Close Mubarak aide jailed on corruption charges
An Egyptian criminal court has convicted Hosni Mubarak’s ex-chief of staff of corruption, AP reports. Zazaria Azmi received a seven-year sentence and was further fined $6 million. The ruling comes on the heels of a verdict in the trial of Egypt’s former-president. Mubarak has been accused of complicity in the killing of protesters during mass demonstrations that resulted in his ouster last year. He has also been charged with corruption. The final verdict in the Mubarak trial is due on June 2.
Regime not responsible for Houla massacre – Syrian foreign ministry
Syrian authorities have said regime forces were not behind the Houla massacre that left over 90 people dead, 32 of whom were children. The international community has decried the incident, rushing to pin the blame on the Assad regime. President Obama has put forward the idea of a Yemen-style peaceful power transfer to remove President Assad but keep the Syrian government intact. The oppositional Free Syria Army has warned that it will not honor the UN-Arab League brokered ceasefire if the international community does not take action.
Iran to build second nuclear power plant in Bushehr by 2012
Tehran will build the new plant nearby its lone nuclear power station in the southern city of Bushehr by 2014, AFP reports. The head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization said construction of the 1,000 megawatt nuclear power plant would begin next year, state television quoted him as saying. Construction of the Bushehr Nuclear Power Plant began in 1975, but it was not officially opened until September of last year.
Lady Gaga’s Indonesia concert canceled due to security concerns
Organizers of Lady Gaga’s concert in Jakarta opted to cancel the event after Islamist hardliners threatened “chaos” if she entered the country. The threat was considered too serious not to be taken into account. With a population of 238 million, Indonesia is the largest Muslim country in the world.
Japanese construction workers confirmed dead after tunnel blast
The bodies of four Japanese construction workers who had been trapped in a mountain tunnel following an explosion on Thursday have been recovered. They were transferred to a local hospital where they were confirmed dead. Rescue teams had previously been unable to access the bodies inside the highway tunnel in Minami Uonuma, northwest of Tokyo, because of dangerously high gas levels. Three other workers were also injured in the blast on Thursday.
Naked man shot dead by police in Florida
A naked man who was caught attacking another person on an off-ramp of Miami’s MacArthur Causeway was shot dead by the police, The Miami Herald reports. Witnesses say a police officer ordered the naked man to back away, but ignored their demands and continued chewing on the face of the other person. The officer then opened fire, wounding the man, but the man was able to get up and continue his assault. The policeman then repeatedly shot him again, eventually killing him. The other man was taken to hospital with critical injuries. The police confirmed in a news release that there was an officer-related shooting, but omitted many of the details provided by the witnesses.
Oil company employees kidnapped in Syria
A group of employees of al-Furat, a Syrian oil company, have been kidnapped in the city of Deir ez-Zor in the northeast of the country, Syrian news agency SANA reports. The group was traveling in a minibus that was stopped by several armed men, who then took them to an unknown location. The news agency says local authorities are undertaking efforts to find the kidnapped workers.
Quebec student leaders indicate willingness to compromise
Two leaders of Quebec’s main student groups protesting planned tuition hikes have indicated their willingness to compromise with the provincial government. Leo Bureau-Blouin, leader of Quebec’s College Student Federation, said in a radio interview he would be willing to accept some form of tuition increase if the government is prepared to make some adjustments. Martine Desjardins, leader of the University Student Federation of Quebec, also stressed that both sides have to be willing to compromise if the crisis is to end. Students in Quebec have been protesting planned tuition cost increases over the past three months. Last Friday, the local government sought to curb the demonstrations by passing a law that banned spontaneous rallies. However, the action had the reverse effect and the movement gained the support of human rights activists, who claimed the law violated constitutionally-guaranteed rights. Over 2,500 people have been detained in the protests overall, with the bulk of them arrested in the past week.
Driver strikes, fatally shoots cyclist in Los Angeles
A bicyclist was struck by a white SUV and subsequently shot dead by the driver of the vehicle, police say. The driver then wounded a passerby who tried to flee the scene. The second victim received non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to hospital. Police are on the lookout for three male suspects in a white SUV. The motive of the crime has not been determined.
Four dead in Utah plane crash
Four people have been killed after a single-engine Cessna 172 crashed near a municipal airport in southern Utah, local authorities say. The cause of the crash is unknown, and it is unclear whether the plane fell to the ground after takeoff or upon landing.
Hundreds of Salafis attack shops, police station in Tunisian town
Hundreds of Salafis attacked a security base, a police station and several shops in the Tunisian town of Jendouba, local police and witnesses say. They were initially reported to have pelted the base with rocks and petrol bombs in retaliation for the arrest of four of their comrades, who were detained for attacking alcohol vendors. Police dispersed the attackers with tear gas, but the Salafis then set fire to the police station and attacked three shops. They then moved to the center of town, where they are reported to have attacked other shops with swords, petrol bombs and rocks. Salafis are an ultraconservative group of Muslims, whose popularity has been on the rise in Tunisia after the overthrow of long-term President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali last year. Groups of Salafis have resorted to violence in the past, attacking a TV station and a cinema that aired films they deemed blasphemous and assailing alcohol vendors on a number of occasions.
Malian rebel groups merge
The two main rebel groups in control of northern Mali, Ansar Dine and the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad, have agreed to join efforts in establishing an Islamic state, said Ansar Dine leader Alghabass Ag Intalla. The leaders of the two groups signed the agreement in the town of Gao, where celebratory gunfire erupted afterwards. While Ansar Dine is an al-Qaeda linked Islamist movement, the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad is a secular rebel group led by Tuareg separatists. The two groups took control of the north of the country in March, following a coup that overthrew Malian President Amadou Toumani Toure.
Thirteen Taliban militants killed in joint Afghan-NATO ops
Thirteen Taliban militants have been killed and 15 captured in seven joint operations conducted by the Afghan army and NATO forces throughout Afghanistan, says the country’s interior ministry. The operations were conducted in the Laghman, Kandahar, Zabul, Wardak, Logar, Ghazni and Farah provinces.
Jewish settlers shoot Palestinian, set fire to West Bank field – witnesses
A group of Jewish settlers from the Yitzhar settlement in northern West Bank set alight a grain field and an olive grove in the Orif village, inhabited Palestinians, witnesses and an AFP journalist report. Some also fired at Palestinian villagers, reportedly gravely injuring one. A video uploaded to Youtube by the B’Tselem human rights group also shows settlers setting the field ablaze, and the wounded Palestinian villager being carried on a stretcher. Later the Israeli military arrived on the scene and forced the settlers to go back to Yitzhar. The area is the scene of frequent clashes between Palestinians and settlers from Yitzhar, considered to be a bastion of extremist Jewish settlement. Last week, several Palestinians from the village of Asira al-Qibliya were apparently shot by settlers from Yitzhar, while Israeli soldiers stood by without intervening. The Israeli military said that it has since begun an inquiry into the incident.
Five injured in Kenya double grenade attacks
Four people have been injured in a grenade attack at a primary school in the Ifo refugee camp in Kenya, local police report. One person was also injured in a separate grenade attack at a hotel in the town of Wajir. Police say the people injured in the Ifo attack were all casual laborers. Kenya has seen a rise in grenade attacks and bombings since it sent troops into neighboring Somalia to fight the al-Shabaab militant group.
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