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KIEV, Ukraine — Ending their occupation of City Hall in Kiev, Ukrainian protesters withdrew from the large granite building on Sunday — but then quickly threatened to take it back if the authorities did not immediately fulfill a pledge to drop all criminal charges against political activists.

The departure from the building in the capital after more than two months eased tensions — temporarily, at least — in the standoff between protesters and President Viktor F. Yanukovych, who set off the country’s tumultuous political crisis in November by spurning a trade deal with the European Union and tilting Ukraine, a former Soviet republic of 46 million people, toward Russia instead.

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In a statement from Brussels, Catherine Ashton, the European Union’s foreign policy chief, welcomed the evacuation of City Hall as evidence that, after weeks of demands and counterdemands by each side, “several important steps have been undertaken during the last few days to de-escalate the situation in Ukraine, thus contributing to a Ukrainian way from the current political crisis.”

Protesters removed a barricade Sunday in Kiev. Sergey Dolzhenko/European Pressphoto Agency

At the same time, however, tens of thousands of people poured into Independence Square in Kiev on Sunday to join a boisterous but peaceful antigovernment rally that featured speeches denouncing Mr. Yanukovych’s “bandit regime” and calling for his swift resignation.

How far both sides were willing to go toward a more enduring truce or even a settlement might become clearer on Tuesday, when Parliament reconvenes and Mr. Yanukovych might present a new candidate for prime minister to fill a post vacant since the last prime minister resigned, in January.

Arseniy P. Yatsenyuk, an opposition leader who last month rejected an offer from Mr. Yanukovych to take the post, said at the rally on Sunday that the roughly 2,000 criminal cases against protesters must be closed.

In an interview posted on the website of the Ukrainian weekly Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, Yulia V. Tymoshenko, a former prime minister and opposition leader jailed after Mr. Yanukovych defeated her in the 2010 election, said that she was willing to take part in negotiations to end the crisis but added that “the only topic” up for discussion was the manner of the president’s resignation, including “guarantees for the protection of his family.”

Barricades erected around Independence Square to fend off a possible attack by the riot police remained in place on Sunday, guarded by masked young men carrying homemade shields and wooden clubs. Located inside an area of central Kiev blocked off by barriers, City Hall, although no longer crammed with protesters, remained beyond the reach of the authorities.

But in a sign that neither side wants to return to the violent clashes that killed at least three protesters last month, the police pulled back from barricades on Hrushevsky Street, the soot-smeared scene of the worst violence, and protesters cleared a narrow passageway for vehicles to pass through tangled mounds of garbage, rubber tires, sandbags and ice. A line of masked men in helmets, however, blocked all traffic and pedestrians.

Many of the protesters who left City Hall on Sunday said they disagreed with the decision to vacate the building. The decision had been made by opposition leaders as part of an amnesty deal with the authorities aimed at defusing a crisis that a former Ukrainian president, Leonid M. Kravchuk, said last month had pushed the country to “the brink of civil war.” The government has agreed to drop all criminal charges against protesters, more than 200 of whom were freed from detention on Friday, although they remain under investigation.

Bogdan Burtnuk, an activist from western Ukraine who joined the occupation of City Hall in December, said he thought it was a mistake to leave before “they release and clear all our hostages,” meaning that the freed detainees possibly still faced criminal charges. The agreement to vacate the building was strongly supported by Svoboda, a nationalist political party that is at odds with more hard-line forces like Right Sector, a coalition of militant groups that has said that Mr. Yanukovych’s resignation is a condition for any political settlement.

The evacuation of the building was monitored by the Swiss ambassador in Kiev; Switzerland holds the rotating presidency of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a Vienna-based organization that is working to defuse tensions in Ukraine.

Switzerland’s foreign minister, Didier Burkhalter, said in a statement from Bern that the decision to vacate the building — which was covered in graffiti declaring it the “headquarters of the revolution” — was a “positive development,” and he urged “all sides to remain fully engaged in efforts to reach necessary compromises in a broad and inclusive political dialogue.”

But deep suspicion remained on both sides. Scores of young men in camouflage fatigues who pulled out of City Hall early Sunday later returned to the building, gathering in a militarylike formation outside and vowing to retake it if Ukraine’s prosecutor general did not sign a formal order lifting all charges.

“We do not trust them,” said the group’s commander, who identified himself only as Andriy.

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NYT > International Home

Ukrainian Protesters End Occupation of Kiev’s City Hall

Thursday, January 9, 2014

Sportswriter Who Let Readers Fill Out Hall Of Fame Ballot Is Banned

After it was revealed that he used his Baseball Hall of Fame voter ballot to pass along the suggestions of readers of the sports site Deadspin, Dan Le Batard has been stripped of his membership in the Baseball Writers Association of America. He is also banned from all future Hall of Fame votes.

Le Batard is a columnist for The Miami Herald who is also on ESPN radio and TV. He said Thursday that he worked with Deadspin to turn his ballot over to sports fans for many reasons, emphasizing a need for reform in Hall of Fame voting.

After initially announcing on Twitter that he could not attend a baseball game with a media credential for one year as part of the punishment, Le Batard corrected that, saying he “can be credentialed but can’t vote on awards and my card revoked for constitutional max of one year.”

In a statement released Thursday, BBWAA President La Velle E. Neal III wrote:

“The BBWAA Board of Directors has decided to remove Dan Le Batard’s membership for one year, for transferring his Hall of Fame ballot to an entity that has not earned voting status. The punishment is allowed under the organization’s constitution.

“In addition, Le Batard will not be allowed to vote on Hall of Fame candidates from this point on.

“The BBWAA regards Hall of Fame voting as the ultimate privilege, and any abuse of that privilege is unacceptable.”

After the Hall of Fame voting results were announced Wednesday, Deadspin published an account in which it said its readers’ choices were similar to the official picks, with Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine, and Frank Thomas at the top of the list. Those three players were voted into the hall Wednesday, as The Two-Way reported.

Deadspin called Le Batard “the voter who joined us in making a farce and mockery of the increasingly solemn election process by turning his vote over to you, the readers.”

In the same post, the columnist said he could face a ban for his act, for which he received no compensation, according to Deadspin. He also said he had many reasons for risking it — and that he didn’t regret letting the readers choose for him.

“I happen to agree with most of the reader selections,” Le Batard wrote. “I was afraid you guys were going to have me voting for Jacque Jones and no one else.”

News

Sportswriter Who Let Readers Fill Out Hall Of Fame Ballot Is Banned

Friday, September 13, 2013

Steven Greer locks audience in lecture hall; bars doors, nobody in or out.

posted on Sep, 13 2013 @ 09:15 AM

The paranoid antics of Steven Greer have reached new levels. Steven Greer apparently had his group of bodyguards lock the auditorium doors and didn’t allow attendees to go in or out during his recent talk at the ‘Contact in the Desert’ 2013 UFO conference in Joshua Tree, California. He claimed that this was for security purposes. Greer has been pulling this stunt now for a while of hiring bodyguards to follow him around because he claims that some shadowy aspect of MJ-12 wants to eliminate him.

Two other incidents where Greer has been known to employ body guards are at the recent Citizen Hearing on Disclosure and at the Barcelona Exopolitics summit in 2009. Then he also has that Emery Smith character follow him around with a gun. He was arrested for having a fire arm at the National UFO Congress a little while back. (UFO Congress is held on tribal land in Arizona). David Wilcock has apparently jumped on this sideshow bandwagon and has hired security guards to follow him around as well. But this might be the first time that Greer’s antics might have put other people at serious risk. Locking doors like that is a serious fire code violation not to mention holding somebody against their will which constitutes false imprisonment.

This is just unreal, are these guys just delusional paranoids who have created a cult following or are they just hucksters trying to make a lot of money?

William Describes a Bizarre Horror Show at a UFO Conference

AboveTopSecret.com New Topics

Steven Greer locks audience in lecture hall; bars doors, nobody in or out.

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Fireworks: Man At McCain Town Hall Tells Him "I"d Have You Arrested For Treason"

On Friday, a man attending a town hall hosted by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in Prescott confronted the senator and told him he should be arrested and charged with treason for supporting al Qaeda in Syria.

“We the people want you to be representative of the people and for this great nation, but for far too long now on the rest of Congress, including the executive branch of government, along with the judicial and legislative have turned your back on the American people and their core values and principles. I can say with great confidence and speak on behalf of all Americans that your actions against this country are treasonous. All of you — against the will of the American people — have aided and abetted the enemy,” said the town hall attendee.

“You and the rest of Congress, including the president of the United States have went against the will your people in Syria regardless of your position and vote, whether it is a yes or no is still a political smokescreen,” the town hall attendee said to an irritated McCain. “I believe wholeheartedly you do not care about the will and well-being of America or its people. You lied the American people about the chemical attacks in Syria. The American people know that it was our government that is most likely responsible. There is strong evidence, including video, that these attacks were carried out by al Qaeda and you advocate starting a war, even maybe World War, by taking the same attack and blaming it on Assad.”

“You swore an oath to protect us from all enemies, both foreign and domestic,” he said. “The simple irony is that the domestic enemy, now in this country, is the people in government, the Untied States. And McCain, you and the rest of the leaders are accountable for their actions. It is too bad that someone like me is not in office to hold you accountable. Because if I was in a position of power or authority, I would have you all arrested and tried for treason against my country.”

“If you and the rest of this government are truly for the American people and representatives of us, I suggest this time you listen because nobody wants another war or strike in Syria or anywhere else,” he said.

“I am truly disgusted that you people are my leaders,” the man concluded. He was met with a mix of boos and cheers.

RealClearPolitics Video Log

Fireworks: Man At McCain Town Hall Tells Him "I"d Have You Arrested For Treason"

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Town hall suspect "snapped"

The father of the man accused of killing three people and injuring two others during a shooting at a town meeting claims his son was pushed to the breaking point by town officials.

Rockne Newell, 59, allegedly used a Ruger Mini-14 rifle to blast a barrage of gunfire through a wall into a municipal building during a town meeting Monday night in Ross Township, about 85 miles north of Philadelphia. He then allegedly entered the room and shot a supervisor and four residents, two of whom survived.

Newell then retreated to the car and picked up a revolver, authorities said. When he returned to the meeting room, the 5-foot-10, 240-pound suspect was tackled by two men and shot in the leg during the scuffle, officials said. He was then taken to the hospital before being placed in police custody, according to officials.

“I wish I killed more of them!” Newell shouted when state Trooper Nicolas De La Iglesia arrived on the scene before 8 p.m., according to the trooper’s affidavit.

While the suspect’s father, Peter Newell, admits his son was the shooter, he also doesn’t blame his son for what he did.

“It’s just a shame that everyone had to die for this,” Peter Newell said. “If they had just left him alone.”

Peter Newell claims his son was harassed by Ross Township officials for 23 years over the condition of his property. Last June, the Pocono Record published an article describing an 18-year fight between the township and Newell over the property, which includes an old camper filled with wooden pallets, a leaning garage close to collapse and a propane tank inside an old dog house.

Township supervisors voted in February 2012 to take legal action against Newell for allegedly violating zoning and sewer regulations. In October, he set up a fundraising page online to try to raise $ 10,000 for legal fees

“Ross Township took me to court & the court ruled I have to vacate my home of 20 years,” Rockne Newell wrote on the page. He said he lived on $ 600 a month in Social Security benefits and had no money to clean his property.

Rockne Newell told the newspaper he was unemployed for years after an injury from a crash and had nowhere else to go.

“They pushed him to the point where he snapped,” Peter Newell said. “I knew this was going to happen.”

Peter Newell claims he warned the Sheriff’s Deputies three weeks ago that his son was going to kill people.

“I told them, ‘people are going to be dying over this because he is just furious,’” Peter Newell said. “They just pushed him into it. It’s no excuse for murder but they pushed him to the point. I’m just telling you what he told me.”

Todd Martin, the Sheriff of Monroe County, denies this however.

“That is totally untrue,” he said. “That is not what he said. There were no threats made whatsoever toward any supervisor or elected official. Threats were made toward us because we are the ones who are responsible for the eviction to be sure people are off the property.”

Martin says Peter Newell should have done a better job of warning authorities about his son’s intentions. He also says state police may question the elder Newell about exactly how much he knew about his son’s alleged plans.

Town hall suspect "snapped"

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Big fire, slow response: Kenya airport hall gutted

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — A massive fire destroyed the arrivals hall at Kenya’s main international airport early Wednesday, forcing the closure of East Africa’s largest airport and the rerouting of all inbound flights.

No injuries were reported, said Michael Kamau, the cabinet secretary for transport and infrastructure.

The fire broke out on the 15th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy bombings in Nairobi and neighboring Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, but there were no immediate signs of terrorism. Kenya’s anti-terror police boss, Boniface Mwaniki, told The Associated Press that he was waiting for the fire to be put out so that he could inspect the scene before making a judgment.

Dark black smoke that shot skyward was visible across much of Nairobi as emergency teams battled the blaze. Passengers reported a slow response by the under-resourced fire brigade, and the blaze raged for four hours before being contained.

“It was huge, the smoke billowing, and it didn’t seem to be stopping,” said Barry Fisher, who had hoped to fly to Ethiopia on Wednesday morning.

The fire gutted the international arrivals hall, where passengers pass through immigration and retrieve their luggage. The Kenya Airports Authority closed Jomo Kenyatta International Airport until further notice.

“We reassure international and local travelers that arrangements are being put in place to restore normal operations. The airlines are working to assist stranded passengers and advise them on the measures being put in place to resume services at JKIA,” said Stephen Gichuki, the director of the Kenyan Airports Authority.

The Nairobi airport is the busiest in East Africa, and its closure is likely to affect flights throughout the region.

Kamau said the fire began at 5 a.m. in the immigration section of the arrivals hall. Inbound flights were diverted to the coastal city of Mombasa.

As in many countries in East Africa, public sector services like police and fire units in Kenya are hobbled by small budgets and outdated or no equipment. Many of the responding units to Wednesday’s fire were from private security firms.

A British passenger, Martyn Collbeck, said he was surprised that the airport wasn’t shut sooner so that emergency vehicles could respond.

“When I arrived there were one or two fire engines parked outside the international arrivals. It spread very fast,” said Collbeck, who had been scheduled to fly back to London on an early morning KLM flight. “There were a couple of explosions which I think were a couple of gas canisters.”

“I would have expected more fire engines to respond faster,” he added.

There may not have been fire engines available to respond. The country’s largest newspaper, The Daily Nation, reported last month that Nairobi County doesn’t have a single working fire engine, and that three fire engines were auctioned off in 2009 because the county hadn’t paid a $ 1,000 repair bill.

“It is a disgrace of biblical proportions that the entire Nairobi County does not have a public fire engine in working condition,” the paper wrote in an editorial last month. “When (government leaders) were debating their budgets, they did not deem it fit to set aside money either to buy new ones or repair the old ones. But they did set aside money to build mansions for governors, (buy) big vehicles for county executives and other needs without a direct benefit to Kenyans.”

The paper said the collapse of the fire department means responses to disasters is in the hands of private companies and the military.

Fisher, a trade specialist who lives in Nairobi, described the scene as chaotic.

“There was no one stopping any traffic going to the road to the airport,” he said. “A number of fire trucks and ambulances were trying to negotiate their way through the lane. … They were trying to weave their way through a solid two lanes of cars.”

Associated Press

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Big fire, slow response: Kenya airport hall gutted

Big fire, slow response: Kenya airport hall gutted

A blaze rages the International arrivals hall at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2013. The Kenya Airports Authority said the Kenya’s main international airport has been closed until further notice so that emergency teams can battle the fire. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)

A traveler with his luggage stands on a sidewalk as the fire rages at the international arrivals unit of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2013. A massive fire engulfed the arrivals hall at Kenya’s main international airport early Wednesday, forcing East Africa’s largest airport to close and the rerouting of all inbound flights. Dark black smoke that billowed skyward was visible across much of Nairobi as emergency teams battled the blaze. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)

A policeman stands guard as a fire engulfs the arrivals hall of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2013. The Kenya Airports Authority said the Kenya’s main international airport has been closed until further notice so that emergency teams can battle the fire. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)

Policemen look at the fire near the international arrivals unit of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2013. A massive fire engulfed the arrivals hall at Kenya’s main international airport early Wednesday, forcing East Africa’s largest airport to close and the rerouting of all inbound flights. Dark black smoke that billowed skyward was visible across much of Nairobi as emergency teams battled the blaze. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)

A policeman stands guard as a fire engulfs the International arrivals hall at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya Wednesday, Aug. 7, 2013. The Kenya Airports Authority said the Kenya’s main international airport has been closed until further notice so that emergency teams can battle the fire. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)

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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) â€” A massive fire destroyed the arrivals hall at Kenya’s main international airport early Wednesday, forcing the closure of East Africa’s largest airport and the rerouting of all inbound flights.