Elizabeth Warren 'mocked with Native American gestures'

The men recorded apparently making "tomahawk chops" and war whoops at a campaign event were Republican aides, according to the Democratic Party.

They are said to have been mocking candidate Elizabeth Warren, who claims Native American ancestry.
Republican incumbent Scott Brown said he would not condone such behaviour.

Meanwhile, Ms Warren, a Democrat, faces problems of her own, amid questions about her legal work in support of an industrial conglomerate.

The Massachusetts race is among the most closely watched in the upcoming US election. Mr Brown won a special election in 2010, making him the first Republican in the liberal state's seat in nearly four decades.

The Massachusetts Democratic Party said the two men in the clip, filmed in Dorchester, were an aide to Sen Brown and an employee of the state Republican Party.

"The behaviour of his staff is completely inappropriate," a Democratic spokesman said.

Sen Brown told the Boston Globe newspaper "certainly that's not something I condone", while repeating the allegation that his challenger had claimed Native American heritage to further her career. read more

IMF's Christine Lagarde says Argentina faces 'red card'

Ms Lagarde gave Argentina until 17 December to address the problem.

The IMF head said the fund had given Argentina a "yellow card" but it could face a red.

Private economists say annual inflation in Argentina is at 24%, much higher than the official 10% figure.
"We had to choose between the yellow card and the red card. We chose the yellow card. If no progress has been made, then the red card will be out," she said.

Speaking in Washington, Ms Lagarde said Argentina had been given three months to provide reliable estimates on growth and inflation.

'Free country' Analysts in Buenos Aires say the IMF has been adopting tougher language towards the government of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner.

The IMF and Argentina have been at odds over the figures since last year.
Private sector economists say the government has ignored the growing pace of inflation.

 

 

Last year, the authorities introduced measures restricting the purchase of US dollars.

Mexican New Jerusalem sect children return to school

Children from the New Jerusalem sect in Mexico's western Michoacan state have returned to school after clashes between members of the community.

Some community leaders objected on religious grounds to the secular education provided by the state.

They clashed with other parents, burned down the local state school and locked the gates of the community.
The stand-off delayed the beginning of term by a month, affecting some 250 children.

On the first day of classes on Monday, 125 children turned up, local authorities said.

The classes are taking place in nine pre-fabricated class rooms, taken to the nearby town of La Injertada to temporarily replace the burnt-out school building.

Police officers were deployed on the road between the New Jerusalem community and the school.
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Judge orders arrest of Brazil Google president

Authorities say the videos are slanderous towards a candidate running in a city's election for mayor.
The judge ordered the removal of the videos last week, but Google has refused to remove them and says it is appealing.

It says it is not responsible for the content posted on its site.
According to Brazilian media, the videos in question suggest Alcides Bernal - a mayoral candidate in the city of Campo Grande - is guilty of committing crimes.

Judge Flavio Peren, who sits at a regional electoral court in Mato Grosso do Sul state, ruled the videos violated local election laws.

But his order for the videos to be removed was ignored and on Monday he ordered the arrest of Mr Coelho.

For its part, Google says it is appealing against the ruling, according to a company spokesman quoted by Reuters news agency.

It has previously argued that the internet should be a space for voters freely to express their opinions about candidates for political office. continue reading main story

Turkey blast 'kills seven' in Tunceli

The blast targeted a vehicle carrying security forces.
The city is near the country's Kurdish area and suspicion will automatically fall upon Kurdish rebel group the PKK, says the BBC's Istanbul correspondent James Reynolds.

Fighting between Turkish troops and the PKK - the Kurdistan Workers' Party - has escalated in recent months.

Six members of the security forces and one civilian died in the attack in the Ataturk neighbourhood, said local media and hospital sources.

Turkish TV stations showed pictures of workers trying to put out fires in two burnt-out vehicles.
Reports said a vehicle carrying explosives was remotely detonated as an armoured vehicle carrying security forces passed by, sending a huge plume of dark smoke over the city.

Some reports said a civilian vehicle was also damaged in the explosion.

One report, in Turkey's Hurriyet Daily News, said security forces arriving on the scene clashed with suspected PKK militants, with one militant killed.

No-one has yet said they carried out the attack, but Kurdish rebels are active in the city, which is the capital of the province of Tunceli.
Continue reading the main story

Spain police fire rubber bullets at Madrid protest

The clashes broke out as protesters tried to tear down barriers blocking access to the parliament in Madrid.
Spanish media reported that at least 20 people had been arrested and more than a dozen injured.

The protesters dispersed after MPs left the building.
The "Occupy Congress" protest came as the government prepares to unveil further austerity measures on Thursday.

It is attempting to shrink its budget deficit, with the country in its second recession in three years and unemployment near 25%.

The government will unveil the draft budget for 2013 on Thursday and is expected to present new cost-saving reforms to reassure lenders about the state of the country's public finances.

Emergency funds The demonstrators - known as Indignants - say "Occupy Congress" is a protest against the kidnapping of democracy.

Thousands of people massed in Plaza de Neptuno square in central Madrid for the march on parliament.
But their route towards the parliament building's main entrance was blocked off by metal railings, police vans and hundreds of Spanish riot police.

The Coordinadora #25S manifesto reads: "Democracy has been kidnapped. On 25 September we are going to save it."

Pablo Mendez, an activist from the 15M Indignants movement, told the Associated Press: "This is just a powerful signal that we are sending to politicians to let them know that the Spanish bailout is suicide and we don't agree with it, and we will try to prevent it happening."

Another demonstrator, Montse Puigdavall, said: "I'm here because of the situation we are living in now, because of all the social cuts and rights that we have lost, that took a lot of hard work to achieve.
"So we are here because we're determined not to lose them."

Under Spanish law, people who lead demonstrations outside parliament that disrupt its business while it is in session may be jailed for up to one year, AFP says.

Clashes have broken out at previous rallies and marches against the cuts and at least 1,300 police were said to be on duty at the Congress building.
Continue reading the main story

Kenya MP Ferdinand Waititu accused of 'hate speech'

The order comes after parts of a speech made by MP Ferdinand Waititu were posted on YouTube.
He was reacting to the killing of a street child, allegedly by a Maasai security guard, for stealing a chicken in Nairobi's Kayole suburb.

There are fears politicians may whip up ethnic tensions ahead of March's polls.
In order to prevent a repeat of the deadly violence which followed the 2007 election, the constitution passed two years ago says that any minister charged with an offence must stand down and cannot seek re-election unless acquitted.

Earlier this month, another Kenyan politician was charged with inciting violence that recently claimed more than 100 lives in the south-eastern Tana River area.
'Encourages impunity'
 
Correspondents say Mr Waititu is a fiery politician and has been arrested by police before - for protesting against the demolition of shanty houses in his constituency, but has never been charged.
It is reported that up to three people died in the trouble in Kayole on Monday. continue Reading