Life Sentence for Australian Who Threw Daughter from Bridge
An Australian court sentenced a man to life in prison Monday for killing his four-year-old daughter in front of her two young brothers.
Arthur Freeman, 37, was convicted of murdering his daughter Darcey by throwing her from Melbourne's West Gate bridge on January 29, 2009, during a bitter custody battle with his ex-wife.
Her brothers, aged two and six, watched from the car as Darcey plunged 80 meters into the Yarra River.
Freeman argued that he was mentally impaired when he committed the crime, but Judge Paul Coghlan of the Victoria Supreme Court said Freeman killed his daughter to get revenge on his ex-wife.
Nationalist Leading in Peru Vote
Election officials in Peru say left-wing nationalist Ollanta Humala is leading in the first round of the presidential election with 18 percent of the vote counted.
Officials said Humala has won more than 26 percent of the vote in Sunday's poll.
Election authorities said former World Bank economist Pedro Pablo Kuczynski placed second with 24.5 percent of the vote. Keiko Fujimori, the daughter of imprisoned former president Alberto Fujimori, came in third place with 21.1 percent of the vote counted so far.
Exit polls and first estimates had placed Fujimori second.
Trailing in fourth place was former president Alejandro Toledo.
With no candidate expected to capture a simple majority, the top two vote-getters will vie for the presidency in a June 5 runoff.
Humala prevailed in the first round of the 2006 presidential election only to lose a runoff.
Peru has seen a decade of rapid economic growth, but one-third of its population of nearly 30 million still live in poverty. Much of the campaign has focused on continuing this growth while ensuring the poor also see some of the increased prosperity.
Xinhua: Blogs Accuse Chinese Artist of Plagiarism in 2007
Chinese official media say the Chinese artist, whose recent detention has drawn international criticism, has been accused of plagiarizing the idea for a 2007 exhibit.
Ai Weiwei was detained in Beijing a week ago as he tried to board a flight for Hong Kong, and police later raided his studio outside the Chinese capital. Ai helped design Beijing's famed “Bird's Nest” Olympic stadium, but is also an outspoken critic of the government.
The official Xinhua news agency cited accusations against the renowned artist that were allegedly found online.
One accusation says Ai stole an art professor's idea by flying 1,001 “ordinary” Chinese citizens to Germany as “living exhibits” in a 2007 art show. Xinhua quotes Chinese novelist Wang Shuo as saying in his blog that art professor Ye Luping from Xi'an was the author of the innovation.
Other blogs allegedly accuse Ai of tax evasion, monopolizing art funds and other things. None of the claims have been independently investigated.
China's foreign ministry said Thursday that Ai was charged with “economic crimes,” without other details. The case has sparked international condemnation of China's crackdown on activists critical of the government.
The international community has criticized China for launching a massive crackdown on dissidents and other activists in February, following online calls for anti-government protests in Beijing, Shanghai and other cities. The protests never materialized, in large part because of a heavy pre-emptive police presence in areas designated for the demonstrations.
Late last year, Ai was stopped from boarding a flight to Seoul, shortly after being invited to attend the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony in Norway honoring jailed Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo. Liu is serving an 11-year prison term on charges of subversion.
Egypt's Police Crackdown Kills 2 in Tahrir Square
Medical sources in Egypt say the military's pre-dawn crackdown on demonstrators in Cairo's Tahrir Square has killed two people and left at least 15 wounded.
State television quoted Egypt's Health Ministry Saturday as saying just one person died and 71 others were wounded.
Military police swept into the square, swinging batons and firing shots, at around three in the morning to clear out protesters defying a curfew as they rallied against the country's former and current leadership. Witnesses say police beat the protesters, and blood could be seen on the streets early Saturday.
Egypt's ruling military council released a statement saying police were confronting rioters and trying to enforce the curfew, blaming the violence on outlaws.
By Saturday afternoon, at least 1,000 protesters had returned to the square and appeared to have put down objects in the road to block traffic.
Egyptians have been growing more frustrated with the country's military leaders who have taken control of the country. Demonstrators Friday called for the removal of Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who heads the military council.
Protesters formed a human wall to protect several army officers who joined Friday's demonstrations against the orders of the armed forces.
The protest was one of the biggest in the Egyptian capital since former President Hosni Mubarak was forced to resign February 11.
Demonstrators have accused the military of protecting Mubarak, who has been living under house arrest at the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh with his family. Protesters want him to be tried for corruption.
Some information for this report was provided by AFP and Reuters.
Blast Reported at Nigerian Polling Station
Reports from Nigeria say an explosion hit a polling station during Saturday's parliamentary elections.
The Associated Press news agency says one of its reporters saw the bodies of 10 victims of the blast in the city of Maiduguri, while the French News Agency, AFP, quoted a police source saying three people had been killed.
The National Emergency Management Agency acknowledged the explosion, but did not confirm any deaths.
On Friday, a bombing killed at least eight people at the Independent National Electoral Commission office in the city of Suleja, near the capital, Abuja.
Nigerians headed to the polls Saturday under tight security following the blast.
Nigeria has twice delayed parliamentary elections. Last week's vote was cancelled because voting materials were not available.
In Borno state Friday, police say gunmen shot and killed four people as they prepared to distribute election materials. Police say one of those killed was an official from the ruling People's Democratic Party.
Nigeria increased security measures ahead of Saturday's vote with the Interior Ministry shutting down the nation's land borders while police sent out additional street patrols and began restricting vehicle traffic. The military also is keeping watch around polling centers.
On Thursday, the electoral commission said ballots were still short in some areas, so polls would be closed in about 15 percent of Nigeria's constituencies. The commission chairman did not say when those constituencies would vote.
Nigeria is scheduled to hold its presidential election on April 16 and state-level elections on April 26.
Syrian Forces Fire on Activists Mourning Friday’s Victims
Witnesses say Syrian security forces opened fire on opposition activists in two towns on Saturday, a day after officials and activists reported 36 people killed during anti-government unrest.
In the southern town of Daraa, witnesses say security forces fired at mourners attending funerals for some of the victims of Friday's unrest.
Daraa has become a flashpoint of opposition protests. Most of Friday's deaths occurred in or near the town.
Earlier Saturday, witnesses in the port city of Latakia said security forces fired live ammunition to disperse hundreds of anti-government protesters.
Activists had called for more protests on Saturday in spite of a new government warning against demonstrations. They urged protesters to take to the streets following funerals for victims of Friday's violence.
Following Friday's bloodshed, the Interior Ministry issued a statement declaring there is “no more room for leniency or tolerance” in enforcing the country's laws and maintaining security.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton condemned the violence in Syria. In a statement Saturday, she urged the government to enact “meaningful political reforms.”
President Assad recently announced reform plans that included changing government leadership positions. He also has said authorities are studying whether to lift emergency regulations enacted decades ago that ban unsanctioned public gatherings and limit other forms of public expression.
So far, however, the president's gestures have failed to appease opposition activists calling for a sweeping overhaul of Syrian institutions.
Bombing Plot Foiled In Northern Ireland
Police in the British-ruled province of Northern Ireland say they defused a 225-kilogram van bomb near the Irish border Saturday. Officials say it might have been built by dissident members of the Irish Republican Army.
The bomb was discovered south of the town of Newry under a freeway overpass near the main road connecting Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, and Dublin, the capital of the Irish Republic.
Police Chief Superintendent Alasdair Robinson said the bomb could have caused “huge devastation and loss of life.” Jonathan Bell, a member of Northern Ireland's policing board, said it would have been “another example of mass murder.”
Officials believe the stolen van was abandoned where it was because of the presence of a police checkpoint.
Bomb experts alerted to the scene carried out a series of controlled explosions before the device was declared safe. The operation disrupted traffic and forced the closure of the main north-south rail line nearby.
Police say there has been no claim of responsibility.
Saturday's incident comes as police continue to question three suspects in the killing of a Catholic policeman in Northern Ireland.
A booby-trap bomb exploded under Ronan Kerr's car outside his home in Omagh on April 2.
Suicide Bomber Wounds 10 in Afghan Capital
Afghan police say a suspected suicide bomber has attacked an Afghan army bus in the country's capital, wounding 10 people.
Kabul police spokesman Hashmat Stanekzai said the Saturday blast in the eastern part of the city wounded seven soldiers and three civilians. No one was killed.
Authorities say the attacker approached the bus on foot before detonating the explosives believed to be strapped to his body.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but it comes less than a week after a multiple suicide bombing targeted a foreign military base in Kabul. The Taliban claimed responsibility for that attack.
Dudus/Manatt Commission of Enquiry says no more
THERE will be no further sitting of the Commission of Enquiry into the handling of the extradition request for Christopher ‘Dudus’ Coke.
After 44 days of testimony, the enquiry, which was held at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston, was adjourned last Friday, with a resumption date set for tomorrow, in the event that there were additional witnesses to be called.
However, the the commission announced today that it will have no further sitting. It is expected that Commissioners, Emil George, Anthony Irons and Donald Scharschmidt, will submit their final report on or before May 16.
Although there were 44 days of testimony, the Commissioners actually met for 45 days, as they held their first meeting on December 6, 2010.
The commission was established by Prime Minister Bruce Golding last October to enquire into the issues relating to the extradition request by the Government of the United States for Christopher Coke, as well as the hiring of the United States law firm, Manatt, Phelps and Phillips.
Bad year ahead for Caribbean tourism, says CHTA chief
The CEO of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA), Alec Sanguinetti said on Wednesday that the industry is having its worse period in its history due to the ongoing global financial crisis and government taxation policies.
"The industry I would say is threatened and unfortunately because of the contracting of government revenue because of the downturn in tourism (and) tourism has become the bull’s-eye for taxation," Sanguinetti told the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC)
"We have seen an increase in taxes on room nights; we have seen an increase on air tickets; we now have one or two governments who are looking at putting taxes on service charges. We need to get some relief," he said.
Sanguinetti said that there was need now for greater collaboration between the regional private and public sectors.
"But we need to re-tool our industry. There are things that are within our control to fix, which we need to do and the longer those policy issues are ignored the more serious it will be, not only for the hotel industry, but for the entire industry,” he said.
He said that the industry is "half dead already," adding there is not much more to kill.