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Hong Kong vigil marks Tiananmen

Hong Kong vigil marking anniversary of Tiananmen massacre - 4 June 2011Organisers said 150,000 people attended the vigil; police said 77,000 showed up
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Tens of thousands of people have attended a candlelight vigil in Hong Kong to mark the 22nd anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown in Beijing.

Hundreds of people were killed in the Chinese capital as soldiers and tanks moved to clear Tiananmen Square of pro-democracy demonstrators in 1989.

This year’s anniversary comes as China continues a crackdown on dissent, arresting dozens of activists.

Public discussion of the Tiananmen killings remains taboo in China.

Organisers of the Hong Kong vigil said 150,000 flooded into Victoria Park, holding candles and listening to speeches.

Police put the number at 77,000, AFP news agency said.

Hong Kong, long a British colony, was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 but retains a separate legal and political system.

“Hong Kong is an open place,” said participant Tse Ting-ting at the vigil.

“This is a good night for us to commemorate the group of students who tried to create freedom in China on June 4.”

Lee Cheuk-yan, a Hong Kong legislator and one of the organisers of the vigil, called for Beijing to release dissident artist Ai Wei Wei and other activists.

“We can see that now for China, it is the darkest age for human rights. We can see all the human rights defenders being arrested and suppressed,” he said.

“They should start political reform and return the power to the people,” Mr Lee added.

China began arresting activists earlier in the year, as anti-government protests spread across the Middle East and North Africa.

The US has called for the Chinese government to release those still in prison for involvement in the Tiananmen protests and give a full accounting of those killed and wounded as the demonstrations were quashed on the night of 3-4 June 1989.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said the US comments “groundlessly accused the Chinese government”.

In the wake of the 1989 crackdown, the Chinese government called the protests a “counter-revolutionary plot”. Since then the language has softened but the government still refuses to tolerate open discussion of the events.

Recently, there have been reports that Chinese officials have approached the families of those killed as the protests were cleared with offers of compensation.

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

Jai McDowall is shock Britain’s Got Talent winner

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Singer Jai McDowell, 24, from Ayrshire has won ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, beating bookie’s favourite Ronan Parke in a shock result.

Ten acts battled it out for £100,000 prize money and a place in this year’s Royal Variety Performance.

Judge and show creator Simon Cowell said, “We said tonight there was going to be a shock result.”

McDowall said he felt “absolutely amazing, absolutely fantastic,” after winning the public vote.

Cowell said: “He wasn’t one of the favourites coming in but tonight we could feel he nailed the song.

“He came in believing that he could win and I think he’s a worthy winner.”

Judge Amanda Holden said it was “another very powerful performance” while Michael McIntyre predicted the whole of Scotland would be behind him.

David Hasselhoff added: “You sang beautifully man.”

The final on Saturday came after Cowell dismissed as “utter lies” claims the show was fixed.

An anonymous blogger claimed 12-year-old Ronan Parke was known to Cowell and already had a management deal.

Cowell called in police to investigate what he called a “deliberate smear campaign”.

Ronan himself dismissed the claims and said the only coaching he had received was from his singing teacher in Norwich.

The final 10 were: Razy Gogonea, Michael Collings, Les Gibson, James Hobley, New Bounce, Jean Martyn, Ronan Parke, Paul Gbegbaje, Jai McDowell and Steven Hall.

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

Gates urges Afghan war patience

US Defence Secretary Robert Gates and Afghan President Hamid Karzai in Kabul. Photo: 4 June 2011Mr Gates urged President Karzai to take more responsibility for Afghanistan’s security

Making any change to the current Nato-led military campaign in Afghanistan would be “premature”, US Defence Secretary Robert Gates has warned.

During a visit to Kabul, Mr Gates said the operations against the Taliban had been effective over the past year, with notable gains achieved in the south.

If the strategy was maintained at least until the end of 2011, then “we can say we’ve turned the corner”, he said.

It could also create an “opening” for negotiations with the Taliban.

“I believe that if we can hold on to the territory that has been recaptured from the Taliban… and perhaps expand that security, then we will be in position toward the end of this year to perhaps have a successful opening to reconciliation” with the militants, Mr Gates said.

He added: “Or at least (we could) be in a position where we can say we’ve turned the corner here in Afghanistan. Making any changes prior to that time would be premature.”

Mr Gates’ comments highlight his concern that any large cuts of US forces in Afghanistan this year could jeopardise military gains in the country, experts say.

Map of Afghanistan

A decision on troop reduction is expected within weeks.

After talks with Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Mr Gates – who is making his last visit to Afghanistan before retiring later this month – also urged Kabul to take more responsibility for the country’s security before a planned withdrawal of all US and other foreign combat troops by the end of 2014.

The US defence chief also expressed his “regret” over recent civilian deaths caused by Nato-led air strikes.

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

Hague in Libya to talk to rebels

William Hague

The BBC’s Jon Williams in Benghazi reports on William Hague’s visit to Libya

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Foreign Secretary William Hague has arrived in rebel-held Benghazi, pledging his support for Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC).

Speaking ahead of his trip to the opposition stronghold, Mr Hague said the NCT was the “legitimate representative of the Libyan people”.

Mr Hague is due to hold talks with its head, Mustafa Abdul Jalil, later.

Meanwhile, UK Apache attack helicopters have been used over Libya for the first time, Nato has confirmed.

They attacked and destroyed two military installations, a radar site and an armed checkpoint near Brega, the Captain of HMS Ocean told the BBC.

The Apaches are understood to have faced incoming fire.

On Wednesday, Nato extended its mission in Libya by 90 days.

Mr Hague said he was in Benghazi for “one principal reason – to show our support for the Libyan people and for the National Transitional Council, the legitimate representative of the Libyan people”.

He said the visit was “part of a co-ordinated and strategic approach to Libya – ensuring that our military, diplomatic and development actions are aligned”.

“The UK is committed to this task. Col Gaddafi is isolated internationally and domestically. He has lost all legitimacy, continues to abuse human rights without mercy or compunction. He must go,” he said.

International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell has also made the trip to Benghazi.

Ahead of his arrival, he announced that the Mines Advisory Group would help the Libyan people by clearing “areas of life-shattering mines, preventing the indiscriminate killing of many men, women and children”.

Apache helicopter

Apache pilot: “We’re pleased that it was mission success”

“It is crucial to help meet immediate needs. But the future of Libya lies in the hands of the Libyan people. That is why we are here, to discuss with the NTC how they plan to bring peace, stability and economic development to their country,” he said.

The UK already has a joint team from the Foreign Office and Ministry of Defence in Benghazi, advising the Council on its long-term plans.

Communications equipment, bullet-proof vests and uniforms have also been provided to the civilian police authorities.

The BBC’s John Williams, in Benghazi, said the timing the visit and the helicopter attacks would not be lost on Mr Hague and the NTC.

“The strikes that we saw earlier on today, on Brega, are quite significant, in terms of what David Cameron described as, “turning up the heat on Colonel Gaddafi,” he said.

As well as the Apaches, French Gazelle helicopters also took part in simultaneous attacks on different targets in Libya for the first time.

Major General Nick Pope, the chief of the defence staff’s strategic communications officer, said: “Hellfire missiles and 30mm cannon were used to destroy the targets. The helicopters then returned safely to HMS Ocean.”

Defence Secretary Liam Fox said the attack helicopter was “yet another potent and formidable aircraft type which has now been added to the Nato forces engaged on this operation”, while the former head of the Army, Lord Dannatt, said the move has an “inevitable intensification”.

The decision to send four Army Air Corps Apache helicopters to Libya was made by Prime Minister David Cameron on 27 May.

Their deployment via HMS Ocean means there should be less chance of civilian casualties in operations that previously relied on the use of Tornado and Typhoon aircraft.

Apache AH Mk1

Apache AH Mk1

Crew: 2Main weapon: 16 Hellfire anti-tank missilesLength: 17.76m (58ft 3in)Rotor span: 14.63m (48ft)Cruising speed: 161mph (259km/h)Range: 334 miles (537km)Max mission duration: 2h 45min

Source: AgustaWestland

But the Apaches operate at lower altitudes and could be targeted by Libyan forces loyal to Col Gaddafi, which still have access to thousands of surface-to-air missiles.

Labour MP Graham Allen claimed the introduction of Apaches was “mission creep” and said there needed to be a fresh debate in the House of Commons on Libya.

Nato intervened in Libya after the UN passed a resolution for the protection of civilians, amid a two-month revolt inspired by other uprisings in the Arab world.

It has intensified raids in recent weeks with attacks on command-and-control structures in the capital Tripoli.

The intervention was initially led by France, Britain and the US until 31 March – when Nato took over. It was given an initial 90 days, which would have run out on 27 June.

On Wednesday, UN investigators accused government forces in Libya of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Rights experts said they had found evidence of crimes including murder and torture, in a pattern suggesting Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi was behind them.

The UN mission also said opposition forces were guilty of abuses that would constitute war crimes, although they were not so numerous.

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

Three charged after siege at bank

Three men have been charged in connection with a three-hour siege at a bank in Watford.

Officers were called to the Co-operative Bank in Market Street on Thursday morning.

Three Luton men have been charged with conspiracy to steal, conspiracy to commit a bomb hoax and theft.

They are Co-op Bank worker Muhammed Qasim Salam, 23, from Bracknell Close, Imran Khalifa, 23, from Maiden Hall Road and Faizan Rehman, 23.

The men are due to appear before Hatfield Remand Court on Monday.

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

Most wanted

Ilyas kashmiri. File photoKashmiri has been blamed for organising attacks in Afghanistan, Pakistan and India

Ilyas Kashmiri, who has reportedly been killed in a US drone strike in north-western Pakistan, emerged in recent years as one of the most high-profile militant commanders and strategists in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Said to be blind in one eye and missing a finger, he was the leader of Harakat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (Huji), a banned militant group with close links to al-Qaeda and which the US government has blamed for a string of attacks in the region.

Most recently, he was believed to have masterminded the daring assault on the Mehran naval airbase in Karachi in May, during which six militants held off dozens of security personnel, including commandos, for 16 hours.

Kashmiri was reportedly on a list of the top five militants whom the US and Pakistani authorities most want to capture or kill.

The US had also offered a $5m (£3m) reward for information on his whereabouts.

There are numerous reports about Kashmiri’s background, including some claiming that he was once a member of the Pakistani Army’s elite Special Services Group (SSG) and trained mujahideen fighting Soviet forces in Afghanistan in the 1970s-80s.

But in a 2009 newspaper interview with Asia Times Online – to disprove claims that he was killed in another US drone strike – he denied he was soldier, and instead stated that he had fought with Huji in Afghanistan during the 1980s. He is believed to have lost his eye and an index finger in battle.

Following the Soviet withdrawal in 1989, Kashmiri joined Huji members fighting Indian rule in the disputed Kashmir region.

He later became the commander of Brigade 313, a special unit within Huji comprising experienced fighters, which carried out high-profile missions against Indian targets, allegedly with the support of the Pakistani military and security services.

During one such raid in February 2000, Brigade 313 famously attacked Indian soldiers near the Line of Control (LoC) – in retaliation for the alleged massacre of 14 Pakistani civilians. One infantry soldier was captured and beheaded.

Kashmiri is said to have crossed back into Pakistani territory with the head in a bag, and later driven through the town of Kotli with it on top of a pick-up truck.

Several newspapers published photos of the incident, gaining Kashmiri instant notoriety. Pakistani generals are even alleged to have paid him a reward.

But his relationship with the military is said to have soured after the 11 September 2001 attacks in the US.

A Pakistani military official speaks on the phone as a a plume of smoke rises from the Mehran naval airbase in Pakistan. Photo: 22 May 2011Kashmiri is said to have been behind the daring assault on Pakistan’s Mehran naval airbase in May

Pervez Musharraf, the then president of Pakistan, ended Islamabad’s support of the Taliban in Afghanistan and banned many jihadist groups in Pakistan.

Kashmiri was arrested in connection with an attempt to assassinate Gen Musharraf in December 2003, but released due to a lack of evidence.

In 2005, Kashmiri and the 313 Brigade are believed to have relocated to Pakistani’s semi-autonomous tribal regions along the border with Afghanistan to fight US troops alongside al-Qaeda and Taliban militants, and other jihadists.

In March 2006, Huji was accused of being behind the March 2006 suicide bombing of the US consulate in Karachi, which killed four people, including an American diplomat, and wounded 48 others.

Kashmiri was also accused of masterminding several bloody raids on Pakistan police and intelligence buildings in 2009-2010.

In June 2010, he was identified as the leader of al-Qaeda in Kashmir in an audio statement by the late Mustafa Abu al-Yazid.

Kashmiri also seems to have had ambitions to attack Western targets abroad.

In 2010, US prosecutors quoted a Chicago taxi driver charged with sending money to Kashmiri as saying the militant told him he “wanted to train operatives to conduct attacks in the United States”.

Kashmiri was charged with helping to plot an attack against the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, which published cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad which angered Muslims worldwide.

He also allegedly met David Coleman Headley, a Pakistani-American who has admitted to scouting targets for the Lashkar-e-Taiba militant group for the November 2008 attacks in Mumbai (Bombay), which left more than 160 people dead.

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

Charges in first island burglary

Copeland IslandsThe Copeland Islands are located off the County Down coast

Three men have been arrested following the first burglary on the Copeland Islands off Donaghadee, County Down.

The men, aged 18, 24, and 42, broke into a property at around 2100 BST on Friday.

A local resident used his boat to transport police to the island.

Inspector James Ellson said the arrests demonstrated the benefits of “co-operation between residents and officers”.

“We are aware that police have made arrests on the Copelands before with regard to the disruption of nesting birds and the theft of their eggs.

“However, we believe this to be the first time that an arrest for burglary has occurred on the island,” he added.

The men are currently in police custody in Bangor.

The PSNI said nothing was stolen from the property during the burglary.

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

Greenland oil drill protest ended

Last week protesters hung from the underside of the rig Earlier this week protesters hung from the underside of the rig
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Environmental activists have disrupted drilling on board an oil exploration rig in Arctic waters as part of an ongoing protest.

Greenpeace said 18 activists climbed onto the Leiv Eiriksson rig off the coast of Greenland.

They called for details of how the operator would respond to an oil spill.

Edinburgh-based Cairn Energy said drilling was suspended after the protesters breached a restricted area on the rig.

Earlier this week, two Greenpeace protesters occupied the 53,000-tonne drilling vessel, operated on behalf of Cairn Energy.

Protesters hung from the underside of the rig in an Arctic survival pod and were removed by Danish police.

The latest protest was launched from the Greenpeace ship Esperanza in five inflatable speedboats, from outside an 500-metre exclusion zone.

Campaigner Ben Ayliffe said: “Experts say the freezing temperatures and remote location mean a deep water blow-out in this stunning pristine environment would be an irreversible disaster.

“If they published the plan, the dangers of investing in such a high risk venture would be laid bare. We have to draw a line in the ice and stop the Arctic oil rush.”

Cairn announced this week that it had begun drilling two wells in the region.

The two wells are approximately 100 miles (160km) and 185 miles (300km) off Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. Each drilling operation is in water deeper than 2,953ft (900m).

In response to Greenpeace demands to see Cairn’s oil spill response plan, the energy company said: “As stipulated by Greenland authorities, the oil spill response documents are not publicly available.”

In a statement, the company added: “Wherever it is active, Cairn operates in a safe and prudent manner.

“The Greenland Bureau of Minerals and Petroleum has established some of the most stringent operating regulations anywhere globally, which mirror those applied in the Norwegian North Sea.”

“It is in the interests of the Greenland government to put in place the most stringent and robust measures. Cairn takes its responsibilities such as oil spill contingency and response plans very seriously.”

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

US ex-diplomat Eagleburger dies

Lawrence Eagleburger in Washington - 2006 photoMr Eagleburger is the only foreign service officer to rise to secretary of state

Lawrence Eagleburger, briefly US secretary of state under President George Bush senior, has died aged 80.

He also served as Mr Bush’s main adviser on a disintegrating Yugoslavia and played an important role in diplomacy in the first Gulf war.

Mr Eagleburger gained a reputation for straight talking and disentangling complex foreign policy problems.

US President Barack Obama said the US had lost a distinguished diplomat and public servant.

“Through more than four decades of service, first in the army and then as a dedicated foreign service officer and statesman, Lawrence Eagleburger devoted his life to the security of our nation and to strengthening our ties with allies and partners,” he said in a statement.

Mr Eagleburger died in Charlottesville, Virginia after a short illness, a friend said.

Born in 1930 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, he spent 27 years in the foreign service, occupying senior state department positions in the Nixon and Reagan administrations.

In 1989 he became Secretary of State James Baker’s deputy, and took over his job in the summer of 1992 when Mr Baker resigned to work for President Bush’s unsuccessful re-election campaign.

Mr Eagleburger was the first and so far only career foreign service officer to hold the post.

Under President Jimmy Carter he had been ambassador to Yugoslavia, and he took on a key role as the country descended into conflict in the early 1990s. He was seen by many as pro-Serbian.

Mr Bush described him as “one of the most capable and respected diplomats our foreign service ever produced, and I will be ever grateful for his wise, no-nonsense counsel during those four years of historic change in our world”.

He added that during the 1991 first Gulf war Mr Eagleburger was sent to calm Israel when Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein began bombarding it with Scud missiles.

“His performance was nothing short of heroic,” Mr Bush said.

Current Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Mr Eagleburger had been a “strong voice and stalwart champion of America’s interests”.

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