California passes transgender bill

California has become the first US state to protect the rights of transgender people. The law will require all public schools to allow pupils from kindergarten to the 12th grade to have access to either male or female toilets depending on their liking. The law further allows transgender schoolchildren to play girl’s or boy’s sports. Legislators in support of the bill think it will minimize bullying and discrimination.

Other states like Massachusetts and Connecticut have policies giving the same protections, but California is the first to ratify and pass them into law.

After the passing of the bill, State Assembly Speaker John Perez said, they had distinguished themselves as transgender activists and that it put "California at the forefront of leadership on transgender rights".

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Spain’s most ponderous baby born without Ceasar

Maxime Marin a 40 year British woman yesterday Wednesday gave birth normally to a 6.2 kg giant baby- Maria Lorena. Doctors described the delivery as "uncomplicated" at the Marina Salud Hospital in Denia, Alicante.

Marin stays in Spain with her Colombian spouse and says although she knew the baby girl would be big, she never dreamt of that size. It is interesting that Marin did not need an epidural to assist her deliver the baby.

The hospital authorities said both the mother and the baby were doing well, although the infant remain monitored in the neonatal care unit.

Senior obstetrics and gynaecologist, Dr Javier Rius, said in his 40-year professional career he had never come across or known of any case of a birth of a baby that size born by natural childbirth.

It is not uncommon that larger babies are often delivered by Caesar.

AFP news agency reported that Marin's other three children all weighed at least 4.5kg at birth.

There are other record births known to have been recorded. The Guinness Book of World Record indicates that the world’s most cumbersome baby was born in Canada in 1879. The baby weighed 10.5 kg but died shortly after birth. Both the baby’s parents were giants. In 2005 in Brazil, a woman gave birth to a baby boy weighing 8kg by Caesar. Lastly, in March 2013, George King turned out to be UK's second biggest natural born baby weighing 7kg.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world

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Obama to snubs Putin meeting over Snowden asylum

Information from white house has said, US President Barack Obama will not meet his Russian counterpart Vladmir Putin following Russian decision to grant asylum to US former intelligence worker Edward Snowden. The statement continued to say that Mr Obama will however, still attend the G20 economic summit in St Petersburg.

The decision to snub the one-one meeting with Mr. Putin was made during Obama’s trip to Los Angeles where he said he was disappointed with Russia’s decision to grant Snowden asylum for one year.  Mr Snowden's asylum is said to have deepened the pre-existing tension between the two counties according to White House Aide.

The former CIA worker admitted revealing the surreptitious US surveillance programme in June to the Guardian and Washington Post newspapers. The documents and details released indicated that the US government through NSA programmes gathers data on telephone calls, social media and emails.

After leaking the information, Mr Snowden fled the US, to Hong Kong, and later to Russia. He was kept at Moscow Air port in a transit area as the US asked other countries to deport him. On Thursday 1/08, his lawyer said Mr Snowden had been granted asylum to stay in year for a year.

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Two year old who was best man at parents wedding dies

Logan with mother on day of wedding

Logan Stevenson was born in 2010 and shortly after diagnosed to have leukaemia. Since then he has undergone several operations till this year when doctors declared that he would only live a few days. The doctors’ bad news forced his parents, Christine Swidorsky and Sean Stevenson to move their wedding forward from next July to just last Saturday. The wedding happened when the Pennsylvanian toddler remained with 7-14 weeks to live.

Christine wrote on her Facebook page that Logan had passed away in her arms on Monday. The message said that Sean and Christine had held him all day and he looked comfortable with his medication and then at 8:18 their son took his last breath in Christine’s arms.

on the Wedding day Logan, who looked weak, wore a  suit and orange shirt as his mother carried him down the aisle. He constantly rested his head on the shoulders of his mother. He was later lifted by his grandmother along with his bear.

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Bush undergoes heart operation

George W Bush Junior, former president of the United States of America has been operated following a blockage in the artery. Mr Bush had who was operated on, Tuesday morning, was discovered to have had the blockage as he went on a regular health check-up.

The former leader said to be recovering without any difficulty will be discharged on Wednesday according to his spokesman. A statement from the 67 old said that President Bush is in high spirits, eager to return home tomorrow and resume his normal schedule on Thursday".

After his term of office, Mr Bush has kept a low profile leaving a private life with a few public appearances. He is said to be living in Dallas, Texas with his family.

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Senators McCain and Lindsay to meet military backed government and Morsi camp

Two U.S. Republicans senators John McCain and Lindsay Graham traveled to Egypt on Tuesday morning to play a mediator role between interim government and deposed president Morsi side in a bid to end the 35 days of mayhem. The duo is expected to meet with government officials today and with the Muslim Brotherhood at an unknown time and location.

Country wide protests ensued after the removal of their democratically elected leader and Islamist Mr Morsi was ousted by the country’s military. Morsi becames Egypt’s first democratically elected president in June 2012 after protests which saw the removal of Hosni Mubarak. Just a year after ascendance on the presidency, Mr. Morsi’s support started dwindling as many people accused him of trying to establish an Islamic state and trying to accumulate absolute powers. Country wide demonstrations were fomented leading to thousands of people crowding cities including Cairo. The army engaged Morsi and encouraged him to negotiate with his opponents a suggestion he rejected. After the ultimatum the army seized his palace and arrested him, declared the presidency vacant.

That's when the military intervened, imposing on them an interim president and cabinet, who are to pave way for new elections. Shortly after, morsi’s supporters took to the streets demanding his re-instating. They say the military stole their vote by removing a democratically elected president.

Clashes between the military and pro-Morsi sides began and have left more than 200 killed. Activists group and human rights groups have blame the military of using excessive force on unarmed protesters.

Why the US?

The US have great interest in Egypt given that it is among the only two countries in the middle east made peace deals with Israel. The US has never pronounced the removal of Morsi a coup as that would have implications including cutting the aid they give the country. Egypt gets aid worth $1.3 annually including military help from Washington. The US would not want Egypt to become a failed state and thus would do anything to ensure that sanity prevails.

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50 cent charged with domestic violence and vandalism in Los Angeles court

50 cent with Joy

Singer 50 Cent aka Curtis Jackson was on Monday charged with one count of domestic violence and four others on vandalism on Monday where he entered a not guilty plea to the charges in a Los Angeles County court Monday according to CNN.com.

50 cent is accused by former girlfriend and mother of his son, model actress Daphne Joy of kicking her and turning upside down the bed room during an argument at her home in the neighborhood of Los Angeles on 23, June according to prosecution.   It is also alleged that Jackson Curtis caused a $7,100 damage to property and freed the scene just before police arrived. The candy shop singer is said  to have broken into Joy’s bedroom and kicked her several times after an argument.    

 The 37-year-old artist -- whose real name is Curtis Jackson -- was ordered to return to the Van Nuys, California, courtroom on September 4 for a pretrial hearing for one count of domestic violence and four counts of vandalism, according to a court spokeswoman.

According to prosecution, broken chandeliers and furniture throughout the home were found by police scattered in Joy’s house. The bedroom closet had been ransacked, with clothes littered all over the floor. Also in the sitting room was a broken television and lamp. .

If found guilty of all five counts, the 37 old would face up to five years in jail and paying fines worth $46,000. Our efforts to reach Curtis Jackson were futile as he declined to comment of the matter.

Meanwhile Daphne Joy and Curtis Jackson have been together for a few years in an exclusive relationship according to her lawyer's statement said. "They had a child and now Daphne's No. 1 priority is to ensure both her and the baby's safety during this difficult time. We also hope everyone will respect her and the baby's privacy." The statement added.

Source: CNN.com

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Snowden Leak: US government through NSA can spy on anybody using internet.

 

red dots indicate the sites

According to a story exposed by the Guardian on Wednesday, the US’s National Security Agency uses a program called Xkeyscore which tracks and makes available everything one has ever done on the internet including; searches, browsing history, content of your emails, social platforms, online chats and your metadata with much ease.

A revelation by XKeyscore training materials, provided by Snowden to The Guardian indicates that using XKeyscore they are able to scan through all the database of your information without your authorization, no court clearance, and no warrant.

The program user just completes a simple form with some little information about you, and your online history exposed.

The training guide provided by Snowden avers XKeyscore was instrumental in capturing 300 terrorists by 2008. The materials were dated 2010 but with the speed at which technology is changing, the program may have become even much more sophiscated.

When reached out for a comment, the NSA for comment, the organization defended their program, emphasizing that it was used legally to obtain information about "legitimate foreign intelligence targets in response to requirements that our leaders need for information necessary to protect our nation and its interests."

"XKeyscore is used as a part of NSA's lawful foreign signals intelligence collection system," the agency said in its response. "Allegations of widespread, unchecked analyst access to NSA collection data are simply not true. Access to XKeyscore, as well as all of NSA's analytic tools, is limited to only those personnel who require access for their assigned tasks.

"In addition, there are multiple technical, manual and supervisory checks and balances within the system to prevent deliberate misuse from occurring. Every search by an NSA analyst is fully auditable, to ensure that they are proper and within the law. These types of programs allow us to collect the information that enables us to perform our missions successfully -- to defend the nation and to protect U.S. and allied troops abroad."

XKeyscore discovery to the public comes after  PRISM, an extremely divisive surveillance program that said to allow security agency to access the servers of major Internet organizations including Facebook, Google, Apple, Microsoft, Yahoo, YouTube and Skype, among others.

Therefore watch out on everything that you do on the internet well knowing that someone unauthorized is watching on you.

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Berlusconi loses tax fraud final appeal faces one year in Jail

Supreme Court in Italy has maintained a prison sentence given to former Prime Minister Silvio Burlusconi for hedging of tax. In the case it was alleged that Berlusconi's media empire had inflated the price it paid for film distribution rights to with an intention of avoiding taxes.

Following his conviction last October, Mr Berlusconi was sentenced to four years but they were reduced to one year under the pardon law of 2006. He appealed against the sentence and the five-year office ban out of all the 30 counts. Other appeals which are pending in other convicted cases include; arranging for a police wiretap to be leaked, having paid for sex with an underage prostitute and published in a newspaper.

Given his advanced age of 76, he faces either community service or house arrest. However, being a senate member the former PM enjoys the immunity of arrest. Berlusconi was also banned from holding any public office for at least five years a decision which he strongly opposes.

The multi-billionaire however, has hope as the court ordered a reexamination of a five-year ban for holding any public office. The review of the five-year ban will permit Mr Berlusconi to maintain his senatorial seat and to stay leader of centre-right People of Freedom Party.

After the ruling, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano urged the country to stay calm saying: "The country needs to rediscover serenity and cohesion on vitally important institutional matters which have for too long seen it divided and unable to enact reforms”.

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Uruguay passes marijuana bill

House of representative majority members has passed a bill legalizing the use of marijuana. The controversial bill was first presented last year by Defence Minister Eleuterio Fernandez Huidobro. It was passed by 50 lower house members out of the 96 MPs following a heated 13 hour long debate. The bill was also backed by the president and his government. Mr. Jose Mujica the president says “the measure will remove profits from drug dealers and also divert users from using harder drugs”. 

Other supporters of the measure argue that the fight against drug trafficking had become futile and the country had to devise alternative. Most of the backers belong to the ruling centre-left Frente Amplio coalition which dominates the parliament.

Uruguay is set to become the first country to legalize, control the production and distribution and sale of marijuana. If approved only the government would have the mandate to sell marijuana.

Under the arrangement, buyers above 18 will have to be registered in a database and would be limited to buy from licensed pharmacies up to 40 g each month and to grow a maximum of six plants at home. The measure excludes foreigners.

The bill was passed amid criticism from foreign powers and clerics. Recently the pope on his visit to Brazil appealed to Uruguay not to legalize what he called trading death.

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Manning to know fate by next week

Bradley Manning will know his sentence in the coming days after his sentence hearing commenced today Wednesday. Some laws experts have alluded that the 20 charges he is convicted of may earn him close to 136 years. Manning was yesterday not found guilty of aiding the enemy but pleaded guilty to 20 other charges including larceny and espionage.

the 25 year old was convicted of stealing classified information totaling 700 files among which were diplomatic cables, southern command and Afghanistan records. He is said to have leaked the information to Wikileaks which has never accepted or rejected that he was their source. The military also accused him of jeopardizing Americans, asserting that similar content had been recovered from Osama bin Laden's compound.

Prosecution however, failed to prove that Manning intended to serve al Qaeda the material and therefore the juror said he did not aid the enemy. In defense manning said he just wanted to inform the public what the US government was doing.

Mr. Assange backed him while talking to the media on Tuesday lambasting the convictions on the 20 counts saying “it was a dangerous precedent and an example of national security extremism." Assange implied that it would encourage cover-ups. Assange joined civil rights organizations that also condemned the convictions and eulogized Manning calling him a hero of free speech

  

Each of the convicted charges carries a maximum sentence of 10 years each in Jail. However, the Judge has the discretion to lighten or tighten the sentence for him.  There is even a possibility of him serving all time concurrently giving him to serve a total of 10 years.  

The former intelligence operative has already been incarcerated for three years.

Manning was convicted of stealing classified information and videos -- more than 700 U.S. Southern Command records, records pertaining to Afghanistan, State Department cables and classified Army documents.

Then he leaked them for publication on the Internet.

Authorities say he delivered three-quarters of a million pages of classified documents to the secret-sharing site WikiLeaks, which has never confirmed the soldier was the source of its information

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Heat wave devastates china's provinces-Hangzhou city is hottest city in China

At least 10 people have been confirmed dead from heatstroke in Shanghai city, as china continues to experience a scotching heat wave, reports say. The elderly, children are the most hit categories of people. In china the youth tend to travel to cities leaving their elderly parents in villages with no help. the government recently passed a law forcing the children to visit and care for their parents.

Nine provinces have been severely affected leading to a national heat alert. The Chinese authority declared the provinces which include; Anhui, Chongqing, Jiangsu, Hunan, Hubei and Shanghai. All the nine have had their temperatures sustained above 35⁰C in the month of July.

According to Shanghai’s chief service officer Mr Wu Rui, It is in July of this year that Shanghai city reached 40.6 degrees Celsius the highest temperature ever in its records. The heat is too much that plants have started wilting, soil cracking and leaves falling off trees.  

The public have been urged to take protective measures and avoid open-air activities.

There are other affected cities with Hangzhou city being China’s most sizzling city. The city recorded more than 400C for 6 consecutive days which is believed to be the hottest time ever recorded since the 50s when they started recording temperature.  Many people have been seen carrying umbrellas to shield them from direct heat from the sun. Also many abandon their houses during day to seek shelter from the cave by the mountain where it is 220C. Other places with air conditioners like libraries are getting more visitors. Reports from Hangzhou Library indicate that on Sunday it surpassed 2000 visitors, a number which is thrice their average number of visitors.  Although Hangzhou swanks of being heaven on earth due to their beautiful sceneries reports indicate that the number of tourists has significantly reduced.

According to most people it is impossible to for one leave in their house without air conditioners.

The authorities are now considering inducing artificial rain to cool the hot weather.

Meanwhile the heat wave which struck south Eastern Europe has also continued to for some time. The sternly affected countries are Hungary, Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria and form the nucleus of the heat. Temperatures in the affected areas have ranged between 10-20 degrees higher than normal.

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Spain train crash-The phone caused it all

It has emerged that the embattled driver of the Spanish train which derailed near Santiago de Compestela in northwestern Spain last week, killing 80 passenger pilgrims was on talking on phone, information from data recorders suggest. On Tuesday the Spanish court hearing the train crash case has announced that the 52 old was receiving instructions from his bosses while driving at double the recommended speed when the tragedy occurred. The train derailed when negotiating a curve between Madrid and Ferrol. It is said many of the passengers were pilgrims who had travelled to attend the St James festival.

The court said that Mr. Garzon received a call from one of Renfe staff members giving him instructions as he neared the bend. The statement further added that there was background noise which indicates that he was shuffling papers. According to Renfe spokeswoman, in their company both the command and control posts may exchange a few words with drivers at any time during a journey. She added that when the official phones are not working well the drivers are obliged to use their cell-phones. The revelation by the spokeswoman had left many flabbergasted especially in countries where it is illegal to talk on phone while driving.

Experts say the driver should have started applying brakes 2 to 3 miles before the curve. However reports indicate that he started braking minutes before the crash and that he was still on phone when the cabins left the tracks.

Mr. Francisco Jose Garzon, who survived with minor injuries was taken for questioning and later charged with 79 homicide related counts early this week were he admitted his recklessness. His travel documents together with his driving license have since been confiscated and he was ordered not to drive any sort of vehicle for six months.

Meanwhile on Monday a large memorial mass was held in remembrance of the victims at a Catholic cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. Spain government officials and the royal family attended. Among the dead were 63 Spanish and others from Europe, US and Latin America United States.

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Swiss train head-on collision leaves one dead and dozens injured

Two passenger trains collided head on the evening of Monday in western Switzerland leaving several nursing wounds reports from officials say. The crash happened at 06:45 p.m. about 8 km south of Payerne in western Switzerland. One died on spot and at least 41 people were injured from with five critical cases. Information on which train suffered more causalities and exact figures about the number of passengers and the respective crews are not known. The cause of the accident is yet to be established. Schaerli said that the authorities did not have any information concerning the cause of the accident. He added that the two trains were on a road between payerne and Lausanne city when the incident happened. The train heads merged becoming inseparable and causing some occupants to be recovered from that which was not carrying them according to emergency workers.  Meanwhile one of the drivers of the collided trains went missing until when he was recovered from the wreckage according to police. An autopsy has been ordered to identify the identity of the fallen driver.  Search crews are busy trying to force open the trains wrecked cab in a bid to find his way about. Traffic has been halted on the affected route until at least mid night said Schaerli.

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Pope okays homosexual orientation

Pope Francis told reporters after flying back to Vatican that the Roman Catholic Church condemns homosexuality but not homosexual orientation. The pontiff was reacting t questions raised by curious reporters who sought the stand of the Catholic Church on some contentious issues. He asked, "If a person is gay and seeks God and has good will, who I to judge him am?"

He also reaffirmed that he wanted women to have a greater role Church, but ruled out their role as priests.

The Pope was from his first foreign trip where he spent a week touring Brazil.  He crowned the journey with a colossal gathering on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro for the World Catholic Youth festival where close to 3 million people were in attendance.

The pope’s soft remarks on gay people sharply contrast those of his predecessor Pope emeritus Benedict the XVI. To some they are seen as much more conciliatory than harsh. In 2005, Pope Benedict XVI issued a document in which he categorically stated that men with entrenched homosexual propensities should never be priests.

Pope Francis on the contrary says priests with gay tendencies should be forgiven and their iniquities forgotten.

Reacting on the controversial issues:

The pope while he referred to the said, “Pope Francis said in a wide-ranging 80-minute long interview with Vatican journalists.

The pope while talking to journalists in an interview lasting for 80 minutes said the Catechism of the Catholic Church is very clear. "It says they should not be marginalized because of this but that they must be integrated into society." He quoted

The pope however, condemned what he referred to as lobbying by gay people.

He said "The problem is not having this orientation,". "We must be brothers. The problem is lobbying by this orientation, or lobbies of greedy people, political lobbies, Masonic lobbies, so many lobbies. This is the worse problem."

Concerning women role in church, he said: "We cannot limit the role of women in the Church to altar girls or the president of a charity, there must be more.

"But with regards to the ordination of women, the Church has spoken and says no... That door is closed."

About the Vatican bank, he said the institution has to become "honest and transparent". He further said: "I don't know what will become of the bank. Some say it is better that is a bank, others that it should be a charitable fund and others say close it," he said.

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Large funeral to be held for Spain train victims

remains of the train

A large funeral service will be held in the city of Santiago de Compostela near the site of the train crash. Several dignitaries will attend including the Prime minster Marian Rajoy and members of the royal family. Three days of national mourning were declared after the crash and the funeral service will be the climax of the period.
Several other services are expected in the US and Canada which had their folks on board.

The accident left 80 people dead and several injured. The 70 injured are still admitted in hospitals with 22 in critical condition. The tragedy shocked many and led to cancellation of the St James festivities.

Meanwhile the embattled driver if the train that crashed, Francisco Jose Garzon Amo was released from detention on Sunday. He was charged with several homicide charges. The driver sustained minor injuries and was since arrested and questioned by both Police and the judge responsible.

Driver questioned

Francisco Jose Garzon Amo, aged 52, was presented in court handcuffed on Sunday morning. He was quizzed behind closed doors for close to two hours by Judge Luis Alaez.

Train driver dragged by Police cops

A court statement released indicated that, he had been released pending further investigations but must report in court weekly. He is also not allowed to leave Spain without permission the statement added.

He surrendered both his passport has and his driving permit momentarily revoked.

Officials had earlier indicated that the Spanish driver had admitted negligence by being careless when rounding a curve too fast. It has also been suggested the train was travelling at 190 km/h as he rounded the bend, a speed that was more than double the limit.

All the cabins went off the track in one of the worst train accidents in Spain.

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Pope closed week-long world youth celebrations in Brazil

Pope Francis has closed the Catholic world youth celebrations on Copacabana beach in Brazil, with a call for faithful to get out of church and serve. The pontiff made his first foreign trip since becoming pope, amid reports of dwindling numbers of professed Catholics in Brazil from 90 to 65%.

More than 3 million people are estimated to have participated physically for the service on Copacabana beach in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The festivities were earlier shifted to the beach due to muddy conditions in the organized areas.

Several pilgrims are said to have slept on the beach after attending an all-night vigil, also led by the pope. Sunday was the end of the pontiff’s five-working day visit to Brazil.

Most of the people in attendance were youth who came from different parts of the globe to celebrate and see their leader. Both the vigil and the last Sunday mass attracted the biggest crowd ever of its kind in the Catholic history and to Copacabana beach.  The occasion saw rock concerts, New year celebrations and several sports events.

Pope Francis tasked young Catholics to get out of their limited boundaries in to reach out to others. In his words the pontiff said “Go and don't be afraid of serving”.

“Jesus did not gather the Apostles so they lived in isolation. He called them so they formed a group, a community," he added.

At the same occasion the pope announced that the next Catholic youth celebration would be held in Poland at Krakow in 2016. The date coincides with the 10^th anniversary for Pope John Paul the II

The pope flew back to the holy city on Sunday.

Demonstration

Meanwhile female activists demonstrated nearby in support of abortion and their human rights, they particularly wore T-shirts portraying the message. The pope did not directly talk about the scandals in the Catholic Church but rather talked about inefficiency leaving many unsatisfied. Also many think the pontiff has not boldly attacked the problems in the church since he has changed any of the accused priests.

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Scores die in bus accident in Italy

A bus carrying pilgrims hit several cars before going off a bridge and smashing and toppling down about 100 feet a slope in Campania region near the town of Avellino in Italy.  The coach was carrying pilgrims back to Napel from a catholic shrine the Padre Pio shrine in San Giovanni Rotondo, over the weekend when the tragedy happened. Reports indicate that several people have died while at least 12 people have been hospitalized with serious injuries. The driver of the bus is said to be among the dead as the cause of the accident remains unclear. Italian officials have said that children were among the dead.

Although there conflicting reports concerning the actual number of deaths, our sources have told us that 37 seven bodies have been recovered from the wreckage according to Pasquale Picone, a police official in Avellino. “However, more bodies could be found in the wreckage”, Picone said. The actual number of pilgrims who were in the bus is not known though some reports have suggested that they ranged from 40 to 50.

Photos and Tv footage showed a severely damaged bus laying on one side surrounded by dead bodies which were being covered in white sheets.

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More than 50 suspected Mafias arrested in Italy

The Italian police launched an operation to root out mafias near in Ostia a costal suburb near Rome and in the Southern Calabria region which are hotspots for mafia crime. Backed by a helicopter, dog units and patrol boats about 500 police officers mounted the search.

Three organized crime clans are being targeted which include; Fasciani, Triassi and D'Agati clans. The trio are said to be dominating organized crime for years. The activities of the three Mafiosi clans have been monitored for several months even as they plotted to carry out their fatal attacks.  

The operation has been described by Corriere della Sera as a deadly blow delivered to the cartel. Police had been able to monitor the mafiosi not only as they met to settle disputes and divide up territory, but also as they planned murders, Italian media report.

Politicians and professionals investigated

Meanwhile the operation in the south as seen up to 65 professionals arrested. Among the arrested are doctors and lawyers in the township of Lamezia Terme according to reports.

Members of  PdL party have been linked to the notorious cartels. Former Senator Piero Aiello and Gianpaolo Bevilacqua a former provincial councillor for the PdL, are also under investigation. They are said to be under investigation due to allegations linking him to the cabals.

According to police, the operation has led to seizure of 200m euros worth of assets from five businessmen, suspected of funding the Giampa clan of the Calabria-based 'Ndrangheta crime network.

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Spain is in mourning over the death of 80 people killed in a high-speed train crash on Wednesday.

Spain has declared three days of national mourning over the tragic train accident which claimed up to 80 people near Santiago de Compostela station at 08:41 p.m. local time (18:41 GMT) on Wednesday. The accident is said to be one of its worst ever rail disasters. At least 130 people were taken to hospital after the accident, and 95 are still being treated, health officials say.

Reports say the tragedy involved many nationalities including Americans and British and at least one American was confirmed dead. The train is said to have been carrying some pilgrims who were to attend the st. James memorial.

Footage has been released showing the moment the train derailed as it entered a bend in northwestern Spain on Wednesday. The train was carrying 218 passengers when the tragedy occurred. More than 90 passengers remain in hospital, including at least 30 in critical condition.

The Spanish government is looking at all possible causes of the accident. However, in a radio broadcast, the Secretary of State for Transport, Rafael Catala, has said “early indications suggested the train had been going too fast”.

The train's black box has so far been recovered and is now with the judge in charge of the investigation.

Driver quizzed

Meanwhile the train driver (Francisco Jose Garzon Amo), who sustained minor injuries, has been interrogated and told police the train was too fast when it entered the bend too fast. Francisco Jose Garzon Amo is currently admitted with minor injuries under the watchful eye of the guard in hospital.

Earlier reports from eye witnesses indicated that the train was travelling at more than double the speed limit at the time of the crash.

The spokes person for the railway said “The driver has worked for the company for the last 30 years, a spokesman for the railway”.  In 2000, the driver started working as a train driver assistant, and in 2003 began working as a train driver, a job the driver has held since.

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