German police are hunting a Tunisian man over the Berlin market attack after finding an identity document in the lorry, according to reports.
The document was found under the driver's seat of the vehicle that ploughed into crowds at the Christmas market on Monday evening, killing 12 people.
Der Spiegel and Allgemeine Zeitung reported that the document, apparently asylum office papers announcing a stay of deportation, was in the name of Anis A, born in 1992 in Tataouine, Tunisia.
The suspect was also known to have two aliases, according to the newspapers.
Bild said Anis A was known to police for bodily harm and is considered dangerous.
Ralf Jaeger, interior minister for North Rhine-Westphalia, said the suspect - who arrived in Germany in July 2015 - had been in contact with the network of a leading Islamist ideologist known as Abu Walaa.
He told a news conference that "security agencies exchanged information about this person in the joint counter-terrorism centre, the last time in November".
Mr Jaeger said that state police had launched proceedings against the man on suspicion that he was preparing a serious crime. The suspect, who went by a number of names, had an asylum application rejected.
German media has said a police operation is under way in the North Rhine-Westphalia state as the manhunt continues.
A migrant shelter in Emmerich, near the border with the Netherlands, is also being searched, according to the Rheinische Post.
Die Welt said the identity documents were issued in Kleve, and the suspect - who had applied for asylum - had an address in Berlin and North Rhine-Westphalia.
He had been charged with assault in the summer, but failed to appear in court, the newspaper reported.
A 23-year-old Pakistani asylum seeker arrested near the market was released on Tuesday due to lack of evidence.
Berlin police say they have received 508 tips over the attack.
It comes after reports that a Polish man, whose lorry was hijacked before being used to wreak havoc, was beaten and stabbed and is thought to have only been shot dead after the attack.
The body of Lukasz Urban, 37, was found in the cab of the lorry in Breischeidplatz after it smashed through the market for up to 80m (260ft).
Six of those killed in the attack were German. Of the other five, one is thought to be an Italian woman.
Twenty-four people injured in the attack remain in hospital, 14 in a critical condition.
Islamic State has claimed it was behind the attack. The group's news agency Amaq said one of its "soldiers" had carried out the deadly crash.
Wednesday, December 21, 2016
Gambia’s President Yahya Jammeh lambasts Ecowas mediators
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has hit out at regional mediators urging him to step down, saying he will not be intimidated.
The West African regional bloc Ecowas had called on him to honour his initial pledge to accept electoral defeat.
Mr Jammeh, who subsequently said the 1 December poll was flawed, added that he would defend his country if need be.
Ecowas had said military intervention might be a possibility if diplomatic efforts failed.
Mr Jammeh has launched a court action to annul the vote after the electoral commission changed some results - though it insists the outcome has not been affected and that Adama Barrow won by 4% of the vote.
Africa Live: More on this and other stories
In a 45-minute speech at the African Bar Association on Tuesday night, Mr Jammeh defended his position.
"I will not be intimidated by any power in this world. I want to make sure justice is done.
"I'm a man of peace, but I cannot also be a coward. I am a man of peace but that does not also mean that I will not defend myself and defend my country and defend my country courageously, patriotically and win."
German police step up manhunt after Berlin truck attack
German police intensified a manhunt for the driver of a truck who killed 12 people when he drove through a crowded Berlin Christmas market at high speed, as concerns about the political and social fallout mounted.
After releasing a Pakistani asylum-seeker arrested near the scene, authorities warned on Wednesday the attacker is on the run and may be armed. They also said it is unclear if the perpetrator was acting alone or with others.
The 25-tonne truck smashed into wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages, injuring about 45 people - many of those seriously. Six of those killed were Germans and the Polish driver of the truck was found shot dead in the cabin of the vehicle.
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The head of the Association of German Criminal Detectives told German television late on Tuesday police hoped to make another arrest soon.
"I am relatively confident that we will perhaps tomorrow - or in the near future - be able to present a new suspect," Andre Schulz told a talk show on the ZDF public channel.
After releasing a Pakistani asylum-seeker arrested near the scene, authorities warned on Wednesday the attacker is on the run and may be armed. They also said it is unclear if the perpetrator was acting alone or with others.
The 25-tonne truck smashed into wooden huts serving mulled wine and sausages, injuring about 45 people - many of those seriously. Six of those killed were Germans and the Polish driver of the truck was found shot dead in the cabin of the vehicle.
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has claimed responsibility for the attack.
The head of the Association of German Criminal Detectives told German television late on Tuesday police hoped to make another arrest soon.
"I am relatively confident that we will perhaps tomorrow - or in the near future - be able to present a new suspect," Andre Schulz told a talk show on the ZDF public channel.
Pop star Richard Marx steps in after passenger goes 'crazy'
Pop star Richard Marx helped an air crew restrain a man after he "attacked passengers and crew" on a Korean Air flight.
The Right Here Waiting singer stepped in when the man started pushing flight attendants and grabbing them by the hair.
At one point, the 1980s and 1990s songwriter and performer used a rope to tie the man to his seat.
He posted a series of pictures on his Twitter feed and Facebook pages showing the struggle with the passenger.
He tweeted: "You will be hearing about our flight#480 on @KoreanAir_KE . Passenger next to us attacked passengers and crew."
He said the "entire chaotic and dangerous event" lasted four hours.
He added on Facebook: "My wife and I are safe but one crew member and two passengers were injured.
"The all female crew was clueless and not trained as to how to restrain this psycho and he was only initially subdued when I and a couple other male passengers intervened.
"He then later easily broke his restraints and attacked more crew and another passenger. When we landed in Seoul police boarded the plane.
"Heading home to Los Angeles soon but Korean Air should be sanctioned for not knowing how to handle a situation like this without passenger interference."
Referring to his former MTV VJ wife Daisy Fuentes he later added: "Daisy and I are home safe and sound. No big "hero" move at all. Just did what I would hope anyone would do in same situation. Tnx 4 concern"
The couple were travelling from Hanoi in Vietnam to Seoul, South Korea on Korean flight 480 at the time when the unruly passenger allegedly began attacking others on board.
Fuentes later wrote on her Facebook page: "On our flight from Hanoi to Seoul a guy sitting in the next row from us got crazy & started attacking the flight attendants & passengers.
"When he started pushing the female staff and pulling them by the hair Richard was the first to help subdue him.
"This went on for FOUR hrs. I feel horrible for the abuse the staff had to endure but no one was prepared for this.
"They never fully got control of him. They didn't know how to use the taser & they didn't know how to secure the rope around him (he got loose from their rope restraints 3 times)."
One of the pictures on her Facebook page shows an air stewardess pointing a Taser while another shows a man with ropes wrapped around his arms and shoulders, apparently strapped to his chair.
Korean Air told Business Insider in a statement: "According to the response protocol, Korean Air's flight attendants have subdued the unruly passenger and tied him up with ropes."
The airline added that the passenger had been turned over to the police at Seoul's Incheon Airport.
The Right Here Waiting singer stepped in when the man started pushing flight attendants and grabbing them by the hair.
At one point, the 1980s and 1990s songwriter and performer used a rope to tie the man to his seat.
He posted a series of pictures on his Twitter feed and Facebook pages showing the struggle with the passenger.
He tweeted: "You will be hearing about our flight#480 on @KoreanAir_KE . Passenger next to us attacked passengers and crew."
He said the "entire chaotic and dangerous event" lasted four hours.
He added on Facebook: "My wife and I are safe but one crew member and two passengers were injured.
"The all female crew was clueless and not trained as to how to restrain this psycho and he was only initially subdued when I and a couple other male passengers intervened.
"He then later easily broke his restraints and attacked more crew and another passenger. When we landed in Seoul police boarded the plane.
"Heading home to Los Angeles soon but Korean Air should be sanctioned for not knowing how to handle a situation like this without passenger interference."
Referring to his former MTV VJ wife Daisy Fuentes he later added: "Daisy and I are home safe and sound. No big "hero" move at all. Just did what I would hope anyone would do in same situation. Tnx 4 concern"
The couple were travelling from Hanoi in Vietnam to Seoul, South Korea on Korean flight 480 at the time when the unruly passenger allegedly began attacking others on board.
Fuentes later wrote on her Facebook page: "On our flight from Hanoi to Seoul a guy sitting in the next row from us got crazy & started attacking the flight attendants & passengers.
"When he started pushing the female staff and pulling them by the hair Richard was the first to help subdue him.
"This went on for FOUR hrs. I feel horrible for the abuse the staff had to endure but no one was prepared for this.
"They never fully got control of him. They didn't know how to use the taser & they didn't know how to secure the rope around him (he got loose from their rope restraints 3 times)."
One of the pictures on her Facebook page shows an air stewardess pointing a Taser while another shows a man with ropes wrapped around his arms and shoulders, apparently strapped to his chair.
Korean Air told Business Insider in a statement: "According to the response protocol, Korean Air's flight attendants have subdued the unruly passenger and tied him up with ropes."
The airline added that the passenger had been turned over to the police at Seoul's Incheon Airport.
Mark Zuckerberg builds an AI assistant to run his house — and entertain his toddler
Mark Zuckerberg has a new housemate: Jarvis, an artificial intelligence assistant he created this year that can control appliances, play music, recognize faces and, perhaps most impressively, entertain his toddler.
The Facebook founder spent 100 hours putting together the virtual assistant — named after the artificial intelligence system in “Iron Man” — which understands spoken commands as well as text messages, he wrote in a 3,000-word Facebook post Monday.
Among Jarvis’s skills: adjusting the home thermostat, turning on lights and operating the toaster. The virtual assistant texts Zuckerberg images of visitors who stop by during the day and opens the front door for those it recognizes. It can also tell when Zuckerberg’s 1-year-old daughter, Max, wakes up “so it can start playing music or a Mandarin lesson,” he wrote.
In a tongue-in-cheek video he posted Tuesday on Facebook, Zuckerberg offers an example of Jarvis at work: “Max woke up a few minutes ago. I’m entertaining her,” the virtual assistant (voiced by Morgan Freeman) tells Zuckerberg, before turning his attention to the toddler. “Good morning Max, let’s practice our Mandarin.”
The year-long project was part of an effort to learn about the state of artificial intelligence, Zuckerberg wrote, and also an opportunity to experiment with cutting-edge technology at a time when voice-activated assistants like Amazon’s Echo and Google Home are gaining widespread popularity. (Amazon.com founder Jeffrey P. Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
At this point, I mostly just ask Jarvis to “play me some music” and by looking at my past listening patterns, it mostly nails something I’d want to hear. If it gets the mood wrong, I can just tell it, for example, “that’s not light, play something light”, and it can both learn the classification for that song and adjust immediately. It also knows whether I’m talking to it or Priscilla is, so it can make recommendations based on what we each listen to. In general, I’ve found we use these more open-ended requests more frequently than more specific asks. No commercial products I know of do this today, and this seems like a big opportunity.
[Google’s smart home hub is promising, but still a work in progress]
Building the robot was the easier — and less time-consuming — of his two goals for the year, he said. The other was to run 365 miles in 2016.
“Now I have a pretty good system that understands me and can do lots of things,” Zuckerberg, adding that he’s tried to give his robot a sense of humor. “I’ve taught it fun little games like Priscilla or I can ask it who we should tickle and it will randomly tell our family to all go tickle one of us, Max or Beast. I’ve also had fun adding classic lines like ‘I’m sorry, Priscilla. I’m afraid I can’t do that.’”
But there are also some kinks to work out, particularly around voice commands. When Zuckerberg demonstrated the technology for a Fast Company story, he had to ask the robot to turn off the lights four times before it complied. Shutting down the music took another two tries. (“Wow, that’s like the most fails that it’s ever had,” the 32-year-old told the reporter, visibly embarrassed.)
Next up, Zuckerberg plans to create an Android app for the robot and connect it to more appliances around the house, such as his Big Green Egg grill. The ultimate challenge, he says, is “to build a system that could learn completely new skills on its own.”
”In the longer term, I’d like to explore teaching Jarvis how to learn new skills itself rather than me having to teach it how to perform specific tasks,” he wrote. “If I spent another year on this challenge, I’d focus more on learning how learning works.”
The Facebook founder spent 100 hours putting together the virtual assistant — named after the artificial intelligence system in “Iron Man” — which understands spoken commands as well as text messages, he wrote in a 3,000-word Facebook post Monday.
Among Jarvis’s skills: adjusting the home thermostat, turning on lights and operating the toaster. The virtual assistant texts Zuckerberg images of visitors who stop by during the day and opens the front door for those it recognizes. It can also tell when Zuckerberg’s 1-year-old daughter, Max, wakes up “so it can start playing music or a Mandarin lesson,” he wrote.
In a tongue-in-cheek video he posted Tuesday on Facebook, Zuckerberg offers an example of Jarvis at work: “Max woke up a few minutes ago. I’m entertaining her,” the virtual assistant (voiced by Morgan Freeman) tells Zuckerberg, before turning his attention to the toddler. “Good morning Max, let’s practice our Mandarin.”
The year-long project was part of an effort to learn about the state of artificial intelligence, Zuckerberg wrote, and also an opportunity to experiment with cutting-edge technology at a time when voice-activated assistants like Amazon’s Echo and Google Home are gaining widespread popularity. (Amazon.com founder Jeffrey P. Bezos owns The Washington Post.)
At this point, I mostly just ask Jarvis to “play me some music” and by looking at my past listening patterns, it mostly nails something I’d want to hear. If it gets the mood wrong, I can just tell it, for example, “that’s not light, play something light”, and it can both learn the classification for that song and adjust immediately. It also knows whether I’m talking to it or Priscilla is, so it can make recommendations based on what we each listen to. In general, I’ve found we use these more open-ended requests more frequently than more specific asks. No commercial products I know of do this today, and this seems like a big opportunity.
[Google’s smart home hub is promising, but still a work in progress]
Building the robot was the easier — and less time-consuming — of his two goals for the year, he said. The other was to run 365 miles in 2016.
“Now I have a pretty good system that understands me and can do lots of things,” Zuckerberg, adding that he’s tried to give his robot a sense of humor. “I’ve taught it fun little games like Priscilla or I can ask it who we should tickle and it will randomly tell our family to all go tickle one of us, Max or Beast. I’ve also had fun adding classic lines like ‘I’m sorry, Priscilla. I’m afraid I can’t do that.’”
But there are also some kinks to work out, particularly around voice commands. When Zuckerberg demonstrated the technology for a Fast Company story, he had to ask the robot to turn off the lights four times before it complied. Shutting down the music took another two tries. (“Wow, that’s like the most fails that it’s ever had,” the 32-year-old told the reporter, visibly embarrassed.)
Next up, Zuckerberg plans to create an Android app for the robot and connect it to more appliances around the house, such as his Big Green Egg grill. The ultimate challenge, he says, is “to build a system that could learn completely new skills on its own.”
”In the longer term, I’d like to explore teaching Jarvis how to learn new skills itself rather than me having to teach it how to perform specific tasks,” he wrote. “If I spent another year on this challenge, I’d focus more on learning how learning works.”
Defiant Gambian president refuses to step aside
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh has reiterated he won't step down despite losing the December 1 election, as West African leaders and Western powers urged him to hand over power peacefully.
Jammeh initially conceded defeat on state television after 22 years in power, but a week later reversed his position, denouncing the election results and demanding a new vote.
Last week, Gambian troops took over the Independent Electoral Commission office in the capital, Banjul, and instructed its chairman to leave while barring other employees from entering.
Jammeh's pledge to stay was broadcast on state television on Tuesday and indicated a hardening of the veteran president's position. It came a day after president-elect Adama Barrow said he was ready to take office on January 18 - the day Jammeh's mandate ends.
"I am not a coward. My right cannot be intimidated and violated. This is my position. Nobody can deprive me of that victory except the Almighty Allah," Jammeh said.
He also condemned West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS for what he termed "meddling" in The Gambia's affairs.
The political crisis in The Gambia will be settled internally and peacefully, Jammeh said, adding he would maintain his position of challenging the election result.
No prosecution
A spokesman for the opposition coalition that backed president-elect Barrow assured on Tuesday that Jammeh will not face prosecution on leaving office.
Jammeh's government has been accused of detaining, torturing and killing opponents.
"ECOWAS wanted to know whether the incoming administration plans to prosecute outgoing President Yahya Jammeh," spokesman Halifa Sallah said after talks with the Economic Community of West African States on the peaceful transfer of power.
"There is no indication of a threat [of prosecution] or the need to threaten outgoing President Yahya Jammeh," he said.
"President-elect Barrow says he is going to treat outgoing President Yahya Jammeh like a former head of state and would consult him for advice," Sallah told AFP news agency.
Backing the opposition candidate, French President Francois Hollande said the results of the December 1 polls were "indisputable", and Barrow "must be installed as soon as possible".
Last week, ECOWAS said Jammeh must step down when his term runs out and vowed "to take all necessary action to enforce the results" of the poll - without spelling out what those measures might be.
Jammeh, who came to power in 1994 as a 29-year-old army officer following a military coup, had won four previous polls.
Jammeh initially conceded defeat on state television after 22 years in power, but a week later reversed his position, denouncing the election results and demanding a new vote.
Last week, Gambian troops took over the Independent Electoral Commission office in the capital, Banjul, and instructed its chairman to leave while barring other employees from entering.
Jammeh's pledge to stay was broadcast on state television on Tuesday and indicated a hardening of the veteran president's position. It came a day after president-elect Adama Barrow said he was ready to take office on January 18 - the day Jammeh's mandate ends.
"I am not a coward. My right cannot be intimidated and violated. This is my position. Nobody can deprive me of that victory except the Almighty Allah," Jammeh said.
He also condemned West Africa's regional bloc ECOWAS for what he termed "meddling" in The Gambia's affairs.
The political crisis in The Gambia will be settled internally and peacefully, Jammeh said, adding he would maintain his position of challenging the election result.
No prosecution
A spokesman for the opposition coalition that backed president-elect Barrow assured on Tuesday that Jammeh will not face prosecution on leaving office.
Jammeh's government has been accused of detaining, torturing and killing opponents.
"ECOWAS wanted to know whether the incoming administration plans to prosecute outgoing President Yahya Jammeh," spokesman Halifa Sallah said after talks with the Economic Community of West African States on the peaceful transfer of power.
"There is no indication of a threat [of prosecution] or the need to threaten outgoing President Yahya Jammeh," he said.
"President-elect Barrow says he is going to treat outgoing President Yahya Jammeh like a former head of state and would consult him for advice," Sallah told AFP news agency.
Backing the opposition candidate, French President Francois Hollande said the results of the December 1 polls were "indisputable", and Barrow "must be installed as soon as possible".
Last week, ECOWAS said Jammeh must step down when his term runs out and vowed "to take all necessary action to enforce the results" of the poll - without spelling out what those measures might be.
Jammeh, who came to power in 1994 as a 29-year-old army officer following a military coup, had won four previous polls.
Barack Obama permanently bans new Arctic oil drilling
President Obama has issued a ban on new oil and gas drilling in US waters as he attempts to leave his stamp on environmental policy before leaving office.
The ban affects almost 120 million acres of federal waters off Alaska and in the Atlantic.
Donald Trump, who succeeds President Obama next month, has said he will expand offshore oil and gas drilling.
Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau issued a similar ban in its own Arctic waters.
Mr Obama is using a provision in a 1953 law which says "the president of the United States may, from time to time, withdraw from disposition any of the unleased lands of the outer Continental Shelf".
Industry officials accused Mr Obama of "last minute political rhetoric".
"Instead of building on our nation's position as a global energy leader, today's unilateral mandate could put America back on a path of energy dependence for decades to come," said Dan Naatz of the Independent Petroleum Association of America.
Environmental groups hope the ban, despite relying on executive powers, will be difficult for future presidents to reverse.
"This decision will help protect existing lucrative coastal tourism and fishing businesses from offshore drilling, which promises smaller, short-lived returns and threatens coastal livelihoods," said Jacqueline Savitz of the advocacy group Oceana.
The White House has said it is confident the order will withstand any legal challenge and said the language of the statute does not give authority to future presidents to undo it.
Under the ban, 115 million acres of federal waters off Alaska in the Chukchi sea and most of the Beaufort seas and 3.8 million acres of the Atlantic from New England to Chesapeake Bay would be off limits to new oil and gas leasings.
The administration has cited environmental concerns in both regions to justify the moratorium. Mr Obama also stressed the importance of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas for native Alaskans and the vulnerability of the ecosystem to an oil spill.
He also noted that just 0.1% of offshore crude oil production came from the Arctic in 2015.
A memo from Mr Trump's energy transition team has said his policy could increase production in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. His team has not responded to Mr Obama's ban.
The American Petroleum Institute has said Mr Trump will likely use a presidential memorandum to lift the ban.
Erik Milito, API director of industry operations, said: "We are hopeful the incoming administration will reverse this decision as the nation continues to need a robust strategy for developing offshore and onshore energy."
The ban affects almost 120 million acres of federal waters off Alaska and in the Atlantic.
Donald Trump, who succeeds President Obama next month, has said he will expand offshore oil and gas drilling.
Canada's prime minister Justin Trudeau issued a similar ban in its own Arctic waters.
Mr Obama is using a provision in a 1953 law which says "the president of the United States may, from time to time, withdraw from disposition any of the unleased lands of the outer Continental Shelf".
Industry officials accused Mr Obama of "last minute political rhetoric".
"Instead of building on our nation's position as a global energy leader, today's unilateral mandate could put America back on a path of energy dependence for decades to come," said Dan Naatz of the Independent Petroleum Association of America.
Environmental groups hope the ban, despite relying on executive powers, will be difficult for future presidents to reverse.
"This decision will help protect existing lucrative coastal tourism and fishing businesses from offshore drilling, which promises smaller, short-lived returns and threatens coastal livelihoods," said Jacqueline Savitz of the advocacy group Oceana.
The White House has said it is confident the order will withstand any legal challenge and said the language of the statute does not give authority to future presidents to undo it.
Under the ban, 115 million acres of federal waters off Alaska in the Chukchi sea and most of the Beaufort seas and 3.8 million acres of the Atlantic from New England to Chesapeake Bay would be off limits to new oil and gas leasings.
The administration has cited environmental concerns in both regions to justify the moratorium. Mr Obama also stressed the importance of the Chukchi and Beaufort seas for native Alaskans and the vulnerability of the ecosystem to an oil spill.
He also noted that just 0.1% of offshore crude oil production came from the Arctic in 2015.
A memo from Mr Trump's energy transition team has said his policy could increase production in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. His team has not responded to Mr Obama's ban.
The American Petroleum Institute has said Mr Trump will likely use a presidential memorandum to lift the ban.
Erik Milito, API director of industry operations, said: "We are hopeful the incoming administration will reverse this decision as the nation continues to need a robust strategy for developing offshore and onshore energy."
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)