Trayvon: Jay Z And Beyonce At Protest Rally

The parents of Trayvon Martin, the unarmed black teenager shot dead in Florida, have joined protesters during a day of demonstrations across the United States.

The 17-year-old's mother, Sybrina Fulton, addressed the crowd in New York, backed by music stars Jay Z and Beyonce, who joined campaigners in a moment of prayer.

Protests were held in more than 100 US cities, sparked by the acquittal of Neighbourhood Watch volunteer George Zimmerman.

He was found not guilty of killing Trayvon during an altercation in a gated community in February 2012, after successfully arguing he was protecting himself when he shot the youngster.

Trayvon's death has become a flashpoint in national debates over self-defence laws, guns, and race relations.

Thousands of people have joined protests across the United States

Mrs Fulton told protesters: "Trayvon may not have been perfect, but he was mine. We loved him, we supported him, we cared for him, just like you do your kids.

"Of course we're hurting, of course we're shocked and disappointed. But that just means that we have to roll up our sleeves and continue to fight."

Meanwhile, Trayvon's father, Tracy Martin, spoke at a vigil in Miami.

He vowed to "fight for Trayvon until the day I die", adding: "This could be any one of our children. Our mission now is to make sure that this doesn't happen to your child."

The rallies came after President Barack Obama spoke publicly about Trayvon's death and the deep frustrations felt among African Americans over the not guilty verdict.

Trayvon Martin (L) was shot by George Zimmerman

"Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago," he told reporters.

Praising the "incredible grace and dignity" shown by Trayvon's parents, the president said "some soul-searching" on race was in order.

Although he did not comment directly on the Florida verdict, he called for a review of controversial "stand your ground" laws, which allow citizens to use lethal force - rather than retreat - if they sense their lives are at risk.

"I just ask people to consider if Trayvon Martin was of age and armed, could he have stood his ground on that sidewalk?" Mr Obama asked.

"And do we actually think that he would have been justified in shooting Mr Zimmerman who had followed him in a car because he felt threatened?"

President Obama said Trayvon could have been him 35 years ago

Trayvon's parents said they were "deeply honoured and moved" by Mr Obama's comments.

"President Obama sees himself in Trayvon and identifies with him," they said in a statement. "This is a beautiful tribute to our boy."

As well as appealing for a review of the self-defence law, campaigners are pushing the US Justice Department to investigate filing federal civil rights charges against Mr Zimmerman.

Such a case would require evidence that he harboured racial animosity against Trayvon.

Mr Zimmerman's lawyers say the shooting was not driven by race but by a desire to protect his neighbourhood after a spate of burglaries.

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Giant Tuna Capsizes Hawaiian Fisherman's Boat

A Hawaiian fisherman who reeled in a 200lb (105kg) tuna has been rescued after the giant fish caused his boat to capsize.

Anthony Wichman thought he had hooked the catch of the day when the fish took his bait off the island of Kauai.

But when the 54-year-old hauled the massive tuna from the ocean, his 14-foot boat capsized under the weight, throwing him into the sea.

Mr Wichman's leg then became caught in the fishing line, dragging him underwater.

He eventually managed to free himself and clambered onto the hull of his partially-capsized boat to call his wife.

The US Coast Guard sent a helicopter to rescue Mr Wichman, who was taken to a hospital in Lihue with minor injuries.

Mr Wichman is pulled from the sea by a rescue swimmer. Pic: US Coast Guard

Meanwhile, his friends arrived on a second boat and were able to right his vessel before towing it - together with Mr Wichman's tuna, which was still attached to the line - back to port.

"At the end of the day, we couldn't have asked for a better rescue," Lieutenant Jessica Mickelson, of the US Coast Guard, said.

"Mr Wichman was delivered safely to shore with minimal injuries and he and his friends will have quite the indisputable fish tale to tell."

Yellowfin, or ahi, tuna are found throughout the year in tropical waters and are often found close to anchored buoys, dolphins and other large marine animals.

Despite their short life span of between six and seven years, they can grow up to six feet long and weigh as much as 400lb (180kg), according to the US National Marine Fisheries Service.

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Iraq: Car Bombings In Baghdad Kill Dozens

At least 46 people have been killed in multiple car bombings in Baghdad, Iraqi police and medics said.

Explosions struck late on Saturday in the predominantly Shi'ite neighbourhoods of Karrada, Baiyaa, Shurta, Tobchi and Zafaraniyah.

It was unclear who was behind the attacks - the latest in a wave of violence that has killed more than 200 people since the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Police said the Baghdad atrocities were all caused by bombs in cars parked in commercial streets.

And security sources claimed the blasts were timed for nightfall after the breaking of the daily Ramadan fast when shoppers take to the streets.

A man cleans up after a bombing outside a shop

The deadliest explosion was in the northern neighbourhood of Tobchi, where 10 people were killed.

In the Karrada district, at least four people died.

The unrest has raised fears of a return to full-blown sectarian conflict in a country where Kurds, Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims have yet to find a stable way of sharing power.

Sectarian tensions have been inflamed by the civil war in neighbouring Syria, which has drawn in Shi'ite and Sunni fighters from Iraq and beyond to fight on opposite sides of the conflict.

Sunni insurgents, including the al Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq, have been recruiting from Iraq's Sunni minority, which resents Shi'ite domination since the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.

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Great Barrier Reef Hit By Four US Jet Bombs

Two American fighter jets dropped four bombs on Australia's Great Barrier Reef after a training exercise went wrong, it has emerged.

US officials said the pilots of two AV-8B Harrier jets were forced to jettison the unarmed devices on Tuesday because both aircraft were running low on fuel and could not land with the bombs on board.

The pilots intended to drop the munitions on a designated bombing range on Townshend Island but aborted the mission when controllers reported the area was not clear of hazards.

Instead, they jettisoned two bombs from each aircraft on the World Heritage-listed marine park off the coast of Queensland state.

The pilots tried to minimise the damage by releasing the devices over deep water of more than 50 metres and away from coral reefs, officials said.

All four bombs were inert and so did not explode. It is unclear whether any environmental damage was caused.

The bombs were dropped from two AV-88 Harrier jets

An Australian Defence Force spokesman was quoted as saying the bombs posed "minimal risk or threat to the public, the marine environment or civilian shipping transiting the reef area".

The two jets were launched from aircraft carrier USS Bonhomme Richard during a three-week joint military training exercise involving around 28,000 US and Australian personnel.

Graeme Dunstan, who is among the environmentalists and anti-war activists protesting against the joint exercise, claimed the US military could no longer be trusted to protect the environment.

"How can they protect the environment and bomb the reef at the same time? Get real," Mr Dunstan said from the Queensland coastal town of Yepoon near where the military exercise is taking place.

The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest network of coral structures rich in marine life that stretches more than 1,800 miles along the Australian northeast coast.

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Ohio Bodies: Suspect 'Fascinated' By Killer

Police investigating the grim discovery in Ohio of three bodies wrapped in plastic bags say a 35-year-old suspect may have been fascinated with serial killer Anthony Sowell.

During police interviews, convicted sex offender Michael Madison led police to believe he may have been influenced by Sowell.

"He said some things that led us to believe that in some way, shape, or form, Sowell might be an influence," said East Cleveland mayor Gary Norton.

Suspect Michael Madison is arrested by police (Pic: NBC)

Sowell is currently in prison awaiting the death penalty for murdering 11 women before hiding their remains around his Cleveland home.

Identified in press reports as the Cleveland Strangler, he has appealed for his sentence to be commuted to life in prison on the basis he did not receive a fair trial.

Anthony Sowell murdered 11 women in Cleveland

Mr Norton said police were continuing their search, possibly for more bodies, at the property where the three bodies, all female, were found 150 metres apart.

Police said the first body was found on Friday in a garage and two other bodies were found on Saturday - one in a backyard and the other in the basement of a vacant house.

All three are believed to have been killed in the last six to 10 days.

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Australia: Fears Over New 'Stolen Generation'

By Jonathan Samuels, Australia Correspondent

Campaigners are asking for the law to be changed to help rescue thousands of Aboriginal children in Australia from extreme neglect.

Alcohol abuse is rife amongst indigenous communities and children are being abandoned while their parents drink.

In some rural areas it is common to see toddlers in nappies wandering around unsupervised, even begging for food or warm clothing.

Many non-indigenous families are so concerned that they have been taking children off the streets and into their homes without formal permission.

They want the law changed to make it easier for white Australians to foster or adopt Aboriginal children.

Eight-year-old Cebby, who was born to an alcoholic mother, has been surrounded by alcohol abuse and violence throughout his young life.

He told Sky News about the few simple things he thinks adults should provide.

"I want them to make me feel safe. Make me feel alright, not scared. Make me feel normal."

The community of Tennant Creek is seeing hundreds of abandoned children

Becky Healy, who runs a motel in Tennant Creek - a town in the heart of Australia's outback, is distraught at the huge numbers of Aboriginal children wandering the streets unwashed, unfed and unschooled.

Her motel has inadvertently become a refuge for neglected children.

"It's a crisis. We are now at a point of do or die and we have to do something for these kids.

"If it means taking them into our complex and feeding them and training them when we have nothing to do with the social sector, then so be it."

Children surrounded by substance abuse are even becoming addicted themselves.

Recently three girls, barely in their teens, were caught on CCTV in Tennant Creek breaking into a workshop and sniffing petrol fumes from a tractor engine.

Politicians are now considering putting neglected Aboriginal children up for adoption, until now there has been an unwillingness to act because of fears of a new "stolen generation".

The legacy of the 'stolen generation' has prevented adoptions

That was a misguided policy which only ended in the early 1970s where Aboriginal children were taken from their families and placed under foster care with white families or institutions.

The law has since stated that Aboriginal children in need must always be placed within their community, wherever possible.

Northern Territory Chief Minister Adam Giles, Australia's first indigenous state or territory leader, says it is time to revisit the legislation.

"Whatever we do has to be about making parents take responsibility for their kids," he said.

"(However) we have to give those kids the best opportunity in life and where we deem it necessary we won't be afraid to make those decisions about the child's future."
                 
It is a change Yvonne Mudford and her husband Leigh Swift say can't come soon enough. Their aboriginal neighbours asked them to take their child Mikala for a few hours, then weeks and now permanently.

She still sees her natural parents but is thriving in a home free from alcohol abuse and violence.

Martina is one of thousands of children who need help

"It's just a basic right that every child is entitled to. Safety, a good home life, food, clothing and to be looked after and loved … why should these kids miss out on that?"

Critics though, whilst acknowledging something needs to be done, are concerned about removing children.

Northern Territory Stolen Generations Aboriginal Corporation spokeswomen Vicki Lee Knowles recently told the ABC: "Within an Aboriginal family ... the loss of culture, land and language has a long-term impact on the social and emotional wellbeing of those children who are removed."

Aborigines are the most disadvantaged Australians, with indigenous children twice as likely to die before their fifth birthday as other children.

While accurate data on child abuse and family violence in Aboriginal areas is scarce, the Australian government has said many children grow up in communities where violence has become "a normal and ordinary part of life".

Aborigines are believed to have numbered around one million at the time of British settlement in 1788, but there are now just 470,000 out of a total population of 23 million in Australia.

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Mobile Phone Flaw Opens 500m SIMs To Hackers

A flaw has been discovered in the security of 500 million mobile phones that could them vulnerable to attack, cyber researchers have said.

The bug, discovered by German firm Security Research Labs, allows hackers to remotely gain control of and also clone certain mobile SIM cards.

Hackers could use compromised SIMs to commit financial crimes or engage in espionage. The technique will be presented at the Black Hat hacking conference that opens in Las Vegas on July 31.

The UN's Geneva-based International Telecommunications Union, which has reviewed the research, has described it as "hugely significant".

"These findings show us where we could be heading in terms of cybersecurity risks," said ITU Secretary General Hamadoun Touré.

He said the agency would notify telecommunications regulators and other government agencies in nearly 200 countries about the potential threat and also reach out to hundreds of mobile companies, academics and other industry experts.

By cloning handsets hackers could pose as the phone owner

Karsten Nohl, the chief scientist who led the research team, said the hacking only works on SIMs that use an old encryption technology known as DES.

However, that technology is still used on at least one out of eight SIMs, or a minimum of 500 million phones, according to Nohl.

Once a hacker copies a SIM, it can be used to make calls and send text messages impersonating the owner of the phone, said Nohl, who has a doctorate in computer engineering from the University of Virginia.

"We become the SIM card. We can do anything the normal phone users can do," he said. "If you have a MasterCard number or PayPal data on the phone, we get that too."

He said mobile users in Africa could be among the most at risk because banking is widely done through mobile payment systems with credentials stored on SIMs.

A spokeswoman for the GSMA, which represents nearly 800 mobile operators worldwide, said it had also reviewed the research.

"We have been able to consider the implications and provide guidance to those network operators and SIM vendors that may be impacted," said GSMA spokeswoman Claire Cranton.

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Abu Qatada Refused Jordan Bail Request

Jordan's military court has refused a bail request by radical preacher Abu Qatada three weeks after he was deported from Britain to face terrorism charges.

The 53-year-old was convicted in absentia of conspiring to carry out terrorist attacks against Israelis, Americans and other Westerners in Jordan in two allegedly foiled plots in 1999 and 2000, but is now receiving a new trial.

Qatada's lawyer, Tayseer Thiab, confirmed that the court had rejected bail.

He said: "The state security court today refused to release Abu Qatada on bail.

"The court gave no reason for its decision. I will meet with Abu Qatada on Wednesday to look into the issue and decide future steps."

Qatada was charged on July 7, just hours after his deported from Britain. He pleaded not guilty.

He is currently in Muwaqqar prison, a maximum security facility that houses more than 1,000 inmates - most of them Islamists convicted of terror offences.

After the original trial he was condemned to death for his alleged role in the terror attacks, but the sentence was immediately commuted to life imprisonment.

His deportation to Jordan came after Amman and London last month ratified a treaty guaranteeing that evidence obtained by torture would not be used in his retrial.

It marked the end of an eight-year legal battle to remove him from Britain, where he was described by the Government as a "truly dangerous individual" and a "key player" in al Qaeda-related terrorism.

Qatada used his human rights to make a series of costly challenges to moves to deport him back to Jordan.

The Home Office spent a total of £1.7m in legal fees from the many court proceedings.

His wife and five children are planning to move to Amman.

Top Spanish judge Baltasar Garzon once branded Qatada Osama bin Laden's right-hand man in Europe, although he denies ever having met the late al Qaeda leader.

Videotapes of his sermons were allegedly found in the Hamburg flat of 9/11 ringleader Mohammed Atta.

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Motorcyclist Killed In 155mph Crash At Race

An Italian motorcyclist has died after a high-speed crash during the opening lap of a World Supersport Championship race in Russia.

Andrea Antonelli reportedly suffered a head wound when he came off his bike at 155mph in torrential rain and was then hit by a fellow rider.

Kawasaki Go Eleven rider Antonelli, 25, was taken to the Moscow Raceway's medical centre where he later died of his injuries, Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport said.

Officials called off the race, as well as the day's headline World Superbike Championship event.

Russia's federal investigative committee is looking into the accident, the country's Itar-Tass news agency reported.

Andrea Antonelli. Pic: World Superbike Championship

A statement on the World Superbike Championship website said: "During today's FIM World Supersport race, at 1.32pm Italian rider Andrea Antonelli (Team Go Eleven Kawasaki) suffered a serious accident on the straight between Turn 14 and Turn 15 wherein he sustained critical injuries.

"The race was stopped with the red flag and the rider was immediately taken to an ambulance where the medical staff worked to resuscitate him.

"Despite their efforts, Andrea sadly succumbed to his injuries at 2.10pm local time.

"FIM, Dorna and YMS Promotion decided to cancel all activities scheduled for the rest of the day.

"Everyone involved in motorcycle championships extends its deepest condolences to Andrea's family, friends, team and Italian Federation at this tragic loss."

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Russia Helicopter Crash: Two Britons Killed

Two British tourists have been killed alongside their Russian guide in a helicopter crash in northern Russia, according to reports.

Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry said the Eurocopter helicopter banked on one side and crashed while attempting to take off in Murmansk's Lovozersky district.

NTV Russia footage of the area

It is understood the pair, who had travelled to the remote region for an organised river fishing expedition, and their Russian translator were killed by the whirling rotors of the helicopter as the aircraft landed on its side.

The Life News website described them as "VIP tourists".

NTV Russia footage of the area

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware of reports of the deaths of two British nationals in Russia. We are in touch with the local authorities and stand ready to provide consular assistance."

Fishing expeditions to the salmon-rich rivers of the Far North are one of very few tourism attractions of Russia that bring in high-paying foreign tourists to regions beyond Moscow and St Petersburg.

"The foreign tourists were staying in a luxury camp for fishing," a security source told the Interfax news agency.

A distress signal had already been received from the chopper before it made the crash landing. The pilot survived but was injured.

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