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Sunday, August 26, 2012

Plane to Moscow diverted after bomb scare

NEW: All the luggage has been cleared, the plane is still being inspectedAuthorities are investigating the bomb threatFlight 103 was safely evacuatedAeroflot says passengers were heading to Moscow later Thursday

(CNN) -- Authorities are investigating a bomb threat made to a Moscow-bound Aeroflot flight that took off from New York Wednesday night and was diverted to Iceland, New York FBI spokesman Peter Donald said.

Authorities informed the airline that the person making the threat said there were "five suitcases on board the plane containing explosives," said Irina Dannenberg, a spokeswoman for the Russian airline.

Flight 103 left the gate at the John F. Kennedy International Airport at 8:05 p.m, but didn't take off until 9:30 p.m., and the threat came about 20 minutes later, according to a law enforcement source with knowledge of the matter.

The plane landed at Iceland's Keflavik International Airport with 253 people on board, including the crew, and all were safely evacuated.

Donald said the aircraft was being swept for explosives, while a police official in Iceland said all the luggage aboard the plane had been checked and cleared. Emergency officials in Iceland were at the scene and they activated a security plan at the airport.

Aeroflot said around 200 passengers were to be flown to Moscow on Thursday. It is not clear whether the plane is the same one that left New York.

CNN's Susan Candiotti, Bharati Naik, Igor Krotov and Alla Eshchenko contributed to this report.

updated 8:05 AM EDT, Thu August 16, 2012

CNN's Ben Wedeman was in Aleppo as the Syrian regime attacked a rebel-controlled hospital from the air.updated 7:28 AM EDT, Thu August 16, 2012

Microsoft's popular Kinect for Xbox 360 has inspired countless ingenious "hacks" to create novel devices.updated 12:13 AM EDT, Thu August 16, 2012

According to a report released by the Enough Project, an advocacy group, metals from the Congo are getting less bloody. updated 4:01 AM EDT, Thu August 16, 2012

42 nations around the world require graphic warning labels on cigarettes -- see some of them here.

CNN's Nic Robertson explains why Saudi Arabia is planning a city exclusively for working women.updated 9:06 AM EDT, Tue August 14, 2012

Fernando Meirelles says the Rio Games will be an opportunity to show Brazil's energetic potential. updated 11:54 AM EDT, Mon August 13, 2012

The new President of Egypt is taking the concept of getting work done in the first 100 days in office very seriously, says CNN's John Defterios. updated 7:21 AM EDT, Mon August 13, 2012 Picture taken of a cow on April 14, 2011, in a field in Plessix-Balisson, western France.

Picture taken of a cow on April 14, 2011, in a field in Plessix-Balisson, western France.

The prospect of lab-grown meat appearing on our supermarket shelves is closer than ever. updated 5:24 PM EDT, Mon August 13, 2012

With extreme heat and the worst drought in half a century there are important lessons to be learned for all of us, says Michael Roberts. updated 6:27 PM EDT, Tue August 14, 2012 360-degree panorama from NASA's Curiosity rover

360-degree panorama from NASA's Curiosity rover

Mars rover Curiosity beams back a color panorama, showing a rocky, reddish desert and the mountain it will explore.

2 U.S. troops killed by Afghan cop

By Barbara Starr, Masoud Popalzai and Chelsea J. Carter, CNNupdated 8:59 PM EDT, Fri August 17, 2012

Killings follow a claim purportedly by the Taliban's Mullah Mohammed Omar that fighters are infiltrating Afghan security forces.NEW: NATO official's order was made in recent days as concern mounted over the attacksTaliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar has purportedly released a statement In the statement, he says fighters are having success infiltrating Afghan forces"Green-on-blue" attacks have been carried out by Afghans in security uniforms

Kabul, Afghanistan (CNN) -- The uptick in attacks by Afghan security forces against coalition troops has hit home, with all troops at NATO headquarters and all bases across Afghanistan now ordered to carry loaded weapons around the clock, CNN learned Friday.

Gen. John Allen, the NATO commander in Afghanistan, ordered the move, according to a U.S. official with direct knowledge of the orders. The order, made in recent days, was divulged amid two more so-called green-on-blue or insider attacks Friday.

An Afghan police officer opened fire on U.S. troops in Farah province in southwestern Afghanistan, killing two service members, the NATO-led command said. Two International Security Assistance Force troops and an Afghan service member were wounded by another Afghan service member in Kandahar province, in the south.

The order comes as coalition forces adopt and study measures aimed at thwarting such attacks.

Coalition steps up fight against Afghan 'green-on-blue' attacks

Now, anyone who goes to the base headquarters would see that all troops, regardless of their tasks, carry weapons with a magazine of ammunition attached, a U.S. official confirmed.

Troops now could fire against an attacker within seconds by sliding a lever on their weapons to make a round drop into the firing chamber. Loaded weapons are being carried both in the open outdoor areas of the base and inside buildings and meeting rooms.

Allen and his top commanders live and work at the Kabul NATO headquarters, attached to the U.S. Embassy.

The Friday green-on-blue attacks follow a claim purportedly from Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar that fighters are infiltrating Afghan security forces to attack NATO-led forces on their bases.

"Many Afghans in the rank and files of the enemy have shown a willingness to help the (Taliban) in a shrewd manner," said a statement posted on militant websites Thursday and obtained by SITE Intelligence Group, which monitors the activities of militant groups on the Web.

"As a result, the foreign invaders and their allies at their military centers and bases are suffering crushing blows by these heroic soldiers."

CNN can't independently verify the authenticity of the statement, which was released in advance of this weekend's Eid al Fitr celebrations that mark the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

The Taliban are known routinely to claim responsibility for attacks and inflate casualty numbers.

Omar also urged employees of the Afghan government to seek out the group's newly established "Call and Guidance, Luring and Integration" departments that have been established throughout the country "so that they may leave the enemy ranks and join the fighters," according to SITE.

Omar's statement drew a sharp response from Allen, who accused the Taliban leader of issuing "an unmistakable message of death, hate and hopelessness for the Afghan people" on the eve of the Eid celebrations.

"The pride of the Afghan people has been smeared by killers who pose as soldiers and police, yet they represent the worst of humanity," Allen said Friday.

The commander accused of Omar of sending "young brainwashed men to carry out attacks in a fruitless cause," while he "rests comfortably from afar."

"He professes love for his fighters, yet he sends them to their deaths by the hundreds. Where is the vision that Omar speaks of? Where is the love he professes for the Afghan people?" Allen said.

"Are these not the acts of a deranged man who puts his own goals of personal domination ahead of the future of the Afghan people?"

Shootings by Afghan forces take growing toll on NATO troops

An estimated 101 NATO troops have been killed in green-on-blue attacks since May 2007 across the country, military analyst Bill Roggio said Friday.

Roggio, managing editor of the Long War Journal blog, which reports and analyzes terror issues, said green-on-blue attacks have caused around 13% of coalition deaths this year.

Of the green-on-blue attacks since 2007, about 40% of the deaths have occurred this year and 35% occurred last year, he said.

Roggio said there was a flurry of insider attacks early in the year, then a lull, and now a flareup in recent days. Green-on-blue is military lingo, with green a reference to Afghan forces and blue to coalition troops.

" 'Blue' is always the color of the friendly force, i.e. NATO/ISAF; 'Red' signifies the enemy force; and 'Green' is the indigenous force allied with, but separate to, the friendly force. In this case, 'Green' is the ANSF," said Maj. Adam Wojack, a media officer with the International Security Assistance Force, referring to the Afghan National Security Forces.

The U.S. military is starting to use the term "insider attack" rather than "green-on-blue" because it's easier to understand and because Afghan troops have been victims of the attacks.

The NATO-led command did not provide details about the deadly attack in Farah, but a provincial police chief told CNN that an Afghan policeman shot the American service members early Friday during a training session in the Bala Boluk district.

Police Chief Aqa Noor Kintos said two U.S. Special Forces members were killed and another was injured. The gunman was killed when troops returned fire, he said.

During the gunfight, an Afghan National Police member was also killed, and another was injured, he said. Lt. Col. Hagen Messer, a NATO-led command spokesman, confirmed that two U.S. service members were killed in the attack.

The Taliban claimed responsibility in a text message to journalists, saying a 70-year-old policeman killed the three troops.

It's the second time a man in an Afghan security uniform has opened fire on coalition troops in the Bala Boluk district. In December 2011, a gunman posing as an Afghan soldier wounded coalition troops.

Official: Man in Afghan security uniform kills 3 U.S. troops

In the Kandahar incident, the member of the Afghan National Army who turned his weapon against coalition forces was shot and later died of his wounds after he was taken to an ISAF medical facility. The incident occurred in the province's Zharay district, ISAF said.

The frequency of the insider attacks has prompted Afghan intelligence agents to go undercover during recruit training to spot possible extremists, military officials said.

Allen said coalition officials were working on a new procedure to check the backgrounds of Afghans who sign up for the army or police force.

The U.S. government has offered a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the arrest of Omar, who took over Afghanistan in the early 1990s and established a hard-line Islamic fundamentalist regime that gave shelter to Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda.

Omar vanished from public view after a U.S.-led coalition ousted the Taliban and its leaders from power in Afghanistan in December 2001 for refusing to hand over bin Laden after the 9/11 attacks.

Over the years, he has refused to be photographed or filmed, and has rarely traveled. As a result, Omar's appearance has remained a mystery to many. Those who have met Omar say he has one eye stitched shut, the result of a wound suffered during a battle with Soviet troops during their occupation of Afghanistan.

There have been conflicting reports about Omar's fate. As late as last year, the Taliban denied reports the leader was dead.

The attacks come a day after a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan killed seven U.S. service members, three Afghan soldiers and an Afghan interpreter. Authorities are investigating whether the crash was caused by technical problems or a shoot-down.

Barbara Starr reported from the Pentagon, Masoud Popalzai reported from Kabul, Afghanistan, and Chelsea J. Carter from Atlanta. CNN's Joe Sterling and Ben Brumfield contributed to this report.

View the original article here

Saturday, August 25, 2012

Who are China's next leaders?

A portrait of late leader Mao Zedong overlooks Tiananmen Square in Beijing, where new leaders will be determined this year.China's political system does not allow direct, open electionsA total of 2,270 delegates elected to represent CPC's 82 million membersFront-runner to succeed Hu as party boss and Chinese president is Xi JinpingPersonnel decisions are negotiated, finalized by party insidersEditor's note: "Jaime's China" is a weekly column about Chinese society and politics. Jaime FlorCruz has lived and worked in China since 1971. He studied Chinese history at Peking University (1977-81) and was TIME Magazine's Beijing correspondent and bureau chief (1982-2000).

Beijing, China (CNN) -- After much speculation, it is now official: The Communist Party of China (CPC) will convene its 18th Party Congress in Beijing during the "latter half of this year," a party official announced this week without giving specific dates.

The political conclave, held every five years, will shape China's future. It will also formalize the accession of a new generation of leaders.

China has seen dramatic socio-economic transformation in recent years, but its political system remains opaque and antiquated. The Leninist, top-down system still does not allow direct, open elections.

Instead, selections are made by a coterie of communist party cadres after drawn-out negotiations and horse-trading behind closed doors.

A total of 2,270 delegates have been elected from across the country to represent the CPC's 82 million members.

Who are these delegates?

About 30% are from grassroots, says Wang Jingqing, vice minister of the party's organization department. Most are national, provincial and city officials.

Ni Yulan and the agonies of Chinese justice

Some 23% of them are female, and 11% are ethnic minorities.

Although the CPC claims to represent the working class, only 169 (less than 8%) of the total delegates are workers.

Theoretically, the delegates play an important role.

At the end of the party congress, they will elect a new Central Committee. This time, Wang says, there will be more candidates than posts -- unlike in the past when the numbers of candidates were exactly the same as the open slots.

About 300-member strong, the policy-making body is a motley group of provincial and city leaders, technocrats, military officers and party functionaries, plus token representatives from other sectors.

The Central Committee will then elect a new Politburo, the inner council currently comprising 25 members. The Politburo in turn will elect a new standing committee, the elite cabal empowered to make important decisions on policies.

The committee currently has nine seats, led by Chinese President and General Secretary Hu Jintao. Hu, 69, is expected to step down later this year. Media reports say the party plans to cut the seats down to seven, but Wang says there is no decision on the matter.

In practice, the selection of politicians into the Central Committee and the Politburo are determined even before the Party Congress.

"The wheeling and dealing has long begun," says a Beijing-based political analyst, who asked not to be named. "We are now in the endgame."

Bo Xilai and the politics of Chinese succession

In the U.S. you have wall-to-wall coverage of what candidates say and do and how people voted. Here it's all neibu or without open campaigning.
But the race to China's pinnacle of power remains opaque.

"In the U.S. you have wall-to-wall coverage of what candidates say and do and how people voted," says the analyst. "Here it's all neibu (for internal consumption), without open campaigning."

Personnel decisions are negotiated and finalized by party insiders behind the walls of Zhongnanhai, the CPC's official headquarters in Beijing.

When the Party Congress convenes, it will be largely a formality. Still, which new leaders will emerge in key positions remains a subject of speculation. For now the front-runner to succeed Hu as party boss and president is Xi Jinping.

Xi, 59, became Vice President in 2008 and was later appointed a vice-chair of the CPC's Central Military Commission -- important steps in succession.

He earlier served as party chief of the prosperous provinces of Fujian and Zhejiang and Shanghai, China's financial center.

Xi is a "princeling," a descendant of revolutionary veterans. His late father Xi Zhongxun, a contemporary of Deng Xiaoping, had served as governor of Guangdong province.

The other top contender is Li Keqiang, 57, a protege of Hu and the presumptive successor to Wen Jiabao when he steps down from premiership in March next year.

Li is already ranked 7th in the Politburo and, as executive vice premier, holds important portfolios, including economic development, finance, climate change and health care reform. Like Hu, Li is a native of Anhui province and honed his organizational skills when he headed the 73 million-strong Communist Youth League, a training ground for the party's young cadres.

Why Chinese succession matters

Many of upcoming leaders used to work at CYL, which is why analysts speak if a "tuanpai," or CYL faction.

Personnel decisions are negotiated and finalized by party insiders behind the walls of Zhongnanhai.
Other rising politicians include:

Li Yuanchao, 61, the minister of the CPC's Organization Department, the equivalent of the H.R. department, and more. With this portfolio, Li holds all the personnel dossiers and wields considerable power in appointing party and government officials nationwide.

Wang Qishan, 64, the former Beijing mayor who currently serves as the Vice-Premier in charge of economic, energy and financial affairs. Like Li, Wang is already a member of the Politburo.

Analysts expect both to get promoted into the Standing Committee.

A few Gen-Y leaders may be lined up for meteoric rise.

Among them is Hu Chunhua, 49, the party chief of Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. No relation to the Chinese president, he is nonetheless another protégé and also served as head of the CYL and is known as "Little Hu."

Influence may not be confined to delegates.

Jiang Zemin, the retired party chief and state president, was last year rumored to have died, or was dying, but a source says he is now in fairly good health. "He swims 600 meters everyday and gets daily tutorials in foreign languages, economics and other topics," says the source. He turns 88 next week.

Although Jiang has been out of the public eye since retiring 10 years ago, he is believed to still wield residual influence in policy and personnel issues.

The other influential politician is Bo Xilai, the former Party chief of Chongqing who was dismissed last April for "serious breach of Party regulations." Bo's wife Gu Kailai, accused of premeditated murder of a British businessman, is now awaiting a court verdict.

The party has yet to formally decide on Bo's fate, but the signals are clear.

Bo is not among the 2,270 party members elected as Party Congress delegates.

That, analysts say, spells the end of his career.

updated 9:54 AM EDT, Fri August 17, 2012

The Communist Party of China (CPC) will convene during the "latter half of this year" to usher in a new generation of leaders.updated 2:48 AM EDT, Thu August 9, 2012

In the high-stakes world of Communist Party politics, it sometimes takes a politician only one wrong move to slide from fame to shame.updated 7:36 AM EDT, Fri August 3, 2012

A badminton controversy has triggered heated debate, with many people challenging the "gold-is-everything" mentality in Chinese sports.updated 8:19 PM EDT, Fri July 27, 2012

CNN's Jaime FlorCruz and SI China's David Yang come up with seven athletes worth watching.updated 6:17 AM EDT, Fri July 13, 2012

Beijing and the Vatican are again shadow boxing over the ordination of a new Chinese bishop without the Pope's blessing.updated 6:38 AM EDT, Fri July 6, 2012

Every so often, grassroots activism succeeds in China. Such is the case in Shifang, which had plans to build a billion-dollar chemical plant.updated 4:32 AM EDT, Mon July 2, 2012

Four years after hosting the 2008 Summer Games, Beijing's Olympic legacy appears to be a lasting one.updated 2:22 AM EDT, Sat June 16, 2012

The launch of China's first female astronaut into space is only the latest example of its women being on a winning streak lately.updated 2:53 AM EDT, Tue June 12, 2012

This year, some students are breaking with convention -- striving to project their individuality.updated 8:28 PM EDT, Sun June 3, 2012

Police have conducted a sweep of communities where expatriates frequently congregateupdated 6:40 AM EDT, Fri May 11, 2012

One of China's first musicians to introduce rock 'n roll, Cui Jian is still making waves.updated 7:56 AM EDT, Fri April 27, 2012

One man is talking with overseas media, revealing tales of scandal, blackmail, murder and arrests.

Russia: Pussy Riot found guilty of hooliganism

NEW: EU foreign policy chief says case adds to "upsurge in politically motivated intimidation"The three women were sentenced to two years' imprisonment for hooliganismThey sang a song critical of President Vladimir Putin in a protest at a Moscow cathedralArrests were made outside court as the verdict was delivered, state media reportedSeen any protests? Share your pictures here.

Moscow (CNN) -- Three members of Russian female punk rock band Pussy Riot were sentenced to two years in prison Friday after they were found guilty of hooliganism for performing a song critical of President Vladimir Putin in a church.

The five months they have spent in detention since their arrests in March count toward the sentence, Judge Marina Sirovaya said.

The judge said the charges against the three young women -- Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich -- had been proved by witnesses and the facts.

The Pussy Riot members were charged after screaming, "Mother Mary, please drive Putin away," in a protest act in February inside Christ Savior Cathedral, one of Moscow's grandest houses of worship.

Sirovaya rejected the women's defense that they were acting from political motives, ruling that they had intended to insult the Russian Orthodox Church and undermine public order.

However, the fact that two of them have young children was a mitigating factor in the sentencing, the judge said.

The defendants were accused of offending the churchgoers present -- through their actions, obscene language and their clothing -- and showing a lack of respect for the rules of the Orthodox Church. They ignored requests to stop their brief unscheduled protest performance, the court heard.

While their actions outraged many of Russia's faithful, their high-profile trial prompted international concern about freedom of speech in Russia.

Opinion: Why the Pussy Riot case matters

The U.S. Embassy in Moscow said on its official Twitter feed that the sentence was "disproportionate."

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton condemned the court's decision as "deeply troubling."

"Together with the reports of the band members' mistreatment during their pre-trial detention and the reported irregularities of the trial, it puts a serious question mark over Russia's respect for international obligations of fair, transparent, and independent legal process," she said.

"It also runs counter to Russia's international obligations as regards respect for freedom of expression."

Urging Russia to reverse the sentence, Ashton said the case "adds to the recent upsurge in politically motivated intimidation and prosecution of opposition activists in the Russian Federation, a trend that is of growing concern to the European Union."

Rights group Amnesty International said that the court's decision was "a bitter blow for freedom of expression in the country" and that the women were now "prisoners of conscience."

Amnesty believes that the women's conduct "was politically motivated, and that they were wrongfully prosecuted for what was a legitimate -- if potentially offensive -- protest action," it said in a statement.

Supporters vent anger on Twitter

John Dalhuisen, director of Amnesty International's Europe and Central Asia Program, urged Russian authorities to overturn the sentence and release the trio unconditionally.

He also highlighted recent measures "restricting the freedom of expression and association" introduced after a wave of popular protests that accompanied elections earlier this year. "This trial is another example of the Kremlin's attempts to discourage and delegitimize dissent. It is likely to backfire," he said.

Human Rights Watch also said the women should never have been prosecuted for a hate crime.

"The charges and verdict against the Pussy Riot band members distort both the facts and the law," Hugh Williamson, the rights group's Europe and Central Asia director, said in a statement.

Earlier, a number of arrests were made outside the court, where protesters gathered as the verdict was read, RIA Novosti reported.

The women are expected to appeal the court's decision.

The charge of hooliganism aimed at inciting religious hatred carried a potential sentence of up to seven years in prison.

None of the three women is older than 30. They have been in custody since their arrest shortly after the unexpected performance.

They looked calm and occasionally smiled and exchanged remarks as they stood, sometimes in handcuffs, behind a glass wall in the court, listening to the lengthy ruling.

Moscow district court heard that the three worked together to carry out their "criminal act which violated public order" -- in an action that "went against tradition and is a great insult to the church and people."

The three wore revealing, brightly colored clothing and covered their faces with balaclava-style masks in a style "inappropriate" for a church before making use of a microphone and electric guitar, the court was told.

Video footage of the "punk prayer" protest song was placed online, although the judge said it was not clear who had posted it.

Sirovaya said that the apologies by the defendants "were not sincere" and described their conduct as "an unprecedented act of hooliganism by women."

Celebrities back Pussy Riot

Evidence from character witnesses for the three women was also read out. Alyokhina was described as being a writer of poetry, a vegan and a good mother, RIA Novosti said.

Pop star Madonna last week performed Pussy Riot-style in a face mask and with the group's name on her back during a packed Moscow gig. She's one of a number of celebrities to back the women's cause.

"Everyone has the right to free speech, everywhere in the world. Maria, Katya, Nadia, I pray for you," Madonna said at Tuesday's concert, according to RIA Novosti. "They did something brave with their action. And I am praying for their freedom."

Rallies in support of Pussy Riot were also organized Friday outside Russian embassies around the world, including in London and Washington.

Pussy Riot and Putin's iron fist

Putin criticized the women's action this month but said they should not be judged "too harshly," RIA Novosti said. He added that he hoped the court makes "the right decision."

Pussy Riot specializes in sudden, often illegal public performances, including one in Moscow's Red Square.

The "punk prayer" was inspired by the women's anger about the relationship between the Russian government and the Orthodox Church, according to the band's manager, who is married to one of the women.

The Orthodox leader Patriarch Kyril has been widely reported as saying Putin's years in power have been a miracle from God.

Putin won reelection to the presidency in March in a vote that international observers said did not meet international standards.

The presidential election came just months after allegations of fraud in parliamentary elections prompted the largest anti-government demonstrations Russia had seen in two decades.

Pussy Riot pushes free speech limits in Russia

CNN's Laura Smith-Spark reported from London, and Phil Black and Alla Eshchenko from Moscow; Bharati Naik and Susannah Palk also contributed to this report.

updated 2:23 AM EDT, Fri August 17, 2012 Singapore's Gardens by the Bay, a 250-acre eco-project

Asia is set to have the world's wealthiest residents, with city-state Singapore heading the rich list. updated 9:34 AM EDT, Thu August 16, 2012

Gu's one-day trial was a spectacle for the benefit of the public, says Donald Clarke. updated 11:25 AM EDT, Fri August 17, 2012 Fly in amber

Take a look at the 10 best entries for the New Scientist Eureka Prize for Science Photography. updated 1:11 PM EDT, Fri August 17, 2012

The cause of transparency is bigger than the legal troubles of one brilliant, flawed individual, says Micah Sifry. updated 8:05 AM EDT, Thu August 16, 2012

CNN's Ben Wedeman was in Aleppo as the Syrian regime attacked a rebel-controlled hospital from the air.updated 7:28 AM EDT, Thu August 16, 2012

Microsoft's popular Kinect for Xbox 360 has inspired countless ingenious "hacks" to create novel devices.updated 12:13 AM EDT, Thu August 16, 2012

According to a report released by the Enough Project, an advocacy group, metals from the Congo are getting less bloody. updated 4:01 AM EDT, Thu August 16, 2012

42 nations around the world require graphic warning labels on cigarettes -- see some of them here. updated 11:54 AM EDT, Mon August 13, 2012

The new President of Egypt is taking the concept of getting work done in the first 100 days in office very seriously, says CNN's John Defterios. updated 5:24 PM EDT, Mon August 13, 2012

With extreme heat and the worst drought in half a century there are important lessons to be learned for all of us, says Michael Roberts.

New clue in old 'Moors murder'?

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Share this on: Facebook Twitter Digg delicious reddit MySpace StumbleUpon LinkedIn Police investigate clue to 'Moors murder' burial spotBy Laura Smith-Spark, CNNupdated 11:32 AM EDT, Fri August 17, 2012if (typeof cnnArticleGallery=="undefined"){var cnnArticleGallery={};if(typeof cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList=="undefined"){cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList=[];}}var expGalleryPT00=new ArticleExpandableGallery();expGalleryPT00.setImageCount(6);//cnn_adbptrackpgalimg("The Moors Murders case in pictures", 1);.cnn_html_slideshow_metadata > .cnn_html_media_utility::before{color:red;content:'>>';font-size:9px;line-height:12px;padding-right:1px}.cnnstrylccimg640{margin:0 27px 14px 0}.captionText{filter:alpha(opacity=100);opacity:1}.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:visited,.cnn_html_slideshow_media_caption a:link,.captionText a,.captionText a:visited,.captiontext a:link{color:#004276;outline:medium none}.cnnVerticalGalleryPhoto{margin:0 auto;padding-right:68px;width:270px}

Ian Brady in police custody prior to his court appearance for the murder of three children in 1965. Brady and his partner Myra Hindley became known as the "Moors Murderers" after burying their young victims on Saddleworth Moor, Greater Manchester, UK.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":true,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":1,"title":"The Moors Murders case in pictures"}A portrait of Myra Hindley (1942 - 2002) taken during her trial. Hindley was later convicted for the murders of 17-year-old Edward Evans and 10-year-old Lesley Ann Downey.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":2,"title":"The Moors Murders case in pictures"}A police search team looks for the body of 12-year-old murder victim Keith Bennett in 2003 as part of a new attempt to find his remains.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":3,"title":"The Moors Murders case in pictures"}Ian Brady was sentenced to life imprisonment on 6 May 1966 for the murders of Edward Evans, Lesley Ann Downey and 12-year-old John Kilbride. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":4,"title":"The Moors Murders case in pictures"}Policemen digging at the scene where the body of the fourth victim Lesley Ann Downey was found in 1965. In 1987 Brady and Hindley admitted to the killing of two other children, 16-year-old Pauline Reade and Keith Bennett.cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":5,"title":"The Moors Murders case in pictures"}Lesley Ann Downey, pictured aged 10. Lesley Ann was killed by Brady and Hindley after they abducted her on Boxing Day in 1964. cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList.length]={"currentPicture":false,"x":0,"y":0,"pos":6,"title":"The Moors Murders case in pictures"}HIDE CAPTIONThe Moors Murders case in picturesThe Moors Murders case in picturesThe Moors Murders case in picturesThe Moors Murders case in picturesThe Moors Murders case in picturesThe Moors Murders case in pictures<<<

6>>>Event.observe(window,'load',function(){if(typeof(cnn_adbptrackpgalimg) == 'function' && typeof(cnnArticleGallery) != 'undefined'){cnn_adbptrackpgalimg(cnnArticleGallery.currentImageList[0].image,"The Moors Murders case in pictures");}});STORY HIGHLIGHTS12-year-old Keith Bennett was a victim of notorious killer Ian Brady in 1964Brady admitted his murder in 1987 but has not revealed the location of the bodyPolice are investigating the possibility he has put the information in a sealed letterThe boy's mother has never given up hope of finding his body but is seriously ill

London (CNN) -- Decades after the crime, police are investigating what could be a clue to the burial place of the last unrecovered victim of one of Britain's most notorious killers, "Moors Murderer" Ian Brady.

Keith Bennett was just 12 years old when he went missing on June 16, 1964, in northern England on his way to visit his grandmother.

Brady, who was jailed for life in 1966 for three other child murders committed with the help of his partner Myra Hindley, admitted killing the boy in 1987 but has never disclosed the whereabouts of his body.

The other four victims were buried on Saddleworth Moor, a lonely upland expanse in the Pennine hills, near Manchester.

Keith's mother, Winnie Johnson, has spent the decades since he vanished searching for her lost son but is herself gravely ill.

Now, police are investigating claims that Brady may recently have given details of the burial spot to one of his longtime visitors, in a sealed letter to be passed to Johnson after Brady's death.

The information came to light when a documentary filmmaker interviewed a woman who has been acting as Brady's mental health adviser, the Press Association news agency reported.

A 49-year-old woman was arrested in South Wales on Thursday on suspicion of preventing the burial of a body without lawful exercise, and has been released on bail pending further inquiries, a Greater Manchester Police statement said.

Documents have also been seized from the address and are being examined, police said.

In the statement, Martin Bottomley, head of the force's cold case review team, cautioned against leaping to conclusions but said police were taking the lead seriously.

"I want to be explicitly clear about this: Ian Brady has not revealed to police the location of Keith's body," he said.

"What we are looking at is the possibility, and at this stage it is only a possibility, that he has written a letter to Keith's mum Winnie Johnson which was not to be opened until after his death. We do not know if this is true or simply a ruse, but we clearly have a duty to investigate such information on behalf of Keith's family.

"Since Keith was so cruelly taken away all those years ago, our thoughts have always been with his family as they try to come to terms with what happened. All they want is to finally be able to lay Keith to rest."

The Moors murders have cast "a long and dark shadow" over the area, he said.

Police have been in contact with Keith Bennett's family and staff at Ashworth Hospital, the high-security psychiatric institution where Brady is held.

He has refused food for the past 12 years, in a bid to die, and is fed through a tube, the Press Association reports.

Brady and Hindley were taken by police to Saddleworth Moor to look for the bodies of Bennett and another victim, 16-year-old Pauline Reade, after they admitted those killings in 1987, the news agency says. However, only Reade's remains were found.

Keith's brother, Alan Bennett, runs the family's Searching for Keith website, where information about the case is posted, as well as pictures of the family taken before the tragedy.

"He was a son, a brother, a friend and should have been a father, grandfather and maybe a great-grandfather. He should have been whatever he wanted to be," Alan Bennett writes.

A police poster appealing for information that was put up in shops and windows at the time Keith went missing shows a cheerful, bespectacled boy.

Johnson is quoted on the website as saying: "My greatest hope in this life from the day he left is to have him home, I now accept he is not alive but I still believe I have the right as his mother to give him a Christian burial."

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