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-News for Thur. 25 April & Fri. 26
April 2002 The following news clips are from the BBC and included for your convenience. For more detail contact the BBC website. On the BBC web site you will find country profiles, historic information, as well as supporting articles and related news events. Note: This web page may be updated late at times and may be blank on the above date(s). UK report censures Gujarat
rulers
The
report is a damning indictment of the government
British officials in India say the recent widespread violence in the Indian state of Gujarat was pre-planned and carried out with the support of the state government. In a damning internal report obtained by the BBC, British officials say the violence had all the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing and that reconciliation between Hindus and Muslims is impossible while the chief minister remains in power. News of the British document comes as Indian politics is in disarray with opposition parties calling for an independent inquiry into the violence. The ruling party, the BJP, has consistently praised Gujarat's chief minister for his handling of the crisis. Damning indictment This leaked report is the result of an investigation into the Gujarat violence by British officials in India.
It is a damning indictment of the state government. It says the violence, far from being spontaneous, was planned, possibly months in advance, carried out by an extremist Hindu organisation with the support of the state government. The aim, it says, was to purge Muslims from Hindu areas, and it says at least 2,000 people died. Reconciliation between Hindus and Muslims will be impossible, it concludes, while Gujarat's chief minister remains in power. Political chaos Britain's verdict comes as Indian politics is in turmoil in the aftermath of the Gujarat crisis. Leaders of the right-wing BJP, which leads the coalition government, have staunchly defended the chief minister, a member of the same party. But many in the opposition are demanding his resignation and an independent inquiry. Britain's views may be received coldly. As the world's largest democracy, India bitterly resents what it calls the interference of foreign powers in its affairs - all the more so when the criticisms come from a former colonial power. Pakistan mosque blast kills
12
Hundreds have died in sectarian violence in recent
years At
least 12 women and children have been killed and more than 20 injured in a
suspected bomb attack during a religious ceremony at a Shia mosque in central
Pakistan.
Authorities said an explosion tore through the mosque in the western town of Bhakkar, in Punjab province, just before midnight. They said it appeared that a timed explosive device had been planted inside the women's enclosure of the mosque, where thousands had gathered for the annual ceremony. Of the injured, 13 were still in hospital while others had been allowed to go home after being treated for shock. Police suspect the attack is part of the long-running sectarian conflict between extremist groups of the majority Sunni and minority Shia communities. 'Alarming dimension' A doctor at the local government hospital told the BBC the blast hit almost everyone in the women's enclosure. "The impact was so powerful, at least two of the bodies have been blown into pieces," he said.
Witnesses spoke of chaos and carnage. "It was deafening, human bodies flew in the air and there was blood all around," witness Kashif Naqvi told the AFP news agency. The BBC's Zaffar Abbas in Lahore says this is also the first time that women and children have specifically been targeted, adding a new and more alarming dimension to the conflict. According to AFP, hundreds of angry Shia youths took to the streets of Bhakkar in protest at the attack, shouting anti-Sunni slogans. Riot police were deployed and most shops were closed, but residents said tensions were likely to remain high ahead of the funeral processions for the dead. A protest rally was also held in Islamabad to condemn the government for not providing adequate security to Shias. The latest incident is the most serious since an attack on a Shia mosque in the city of Rawalpindi earlier this year. The mayor of Bhakkar town, Khalid Hanif, described the latest attack as an act of terrorism, which, he said was aimed at creating unrest and sectarian friction. Crackdown Violence between the Sunni and Shia communities has claimed hundreds of lives across the country in recent years.
Shias account for only about 20% of Pakistan's population. President Pervez Musharraf pledged tougher action against sectarian extremism in January as part of a broader crackdown on Islamic militants. He banned five Islamic groups including at least one hardline Sunni organisation traditionally blamed for sectarian attacks. Since then, more than 30 Shia Muslims have been killed in incidents that had an obvious sectarian dimension. More than 2,000 people have died in sectarian violence in Pakistan over the past 10 years. Bangladesh poll wins for ruling
coalition
Urban
councils have very limited power and money Bangladesh's governing four-party coalition has won clear majorities
in mayoral elections in three cities.
But the main opposition Awami League bocotted the vote and is demanding fresh elections.
The capital, Dhaka, and the cities of Khulna and Rajshahi, came to a virtual standstill during eight hours of polling on Thursday, which passed off peacefully. The vote for mayors and councillors was the first major test of the popularity of the ruling coalition led by the Bangladesh National Party (BNP), which came to power six months ago. Lacklustre campaign Victories for the coalition have already been declared in Rajshahi and Khulna. Correspondents say there is no doubt the BNP's Fisheries Minister, Sadeq Hossain Khoka, will win in Dhaka.
Earlier reports said the turnout was low, at around 40%. But election officials on Friday said the turnout was much higher. The refusal of the Awami League to take part meant that it was inevitable that the BNP-led alliance would be the main beneficiary. The alliance now has a strong support base at a local level and in parliament, where it has a two-thirds majority. Extravagant pledges The campaign failed to inspire the media, which instead concentrated more on the number of alleged criminals who participated in the election.
They promised to provide more electricity and running water and take steps to fight lawlessness, air pollution, corruption and poverty. But in reality, the local authorities in Bangladesh have little power and almost no money. Russia moots new Caspian
share-out
Apart
from oil, the Caspian is famed for caviar production Russia
could seek to divide out the Caspian Sea's oil and gas riches in a series of
bilateral deals if an overall settlement proves elusive, President Vladimir
Putin has said.
His comments came a day after a presidential summit of the five littoral nations broke up without agreement on sharing Caspian resources. On his way back to Moscow he also had talks in the Russian port city of Astrakhan, urging military exercises centring on the inland sea for the first time in a decade. In Astrakhan - known for the increasingly endangered sturgeon and black caviar - he also expressed grave concern about the effects of poaching. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the legal status of the Caspian Sea has been in limbo, hindering exploration and pumping of oil and gas reserves. No deal A declaration of general principles was prepared at Wednesday's summit hosted by Turkmenistan, but leaders could not agree on it. "If it is not possible for all the Caspian states to agree on all the problems, then Russia thinks it would be right to settle the disputes with its neighbours on a bilateral basis," Interfax news agency quoted Mr Putin as saying on Thursday.
However, he acknowledged that even bilateral agreements could fail to break the Caspian stalemate, and that accords on single issues such as conservation and transport might have to be sought. Iran and Turkmenistan want the seabed to be split equally five ways, while Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia want the Caspian split into national sectors, according to the length of each country's coastline. Speaking in Astrakhan, Mr Putin told Russian navy chief Admiral Vladimir Kuroyedov to arrange military exercises this summer, bringing in the other arms of service apart from the navy aiming to develop coordination in the fight against terrorism. Poachers encroach He was also quoted as saying representatives of the other Caspian states could be invited. Turning his attention to environmental problems, the Russian leader condemned widespread sturgeon poaching in the Caspian as "monstrous" calling and verging on "bio-terrorism". He also accused some local authorities of conniving in poaching, and lamented the fact that some poachers had more sophisticated equipment to pursue their trade than the forces trying to catch them. The Caspian accounts for about 90% of caviar production, but fish stocks have plummeted as a result of pollution, poaching and smuggling. UN's Burma envoy hints at
progress
Mr
Razali's visit has lifted hopes for change The
United Nations special envoy to Burma, Razali Ismail, has told the BBC he
expects "significant developments" soon in the talks between the country's
military government and opposition.
Mr Razali would not be drawn on details, but UN officials said the release from house arrest of opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi was one possibility.
Mr Razali had a working lunch with General Than Shwe, General Maung Aye, and Lieutenant-General Khin Nyunt. General Maung Aye arrived back a few hours earlier than planned from Thailand to attend. The meeting with Than Shwe, thought to be only the second between the two men since Mr Razali initiated talks between the government and opposition 18 months ago, will be seen as symbolically important.
On Thursday Mr Razali met Aung San Suu Kyi at her lakeside home where she is under house arrest. It was their second meeting in two days. Mr Razali also met officials from her National League of Democracy. Rights attack The urgent need for progress was underlined by a resolution adopted on Thursday by the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. The 53-member commission accused the military government of "a continuing pattern of gross and systematic violations of human rights", and of stalling on political progress. Its charges against Burma included:
NLD Secretary, U Lwin, said the talks had been useful but he cautioned against over-optimism. Little to show The junta has refused to give up power despite a landslide election victory by the NLD in 1990. The BBC's Larry Jagan in Rangoon says diplomats believe it unlikely the military will free Aung San Suu Kyi unconditionally. But, he adds, many feel that the main issue is whether or not the junta will agree to meaningful political talks with the NLD. Mr Razali has now left Burma. House votes to axe immigration
service
The 11
September attacks raised border security fears The US
House of Representatives has overwhelmingly backed a plan to break up the US
immigration agency, which has been under fire since the 11 September
attacks.
Lawmakers in the lower house voted 405 to 9 in favour of splitting the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) into two, after a four hour debate on Thursday.
Both agencies would remain part of the Department of Justice under a new associate attorney general for immigration affairs. The INS - already criticised for being inefficient and bureaucratic - has been under increasing pressure since the 11 September attacks. It faced a wave of fury when it emerged that, six months after the attacks on New York and Washington, visa approvals were sent out to two of the hijackers. Turnaround The vote follows a turnaround by the Bush administration, which had previously proposed its own plan to restructure the INS but not divide it. While the White House does not agree fully with the role of the new associate attorney general laid out in the bill, it chose to back the proposal in the face of strong bipartisan support in the House.
It is not clear how the planned changes would fit with a separate plan by the White House to strengthen border security by merging the INS's Border Patrol with the existing Customs Service. A reform plan proposed from within the INS was also rejected in favour of axing the organisation altogether. "I don't think any additional attempt at internal reorganising can pull the INS out of this morass in which it finds itself," said Republican Congressman James Sensenbrenner, the chief sponsor of the measure. A parallel Senate bill is to be considered by the Senate's Judiciary Committee next week. Taiwan crash pilot ignored
warnings
The
aircraft was loaded with fuel Pilot
error and bad weather were the most probable causes of the crash in October
2000 of a Singapore Airlines jumbo jet in Taiwan, according to the final
investigation report.
Eighty-three people were killed in the accident, which happened during a typhoon when the Boeing 747 tried to take off on the wrong runway at Taipei's Chiang Kai-shek airport and slammed into construction equipment before bursting into flames.
Kay Yong, managing director of Taiwan's Aviation Safety Council (ASC), said investigators decided not to blame the accident on specific causes, such as pilot error, weather and airport problems. Instead, their report listed "probable causes", leaving the courts to settle the issues of blame and liability, he said. The report did find that confusing runway markers and broken taxiway lights created a risk for the pilots in the Los Angeles-bound Flight SQ006. Wrong runway The ASC said in a statement: "The flight crew did not review the taxi route in a manner sufficient to ensure they all understood" they were taking off on the correct runway. The runway they were using had been partially closed for repair and was littered with equipment. The report said the pilots had failed to realise they were on the wrong runway despite at least 10 opportunities en route to spot their mistake. They had even been warned in a pre-flight briefing that a runway next to the one they were supposed to take off from was out of use, the report said. Ninety-six people survived the crash including the captain and two other flight deck crew. The pilots are still employed by Singapore Airlines but have not flown since the accident. They returned to Singapore in December 2000 after preliminary investigations. Legal battles Malaysian pilot Foong Chee Kong and first officers Ng Kheng Leng and Latif Cyrano had hoped the release of the report would pave the way for them to fly again, The Straits Times said on Friday. Singapore Airlines has offered $400,000 compensation to the relatives of each of people who died, but has declined to say how many people have taken up the offer. The report's findings now could be used as evidence in courtroom battles against the airline by survivors and victims' families. Taiwan had refused to let Singapore get involved in the final report on the crash. Instead, Singapore's Ministry of Transport released a separate report on Friday, acknowledging the pilots made mistakes, but blaming poor safety measures at the airport, "The Singapore team
believes that the major deficiencies at (Chiang Kai-shek International Airport)
played a critical role in the accident," Singapore's Ministry of Transport said
in its report. Israelis re-enter West Bank
town
Israel
denies claims of a massacre in Jenin Israeli
forces have raided the West Bank town of Qalqilya, shortly after a new plea
from President George Bush to complete their military withdrawal.
About 15 Israeli tanks and armoured personnel carriers went into the town and three villages early on Friday, according to witnesses. Troops conducted house-to-house searches after declaring a curfew and arrested 13 suspected Palestinian militants. It is the second such raid since Israeli forces began pulling out of the town on 9 April.
And the Israeli military said it had killed a local leader of the militant Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine faction in the town, named as Raed Nazal. Just hours earlier President Bush said Israel "must finish its withdrawal, including resolution of stand-offs in Ramallah and Bethlehem, in a non-violent way". He also said the Palestinians must "do more to stop terror". President Bush was speaking after an informal summit at his Texas ranch with Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler, Crown Prince Abdullah. The Saudi leader warned him of grave consequences to US interests in the Middle East unless Washington did more to restrain Israel. Jenin mission Israel has asked the UN to delay sending its fact-finding mission to examine the Israeli army's assault on the Jenin refugee camp in the West Bank. The UN had responded to one of Israel's earlier demands over the Jenin mission by adding two military officers to the delegation. But the Israeli prime minister's office asked that the UN team be held back until remaining contentious points were resolved. The Israelis say their incursion in Jenin earlier this month was part of the military operation to destroy "terrorist cells". However the Palestinians have accused Israel of a massacre and allege war crimes were committed during the occupation. Israeli incursions The BBC's Jonny Dymond in Jerusalem says the latest incursion in Qalqilya follows a pattern the army has repeated across the West Bank - withdrawing from the centre of towns, encircling them and then going back in when it says it has information about "terrorist" suspects.
Israel has pulled back from most of the West Bank towns it reoccupied in the offensive launched on 29 March. But Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat remains confined to his shell-blasted Ramallah headquarters, surrounded by Israeli troops who smashed their way in at the start of the offensive. Siege Meanwhile, the Israeli siege of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem continues. Four Palestinians, some said to be in police uniform, surrendered to Israeli troops. Another two were shot and wounded, then taken into custody. Earlier, eight of the nine Palestinian youths allowed to leave the church on Thursday were released. The Israelis say they are still questioning the other youth. Israel is insisting that the siege of the church will continue until the Palestinians turn over those responsible for the killing of the Israeli Cabinet Minister, Rehavam Zeevi, who was shot dead in Jerusalem last October. The Palestinians say they have put four men on trial in connection with the shooting, and have sentenced them to prison terms ranging from one to 18 years. The Israelis have rejected the trial, and say that the suspects will have to appear before a court in Israel. Argentina gets new economy
chief
The
people want Mr Lavagna to deliver a quick fix Argentina's President Eduardo Duhalde has named the free market
economist Roberto Lavagna as his new economy minister.
Mr Lavagna will take up the post on Saturday, after flying back from Brussels where he was Argentina's ambassador to the EU. Mr Lavagna will be the sixth Argentine economy minister in the last 12 months, taking over from Jorge Remes Lenicov who resigned on Tuesday. His job of steering the country out of a desperate economic crisis will be keenly watched both by the Argentine people and by the international community. Banking crisis Four years of recession has left the Argentine economy in tatters.
Its banking and financial system is in disarray, its currency sharply devalued, and its people are now strapped for cash after panic withdrawals last week forced a nationwide bank holiday. Limited banking services were set to resume on Friday, though most Argentines would still be denied access to their bank savings after the upper house of parliament passed a law which made it virtually impossible to withdraw cash. Under the measure, only savers who mount successful legal challenges against existing restrictions on withdrawals will get access to their money, though the government will be able to appeal against court decissions. Buying time For Mr Lavagna such stalling techniques should buy him time to get on with the challenge of mollifying impatient international money lenders. His main task will be to convince the IMF to restart a lending programme to Argentina, by pushing ahead with economic reforms which must include spending cuts by the country's provinces and legal reforms aimed at restoring investor confidence. President Duhalde has already landed a cost cutting promise from the provinces and he has vowed to push ahead with legal reforms. But on Thursday, he also said he would consider anchor the peso to the US dollar, just four months after the country abandoned a one-to-one peg with the US currency. Such a move could alienate the IMF, at least if it was an all out move to a fixed exchange rate mechanism. But if it stems soaring prices for basic goods like bread it could prevent street protests from escalating into repeats of the violent riots seen late last year. Milosevic army chief pleads not
guilty
General Ojdanic maintains he has done nothing
wrong The
former head of the Yugoslav army has pleaded not guilty of crimes against
humanity in Kosovo at the war crimes tribunal in The Hague.
General Dragoljub Ojdanic, who led the army during the 1998-1999 conflict against Kosovo Albanian insurgents, is the first senior Serbian figure to have surrendered voluntarily to the tribunal. He is also the most senior war crimes suspect to appear there since former president Slobodan Milosevic made his debut in February. "I plead not guilty," said the 60-year-old officer, standing with his chest puffed out and his back perfectly straight. He had said while leaving Belgrade on Thursday that his conscience was clear and he felt like a "hero". The general added that he had nothing to say which could incriminate Mr Milosevic, extradited against his will last June. General Ojdanic faces five counts of crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war relating to the Kosovo campaign, in which thousands of people were killed and hundreds of thousands driven from their homes. His voluntary surrender has been hailed by Washington, where the State Department praised his "courageous decision and his show of leadership". Mr Ojdanic was the first of 23 people ordered last week to surrender by the Yugoslav Government to turn himself in. US pressure General Ojdanic has joined 40 other suspects held at the special UN unit in Scheveningen, near the tribunal, but hopes he might be released pending trial, as other suspects who have surrendered voluntarily have been.
Only six of the 23 people named last week have said they will surrender voluntarily. They include former Yugoslav Deputy Prime Minister Nikola Sainovic, who, like General Ojdanic, is indicted on the same charge sheet as Mr Milosevic. Two of the most wanted suspects, Bosnian Serb wartime leader Radovan Karadzic and his military chief Ratko Mladic remain at large. Yugoslavia is under immense financial pressure from the United States, which froze economic aid at the end of March after the country failed to meet a deadline to start handing over suspects to the UN tribunal. While welcoming General Ojdanic's surrender on Thursday, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said much remained to be done if the freeze on the $40m in assistance was to be lifted. "While we see this as a positive step, both on the part of the individuals answering the charges as well as on the part of the government of Yugoslavia for facilitating this, at this point we have not made any further decisions with regard to certification." In addition to the continued surrender of suspects, Mr Boucher said the State Department wanted Belgrade to open up its military archives to investigators from the tribunal who are keen to use the material as evidence. New rebel alliance in DR
Congo
The
government is now with the former MLC rebels The
rebel group left out of last week's peace deal with the government in the
Democratic Republic of Congo has formed a new alliance with civilian opposition
groups.
The Rally for Congolese Democracy, RCD, backed by Rwanda, has joined the Union for Democracy and Social Progress, led by veteran opposition politician Etienne Tshisekedi and four other parties.
DR Congo has been engulfed in a civil war for almost four years and Mr Kabila is being kept in power by troops from Zimbabwe and Angola. A ceasefire was signed in Lusaka in 1999 but sporadic fighting has continued and correspondents say there are now fears that the conflict may reignite. 'Coup d'etat' The RCD's leader, Adolphe Onusumba, told the BBC's Network Africa that the new group was formed to bring the government and the MLC back to the negotiating table. He described the deal, under which Mr Kabila remains president and the MLC's Jean-Pierre Bemba becomes prime minister, as a "coup d'etat".
"We are on the legal side. They are the ones who spoiled what the Congolese were expecting," he said. The RCD is the largest rebel group in the DR Congo and controls around a third of the country, which is the size of western Europe. Under the Lusaka accord, all Congolese rebel groups and political parties were supposed to thrash out a new political dispensation with the government, leading to the country's first ever elections. Dictator This "Inter-Congolese Dialogue" has been taking place in the South African resort town of Sun City over the past eight weeks. The deal between Mr Kabila and the MLC was announced just before the talks were set to close last week. The new grouping, called the Alliance for the Protection of the Inter-Congolese Dialogue, ASD, warned against a potential "partition of the DRC and resumption of conflict". Mr Tshisekedi enjoys some support in the capital, Kinshasa, after spearheading opposition to the former dictator, Mobutu Sese Seko for many years. Other parties involved in the ASD are:
18 die in German school
massacre
Some
pupils are being treated in hospital for shock Eighteen people died when an expelled former pupil went on a shooting
spree at his school in the eastern German city of Erfurt.
After searching the building, police said they could not confirm accounts by pupils that there was a second gunman. It is the worst school massacre in Europe since the 1996 shooting in Dunblane, Scotland, when 16 children, a teacher and the gunman died. Horror The BBC's Berlin correspondent, Rob Broomby, says it is also the worst incident of its kind in Germany's post-war history.
Fifteen of those killed died in the first few minutes of the shooting as the gunman let loose with a pump-action shotgun. Bodies were found all over the school in classrooms and toilets, in what Erfurt police chief Manfred Grube described the scene as a "picture of horror". "At first we didn't know what was going on, then there was firing, and we ran out," said a pupil interviewed on German television. "We thought at first it was a joke, and then we heard the shots, and we were so scared," said another. Mr Grube said the gunman killed himself "when he saw that there was no way out for him".
Throughout the day a banner could be seen hanging from a window with the message: "Help!" Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder led German politicians in expressing shock. "We are stunned in the face of this horrible crime," a grim-faced Schroeder told reporters. "All explanations we could give right now don't go far enough." Some 180 pupils remained trapped in the building, as the gunman holed himself up in a classroom with his shotgun and a handgun. They made frantic calls by mobile phone to their friends outside. Second school attack "We are all crammed into one room," said one girl, in a phone call replayed on German radio. "The teacher is one of the dead. Everyone is crying."
Correspondents say that outside the building, a police officer with a megaphone urged parents to register their children's names before leaving the scene, while groups of dazed and shocked students huddled in the street, hugging and crying. The incident comes just two months after a similar attack in southern Germany, when a disgruntled former pupil opened fire in his old school, leaving dead and wounded behind. The 22-year-old man killed the headmaster of a school in Freising near Munich, before blowing himself up. SA Catholics admit abuse
The
Pope says child abuse was an appalling sin The
head of the Roman Catholic Church in South Africa has admitted that about a
dozen priests have been accused of sexually abusing children in
country.
"All I can say is that we have had a dozen cases involving Catholic priests in different parts of the country," Cardinal Wilfred Napier told the BBC's Network Africa programme.
Cardinal Napier's admission comes in the wake of a sex abuse scandal that has rocked the Catholic Church in the United States. It prompted the Pope to summon American Catholic cardinals priests to Rome amid allegations of a cover-up. Paedophilia "It's embarrassing, it's a tragedy, it's a great crime against the innocence of the child," Cardinal Napier said. "One would feel the embarrassment, the sadness and the hurt that is also suffered by the people themselves." Cardinal Wilfed Napier said the priests found to have abused children will not necessarily be expelled from the priesthood, but he added that some of them have already chosen to leave the Church. He described paedophilia as a pathological condition that needed treatment. Similar scandals At the crisis meeting in Rome, the Pope made his strongest condemnation yet of sexual abuse by priests. He told American cardinals there was no place in the Roman Catholic Church for priests who sexually abused children. Although sex abuse scandals have rocked dioceses in other nations, only the American cardinals have been called to the Vatican. Similar scandals have hit the clergy in different countries in recent years, including Austria, Ireland, Poland, France and Mexico. Firebomb found in abandoned
van
The
van was destroyed in the controlled explosion Republican dissidents are thought to have been behind an attempt to
drive a large firebomb into the centre of Belfast.
Two controlled explosions were carried out on a van containing the petrol and explosive device which was abandoned as it approached the city centre. The white van had been hijacked on the Grosvenor Road in west Belfast at about 1130 BST on Friday and the device put on board. Two masked men, one armed with handgun, the other carrying the device in a bag, got into the van, and instructed the driver and his helper to drive to the city centre.
The man with the device then did something to it, before he and the gunman got out of the van and ran off. When the driver and the other man reached a police checkpoint at the Grosvenor Road roundabout, they raised the alarm. A security source said that while they were keeping an open mind on who was responsible "an obvious starting point must be republican dissidents". The dissident groups are opposed to the peace process in Northern Ireland have continued to make attacks on the security forces in the province. Chief Inspector Peter Farrar said the perpetrators had no regard for human life. Fire ball "If that had gone into the city centre it would have created a substantial fireball around that van and basically engulfed anyone that was near the van causing horrendous injuries," he said. "You have to consider that this was about 1200 BST, or just after, on a Friday lunchtime and the people who did this obviously do not care about any sort of injuries or anyone's welfare within the city centre." Army technical experts were called to examine the device which they said would have caused a fire ball if it had exploded. The police operation to intercept the van caused traffic disruption in the area which leads on to the M1 motorway. Police at a vehicle checkpoint on the Grosvenor Road saw two men running away from the van. Meanwhile, another security alert on Wellington Place in the city centre caused traffic disruption a short time later. Shops and offices were evacuated, but the alert was declared a hoax. Split threat in
Madagascar
Blockades on Antananarivo remain in place Governors loyal to Madagascar's President, Didier Ratsiraka, have
said they will set up an independent state if a recount of last December's
presidential elections declared the opposition candidate the
victor.
They issued a statement in the south-western province of Toliara threatening to "to establish the independent state of Toliara" if the High Constitutional Court, HCC, declared that Marc Ravalomanana won the vote, reports the French news agency, AFP.
On Monday, the HCC began recounting the votes after the Supreme Court had nullified the earlier results because President Ratsiraka had removed several HCC judges as the election began. The result of the recount will be declared on Monday. This dispute calls into question a deal signed by Mr Ratsiraka and Mr Ravalomanana in Dakar last week. Biased "As a magistrate, I cannot back secessionist moves but if Ravalomanana's camp continues to behave illegally, the independence of the provinces is a risk," Toliara Governor Jean de Dieu Maharante told AFP.
Their declaration was backed by the governors of all the other regions of the Indian Ocean island, except the governor of the capital, Antananarivo, where Mr Ravalomanana has his power-base. They say that the HCC judges are biased towards Mr Ravalomanana. "We expected the recount would be done by an independent body with representatives of both parties present and an international adjudicator," said pro-Ratsiraka senator Annick Daahy. "We the governors of the five autonomous province share the analysis of the Toliara elected officials on this point," Antsiranana Governor Jean-Robert Gara said. "If Ravalomanana is declared (president) we will reject this foregone conclusion and will be obliged to head towards independence," he said. Blockade Mr Ratsiraka's supporters based in the eastern port city of Tamatave have imposed an economic blockade on the capital, Antananarivo, where Mr Ravalomanana has his power base.
This has led to shortages of fuel and other essential commodities. Under the peace deal signed in Senegal, Mr Ratsiraka promised to dismantle the blockades but the governors have said they will remain in place until Mr Ravalomanana's supporters vacate the government buildings they have occupied. Mr Ravalomanana has retracted his declaration that he was president - also under the terms of the Dakar deal. Before the deal was signed, the row had become increasingly violent, with 35 people losing their lives. Greek court convicts
plane-spotters
The
group had been hopeful of being cleared Eight
of the 14 plane-spotters accused of spying at a military airshow in Greece have
been found guilty of espionage.
The remaining six of the group of 12 Britons and two Dutchmen have been found guilty of aiding and abetting.
Those found guilty of espionage, which include the two Dutchmen, were each sentenced to three years. It is understood they will be able to go home while they appeal against their sentence. Those found guilty of the lesser charge were given sentences of one year each suspended for three years. 'Ludicrous' decision One of those found guilty of espionage, Paul Coppin, said after the verdict: "I wasn't expecting this at all.
Plane-spotter Steven Rush has vowed to return to Greece to appeal against his one-year suspended sentence. He said he was "extremely annoyed" that they had been separated into two groups on the basis of who had notebooks. "We were all in Greece together. "We were in two vans. We went round together and did the same thing." He said he did not see the distinction between the two groups. Stephen Jakobi, director of Fair Trials Abroad, said this verdict would have wider repercussions. "I've forecast all along that if the Greeks got this one wrong the shock waves would be felt throughout Europe." 'Stunned' Familes and friends of the plane-spotters have told the BBC of their disbelief at the verdicts. Mr Coppin's mother, speaking from Norfolk, told the BBC she found the verdict "unbelievable." Jean Butt said from her home in Norfolk: "My son has three young boys at home." And Julie Wilson, wife of Christopher Wilson, said: "Greece was supposed to be the birthplace of democracy and justice. "Now it's shown it's the death." MEP Richard Howitt, who has campaigned tirelessly on behalf of the plane-spotters, said he was stunned by the result. "The verdict bears no relation whatsoever to the evidence given. "I can only think that there was no prospect of a fair trial. "We are talking about a guilty conviction, the prospect of a prison sentence even with a year away. "These people's lives have been blighted". He said they had suffered financial hardship with their bail payments and their jobs were on the line. Defence lawyer Yannis Zacharias said: "I expected them not to stay in prison. That is what I promised." Invitation The three Greek judges delivered their verdict on Friday afternoon, after three days of evidence. The group had denied the espionage charges, which carry a maximum penalty of five years in jail or a hefty fine. They were arrested at an airshow in Kalamata, southern Greece, last November, and charged with taking pictures in a military zone. The plane-spotters insisted they were at the show on the invitation of the Greek authorities and that any information collected was already freely available. But Greek prosecutors told the court in Kalamata they knew what they were doing was illegal and could compromise the country's national security. They spent five weeks in prison before being released on 14 Dec after posting bail of £9,000 each. Originally they faced a felony charge of spying, which carries a 20-year sentence, but this was later downgraded to misdemeanour charges. Those found guilty of espionage are:
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