Bin Laden Son-In-Law Ghaith Pleads Not Guilty

By Dominic Waghorn, US correspondent

Osama Bin Laden's spokesman and son-in-law has pleaded not guilty to plotting to kill Americans in a federal court in New York.

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith appeared in a dark blue prison smock and handcuffs. He is thought to have been captured in Jordan by US agents.

Ghaith will be the closest of bin Laden's confidantes to face trial in a US federal court.

His capture is a major coup for the US. He was never an operational commander but an ideologue and preacher whose fiery online sermons inspired others to attempt attacks, say US officials.

Prosecutors say Ghaith was the spokesman for bin Laden. The day after the 9/11 attacks, prosecutors say, he called on the "nation of Islam" to battle against Jews, Christians and Americans, warning them "a great army is gathering against you".

Security stands outside the federal courthouse in Manhattan

He was one of the founding inner circle of al Qaeda - a position he strengthened by marrying one of bin Laden's daughters. He could yield valuable information under interrogation about the network.

Ghaith's case is a victory for the Obama administration, which has long sought to charge and try al Qaeda figures in US federal courts instead of the military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

President Obama promised to close down the Guantanamo detention centre, but failed to do so in the face of fierce opposition by Republicans.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, is on trial there with four alleged accomplices after the failure to bring them to trial in mainland America.

Ghaith appeared in court a few blocks from Ground Zero, where the twin World Trade Centre towers stood until the 9/11 attacks.

So far his appearance has not aroused any significant protest from New York residents, although some Republicans in Congress have called for him to be tried at Guantanamo.

Ghaith's activities over the last decade is the subject of debate. He is believed to have lived in Iran for much of that time.

Iranian sources have said he was held in jail there for years. But US media reports claim he was free to operate an al Qaeda cell funnelling money and weapons over the border and into Afghanistan.

He was reportedly arrested first in Turkey where authorities reportedly claimed there was insufficient evidence to extradite him to the US.

He is thought to have been captured by US agents in Jordan while en route to Kuwait after being deported from Turkey.

Bail was not requested during Friday's proceeding and none was set. The judge scheduled an April 8 trial date, which prosecutors expect to last about three weeks.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Maduro Sworn In As Venezuela's President

Venezuela Says Farewell To Chavez

Updated: 6:16am UK, Saturday 09 March 2013

A state funeral has taken place for Venezuela's left-wing president Hugo Chavez at a military academy where his body has been lying in state since Wednesday.

Most Latin American leaders attended the service, including Chilean president Sebastian Pinera and Cuba's Raul Castro, as well as Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus.

Mr Ahmadinejad and Mr Lukashenko sat next to each other, reportedly wiping away tears as a band played one of Mr Chavez's favourite sentimental songs.

The Iranian leader earlier said: "It is a great pain for us because we have lost a friend. I feel like I have lost myself, but I am sure that he still lives.

"Chavez will never die. His spirit and soul live on in each of our hearts."

Venezuelan conductor and Los Angeles Philharmonic maestro Gustavo Dudamel led an orchestra's rendition of the national anthem to open the ceremony.

Mr Chavez's political heir, vice president Nicolas Maduro, placed a replica of the golden sword of South American independence hero Simon Bolivar on his mentor's wooden coffin as more than 30 heads of state applauded. 

Several Latin American leaders, including Mr Castro, were invited to stand around the coffin, which was closed and covered in the yellow, blue and red colours of Venezuela, in an honour guard.

Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat congressman, and ex-congressman William Delahunt, a Democrat from Massachusetts, represented the United States, which Mr Chavez often portrayed as a great global evil even as he sent the country billions of dollars in oil each year.

Hollywood actor Sean Penn was also among those who attended the funeral.

An estimated two million people have filed past Mr Chavez's coffin to say goodbye to the man worshipped by the country's poor, who he championed.

He was dressed in olive green military fatigues, a black tie and the iconic red beret that became a symbol of his 14-year socialist rule.

People blew kisses, made the sign of the cross or gave military salutes as they walked by, with just seconds to see him. Outside the academy, the line to see the body stretched for more than a mile.

His mother, Elena Frias, was pictured weeping ahead of the funeral in the capital Caracas.

Mr Chavez, a former paratrooper who died on Tuesday aged 58 after a long battle with cancer, had not been seen in public since a fourth round of surgery in Cuba in December last year.

He will lie in state for another week to allow everybody to see him, and he will then be embalmed "like Ho Chi Minh, Lenin and Mao" and kept in a glass coffin "for eternity," Mr Maduro said.

His remains will be displayed at the Museum of the Revolution, close to the Presidential Palace where he ruled, so that "his people will always have him", Mr Maduro said.

Mr Chavez used the former military barracks to plot a failed coup against President Carlos Andres Perez in 1992. His arrest turned him into a hero, leading to his 1998 election victory.

Mr Maduro suggested that Mr Chavez may one day be moved elsewhere, a nod to popular pressure for him to be taken to the national pantheon to lie alongside Simon Bolivar.

In a country divided by Mr Chavez's populist style, opinions of his legacy vary, with opposition supporters in better-off areas angry at the high murder and inflation rate.

Under Mr Chavez, Venezuela's oil wealth underwrote the Castro brothers' communist rule in Cuba, and he repeatedly courted confrontation with Washington by cosying up to anti-western governments in Russia, Syria and Iran.

General Jose Ornella, who said he was with Mr Chavez in his final moments, said he had suffered a massive heart attack.

"He couldn't speak but he said it with his lips, 'I don't want to die. Please don't let me die,' because he loved his country, he sacrificed himself for his country."

Although Mr Maduro is acting president, elections are expected to be called within 30 days.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Police: Man Kills TV Presenter Then Himself

A man shot dead the host of a US television programme in an apparent jealous rage before killing himself, police have said.

Greg Rodriguez, presenter of Sportsman Channel show A Rifleman's Journal, was killed in Whitefish, Montana, while he was visiting the wife of 41-year-old Wayne Bengston at her mother's home.

Wayne Bengston

After killing Mr Rodriguez, Bengston allegedly beat his wife then left the house with their two-year-old son.

Police say he dropped the toddler off with relatives, then drove back to his own home about 25 miles (40 km) away, where he apparently shot himself.

"It's pretty much an open-and-closed case. Homicide and suicide," said Whitefish Police Chief Bill Dial.

Bengston's wife told police Mr Rodriguez, 43, was in Montana on business and had been visiting her mother's house when her husband showed up late on Thursday.

The woman, who worked for a gun manufacturer, said she had met Mr Rodriguez at an industry trade show and had struck up a casual friendship with him.

Chief Dial said police do not believe the relationship was romantic.

"I think it was a jealous husband, but this is all conjecture," he said.

Bengston was a US Forest Service employee, according to police.

In addition to his TV appearances, Mr Rodriguez, of Texas, was the founder of Global Adventures Outfitters.

He was also an editor at Shooting Times Magazine and a contributor to other hunting and shooting publications.

His biography says he was married with two young children.

A Facebook page for A Rifleman's Journal contains dozens of photographs of Mr Rodriguez with large game he had hunted around the world.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

South Dakota Law Lets Schools Arm Teachers

South Dakota has adopted a new law allowing the state's school districts to arm teachers and other personnel with guns.

Governor Dennis Daugaard signed the controversial school sentinel bill into law despite opposition from representatives from the state's school boards.

Supporters say the so-called sentinels could help prevent tragedies such the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, where 20 children and six teachers were killed in December by a lone gunman.

But representatives of school boards, school administrators and teachers opposed the bill, saying it could make schools more dangerous.

They expressed concern that having armed personnel in schools could lead to accidental shootings and put guns in the hands of people who are not adequately trained to shoot in emergency situations.

But the bill's sponsor, Representative Scott Craig, a Republican, said he had received messages from a growing number of school board members and administrators who back it.

Mr Craig said rural districts did not have the money to hire full-time law officers, so were interested in arming teachers or volunteers.

The measure does not force a district to arm its teachers or require teachers to carry a gun.

The South Dakota House voted 40-19 to accept the Senate version of the bill, which added a requirement that a school district must decide in a public meeting whether to arm teachers and others.

Another Senate amendment allowed school district residents to push a school board's decision to a public vote.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Afghanistan Blasts: 'Eight Kids Among Dead'

Seventeen civilians, reportedly including eight children, have been killed in two separate suicide bomb attacks in Afghanistan.

The first attack took place in the eastern city of Khost, where unconfirmed reports have suggested eight children and one policeman were killed. The target of the attack was said to be Afghan and international forces.

"A suicide attacker blew up his explosives on a road beside a joint patrol of Afghan police and international forces in the city of Khost," the provincial governor of Khost said in a statement.

A policeman reportedly spotted the bomber who was on foot and 'hugged' him to himself in an attempt to take most of the blast, Khost deputy police chief Mohammad Yaqub Mandozay said.

Hagel flies over Kabul - the Defence Secretary was unhurt in the blast

However several boys aged 12 to 14 who were nearby were caught in the explosion.

The second attack was carried out in Kabul during a visit by US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel.

The bomber rode up to the defence ministry on a bicycle before detonating the blast 30 metres from the front gate.

Mr Hagel was in a briefing room some distance away and was not hurt, though he was moved to a more secure location after the explosion.

Kabul: Afghan National Army soldiers carried the injured from the scene

An Afghan soldier found at the scene covered in blood said he had helped carry five people away from the scene.

The Taliban said they carried out the Kabul attack, which they said was "a kind of message" for Mr Hagel, who is on his first trip abroad in his new role.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid, said: "This was not a direct attack to target him but we want to send a message that we are always capable of hitting Kabul - even when the top US defence official is there."

The blast underscored the security challenges facing Afghanistan as US-led Nato forces prepare to leave the country by the end of 2014.

Mr Hagel is in Kabul to make an assessment of America's longest war as it enters its final stretch.

The Vietnam veteran's advice could help shape Barack Obama's decisions on Afghanistan, notably how large a remaining force to keep there after 2014 when most foreign forces will leave.

"We have a lot of big issues and challenges ahead as we prepare for a responsible transition," he told reporters on his plane before he arrived.

"That transition has to be done right; it has to be done in partnership with the Afghans (and) with our allies."

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Falklands: Sky Poll Reveals Nations Divided

By Ian Woods, Senior Correspondent, Falkland Islands

Only 15% of Argentinians think Falkland Islanders should have a say in their own future, and a quarter still believe that the islands will one day be governed from Buenos Aires.

Those answers, in an opinion poll conducted by YouGov for Sky News, come on the eve of a referendum in which Falklanders will be asked whether they want to remain British.

It is expected to result in an overwhelming yes vote, but the islanders' enthusiasm for Britain doesn't seem to be reciprocated in the UK.

When asked what was the most important international issue affecting their country, only 1% of British respondents said the Falklands, while the figure was 24% in Argentina - just ahead of those worried about the economy.

Ballot boxes are prepared for Sunday's referendum

There was an even bigger divergence of opinion between the two countries over the rights of the people on the islands to have a say in their future.

Nearly nine out of 10 (88%) British people who were surveyed thought the islanders should have a say on who ruled them, while six out of 10 (59%) Argentinians thought they should have no say on sovereignty.

Jan Cheek, one of the eight members of the Falkland Islands Legislative Assembly, told Sky News: "Sadly that says a lot about Argentina and their view of democracy.

"It's a populist theme. We saw it used by the military junta in '82 and it's being used in the same way by Christina Fernandez de Kirchner today."

The Union Flag bunting is going up

The Argentinian president has tried to buttonhole David Cameron on the issue and has raised it at the United Nations.

"We've seen a lot of propaganda going out from Argentina. Some of it entirely false, some of it a distortion of the facts," said Ms Cheek.

"We would like people to recognise that we have the right to self-determination and we hope that democratic countries would wish to afford us the same right."

It will arguably be the most significant moment in the history of the Falkland Islands since British forces liberated them 10 weeks after they were seized by an Argentinian invasion force in 1982.

The result is not in doubt, only the precise number voting yes. And those who have organised the referendum acknowledge that they need a high turnout to send a clear message.

Dick Sawle, another member of the Legislative Assembly, said: "I think if we got 100%, people would think it was rigged. I think we will get a very high percentage, in the nineties, voting for yes."

The referendum result is a foregone conclusion

There may be a few no votes, because while nobody is thought to favour Argentinian rule, there are a few who would prefer complete independence from Britain.

"One or two people might think that no means that they could have independence immediately," said Mr Sawle.

"I don't think this country is ready for independence yet, I think we have a long way to go in terms of government structure, in terms of responsibility for elected members and so on. We're too small."

Liam Felton-Short is a typical voter. "I'm British. I'm a sixth-generation Falklander," he said. "We are a British people. We're very much proud to be so."

Sybie Summers owns a gift shop in Stanley and is angry about the detrimental effect the Argentinian government has had on her business which relies on tourism.

It's been a slow year because some cruise ships stayed away under pressure from Buenos Aires.

They were told they would not be allowed to sail in Argentinean waters if they sailed into Stanley.

"It annoys me to think what they're trying to do to our islands," said Ms Summers.

"They're trying to cut us off. And hopefully the rest of the world will realise that they just can't do that."

The anti-Falklands policy has become more inventive in recent years, with adverts being placed in British newspapers, and a video secretly shot in Stanley showing one of their Olympic athletes preparing for the London games by training on what the video said was Argentinian soil.

What angered islanders most was that the video showed deserted streets as if the people didn't exist.

They hope that the referendum will give them a voice which the world can't ignore, even if Argentina continues to deny their right to self-determination.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Egypt: Rival Football Fans Angry Over Verdicts

A hardcore element of Cairo's Al Ahly fan base have stormed and set fire to Egypt's football headquarters after a court aquitted seven out of nine police officials on trial for their alleged role in a deadly stadium riot.

A nearby police club in the Egyptian capital was also set ablaze - and the mob, known as the Ultras, was said to be marching towards the interior ministry as well, according to state television.

The fire rages at the football headquarters

Security was beefed up and riot police deployed in the streets around the complex in central Cairo, as the twin fires sent plumes of thick black smoke billowing out over the city skyline.

A protester was killed in clashes with the police, according to a health official who said he suffocated after inhaling tear gas and died in the ambulance.

Several other people were reportedly hurt in the demonstrations.

Hundreds of the club's supporters took to the streets in celebration after a court earlier on Saturday upheld death sentences on 21 Port Said football fans for their role in the stadium riot last year.

Some 74 people were killed and around 1,000 injured at the end of a match between Cairo's Al Ahly and Al Masry, the local side, on February 1, 2012.

Spectators were crushed when panicked fans tried to get out the stadium after a pitch invasion by Port Said supporters.

Al Ahly fans take to the streets of Cairo after the verdicts are announced

In a live televised ruling, judge Sobhi Abdel-Maguid confirmed "the death penalty by hanging".

Al Ahly fans had warned police they would retaliate if the defendants, including nine policemen, were exonerated.

The city's former security chief, Major General Essam Samak, was jailed for 15 years along with several others including Brigadier General Mohammed Saad, who during the riot had the keys to the stadium gates, which were locked.

A further five people were also sentenced to life imprisonment for the riot, while 28 others - including seven police officers - were acquitted.

The rest of the 73 defendants involved received shorter prison sentences.

In Port Said, crowds gathered by the Suez Canal to protest against the verdicts.

The stadium deaths occurred on February 1, 2012

A military helicopter hovered overhead and army checkpoints were set up on main streets as protesters tried to disrupt shipping on the canal.

"Today's verdict is unfair - we are demanding a fair verdict. This judge is unjust," said Mohamed Al Sayed.

The death sentences - originally handed down in January - have previously provoked deadly clashes in Port Said and Cairo.

The riot - the worst case of football violence in the country and the deadliest worldwide since 1996 - erupted after the home team Al Masry beat Egypt's top club Al Ahly in the league fixture.

Subsequent widespread violence and protests have sparked fresh concerns about Egypt's stability.

Political turmoil is sweeping across the country with demonstrators demanding concessions from Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, while others want him removed altogether, saying his Muslim Brotherhood is monopolising power.

His government is struggling to halt the slide in law and order, hampered by a strike by some protesting police.

At least eight people have been killed in Port Said this week, including three police officers.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Dragged Taxi Driver Mido Macia Laid To Rest

Mourners have gathered in Mozambique to bury a taxi driver who died in police custody in South Africa after officers cuffed him to their van and dragged him down a street.

Crowds gathered at a cemetery in Matola where 26-year-old Mido Macia was laid to rest at a ceremony attended by family and friends who had travelled from neighbouring South Africa to pay their respects.

Mr Macia was filmed being dragged behind a police van before he died

"We are revolted, not just angry. It was torture what happened to him," Xinguinhane Vuma, a friend, said.

Mr Macia was filmed by bystanders being manhandled, handcuffed to the back of a police van and dragged hundreds of metres in Daveyton, east of Johannesburg.

He was found dead in a police cell two hours later, having suffered severe head and internal injuries.

Nine South African police officers have been charged with his murder.

"Our feeling is very deep. We hope he rests in peace," his friend added at the graveside.

Mr Macia was described as a humble man and his death has shocked the community of Matola Rio where his father is a local leader.

A woman is consoled as Mr Macia's coffin arrives in South Africa

"Down with xenophobia," chanted a crowd of around 80 people, brandishing banners with the words "Stop humiliating Mozambicans" and "Mido Macia forever".

The officers charged with Mr Macia's murder have insisted they are innocent, though none have yet been able to explain why he was handcuffed to their van nor why he died.

The driver of the van has said he did not know he was dragging someone behind his truck.

Officers have claimed Mr Macia resisted arrest and assaulted police after he was confronted for barring the road with his taxi.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

UN Peacekeepers Freed At Jordanian Border

A group of UN peacekeepers captured by Syrian rebels have been handed to Jordanian authorities at the border.

The 21 Filipino peacekeepers were captured by the Martyrs of Yarmouk brigade on the Syrian side of the border south of the village of Jamla, near the Golan Heights, three days ago.

"They are all on the Jordanian side now and they are in good health," Abu Mahmoud, a rebel who scrossed over into Jordan with them, said.

In the Syrian capital, Mokhtar Lamani, who heads the Damascus office of UN-Arab League mediator Lakhdar Brahimi,confirmed the men had crossed into Jordan.

The group were part of the UN Disengagement Observer Force, which has been monitoring a ceasefire line between Syria and Israel in the Golan Heights since 1974.

The 21 troops are all from the Philippines

After their capture the rebel fighters described them as "guests" and said they would be freed once President Bashar al Assad's forces stopped shelling and withdrew from around Jamla.

In several videos released by the rebel group the peacekeepers said they were being treated well.

Syria's ambassador to the UN, Bashar Jaafari, said the army was targeting areas outside Jamla where he rebels were concentrated, rather than the village itself.

"We know for sure what we are doing and we know where the peacekeepers are," he said.

A brief truce was called in the area on Saturday morning, providing a sufficient lull in fighting to get the peacekeepers out.

Syria's civil war has spilled periodically across the Golan Heights ceasefire line and Syria's borders with Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More

Kenya Election: Kenyatta Clinches Narrow Win

By Sara Mojtehedzadeh in Nairobi, Kenya

Uhuru Kenyatta, who faces trial for alleged crimes against humanity, has clinched victory in a tightly fought race for Kenya's presidency, the electoral commission has confirmed.

The son of the country's founding father, Jomo Kenyatta, needed over 50% of the national vote in the first round to avoid a run-off.

He received 50.07% but the victory is being disputed by his main rival, prime minister Raila Odinga, who said he would challenge the result in the supreme court and asked supporters to avoid violence.

In his acceptance speech, deputy prime minister Mr Kenyatta also urged calm, pledging to work with rivals and co-operate with the international community.

He is a controversial figure as he is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on charges of crimes against humanity from his alleged role in the country's bloody 2007-2008 election.

His ICC trial is set to begin in July and could take years, meaning he may have to rule Kenya from The Hague in the Netherlands for much of his five-year term.

With the 51-year-old politician in the top job, Kenya will become the second African country after Sudan to have a sitting president indicted by the ICC.

Speaking about the latest election result, Mr Odinga, 68,  who has now unsuccessfully sought the presidency three times, said he would have conceded if the vote was fair.

He added there was "rampant illegality" in the electoral process and that "democracy was on trial in Kenya".

"If you commit a crime, the crime has got to be caught out. Where there is smoke, there is fire" Franklin Bett, the chairman of Mr Odinga's party, said, as the results tilted in Mr Kenyatta's favour.

Tensions rose in the heartlands of Mr Odinga. His supporters chanted "No Raila, no peace," as security forces stood by in Kisumu, a city where violence flared in 2007.

It was Mr Odinga's contention that the previous election was unfairly stolen from him that led to violent clashes between his followers and supporters of the outgoing president Mwai Kibaki.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga refused to concede defeat

The conflict, which pitted members of rival tribes against each other, led to over 1,100 deaths.

"What we wanted was no fighting" said Alex Onyango, an Odinga voter from a Nairobi slum that was shattered by violence in the 07-08 conflict.

"It's OK because there is peace. Uhuru won on the ground. There was no rigging. He just won peacefully."

But Mr Kenyatta's win will take the country into uncharted diplomatic territory.

Western countries, including, the United Kingdom, have an essential contact only policy with indictees of the ICC.

It is not yet clear how that policy will translate into practice.

UK minister for Africa Mark Simmonds said of the election result: "I urge all sides to show patience and restraint, to accept defeat or take any disputes to the courts."

Kenya is the most strategically important country in the region, and is Britain's key counter terrorism partner in the region - crucial to containing the threat of militant Islam posed by neighbouring Somalia.

The UK also does around £1bn of trade with Kenya, and sends thousands of soldiers to train at its army base there every year.

As Kenya nervously awaited the final results in an election plagued by delays in vote counting and technological failure, Mr Kenyatta's team hit out at the British High Commissioner Christian Turner, accusing him of "shadowy, suspicious" meddling in the election.

The Foreign Office denounced the claims as "entirely false and misleading".

But the widespread perception that Mr Kenyatta was unfairly targeted by the West helped build his campaign's momentum in the weeks leading up to the election.

"The (International Criminal Court) will know that the Kenyan people are right. They have decided" said one Kenyatta supporter, Joseph Mwangi, 24.

Speaking to Sky News at a campaign rally ahead of the March 4 election, Mr Kenyatta insisted he would co-operate with International Criminal Court, despite criticism that the demands of the trial would compromise his ability to govern.

23.17 | 0 komentar | Read More