Briefs, October 27, 2012

Putin critic charged with plotting riots

MOSCOW - Russian investigators charged an outspoken opponent of President Vladimir Putin with plotting riots in a case rights activists say is designed to suppress dissent. The federal Investigative Committee formally charged Sergei Udaltsov after questioning him about allegations based on hidden-camera footage broadcast by a pro-Kremlin channel that said it showed him conspiring with a Georgian politician. Udaltsov, who was released after being charged, but faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted, denied the allegations. Reuters

'Frankenstorm' fears over deadly hurricane

MIAMI - Hurricane Sandy lashed the Bahamas with heavy rains and high waves on its path to pound the northeastern US as a powerful "Frankenstorm," after leaving 31 dead in the Caribbean. Forecasters warned the massive hurricane could collide with a seasonal "nor'easter" weather system as it churns northwards parallel to the East Coast before swerving into the mid-Atlantic just east of Washington on Tuesday. The combination of adverse weather conditions could affect the area through Halloween, earning it the ghoulish nickname. Most of Florida was under a tropical storm warning. AFP

Italians rush into street in panic as quake hits

ROME - Panic-stricken residents rushed into the streets fearing building collapses when a 5.3-magnitude earthquake struck a southern Italian province, while an elderly man died from a heart attack. The victim, 84, suffered heart failure when the quake struck Cosenza province. No injuries have been reported, but several buildings have been damaged. A hospital was also evacuated and schools closed as a precaution. The US Geological Survey said the quake struck at a depth of 3.8 kilometres and its epicentre was six kilometres southeast of Mormanno town in the Calabria region. AFP

Iranian pair honoured with EU rights prize

STRASBOURG - Filmmaker Jafar Panahi and rights lawyer Nasrin Sotoudeh won the European Parliament's Sakharov rights prize, lawmakers said. The Iranian pair were chosen for the €50,000 (HK$506,000) award ahead of the jailed members of Russian all-girl punk band Pussy Riot and Belarusian dissident Ales Beliatsky. All of the nominees for the prestigious award, bar Panahi, are now behind bars. Panahi, while free, faces a six-year jail term and has been banned from making more films. Sotoudeh is serving an 11-year sentence. AFP