SHAFAQNA

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) - An elite South African police unit shot dead seven men who tried to rob a cash depot in western Johannesburg on Saturday evening, a spokesman for the unit said.

Nine others were injured and under police guard in hospital, a spokesman of the unit known as Hawks told Reuters.

Police also confiscated 11 vehicles and four firearms.

"We believe we got the kingpin down. We are convinced that we got all the robbers - dead or arrested," Paul Ramaloko said.

The depot belonged to Protea Coin, a security company which runs a cash-in-transit business.

Crime is a chronic problem for South Africa. It has one of the highest murder rates in the world outside a war zone.

About 40 percent of the adult population is jobless - a percentage expected to rise substantially in the coming years - and this is seen driving crime and widening economic inequality.

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SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) — Russian police are searching for more members of the Pussy Riot punk rock band, a spokeswoman said, signalling further pressure on the group despite an international outcry over jail terms for three women who protested in a church against Vladimir Putin.

The Russian president’s critics condemned the court proceeding that yielded the two-year prison sentences on Friday as part of a clampdown on a protest movement and reminiscent of show trials of dissidents in the Soviet era.

Police said on Monday they were searching for other members of the group over the February protest at Moscow’s Christ the Saviour Cathedral, but had not yet identified the suspects.

Police did not say how many people they were looking for, nor whether they faced arrest and charges or whether they were just wanted for questioning.

Although the search was launched before Friday’s verdict, the determination of police to pursue other Pussy Riot members suggested the Kremlin would keep the heat on the band despite the furore over the punishment imposed on the three young women.

“The necessary search operations are being conducted,” a representative of the Moscow police told Interfax news agency.

A police spokeswoman in Moscow’s central district confirmed by telephone that other, unidentified members of Pussy Riot were being sought under a criminal case that was now separate from the case against the three performers who were tried.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, 22, Maria Alyokhina, 24, and Yekaterina Samutsevich, 30, were convicted of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred over their performance of a “punk prayer” urging the Virgin Mary to rid Russia of Putin.

The three held forth in front of the altar and wearing ski masks to conceal their identity, but were arrested after the protest. Two others who took part remain at large and the group has said it planned further demonstrations against Putin.

In an interview last week, other members of Pussy Riot - their faces hidden behind colourful ski masks like those worn during the “punk prayer” - said the trial had only strengthened their resolve.

The United States, European Union and several nations have called the sentences disproportionate, and the United States has urged Russian authorities to “review” the case.

Tolokonnikova, Alyokhina and Samutsevich said they had sought to protest against Putin’s close ties with the Russian Orthodox Church and had not set out to offend believers.

Putin himself, an ex-KGB spy who returned to the presidency for a third term on May 7 after a four-year spell as prime minister, said before the sentences were pronounced that the women did “nothing good” but should not be judged too harshly.

They have already been in jail for about five months, meaning they will serve another 19, and could be freed if Putin were to pardon them. The Orthodox Church hinted it would not oppose such a move by appealing, belatedly, for mercy.

Madonna on Saturday joined a chorus of celebrities in denouncing the jail terms imposed on the three women. She said they were being sent to a “penal colony for ... a 40-second performance extolling their political opinions”.—www.shafaqna.com/english

SHAFAQNA (Shia International News Association) — Even Vegas, known for flashy billboards and shock-tactic stunts, wasn't ready for two billboards from the Occupy Vegas movement from which two dummies hang by nooses under the messages "Hope You're Happy Wall St." and "Dying For Work."

Police switchboards began to light up as the sun rose Wednesday with calls from concerned commuters driving down Interstate 15, where one of the hanging "men" was displayed.

Lamar Advertising Co. and Clear Channel Outdoor, owners of the two signs, condemn the stunt as an act of vandalism.

Jim Cullinan, Vice President of Communications at Clear Channel Outdoor, released the following statement:

"Clear Channel Outdoor understands today's challenging economy and the need for this country to create more jobs.  Our billboards in Las Vegas and around the country are the most affordable and effective means for small businesses to promote their brands, products and services which in turn creates jobs.  We condemn the destructive behavior against one of our billboards because it is illegal and punishes our advertisers.  The damage was fixed immediately, and we will work with law enforcement and the legal system to punish people who engage in this destructive behavior.  This is not an innocent protest, but it is illegal and dangerous behavior that Clear Channel Outdoor and the industry will not accept."—www.shafaqna.com/englis

Source: Business Insider