Kenyan parliament votes for country to leave discredited ICC..... more African countries to follow?

CC African News Desk

Kenyan MPs have approved a motion to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC) following an emergency debate.

A bill to this effect is expected to be introduced in the next 30 days, after opposition MPs boycotted the vote.

The ICC has charged President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto with crimes against humanity, which they both deny. Mr Ruto's trial is due to start in The Hague next week.

The ICC said the cases would continue even if Kenya pulled out.

The charges against both Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto stem from violence that broke out after disputed elections in 2007, in which more than 1,000 people were killed and 600,000 forced from their homes.

Mr Kenyatta is to go on trial in November.

Although this vote does not halt the legal proceedings at the Hague, it sends a rather powerful message of both defiance and disaffection to a body that has been criticized for essentially engaging in systematic witch-hunts of African figures.

It would not be unexpected that other African countries may consider this line of action in the near future.

The ICC was established in 2002 and the Rome Statute has been ratified by 121 countries, including 34 in Africa. 

Ironically, most western nations, the United States included, have refused to sign on to the ICC Statute.

Gareth Bale in record Madrid move as transfer deadline closes @ 3pm PST.....

Gareth Bale

CC Global Sports Desk

Real Madrid have broken the world transfer record to sign Tottenham forward Gareth Bale. 

The Wales star's £85.3M ($132.8M) move eclipses the £80m ($124.3M) Real paid Manchester United for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.

The transfer window closes in less than 20 minutes at 3pm PST and here (below) is a link to all the deals done thus far, including Read Madrid's Mesut Ozil moving to Arsenal.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/23882862

 In Summary

·         * Transfer window shuts

·         * Arsenal sign Mesut Ozil

·         *  Fellaini joins Manchester United

·         *  Lukaku, Barry and McCarthy to Everton        

 *         *  Sessegnon and Anichebe to West Bromwich Albion

British MPs vote down military strike on Syria....

CC Exclusive

British MPs have voted to reject possible military action against the Assad regime in Syria to deter the use of chemical weapons.

A government motion was defeated 285 to 272, a majority of 13 votes.

Prime Minster David Cameron said it was clear Parliament does not want action and "the government will act accordingly".

It effectively rules out British involvement in any US-led strikes against the Assad regime.

And it comes as blow to the authority of David Cameron, who had already watered down a government motion proposing military action, in response to the opposition Labor Party's demands for more evidence of Assad's guilt.

Labor had seen its own amendment - calling for "compelling" evidence - rejected by MPs by 114 votes.

But - in an unexpected turn of events - MPs also rejected the government's motion in support of military action in Syria if it was supported by evidence from United Nations weapons inspectors, who are investigating claims President Bashar al-Assad's regime had used chemical weapons against civilians.

This is further proof that there is just no stomach at this time from most, for a repeat of the ill-advised wars in Iraq and Libya, that have turned once prosperous nations into havens for lawless criminals, mostly backed by Al Qaeda. 

In another development, German Chancellor Angela Merkel has also not shown too much of an appetite for the proposed military strike on Syria and in-fact warned earlier this year, against arming the Syrian rebels. 

Al Qaeda papers on the acquisition, training and use of game changer weapons....

CC Investigative Insight

Excerpt:

AL-QAIDA PAPERS....
"The following pages are part of a cache of documents that the Associated Press found on the floor in a building occupied by al-Qaida fighters for almost a year in Timbuktu, Mali. The AP has pieced together the order of the pages as far as possible."

COVER PAGE
In the name of God, the merciful, the compassionate. Sam 7 Rocket (Land-Air)
Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb.

PAGE 1 (313)
Heading: The major encyclopedia of weapons
Sam 7 Rocket (Land-Air) (SA-7)



The Russians invented this type of rocket in 1968. It is an anti-aircraft weapon. In 1972, some modifications were introduced to the initial shape which was later named SA-7A. The modified version was called SA-7B.

Also, the original model was called SA-7A Model (0) and the modified model was
called SA-7B Model (1).

More

OUTDOOR GEAR 

77 year Wimbledon wait for Great Britain ends on 7-7....

CC Global Sports Desk

Andy Murray won his first Wimbledon title and ended Britain's 77-year wait for a men's champion with a hard-fought victory over world number one Novak Djokovic.

The Scot, 26, converted his fourth championship point in a dramatic final game to win 6-4 7-5 6-4 and claim his second major title.

Murray was willed on by the majority of the 15,000 spectators on Center Court, thousands watching on the nearby big screen and millions more around the United Kingdom.

The final game was a battle in itself, with Murray seeing three match points slip by from 40-0 and fending off three Djokovic break points with some fearless hitting, before the Serb netted a backhand to end the contest. After a grueling three hours 10 minutes in searing temperatures, Murray had finally followed in the footsteps of Fred Perry's 1936 win at the All England Club.

Perry used to leap over the net in celebration, but Britain's new champion roared in delight before sinking to his knees on the turf. Murray, who collected a first prize of £1.6 M ($2.4 M), then headed into the stands to celebrate with his family and support team, moments later parading the trophy around Center Court.

The ghost of Fred Perry had finally been exorcised by Murray and all of Great Britain could now heave the proverbial sigh of relief.

SPORTS AND RECREATION

Senegalese president defends his stance on African values regarding homosexuality

Obama and Macky Sall at joint press conference

CC Global Insider

Senegalese President Macky Sall has defended his refusal to decriminalize homosexuality, a day after publicly clashing with President Barack Obama on the issue at a joint press conference. 

In an interview, Sall said it was important for other countries to refrain from imposing their values beyond their borders. He compared his position on homosexuality to other countries' positions on polygamy, which is widely practiced in Senegal and other African countries. 

"We don't ask the Europeans to be polygamists," Sall said. "We like polygamy in our country, but we can't impose it in yours. Because the people won't understand it, they won't accept it. It's the same thing." 

Senegal's penal code calls for prison sentences of up to five years and fines of up to $3,000 for committing "an improper or unnatural act with a person of the same sex."

A report released this week by Amnesty International, a Western so-called human rights watchdog, says 38 African countries — about 70 percent of the continent — criminalize homosexual activity.

These laws appear to have broad public support. A June 4 Pew Research Center survey found at least nine of 10 respondents in Senegal, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda and Nigeria believe homosexuality should not be accepted by society.

Sall warned that because of these views, public advocacy on behalf of homosexual rights could prompt a strong negative reaction. "We need to be careful, because in Africa and in certain Muslim societies, these are subjects that can provoke fundamentalism," he said.

In a December 2011 memorandum, Obama instructed federal agencies to promote homosexual rights overseas, drawing strong protests from some African officials and many of his African fans. But while experts say the U.S. has forcefully pushed for homosexual rights behind closed doors, the public positioning has been discreet, with officials often citing concerns about putting local activists in danger.

Prior to this week's Africa trip, Obama's second since becoming president, some advocates had pushed for him to vocally advocate for homosexual rights, saying the respect he commands in much of Africa could help sway public opinion.

At Thursday's press conference in Dakar, Obama said everyone should be equal under the law regardless of cultural differences. "When it comes to how the state treats people, how the law treats people, I believe that everybody has to be treated equally," he said.

In response, Sall said Senegal was "still not ready" to decriminalize homosexuality.

Though Obama's visit was seen as an opportunity to showcase Senegal's stability and history of peaceful democratic transition, the front pages of local newspapers on Friday were dominated by talk of the exchange on homosexuality. The newspaper Liberation, for example, praised Sall for his "courageous" stance and, alongside a photo of Obama and Sall, ran a banner headline that played on Obama's famous campaign slogan: "No, we can't."

Sall said Friday that he was not disappointed that the issue of homosexuality had received so much attention. 

He said he welcomed the opportunity to contrast his views with Obama's.

"I'm not disappointed, because I'm a democrat and I can understand very well the position of President Obama on this topic," Sall said. "We are friends. We are partners."

GIFTS AND COLLECTIBLES

European Union concern over Der Spiegel claim of US spying

Edward Snowden

CC Insight

The head of the European Parliament has demanded "full clarification" from the US over a report that key European Union (EU) premises in America have been bugged. 

Martin Schulz said that if this was true, it would have a "severe impact" on ties between the EU and the United States.

The report, carried by Germany's Der Spiegel magazine, cites a secret 2010 document alleging that the US spied on EU offices in New York and Washington.

Fugitive ex-CIA analyst Edward Snowden leaked the paper, Der Spiegel says.

Snowden - a former contractor for the CIA and also the National Security Agency (NSA) - has since requested asylum in Ecuador.

According to the document - which Der Spiegel says comes from the NSA - the agency spied on EU internal computer networks in Washington and at the 27-member bloc's UN office in New York.

The document also allegedly referring to the EU as a "target".

In a statement on Saturday, Mr. Shultz said: "On behalf of the European Parliament, I demand full clarification and require further information speedily from the US authorities with regard to these allegations."

Der Spiegel also quotes Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn as saying: "If these reports are true, it's disgusting. The United States would be better off monitoring its secret services rather than its allies."

The US government has so far made no public comments on the Spiegel's report.

Snowden is believed to be currently staying at Moscow's airport. He arrived there last weekend from Hong Kong, where he had been staying since he revealed details of top secret US surveillance programs.

The US has charged him with theft of government property, unauthorized communication of national defense information and willful communication of classified communications intelligence.

Each charge carries a maximum 10-year prison sentence.

On Saturday, US Vice-President Joe Biden and Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa held a telephone conversation about Snowden's asylum request.

According to Mr. Correa, Mr. Biden had "passed on a polite request from the United States to reject the request".

The left-wing Ecuadorian leader said his answer was: "Mr. vice-president, thanks for calling. We hold the United States in high regard. We did not seek to be in this situation."

If Snowden ever came to "Ecuadoran soil" with his request, he added, "the first people whose opinion we will seek is that of the United States".

Quito earlier said it was willing to consider Snowden's request but only when he was physically in the Latin American country.

Meanwhile, White House spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan said only that Mr. Biden and Mr. Correa had held a wide-ranging conversation.

COMPUTERS AND ACCESSORIES

WATCH: The Egyptian statue that's mysteriously moving all by itself....

CC News

Security cameras in England's Manchester Museum (wonder what an Ancient Egyptian relic is doing in England) have shown a 4,000-year-old offering to the god Osiris spinning 180 degrees in its display case, apparently untouched. 

"I noticed one day that it had turned around," Price told the Manchester Evening News. "I thought it was strange because it is in a case, and I am the only one who has a key."

"In Ancient Egypt they believed that if the mummy is destroyed then the statuette can act as an alternative vessel for the spirit. Maybe that is what is causing the movement." [Manchester Evening News via The Telegraph]

To find out, officials set up a security camera to record time-lapse footage of the statue, which has been in the museum's possession for 80 years. After a week, they think they've found their answer: The movement may be due to a less-chilling phenomenon called "differential friction."

If you look closely, the statue is only moving during the day. Speaking with the Daily Mail, physicist Brian Cox says he thinks that the subtle vibrations caused by museum goers, coupled with the stone bottom of the statue and the glass surface of the casing, are what has been triggering its slow-motion pivot.

Price, however, still has his doubts. "It has been on those surfaces since we have had it and it has never moved before. And why would it go around in a perfect circle?"

GIFTS AND COLLECTIBLES

Will Diddy's cable deal make him a billionaire?

Jay-Z and Diddy (right)

By Zack O'Malley Greenburg - Forbes

“You started learning how to count right, I see,” explained Sean “Diddy” Combs to Forbes earlier today, likely referring to our latest estimate that placed his net worth at $580 million. “Thank God!”

But he was calling from France to talk about something else—a venture that could one day make him a billionaire —Revolt TV. Diddy is the network’s majority shareholder, and just announced a carriage deal with Time Warner Cable (TWC). That means his network will have over 25 million subscribers when it debuts this fall, he says, the biggest launch in history behind only Oprah Winfrey’s OWN and perhaps one other.

“Revolt is the first network that’s being launched in the social medial age,” he said. “Multi-screen, multi-platform, from mobile to digital.”

S0 will Revolt make Diddy a billionaire? Perhaps not immediately, but there’s a good chance down the line. Cable networks are notoriously difficult to launch. The field is crowded, and established players don’t like ceding ground to newcomers. But Diddy seems to have found a way. In February 2012, Comcast (CMCSA) agreed to distribute Revolt–along with three other minority-owned independent networks—to the 10 million homes it reaches. The Time Warner deal should push Revolt past the 20 million threshold. 

And if Diddy can indeed hit 25 million, he’ll have more than a quarter of MTV's audience.

Once in the door, the economics of cable television can be extremely favorable to network owners. SNL Kagan estimates that cable companies pay MTV $0.43 per month per subscriber, which works out to just over $5 per year, or about $500 million in annual revenues. And Diddy is more than happy to challenge the original music network.

“Since MTV stopped playing music videos … it’s left this gaping hole and an opportunity to create not just a network or a channel but an audience company,” he said. “That’s what I like to call Revolt: an audience company that specializes in Millennials. And the number one thing that Millennials like is music, and the number one thing I specialize in is music.”

Turning a profit may prove difficult in the early going, but a well-oiled network can generate margins in excess of 25%. So, some back-of-the-envelope math: say Revolt manages $4 per subscriber per year. That works out to $100 million in sales, and perhaps $25 million in profit. Apply a 15x earnings multiple, and you get a valuation of $375 million for the network.

Diddy wouldn’t disclose the precise nature of his stake, saying only that it was more than half. Even if it’s 51%, he’s looking at a potential net worth bump of nearly $200 million on paper when Revolt goes live. If he doubles his subscriber base over the next few years, the math says he’ll be a billionaire. A tall order, to be sure, but that’s Diddy’s specialty.

“All I try to do is build the maximum value for my companies,” he explained. “At the end of the day, the numbers don’t lie. I’m just like any other businessman; at the end of the year I have to get my report card and deal with the reality of whatever it is.”

As for the possibility of sending his net worth into ten-figure territory?

“I don’t want my career to be defined on this, that I was quote-unquote a billionaire,” he said. “But to be honest, I’d be blessed to be a billionaire … hopefully someday it’ll come true and I’ll be able to do some good with it.”

Additional reporting by Charlie Ambler

More from Forbes.com
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Top-Earning Dead Celebrities
Hip-Hop's Wealthiest Artists 2013

BEAUTY AND FRAGRANCE

Syrian Islamist rebels claim receipt of sophisticated arms

Will Syria become another Libya?

CC Global Insight

SYRIA'S Islamist rebels have received new types of weapons that could "change the course of the battle," a rebel spokesman said on Friday, as troops tried to oust opposition fighters from a Damascus district.

The announcement came a day before a meeting in Qatar of the "Friends of Syria" group of nations that back the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.

The so-called "Friends of Syria" include the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Qatar, Turkey, Jordan and Egypt.

"We have received quantities of new types of weapons, including some that we asked for and that we believe will change the course of the battle on the ground," Free Syrian Army spokesman Louay Muqdad asserted.

"We have begun distributing them on the front lines; they will be in the hands of professional officers and FSA fighters," added Muqdad, a media and political coordinator for the FSA.

He said the Friends of Syria meeting was expected to officially announce on Saturday its members would arm the rebels.

Muqdad declined to specify what weapons had been received or when they had arrived, but added that a new shipment was expected in the coming days.

He said rebels had asked for "deterrent weapons," meaning "anti-aircraft weapons, anti-tank weapons, as well as ammunition."

The apparent influx of weapons comes after the United States said it would provide rebel forces with "military support," although it has declined to outline what that might entail.

"The weapons will be used for one objective, which is to fight the regime of Bashar al-Assad," Muqdad insisted.

"They will be collected after the fall of the regime (much like "they have been collected" in Libya, we presume), we have made this commitment to the friends and brotherly countries" that supplied them, he said.

BOOKS AND ENTERTAINMENT