sent an "unequivocal message to the government of Venezuela".

"For too long, Venezuelans have faced state-sponsored violence at the hands of government security forces and watched their country's judiciary become a tool of political repression," the senator said.

"We in the United States have an obligation to shine a bright spotlight on Venezuela's abuses and must object to the severe human rights violations committed by the Maduro government and his paramilitary thugs."

Previously, the US government opposed sanctions, arguing they would interfere with negotiation efforts between the Venezuelan government and the opposition.

But last month, US Deputy National Security Advisor Tony Blinken told a Senate foreign relations committee hearing, "We would not oppose moving forward with additional sanctions."

Speaking before the bill was approved, President Maduro said no sanction the US could impose would stop the impetus of Venezuela and its regional allies towards greater independence.

He said the threat of sanctions had been "driven by an imperialistic vision of those who think they can rule and conquer us by force through blackmail and their economic power".

The bill will now go to the House of Representatives. If it is passed, it will still have to be signed by President Obama.

more info:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-30393198

Police investigating rapper Earl Hayes, VH1 star Stephanie Moseley’s deaths in apparent murder-suicide

apparent murder-suicide

By Hollie McKay

Published December 09, 2014

FoxNews.com

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Rapper, dancer found shot to death

LOS ANGELES –  Married entertainers were found dead together Monday, and a famous boxer may have witnessed their violent end via an iPhone video chat.

Rapper Earl Hayes, son of Isaac Hayes, and his wife Stephanie Moseley, star of VH1 series, “Hit the Floor," were found dead in their Los Angeles apartment Monday. 

"LAPD’s SWAT officers responded to the location and discovered two victims inside the apartment suffering from gunshot wounds," the LAPD said in a statement, according to Us Weekly. "The initial investigation revealed that 34-year-old Earl Warren Hayes shot his wife, 30-year-old Stephanie Elyse Moseley to death and then took his own life." 

TMZ first reported the news of their deaths, saying neighbors could hear a woman screaming Monday morning and gunshots. 

VH1 said in a statement the network was "incredibly saddened" at the news of Moseley's passing.

"VH1 and the entire ‘Hit The Floor’ family send our thoughts and condolences to her family and friends at this difficult time," rep Chris Delhomme told FOX411.

“Stephanie was exceptionally beautiful, an absolutely amazing and incredible dancer, and judging by how the other girls spoke about her, a lovely human being,” "Hit the Floor" co-star Dean Cain said. “I'm heartbroken and saddened.”

Hayes was once signed to boxer Floyd Mayweather's record label and was often seen partying with the famous boxer. TMZ reported Mayweather watched the tragedy unfold via FaceTime. 

Before her VH1 series, Moseley had been a backup dancer for Chris Brown and Britney Spears among other performers. 

Chris Brown instagrammed a photo in memory of the dancer with a caption, “RIP baby girl. Danced with me on tour and was always the coolest person. My prayers go out to you and HAZE family."

FOX411's Diana Falzone contributed to this report.

HE PUNCHED DRAKE OVER A SONG

Diddy assaulted Drake early Monday morning because of a feud over a song ... TMZ has learned.

As we reported, Diddy punched Drake at LIV nightclub in Miami Beach, and we were told it was because Diddy felt disrespected by the rapper, and now we know why.

Our sources say, producer Boi-1da had given both Diddy and Drake a song to record more than 8 months ago. We're told Diddy sat on the song, which frustrated Drake because he wanted to record it. So recently Drake recorded the song on his own and it did well, which pissed Diddy off.

Diddy saw Drake at LIV Monday for the first time since the song was released. Sources close to Diddy say he confronted Drake, who just blew him off, and that's when Diddy said, "You'll never disrespect me again," and then punched him.

We're told Drake ended up at an ER because in the ruckus he hit his shoulder and exacerbated an old injury.

See also

• Diddy vs. Drake -- Nightclub Brawl All About R-E-S-P-E-C-T
• Chris Brown -- Nightclub Brawl Erupts During Performance
• Hollywood Nightclub Brawl -- Bouncers Hand Out Ass Whoopings

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2014/12/09/diddy-punched-drake-fight-song-feud/#ixzz3LR2aiW8T

Cam Newton injured in car crash

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton is in "fair condition" following a two-car accidentTuesday afternoon near the team's stadium.

The accident took place around 12:30 p.m. ET, according to Charlotte police. Both Newton and the driver of the other vehicle were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The Panthers released a statement saying Newton will be held overnight for observation but that the franchise quarterback "is in fair condition and undergoing tests at Carolinas Medical Center."

Team owner Jerry Richardson told the Charlotte Observer that Newton is "in good shape," after speaking with Carolinas Medical Center doctors.

Preliminary tests performed on Newton indicate he escaped a rollover accident without suffering any fractures or other serious injuries.

"At this point, it looks like he's just got scrapes and bruises, but he should be OK," a source told ESPN's Ed Werder. "He's going to be sore and beat up, but he should be relatively OK."

Newton, 25, was conscious when he was transported to the hospital, a source told Werder.

A witness told the Charlotte Observer that Newton was "alert" but "in pain" at the scene of the accident.

The Charlotte Observer tweeted out a photo of Newton after he was removed from his vehicle.

In his fourth season, the former No. 1 overall pick has thrown for 2,812 yards, run for 425 yards and accounted for 19 total touchdowns this season (16 passing, 3 rushing) to go along with 11 interceptions for a Panthers team that remains in the hunt for the NFC South division title despite a 4-8-1 record.
more info:bbc.com

CIA report details 'brutal' post-9/11 interrogations

The CIA carried out "brutal" interrogations of al-Qaeda suspects in the years after the 9/11 attacks on the US, a US Senate report has said.

The summary of the report, compiled by Democrats on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that the CIA misled Americans about what it was doing.

The information the CIA collected this way failed to secure information that foiled any threats, the report said.

In a statement, the CIA insisted that the interrogations did help save lives.

"The intelligence gained from the programme was critical to our understanding of al-Qaeda and continues to inform our counterterrorism efforts to this day," Director John Brennan said in a statement.

However, the CIA said it acknowledged that there were mistakes in the programme, especially early on when it was unprepared for the scale of the operation to detain and interrogate prisoners.

The programme - known internally as the Rendition, Detention and Interrogation programme - took place from 2002-07, during the presidency of George W Bush.

Suspects were interrogated using methods such as waterboarding, slapping, humiliation, exposure to cold and sleep deprivation.

Analysis: Frank Gardner, BBC security correspondent

This report makes deeply uncomfortable reading but it shines a much-needed torch into some dark places.

The fact that "Enhanced Interrogation Techniques" (EIT), or torture by any other name, was stopped years ago or that some people at the top of the US administration may not have known its full extent, does not excuse the fact it took place at all.

After going through six million pages of documents, the authors concluded that in none of the cases they looked at did these brutal methods stop a terrorist attack. Meaning that America's reputation, and by extension that of the wider West, has been sullied for no tangible gain.

This will lay the US open to charges of hypocrisy, making it far harder for the West to criticise brutal and dictatorial regimes. It may also encourage terrorists to justify their atrocities by pointing to this past abuse.

It can only be hoped this report's publication means these practices will be consigned to history's dustbin.

'Significant damage'

Introducing the report to the Senate, Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein described the CIA's actions as a stain on US history.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, left, and Abd al-Rashim al-Nashiri, were among those held by the CIA

"The release of this 500-page summary cannot remove that stain, but it can and does say to our people and the world that America is big enough to admit when it's wrong and confident enough to learn from its mistakes," she said.

"Under any common meaning of the term, CIA detainees were tortured," she added.

Earlier, President Obama responded to the report, saying the methods used were inconsistent with US values.

"These techniques did significant damage to America's standing in the world and made it harder to pursue our interests with allies and partners," he said in a statement.

Reacting to the release of the report summary, the Senate Republican leaders insisted that the methods used helped in the capture of important suspects and the killing of Osama bin Laden.

"Claims included in this report that assert the contrary are simply wrong," Senators Mitch McConnell and Saxby Chambliss said in a joint statement.

The Senate committee's report runs to more than 6,000 pages, drawing on huge quantities of evidence, but it remains classified and only a 480-page summary has been released.

Case study: Saudi terror suspect Abu Zubaydah

Described by US officials as al-Qaeda's former operational planner and terrorist recruiter, Abu Zubaydah was captured in Pakistan and sent to a secret facility in Thailand.

His cell was described as white with no natural light or windows, but with four lights pointing into the cell and an air conditioner.

He had two chairs, one more comfortable than the other, rotated based on his level of co-operation.

From 4-23 August 2002, following 47 days of complete isolation, Abu Zubaydah was subjected to EIT almost 24 hours a day.

Security personnel entered his cell, shackled and hooded him and removed his towel so that he was naked.

"Abu Zubaydah was typically kept naked and sleep-deprived," the report says.

He was backed up against the wall and a box laid on the floor to look like a coffin.

Whenever the suspect denied having certain information, the interrogators grabbed or slapped his face.

On the first evening, he was waterboarded, as a result of which he coughed, vomited and had spasms.

The sessions accelerated, progressing more quickly to waterboarding.

According to the report, the objective was "to ensure [he] is at his most vulnerable state", at all times.

CIA report: The 20 key findings

Is 'waterboarding' torture?

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Former CIA lawyer John Rizzo on "enhanced interrogation": "I don't think I had any other choice"

The main points of the report include the following:

• At no time did coercive interrogation techniques lead of collection of intelligence on imminent threats

• None of 20 cases of counterterrorism "successes" attributed to the techniques led to unique or otherwise unavailable intelligence

• The CIA misled politicians and public, giving inaccurate information to obtain approval for using techniques

• The CIA claimed falsely that no senators had objected to the programme.

• Management of the programme was deeply flawed, for example the operation of the second detention facility, known as COBALT

• At least 26 of 119 known detainees in custody during the life of the programme were wrongfully held, and many held for months longer than they should have been

• Aggressive techniques were used on suspects from the start, despite CIA claims that interrogations would begin with less coercive methods

• Methods included sleep deprivation for up to 180 hours, often standing or in painful positions

• Waterboarding was physically harmful to prisoners, causing convulsions and vomiting

Armed police guard the US embassy in London, as part of enhanced security measures at US facilities worldwide

Mr Obama halted the CIA interrogation programme when he took office in 2009.

Earlier this year, he said that in his view the methods used to question al-Qaeda prisoners amounted to torture.

Publication of the report had been delayed amid disagreements in Washington over what should be made public.

Security was increased at US facilities around the world ahead of publication.

Embassies and other sites were taking precautions amid "some indications" of "greater risk", a White House spokesman said.

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said he had ordered all top US military commanders to be on high alert.

US intelligence agencies were accused of using "extraordinary rendition" to send terror suspects for questioning in countries where they had no legal protection or rights under American law. Some of the suspects claimed they had been tortured in countries such as Syria and Egypt.

A Council of Europe report in 2006 said it had pieced together details of a "spider's web of secret detentions and unlawful inter-state transfers", based on evidence from detainees' testimonies, flight plans and other publicly-available information.

The Senate report released on Tuesday said that the CIA sent some of its al-Qaeda suspects to detention centres in other countries, but did not say which ones.

more info:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-30401100

Australia worst performer on climate change - report

Sydney's skyline was blanketed by ash and smoke from raging fires last year

Australia was the worst performing industrial country in terms of climate change in 2014, a new report has said.

The report by two non-government organisations said the poor ranking was due in part to policy changes made by the current coalition government.

The Climate Change Performance Index ranks emissions and climate policies of the 58 highest CO2 emitters worldwide.

It ranked Denmark as the best performing nation, followed by Sweden and the UK.

Saudi Arabia ranked last on the index.

Carbon tax scrapped

The report was published by Germanwatch and CAN Europe.

It said Australia's conservative government had kept its election promises to reverse a number of climate policies.

"As a result, the country lost a further 21 positions in the policy evaluation compared with last year (2013), thus replacing Canada as the worst performing industrial country."

Since it took office in 2013, Prime Minister Tony Abbott's government has scrapped a tax on carbon and wants to halve the country's legislated renewable energy target.

It has yet to secure enough votes in the senate to cut the target, which has created uncertainty for renewable energy investors.

The Climate Change Performance Index is compiled with the help of about 300 energy and international climate experts and reviews each country's national and international policies with respect to their efforts to avoid climate change.

more info:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-30389737

Australia scraps plans to charge for doctor visits

A controversial plan to charge a A$7 (£3.7; $5.70) fee to see a GP has been scrapped by the Australian government.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott said the proposal - first unveiled in May - did not have the support of the senate.

But the government will cut the amount it pays to GPs to see adult patients by A$5, with doctors to decide whether or not to pass that cost on to patients.

The government had introduced the payment in an attempt to shift some of its health care costs onto consumers.

The original plan was unveiled in the May budget, immediately drawing strong criticism across the country.

How does Australian Medicare work?

• Healthcare is provided by both private and government institutions.
• The government funds its Medicare system via a 1.5% levy on everyone except low-income earners, with the balance being provided by the government from general revenue.
• An additional levy of 1% is imposed on high-income earners if they do not have private health insurance.
• As well as Medicare, the government funds a separate Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme that subsidises a range of prescription medications.

Mr Abbot said he was now offering "a new and improved proposal which indicates that this is a government which is always capable of listening, learning and improving".

He said there would no change to "bulk building" fees - where doctors charge the government directly for a patient's visit - for children under 16, pensioners or veterans.

However, adults who do not receive health concessions from the government would potentially face a $5 visit fee, if their healthcare provider chose to charge a so-called "co-payment" to make up for the reduced government rebate.

"In the end, though, this is a question for the doctors, and what we're saying to the doctors is for adults who aren't on concession cards, we don't think it's unreasonable for you to charge a co-payment," Mr Abbott said.

He said the changes would save A$3.5bn over five years.

more info:http://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-30390700