Indonesia’s constitutional court on Thursday unanimously rejected an opposition legal challenge that April’s presidential election was rigged and marred by corruption.
The national election commission declared last month that President Joko Widodo, 57, had won the election with a comfortable double-digit lead over his rival, Prabowo Subianto, 67, a nationalist former military general.
However, Mr Prabowo refused to concede defeat, alleging that incompetence and the abuse of power had snatched victory from his hands, and lodging a legal challenge to overturn the result.
On Thursday nine deliberating judges took hours to painstakingly dismiss each individual opposition claim of malpractice, before finally upholding Mr Widodo’s victory.
Thousands of people gathered near to the court to wait for the ruling, and at least 47,000 security personnel were deployed to the streets of the capital, Jakarta, in case of protests by Prabowo supporters.
Last month violent unrest broke out in the heart of Jakarta when Prabowo supporters clashed with security forces as they demanded Mr Widodo step down.
Police guard the constitutional court ahead of the verdictCredit:
Anadolu agency/Getty Images
At least nine people were killed, according to official statistics, and 900 injured as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters who were charging them with rocks, sticks, and firecrackers.
It was Indonesia’s worst civil unrest in years and Amnesty International called this week for an independent investigation into allegations of police brutality and unlawful killings during the riots.
The human rights group said on Wednesday in a publicly released letter to President Widodo that it has credible evidence of a range of grave violations by paramilitary police, who it alleged were responsible for 10 unlawful killings.
The police have launched an internal probe after acknowledging excessive violence by some officers that was revealed in a video showing 10 members of the paramilitary police kicking a man and beating him with rifles.
The riots erupted despite assurances by the election supervisory agency, known as Bawaslu, that there was no evidence of systematic fraud.
Independent observers have also declared the poll free and fair and an opinion poll by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting last week showed that around 70 percent of Indonesians agree.
The authorities have blamed the unrest on several groups, claiming that many of the rioters were paid. A retired special forces general with links to Mr Prabowo was also accused of masterminding a plot to assassinate top state officials.
Both sides said that they would accept the court’s rulings and Mr Prabowo urged his followers to stay off the streets.
The two men have been bitter political rivals for years. In 2014, Mr Prabowo lost both the election and a legal appeal against a victory by Mr Widodo after the constitutional court ruled that he had failed to produce evidence of his claims of “massive, structured and systematic fraud.”
Vladimir Putin has admitted that the fire that killed 14 sailors on Monday happened on a nuclear submarine, although the defence ministry said the reactor was not damaged.
Ministry head Sergei Shoigu met with Mr Putin on Thursday upon his return from the Arctic naval town of Severomorsk, where the stricken submersible was taken.
During their conversation, Mr Putin asked him about the nuclear power unit on board, according to a Kremlin readout.
Moscow had not previously confirmed the presence of a reactor and still has not said what kind of submarine was involved, arguing that these are state secrets.
Mr Shoigu told Mr Putin that "the nuclear power unit has been sealed off and all personnel have been removed".
He also said the cause of the disaster was a "fire in the battery compartment which then spread".
The blaze happened on Monday but was only announced the next day by Russian authorities, who have refused to give many details about the incident.
Russia rescue personnel return from a dive in a mini submarine to the Kursk on the sea bedCredit:
RU-RTR Russian Television via AP
It is believed that the fire occurred on an AS-31 deep-water research submarine in the Barents Sea.
Nicknamed "Losharik" after a Soviet cartoon horse, it is operated by a navy division responsible for reconnaissance and intelligence gathering and can reportedly dive to depths of 10,000 feet.
The submarine is reportedly able to cut underwater cables that carry much of the world’s internet traffic. All 14 of the sailors who died were officers, leading to speculation that it was on a top-secret mission.
The defence ministry said they were performing "bathymetric measurements" of the ocean floor. One sailor put a civilian in a compartment and shut the hatch to return to fighting the blaze, it said.
Arctic neighbour Norway said it had been informed of a gas explosion on the submarine, but the Russian defence ministry denied this. Norwegian authorities said they had not detected abnormal levels of radiation in the Barents Sea.
France on Wednesday admitted that it is the owner of American-made anti-tank missiles found at a rebel military base in Libya, raising awkward questions about European involvement in the civil war.
France’s Army Ministry said the four Javelin missiles discovered at a base used by General Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army were intended for "self-protection of a French military unit deployed to carry out intelligence and counter-terrorism operations."
"Damaged and unusable, the armaments were being temporarily stocked at a depot ahead of their destruction," it said in a statement on Wednesday.
It said the weapons, found in the mountains south of Tripoli by forces loyal to the UN-backed government, were never intended for sale or transfer to any party to Libya’s conflict.
The statement did not explain how many French soldiers are in the country or why they were operating in close proximity to Gheryan, the LNA’s main headquarters for its controversial assault on Tripoli.
The discovery of javelin missiles at Gheryan was first reported by the New York Times. Chinese-made shells with United Arab Emirates markings were also discovered.
The missiles were discovered on a rebel base in Gharyan when UN-recognised government forces recaptured the cityCredit:
Anadolu Agency
At least 1,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands displaced since Gen Haftar launched his assault on Tripoli in a bid to overthrow the UN-backed government of national accord in April.
France, like all permanent members of the UN Security Council, officially recognises the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).
But Fayez Al-Sarraj, the prime minister of the GNA, has publicly protested French support for Gen Haftar since the battle began.
Some observers have also accused Paris of providing the general with diplomatic cover by watering down European Union statements about his attack on Tripoli.
Jalel Harouchi, a Libya analyst at the Clingedael Institute, said the discovery made it "impossible for Paris to credibly deny its deep preference" for Gen Haftar’s faction in the civil war.
"For several years now, it has sought to prop up Marshal Haftar, help him defeat his opponents and take power in Libya," he said.
Territorial control in Libya
"In any event, other foreign states, such as the UAE, violate the Libya arms embargo much more egregiously than France does."
Gen Haftar, who heads a rival administration in the east of the country, has sought to portray himself as a potential secular strongman able to deal robustly with the threat of Islamist extremism in Libya.
He is believed to enjoy backing from Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, and has also visited both Paris and Moscow to seek support.
He has courted the United States, which provided him with asylum after he fell out with Muammar Gadaffi in the 1980s.
Last week the United States blocked a British-drafted United Nations Security Council resolution that would have condemned an LNA airstrike on a migrant holding centre that killed at least 40 people.
The FGM 148 Javelin is a US-manufactured shoulder-launched missile designed to destroy modern tanks by striking them from above, where their armour is thinnest. They cost about £135,000 a piece.
The brother of the suicide bomber who blew himself up at the Manchester Arena in May 2017 killing 22 people has been extradited from Libya to Britain, it has been confirmed.
Hashem Abedi, 22, was arrested in the North African country the day after his older brother Salman, detonated a device at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.
Last year Greater Manchester Police applied to extradite Hashem on suspicion of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to cause an explosion.
A spokesman for the Interior Minister in Tripoli confirmed that Mr Abedi had been placed on board a flight that left Libya at 10.30am UK time. The flight has now landed.
"I confirm with you that Hashem (Abedi) is now in the air on his way to the UK … he is extradited in accordance to a court verdict," said a spokesman for the Tripoli-based counter-terrorism group Special Deterrence Force (Rada).
The Abedi brothers at home in Manchester Credit:
Josie Ensor for The Telegraph
Sadek al-Sour, Libya’s prosecutor, told Bloomberg the decision to extradite Abedi was made after he had a chance to argue his case in Libya’s court of appeal.
The case had been held up by Libya’s complicated political situation, with fighting breaking out between forces in the west of the country and militias in the east.
It is understood Mr Abedi was accompanied by British police officers on board a UK Government jet.
The Abedi family, originally from Libya, had fled to the UK during the Gaddafi dictatorship, but the brothers returned to the country along with their father, who volunteered to fight with opposition forces when the uprising began in 2011.
Nobody has yet been charged over the Manchester Arena attack, despite 23 people being arrested in the wake of the bombing.
Mr Abedi is now expected to be questioned by counter terrorism detectives and is likely to appear before Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
In a statement Ian Hopkins, the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, said: "Following application by the Crown Prosecution Service for the extradition of Hashem Abedi from Libya, he has today been successfully extradited, for offences relating to the Manchester Arena attack.
"He was handed over by Libyan authorities to British police officers this morning. They escorted him on the flight back and he landed in the UK a short while ago.
"Greater Manchester Police officers have arrested Hashem Abedi for murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to cause an explosion likely to endanger life.
"He will be transferred to a police custody facility in London. After processing at the police station, he will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in relation to these charges."
Hashem Abedi has now landed on UK soil. His successful extradition from Libya is an important step forward in the investigation into his brother’s evil terror attack at Manchester Arena.
— Sajid Javid (@sajidjavid) July 17, 2019
Hashem’s parents Samia Tabbal, and Ramadan Abedi, were both born in Libya but moved to London in the 1990s before settling in the Fallowfield area of south Manchester where there is a triving Libyan community. They also have a 20-year-old daughter, Jomana.
Security minister Ben Wallace said: "I am pleased that the extradition of Hashem Abedi to the UK has been completed.
"It has been a huge effort by the police, Foreign Office and Home Office to ensure that the law can take its course. My thanks to the Libyan authorities for their support.
"Today my thoughts are with the victims of the Manchester Arena attacks and I can assure them that we will not rest until justice is done."
Home Secretary Sajid Javid tweeted: "Hashem Abedi has now landed on UK soil. His successful extradition from Libya is an important step forward in the investigation into his brother’s evil terror attack at Manchester Arena.
"I pay tribute to all those who have worked tirelessly on this case. My thoughts remain with the victims and their families who have endured so much. Wherever they are, whoever they are, I will always do all I can to bring suspected terrorists to justice."
Welcoming news of the extradition, Theresa May said: "This is clearly an important moment in the investigation. I hope it is a welcome step for the loved ones of all the victims."
Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson said: "The first people to be told about the successful extradition were the victims and survivors."
Mr Hopkins said: "Since the Manchester Arena attack on 22 May 2017, our thoughts have been with the families of those who lost loved ones and the hundreds who are struggling with serious physical injuries and deep psychological effects.
"They have always been central to our investigation and will continue to be so at all times."
An Ohio hospital paid the estate of astronaut Neil Armstrong $6 million in a confidential agreement to settle allegations that post-surgical complications led to Armstrong’s 2012 death, according to court documents and a report in the New York Times.
The 2014 settlement went to 10 family members, including Armstrong’s two sons, sister, brother and six grandchildren, according to documents filed with the Hamilton County Probate Court in Cincinnati which were publicly available on Tuesday. Armstrong’s widow, Carol, did not receive any money in the settlement.
Armstrong’s sons, Mark and Rick, contended care provided by Mercy Health-Fairfield Hospital cost their father his life, according to the New York Times.
The 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s first steps on the moon was celebrated Saturday. He died on Aug. 25, 2012.
A Sept. 24, 2014 motion to seal the settlement said the hospital and its caregivers stood by the treatment they provided.
Moon bites
"However, the hospital, on behalf of itself and the health care providers, agreed to a confidential settlement of $6 million to avoid the publicity the Estate might have initiated on behalf of certain members of the family if settlement had not been reached," the document said.
Hospital spokeswoman Maureen Richmond declined to offer specifics on the matter, saying she was unable to discuss any individual’s care.
In an email statement to The Associated Press, she added: "The public nature of these details is very disappointing – both for our ministry and the patient’s family who had wished to keep this legal matter private."
Messages were left for Armstrong’s widow and sons, and for Wendy Armstrong, Mark’s sister and a lawyer involved in motions to seal the settlement.
Carol Armstrong told the New York Times she signed off on the settlement in her role as executor but received no part of it.
Neil Armstrong was admitted to the hospital in August 2012 for vascular bypass surgery, according to a Sept. 24, 2014 motion filed by Carol Armstrong seeking to have the settlement approved.
"He underwent the cardiovascular surgery, but post-surgical complications arose and he subsequently died," the motion said.
Most of the settlement, about $5.2 million, was split between Armstrong’s sons. The astronaut’s brother and sister each received $250,000, and six grandchildren each got $24,000. Attorneys’ fees of $160,000 were awarded.
Michael Schumacher is “making progress” in his recovery five-and-a-half years after the German racing driver suffered severe head injuries in a skiing accident, according to his former boss.
Jean Todt, the Formula One star’s former manager at Ferrari, gave fans a rare update on his condition in an interview with Radio Monte-Carlo.
Mr Todt, one of the driver’s closest confidantes, said Mr Schumacher, 50, was making “good progress” and the pair watched F1 races on television.
“I’m always careful with such statements, but it’s true,” Mr Todt said. “I saw the race together with Michael Schumacher at his home in Switzerland."
Since he hit his head on a rock while skiing in the French Alps in December…
Turkmenistan state television has shown the country’s eccentric stunt-loving president driving near a flaming gas crater in the first new footage of him since he disappeared from view last month, sparking rumours of his death.
President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, who last appeared in public on July 5, was seen on a Sunday news broadcast behind the wheel of a rally car streaking through the desert of the gas-producing former Soviet republic near Iran and Afghanistan.
The car was then filmed spinning in the dust and driving circles around the “Gates of Hell,” a 220-foot-wide collapsed natural gas field that has been burning continuously since scientists set it on fire in 1971.
The daring exploit was the culmination of 28 minutes of vainglorious footage that also showed the authoritarian leader riding a horse and a bicycle, showing government ministers how to lift weights and apparently shooting bullseyes in a target with an assault rifle.
Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov circled the so-called 'Gates of Hell' in a rally-car
He seemed to roll three strikes in row while bowling with the mayor of the capital, although cutaway video edits made it impossible to tell how many of these feats he actually achieved. Admiring officials nonetheless broke into reliable applause.
Mr Berdymukhamedov’s overblown TV antics with fast cars and high-powered firearms are such a fixture of the media in the repressive Central Asian country that any undue absence is cause for confusion and gossip.
Hilariously unironic videos like one of him shooting targets while riding a bicycle distract from a increasingly dire economic situation in Turkmenistan, which is suffering from hyperinflation and food shortages, according to a June report by the London-based Foreign Policy Centre.
Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has been credited with books about horses and once rapped an ode to his favourite steedCredit:
Igor Sasin/AFP/Getty
The presidential press service announced in July that Mr Berdymukhamedov was on a month-long holiday and published a video of him playing with cats and grandchildren.
Less than a week later, however, rumours began swirling on social media that he had died of liver failure. Other reports said his ageing mother was in critical condition in a German clinic.
While officials did not comment on the leader’s absence, state television broadcast footage of him inspecting construction projects. Observers noted, however, that it was almost certainly taken from an appearance in May.
The latest video, on the other hand, appeared to be entirely fresh.
In it, the macho yet creative Mr Berdymukhamedov was also seen signing a manuscript about Central Asian shepherd dogs and sipping a well-earned cup of tea. Foreign literature is mostly banned in Turkmenistan, but the president has been credited with writing some three dozen books about topics like horses, tea and medicinal plants.
Dressed in a slightly psychedelic shirt of swirling primary colours, he played piano and drum machine on the recording of a song reportedly written by his grandson called Live, Turkmenistan! Only Forward with the Speed of a Horse!
A horse fanatic, he had previously rapped an ode to his favourite steed in a gaudy music video with his grandson, who has sung Turkmenistan’s praises in English on occasion.
Mr Berdymukhamedov files an assault rifle and throws knives at targets in a previous television appearanceCredit:
YouTube
The personal dentist of Turkmenistan’s first post-Soviet leader, Mr Berdymukhamedov came to power in 2006 and quickly established his own personality cult, erecting a golden statue of himself on a horse in the centre of the capital.
Turkmenistan is known as one of the most closed countries in the world, with the authorities enforcing an official ideology and cracking down on dissent.
It has historically close relations with Russia, which recently resumed gas imports from Turkmenistan after a crippling three-year suspension.
Lando Norris will line up fourth on Sunday’s Austrian Grand Prix grid and attempt to hold his own in the 71-lap race, but the McLaren charger is bracing for a strong challenge from those behind.
Norris’ performance was a personal best for the 22-year-old but also represents McLaren’s best result in qualifying since 2014!
As delighted as he is with his impressive feat, Norris knows he’ll have a few strong contenders snapping at his heels at the outset tomorrow.
“We had our expectations of where we thought we were going to be,” he told Sky F1.
“From the very beginning, the Racing Points have been extremely quick. We never really thought we had a chance of beating them or getting close to them.
2020 Austrian Grand Prix – Qualifying results
“But as we went to lower fuel and into qualifying, the car started to come alive and feel much better. This track last year was good for us, we had good confidence in the car, it suits it.
“Hopefully the race tomorrow goes well, we have two weekends of this so hopefully we can repeat it as well.”
Norris singled out Racing Point and Ferrari as his two main threats given the two teams’ pace on long runs. Holding his own among the top six will be his objective.
“As much as I’ll be looking ahead in the race and going forward, there’s a lot of cars behind us, Ferrari especially,” he said.
“Their race pace is really strong, for some reason their qualifying pace is a long way off.
“So is Racing Point. They have a good car, they have a lot downforce. I think they can look after their tyres better than us but if I can stay around where I am, then I’ll be happy.”
Norris’ teammate Carlos Sainz was eighth fastest in qualifying and will share the fourth row of the grid with Charles Leclerc for the start of the race.
“It’s cool to see that, like how close it is, it makes it exciting,” said Norris when asked about the fierce midfield battle.
NEW YORK CITY — To jazz fans and musicians alike, it is a shrine. The Village Vanguard’s iconic red awning, shadowing a small patch of sidewalk on Seventh Avenue, between Perry Street and W 11th Street, on an otherwise unexceptional city block, a beacon.
Walking through the front door and down the hallowed stairs from the street is like walking back in time, as the basement room that the Vanguard has occupied for nearly 85 years has essentially remained unchanged since its inception.
Walking down the stairs of the Village Vanguard is like walking back in time. Photo by David Allen.
Founded in 1935 by Max Gordon, a Lithuanian immigrant, the club has been a bastion of jazz for the better part of the 2oth Century (and into the 21st), as it has continuously hosted the greatest musicians in the genre.
The Vanguard has been home to some of the most important and revered recordings in the history of music — the influence that the album “Bill Evans Trio Sunday At The Village Vanguard” had on shaping jazz since it was recorded in 1961 can simply not be overstated, and John Coltrane’s “Live At The Village Vanguard” captured the saxophone giant and his great quartet at the peak of their powers.
Aside from the brilliant music captured on these recordings, a couple of other things stand out upon listening to them, the first being that it sounds like there are about 12, maybe 15 people in the audience. Deborah Gordon, daughter of Max Gordon and current owner of the Vanguard, confirms that this was likely the case.
“Guess who was in the audience when Thelonious Monk first played there?” she asks me. “Nobody. It was empty.
“[Monk] would say from the stage, ‘Look at all the invisible people,'” she says with a laugh. Jazz, she explains, has always occupied a marginal, slim piece of the culture.
All the more reason that the existence of the Vanguard is vital and necessary.
The second thing that stands out on these albums is the acoustics. The room itself has an open, warm, intimate quality, and is as much a presence as any of the instruments. The space has a personality unto itself. You can hear it. It is why musicians love playing and recording there.
Dozens of albums have been recorded at the Vanguard over the years, many of which have become essential recordings in the jazz cannon, including the two albums pictured here, both of which are undisputed masterpieces. (Photos courtesy of Riverside Records/Impulse! Records)
“The sound quality is so special, from the shape of the room. You wouldn’t want to effect that in any way,” Deborah says.
The shape of the venue is essentially an isosceles triangle, and because the Vanguard is subterranean and windowless, there is no interference from the outside world, creating the sensation of being in a hermetically sealed chamber of sound. This is the primary reason the club has never been franchised, as successful a business move this has been for music clubs like the Blue Note and the Hard Rock Cafe, both of which have clubs all over the world. The uniqueness of the space and the sound of the Vanguard simply cannot be replicated.
This is also why the interior of the club has remained unchanged for nearly a century.
“Look at a photo of the club from the ’30s and it looks exactly the same,” Deborah says, but admonishes that it shouldn’t be thought of as a relic. “We don’t want to be a museum. While the physical place remains unrenovated, we want to keep the music fresh.”
The Vanguard experience
Catching a show at the Village Vanguard is an intimate experience. I have attended countless concerts at countless venues and none of them have the same vibe as a show at the VV. Much of this has to do with club’s size, which seats 130-odd patrons. And the room is small. Expect to make some new friends on a crowded night, as the tables and chairs are extremely close to one another.
This is not to say that it is uncomfortable — surprisingly, it is not. Once the show starts, all focus is on the bandstand. Everything around sorta melts away, leaving just you, the night and the music. Take it further and close your eyes. You will be transported.
The interior of the Vanguard as remained essentially unchanged since its founding in 1935. (Photo courtesy of the Village Vanguard)
Adding to the intimacy is the proximity of the musicians on stage to the audience. The stage, if you can call it that, is all of a step or two up from the floor, placing the musicians upon it all of an arm’s length from the patrons seated at the front tables. Deborah relayed an anecdote about Barbra Streisand, another iconic artist championed by the Gordons early on in her career.
Famously plagued by crippling stage fright, she once quipped during a special engagement at the Vanguard in 2009, “Who can have stage fright here? There’s no stage!”
Even the most famous of musicians are inordinately accessible when performing at The Vanguard, as they often, after a show, hang out at the bar in the far end of the room, and are approachable — open to chatting with fans, taking photos, signing autographs, etc. That is the vibe. It is a shared experience. The audience means as much to the artist as the artist does to the audience.
Despite the tables, food is not served at the Vanguard, making the experience of catching a show as exclusively about the music as possible. Drinks, however, are served (there is a one-drink minimum), so go thirsty, but do not go hungry. (Photo courtesy of the Village Vanguard)
A sucker for jazz lore and legend, I asked Deborah if any musicians had ever caused a scene or were kicked out or banned from playing there.
“Mingus!”Deborah said without a moment’s hesitation.
I can’t say that I was entirely surprised by her answer as Charles Mingus was a notoriously mercurial, occasionally violent musician, earning himself the nickname “the angry man of jazz.” Stories abound of him chastising musicians on the bandstand as well as people in the audience.
“My father used to recount the story of when Mingus decided to redecorate the place, which entailed tearing the front door off the hinges and throwing it down the stairs. He wasn’t invited back for a long time after that.”
Legendary bassist Charles Mingus once took it upon himself to “redecorate” the Vanguard by tearing the door off its hinges and throwing it down the stairs. (Photo courtesy of David Redfern/Redferns via GettyImages)
Deborah, however, was quick to add that most jazz musicians “are the most harmonious, interesting people that you can hope to meet.” This, too, was not surprising to hear.
Ghosts
The air inside the Vanguard is full of them. A romantic notion, perhaps, but because the room is essentially a vacuum, one can imagine that the same air, the same sound particles, have been circulating within the club for 85 years, as they have nowhere else to go. The most enchanting thing about the Village Vanguard, to me at least, are the ghosts.