Rwanda ‘forced exhumation’ claim

Rwandan soldier at the genocide memorial in Bisesero, RwandaHundreds of thousands of people died in the genocide

A Rwandan opposition party has accused the government of forcing people to exhume the bodies of relatives killed during the 1994 genocide.

The authorities say the remains should be brought together at memorial sites so people never forget the killings.

Some 800,000 ethnic Tutsi and moderate Hutus died in the 100-day genocide.

Despite repeated requests by the BBC neither the information minister nor Rwanda’s Commission Against Genocide Ideology have responded to the claims.

‘No choice’

A representative of the newly-formed opposition Rwandan National Congress, Jonathan Musonera, said that he had personally been affected by the government’s order.

“The authorities issued instructions for us to dig up the remains of our relatives and take them to the genocide memorial sites,” he said.

“My family refused, but the government said if we didn’t do it, they would send prisoners to exhume the remains.

“We had no choice. My relatives dug up the bodies and gave them to the authorities who took them to the memorial sites.”

Mr Musonera said exhuming the remains of his family has haunted him and that he believes they deserve to be buried with dignity at a place where they can be visited by those who survived.

But the Rwandan Genocide Survivors Association, which is close to the government, supports the policy of exhuming the remains.

“All the remains should be kept at memorial sites so that we can keep showing that the genocide happened,” said Jean-Pierre Dusingizemungu, the head of the association.

He added that the bodies should be preserved properly so that they can be displayed in this way for a long time.

There are several genocide memorial sites in Rwanda. The biggest, in the capital Kigali, displays the skulls and other remains of some 200,000 people.

The authorities want the remains of every victim to be shown in public to emphasise the scale and horror of the genocide.

But many of those being asked to dig up the remains of those they lost 17 years ago, would prefer for them to rest in peace.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Hitler honour row grips Austria

Adolf Hitler. Photo: 1936The debate has unsettled Austria, which is still grappling with the legacy of its Nazi past
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Several towns in Austria have been checking their archives this week to see if Adolf Hitler is still an honorary citizen of their communities.

It follows an announcement by the town of Amstetten that – after more than 60 years – it was finally revoking Hitler’s honorary title.

Hitler visited Amstetten – west of Vienna – in 1938, and was made an honorary citizen the following year.

The Green Party sponsored the move to strike his name from the honours list.

The decision was passed by a large majority in the town council.

But two members of the far-right Freedom Party abstained.

They argued the move was unnecessary, because they said the title expired with Hitler’s death in 1945.

The debate has unsettled Austria, which is still grappling with the legacy of its Nazi past, and has sent historians and politicians rushing to check their archives.

The mayor of the southern city of Klagenfurt, Christian Scheider, did not even wait for a debate on the issue, but used emergency powers to officially strike Hitler’s name from the city’s roll of honour.

He said he wanted to distance Klagenfurt from the crimes of Nazism and had filed the following motion:

“If it should emerge that Adolf Hitler ever received an honorary citizenship of the provincial capital Klagenfurt from anyone – a supposition which lies before us – this is officially revoked and disallowed.”

Historians in Klagenfurt have found Nazi-era newspapers that describe the ceremony honouring Hitler in 1938.

Several other Austrian towns continue to argue about whether the honorary titles of Hitler and other prominent Nazis have expired or not.

Amstetten shot to notoriety in 2008, when it was revealed that Josef Fritzl had imprisoned his daughter in a cellar in his house there and fathered seven children with her.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Fiat to increase Chrysler stake

A Chrysler Sebring sits in front of the Chrysler logoChrysler repaid $7.6bn of government loans earlier this week
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Fiat says it will buy the US government’s 6% stake in Chrysler, which will give the Italian carmaker a majority share in the US company.

After Chrysler emerged from bankruptcy protection in 2009, Fiat agreed with the US government to share technology and management in return for a 20% stake and has quickly built that up.

Buying out the government would give Fiat 52% ownership of Chrysler.

The price will be negotiated within 10 business days, Fiat said.

In a statement, Fiat notified the US Treasury that it was exercising its option to buy the government’s share.

Its stake is likely to increase to 57% by the end of the year, when it is expected to have met certain government targets.

On Tuesday, Chrysler said it had repaid $7.6bn (£4.7bn) in US and Canadian government loans, six years ahead of schedule.

Earlier this month, it reported a profit of $116m (£69m) in the first three months of the year, its first quarterly profit since it emerged from bankruptcy protection.

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Scotsman revived

The Flying Scotsman. Copyright: NRMThe Flying Scotsman was built in 1923
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The Flying Scotsman steam locomotive will go on show in York this weekend after a five-year overhaul.

The steam engine, the first to be officially recorded at 100mph, was bought for the nation in 2004.

Since then it has been undergoing major restoration work at the National Railway Museum (NRM) in York.

Further work is due to be carried out after this weekend, with the engine expected to return to service in the summer.

Bob Gwynne, curator at the NRM, said: “This engine really symbolises the steam age to many people right around the world.

“It reminds us of those glorious days in the 1930s when express trains would roar along behind big beasts like this engine.”

The class A3 Pacific locomotive, designed by Sir Nigel Gresley, was built in 1923 for the London and North Eastern Railway (LNER) at Doncaster.

The engine was chosen to haul LNER’s new non-stop London-Scotland rail service in 1928.

“This is possibly the most beautiful locomotive ever built ”

Steve Davies NRM director

The Flying Scotsman broke records in 1934 when it became the first locomotive to be officially recorded at 100mph (161km/h), on the 393-mile (632km) route between London and Edinburgh.

In its career it travelled 2,000,000 miles (3,200,000 km) before being withdrawn from service in 1963.

Since the 1960s the engine has passed through a variety of owners and made numerous trips around the world.

It also set another record in 1989 for the longest non-stop steam run of 422 miles (697 km), in Australia.

The engine was again put up for sale in 2004 and was saved for the nation by the NRM at a cost of £2.1m.

The locomotive was withdrawn from service in 2006 for a major restoration at the museum’s workshop in York.

Chris Beet, engineering and rail operations manager at the NRM, admitted the restoration had been a daunting task: “It has been a bit like a marathon, really.

The Flying Scotsman in York. Copyright: NRMThe locomotive was saved for the nation at a cost of over £2 m in 2004

“A tremendous amount of work has gone into the project, from researching the original designs to sourcing parts.”

The project has been supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and a donation from Tata Steel, formerly Corus.

Steve Davies, director of the NRM, said: “It has been a long time coming but to see this magnificent machine, now in public ownership, looking as it has never looked before in preservation, is just a spectacular sight and well worth it.”

The Flying Scotsman has been painted in the black livery used by LNER during World War II.

After final tests the engine will be repainted in its traditional apple green livery ready for its return to running steam excursions in the summer.

Mr Davies said he hoped the excursions would prove popular with all those who have donated money to help save the engine.

“This is possibly the most beautiful locomotive ever built and the public really does need to get on board. This is their engine.”

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Search for missing moor rave man

Joel AndrewsDevon and Cornwall Police say Joel Andrews’ disappearance appears to be out of character

Police are appealing for information to help trace a 24-year-old man who went missing from a party on Dartmoor.

Joel Andrews, of Caldicot, Monmouthshire, was last seen at the Fernworthy Reservoir area near Chagford in the early hours of Sunday.

Police said they were becoming “increasingly concerned” as his disappearance appeared to be out of character.

Mr Andrews was wearing a grey Animal hooded top and jeans and a dark green waist-length jacket.

A Facebook page has been created by friends who have joined the search for Mr Andrews.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Obama Poland visit to boost ties

US President Barack Obama, accompanied by Polish officers, lays a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Warsaw, 27 MayMr Obama visited Warsaw’s Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
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US President Barack Obama is in Poland on the final stage of his six-day European tour.

After flying in from the G8 summit in France, Mr Obama laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and visited the Warsaw Ghetto Memorial.

He is also attending a dinner with more than a dozen leaders of central and eastern EU countries.

Mr Obama will hold talks with Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski on Saturday before returning to the US.

The BBC’s diplomatic correspondent Jonathan Marcus says the agenda will range from global events like the Arab Spring to Polish energy security.

However, Mr Obama also has some fence mending to attend to, he adds.

Normally close relations between Warsaw and Washington were strained after Mr Obama cancelled plans by his predecessor, George W Bush, to site interceptor missiles in Poland.

This shift was seen in some quarters in Warsaw as an attempt by the new administration to curry favour with Moscow.

In 1989, Poland became the first country in the Soviet bloc to shed communism in a peaceful transition negotiated by the Solidarity opposition movement, led by Lech Walesa.

Mr Obama has said that the experience of countries once behind the Iron Curtain could help Arab nations struggling for democracy.

Hours before Mr Obama’s arrival, Polish headlines were dominated by reports that Mr Walesa was refusing to meet him.

Mr Walesa said he feared such a meeting would only be a “photo opportunity”.

“I believe one day I will meet with Obama but not this time,” he told AFP news agency.

He wished the US president “very well”, then added, “but sometimes things just don’t work out”.

Both men are Nobel Peace Prize winners.

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Cooper police contact new family

Clockwise from top right - Helen Thomas, Richard Thomas, Peter Dixon and Gwenda DixonCooper’s victims: Peter and Gwenda Dixon [both left] and Richard and Helen Thomas in the 1980s
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Detectives have contacted the family of an elderly woman who lived near multiple murderer John Cooper, and whose body was found in a bath.

Florence Evans was discovered at her home in Rosemarket, Pembrokeshire, 20 years ago.

Although an inquest found no suspicious circumstances, her family never believed it was an accident.

Dyfed Powys Police said there was “connectivity” between Cooper and Mrs Evans.

Cooper, 66, was jailed for life on Thursday for two 1980s double murders which the judge called crimes of evil wickedness.

“Clearly, John Cooper himself has introduced Florence Evans into his trial, and we were obviously aware of her prior to us taking the proceedings”

Det Ch Supt Steve Wilkins

Cooper, from Letterston, was convicted after an eight-week trial at Swansea Crown Court.

He was also convicted of separate charges of rape, sexual assault and attempted robbery.

Mrs Evans was mentioned by Cooper in his defence evidence. Cooper and his wife, Pat, lived nearby and would visit her at her smallholding.

Known as Flo, Mrs Evans died soon after holidaymakers Peter and Gwenda Dixon were murdered by Cooper on the Pembrokeshire coastal path in 1989.

The body of the widow, who was in her 70s, was found fully clothed in the bath.

Her niece Jean Murphy confirmed that her aunt – who she described as an active, independent woman – was friendly with Cooper and his wife, and that he would visit and do odd jobs for her.

She said Mrs Evans never took baths, and that her aunt would not have had any hot water at the time of her death, as no fire had been lit in the kitchen.

Dyfed-Powys Police say they have a duty to see if Cooper is responsible for other crimes.

John Cooper John Cooper was described by the judge as a ‘highly predatory’ at the end of his trial

Det Ch Supt Steve Wilkins, who led the cold case review into the murders of the Dixons and the 1985 murder of brother and sister Richard and Helen Thomas, said Cooper’s trial turned up some “interesting issues” requiring further investigation.

“Clearly, John Cooper himself has introduced Florence Evans into his trial, and we were obviously aware of her prior to us taking the proceedings, and also the circumstances of her death, which were looked at within the coroner’s court,” said Det Ch Supt Wilkins.

“Clearly, there is connectivity between John Cooper and Flo Evans.”

Det Ch Supt Wilkins told BBC Radio Wales’ Eye on Wales programme: “There are a number of issues which I think we need to look at; his own history, where he’s lived, what he was involved with at the time he lived in different locations.

“At this moment there is nothing concrete that connects him to any other offences, though there are a number of interesting issues which have come out during the trial.

“But also I need to speak to my chief officers as to how we then progress any other investigations, if indeed we do.”

“So I will sit down and speak with particularly the family first of Flo Evans, to have those discussions with them, as to whether we should in fact have a look at the circumstances of her death.”

BBC Radio Wales Eye on Wales special programme, is available on the BBC iPlayer for a week after its first transmission on Thursday, 26 May.

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‘Eight killed’ in Syria protests

Unverified image appearing to show men throwing stones at security forces in Banias, SyriaThere have been reports of protests across Syria, including in the coastal town of Banias

Syrian security forces have opened fire on anti-government protesters, killing at least four people,reports say.

The incidents occurred in a suburb of the capital Damascus and a town in the south after Friday prayers.

Last Friday after prayers, at least 44 people died after demonstrations calling for President Bashar al-Assad to step down.

Human rights groups say more than 1,000 people have been killed since the uprising began ten weeks ago.

At least three people died in Qatana, a suburb of Damascus, where some 1,500 people had gathered to protest and one person was killed in the town of Zabadani, near the Lebanese border.

Night-time protests

According to the Local Co-ordination Committees in Syria, which help organise the protests, a further four people were killed in the southern village of Dael, AP reports.

There were also reports of protests in the cities of Baniyas, Homs and Rastan with some 5,000 people gathering in Deir Ezzor.

According to AP, live rounds were fired on a late-night protest in the town of Deraa overnight on Thursday.

Many activists are reported to be choosing to demonstrate under the cover of nightfall when there are fewer security officials on the streets.

“We refuse to let them sleep,” a 28-year-old Dael resident said of the security forces, according to AP.

“We drive them crazy: as soon as they come to the neighbourhood we go quiet and they get lost. And then we start again when they leave,” he said.

Syria has banned foreign journalists, making it difficult to verify eyewitness accounts. Syrian authorities insist they are pursuing “armed terrorist gangs”.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Huhne election complaint rejected

Chris HuhneChris Huhne is under pressure over claims about a speeding offence in 2003
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The elections watchdog has rejected a complaint made about Energy Secretary Chris Huhne’s election spending.

Mr Huhne was accused by two former Lib Dem councillors in his Eastleigh constituency of having made a “false declaration” – a claim he denied.

But the Electoral Commission replied saying no “specific evidence” had been provided about his election spending.

Police are investigating separate claims that Mr Huhne tried to evade a speeding punishment, which he denies.

The energy secretary has been under pressure since his ex-wife suggested someone close to him took licence points for him after a speeding offence committed on the M11 motorway in 2003.

Separately, the Electoral Commission has been looking into two complaints about his election expenditure and announced on Friday one had been dismissed.

Under rules governing spending by parties on election campaigns, the limit for Mr Huhne’s constituency at the 2010 general election was £39,973 – he declared £29,519.

“The discussions at the meeting did not appear to have related solely to spending on Mr Huhne’s campaign and did not indicate any specific overs pending in respect of his return”

Electoral Commission investigator

The complaint to the Electoral Commission was based on a recording of a local party meeting where treasurer Anne Winstanley was heard saying that the elections “have cost more than we declared”.

But the Commission said after considering the allegation “carefully, in line with our assessment procedure” it would not be taking further action, although it made it clear that it would consider further evidence if it was provided.

In a letter to Ms Winstanley, the investigator said: “The reason for my decision is that the allegation did not provide any specific evidence that Mr Huhne’s campaign expenditure was under-reported.

“The discussions at the meeting did not appear to have related solely to spending on Mr Huhne’s campaign and did not indicate any specific overspending in respect of his return”.

Aides had said the sums referred to in the meeting covered all campaigning in the constituency and not just Mr Huhne’s individual campaign expenses.

Ms Winstanley had previously issued a statement in which she said the general election expenses “were as declared to the Electoral Commission”.

“I am confident that the returns were completed properly in accordance with the law”

Chris Huhne

The complaint had been made by former Lib Dem mayor Glynn Davies-Dear, now an independent councillor on Eastleigh borough council, and former Lib Dem councillor Andy Moore. Both men quit the party in January in protest at the coalition government’s policies.

The two men said they would challenge the watchdog’s ruling as they were dissatisfied with how it had conducted the investigation.

BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said they had complained they had not been asked to submit the tape recording concerned.

However, Mr Huhne said he was “pleased” with Friday’s ruling and that the matter had been dealt with “quickly and thoroughly”.

“I am confident that the returns were completed properly in accordance with the law,” he said.

The Sunlight Centre for Open Politics has also lodged a complaint with the Electoral Commission about Mr Huhne’s expenditure on election leaflets and his election website, which is still being looked into.

The watchdog is expected to decide whether to formally investigate the matter next week.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.