Makangale SATELLITE: International News

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London on high alert amid New Year’s Eve terror threat

Makangale SATELLITE 7:24:00 AM International News

People watch the New Year firework display on the London skyline in Westminster, London, United Kingdom on January 1, 2015

London is on alert amid fears of an attack between Christmas and New Year

LONDON is on a high terror alert following fears of a jihadi terror attack on New Year’s Eve.

A “friendly” intelligence service warned of a gun or bomb attack being carried out in a crowded area of a major European city between Christmas and New Year.

The news comes as Russian authorities told citizens the “safest” way of seeing in the New Year was to stay at home.

'Friendly' intelligence has warned of a gun or bomb attack in a major European city

But Labour MP Keith Vaz has urged Britons not to let the terrorists win this New Year saying: “We should never allow the threat of terrorism to frighten us into changing our normal lives.

“We need to continue with our celebrations.

“Given the current climate, of course we should be extra vigilant and continue to be well protected but if we give into fear then they would have won.”

Source by www.thesun.co.uk

Pregnant mum was minutes from death when surgeons removed ruptured uterus only to find SECOND one

Makangale SATELLITE 9:53:00 PM International News

The Stones: son Cooper, Ross and Jodi — Happy family: Ross and Jodi with two-year-old Cooper

Jodi Stones was just weeks away from giving birth to her first child when her world was turned upside down.
At 33 weeks pregnant , the nursery nurse started getting bad stomach pains and collapsed at her home in County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, while her husband Ross was on night shift.
Jodi, now 31, managed to scramble to the phone and called her sister Sarah-Jayne who came straight to her aid, Belfast Live reported .
She was blue-lighted to the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine when everything took a turn for the worst.

Doctors discovered Jodi's uterus had ruptured and she was bleeding internally - but in another shocking twist surgeons later discovered the reason her uterus had ruptured was because she had TWO.
It was a race against time to save Jodi's life after safely delivering her premature son Cooper, who weighed just 3lb 7oz.
Medical staff feared the worst and told her husband and sister to be prepared they may lose Jodi that night.
But thanks to blood donors across Northern Ireland, Jodi is now fighting fit and a doting mum to her now two-year-old son.

Read more: 'Endless miscarriages destroyed our marriage then a one-night stand after we split gave us a baby'

Speaking to Belfast Live, Jodi said: "When I got to Coleraine his heartbeat started to dip and one of the other doctors came in and she realised that my uterus had ruptured and I was bleeding internally so they whisked me off to theatre.
"When they got me into theatre, the doctors told me they do not know how I survived it. It was only the surgeon had been called in for a previous section and was there. I had lost that much blood, if they had had to page somebody and I had waited another 10 minutes I would have been dead."

But then, in another dramatic twist, as surgeons worked to save Jodi's life, they discovered the reason her uterus had ruptured was because she had two. This is a very rare condition called Uterus Didelphys.
"That's why it ruptured that night, he had outgrown the uterus he was in," said Jodi.
"I had been in hospital from 20 weeks with these pains and feeling unwell and had been scanned from head to toe and had eight baby scans and other scans, but no one had picked it up that I had two uterus, this rare condition.
"I had lost nearly three litres of blood I think and they had come out and told my husband and sister. He [Ross] had come and they were going to deliver baby, he had no idea what was going on, and they came out and said they had delivered a wee boy and he was alive but said prepare yourself, we don't think your wife is going to make it.
"I had lost that much blood and they could not stop the ruptures, as fast as they were repairing one another was coming. I had a lot of blood transfusions that night, I think after 45 minutes they managed to stop the bleeding but I had a lot of blood transfusions.
"If it was not for those blood transfusions I would not be here today to be a mummy to my wee boy."

Read more: My baby died because of weekend shortage of NHS staff

Jodi spent three days in intensive care while baby Cooper was transferred to Antrim Area Hospital to be cared for in a special maternity unit.
"He was such a fighter, they said it was a miracle I survived it and that he is so well," she said.

Now, almost three years after the terrifying ordeal on January 9, 2013, Jodi is back on her feet and little Cooper is looking forward to celebrating his third birthday with his parents in the new year.
Jodi said she wanted to share her experience to encourage others to donate blood.
"I had never given much thought to it, you think things like that won't happen to you and you go about your daily life but they really do and if it wasn't for those people who donated their blood I would not be here today. I am just so grateful to them," she said.
Jodi added: "If I could encourage just one person to donate then it has been worthwhile."
As the festive season approaches, Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service is asking you to 'Give the Gift of Life'.
During December more than 2,000 patients in Northern Ireland will need blood and/or blood products. A patient receiving your gift of life could be a child with leukaemia, a mother during childbirth, a father with cancer or someone in a critical condition following an accident. Also, there are many people throughout Northern Ireland whose lives depend on receiving regular blood donations to help them cope with a variety of other conditions.
NIBTS is appealing for people to come forward over the coming weeks as blood donation can drop because of Christmas shopping, seasonal colds and flu, weather conditions and other activities in the run up to festive period.
Paul McElkerney, a spokesman for the service, said: “We do depend very much on our regular blood donors and would like to take this opportunity to say a big thank you to all of them but if you have never considered giving blood, now would be a great time to start.
“You may never know that person whose life you will have saved but they and their families will be so grateful to you.”
For more information on donating, visit their website by clicking here.

Source : www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/pregnant-mum-minutes-death-surgeons-6902774

Mkuu wa Volkswagen ajiuzulu kufuatia ufichuzi

Makangale SATELLITE 11:14:00 PM International News

Afisa Mkuu Mtendaji wa kampuni ya kuunda magari ya Volkswagen Martin Winterkorn amejiuzulu baada ya habari kutokea kuwa magari ya kampuni hiyo yalikuwa yamefanyiwa ukarabati kuyawezesha kukwepa ukaguzi wa utoaji wa gesi hatari kwa mazingira nchini Marekani.

Afisa mkuu huyo wa Winterkorn alikuwa awali ameomba radhi

Alikuwa awali ameanzisha uchunguzi wa kifaa kilichowekwa katika magari hayo ili kupunguza hewa chafu wakati wa ukaguzi ikilinganishwa na wakati gari hizo zinapoendeshwa, na pia akaomba msamaha.
"Naomba msamaha mimi binafsi kwamba tumevunja heshima kwa wateja wetu na umma kwa jumla," alisema Winterkorn.

Hisa za kampuni hiyo zilishuka kwa asilimia 18 baada ya kufichuka kwa habari hizo.
Kampuni hiyo ya magari kutoka Ujerumani ilishinikizwa kurudisha magari yake nusu milioni siku ya ijumaa.
Shirika la kuhifadhi mazingira Marekani lilipata kifaa hicho katika magari ya Audi A3,VW jetta, Beetle, Golf na yale ya aina ya Passat.

Mbali na kuyarejesha magari hayo kwa ukarabati, kampuni hiyo pia itakabiliwa na faini za mabilioni ya madola na viongozi wake huenda wakashtakiwa.

Shirika hilo la mazingira linasema kila gari ambalo halikuzingatia sheria ya hewa safi itapigwa faini ya dola 37,500.

Inakadiriwa kuwa magari 482,000 yameuzwa na kamapuni hiyo tangu mwaka 2008 na huenda faini hizo zikafika dola bilioni 18.

Chanzo na bbc.com/swahili

Askari Sudan wadaiwa kuua na kubaka raia

Makangale SATELLITE 10:08:00 PM International News

Kikosi kimoja maalum cha serikali nchini Sudan kimeshutumiwa kwa kutekeleza maujai ya halaiki na ubakaji wa raia katika eneo la Darfur Magharibi tangu mwezi Februari mwaka uliopita.

Rais wa Sudan Omar Al Bashir

Ripoti mpya ya Shirika la kutetea haki za Kibinadamu Human Rights Watch inasema kikosi hicho kijulikanacho kama Rapid Support Forces kilitekeleza kile inachosema ni unyama na ukatili katika vijiji tofauti kwenye eneo hilo.

Walioshuhudia mashambulio hayo wameelezea jinsi vikosi hivyo maalum vya serikali viliwakusanya raia katika vijiji, vikaanza kuwapiga na kuwabaka wanawake wengi. Mmoja wa waathiriwa alisema alishuhudia wanawake kumi na saba wakibakwa katika hospitali moja.

Mwingine alisema aliwaona wanawake na wasichana wakibakwa na kasha kuingiza katika nyumba moja iliyochomwa bado wakiwa ndani.

" Dada zangu watatu walikamatwa, nyanya yangu pia alipigwa vibaya.… Waliwabaka dada zangu. Kisha wakawachukua mmoja baada ya mwingine na kuwapeleka kwenye nyumba nyingine, na kuwachoma wakiwa hai. Nilisikia kilio chao. " alisema Hassan (sio jina lake la kweli), mwalimu wa umri wa miaka 26 anayefunza katika shule moja iliyoko katika kijiji cha Daya, katikati ya Golo naRockero. amesema
Waliojaribu kuzuia mashambulio hayo waliuuwawa. Umoja wa Mataifa unasema takriban watu elfu mia moja thelathini wamefurushwa makwao kuanzia Januari mwaka huu. Wengi wao sasa wanaishi misituni.
Baadhi ya waliobakwa pia bado hawajapokea matibabu yoyote.

Human Rights Watch wakati huohuo pia imeshutumu vikali viksoi vya pamoja vya Muungano wa Afrika na Umoja wa Mataifa ambavyo vinahudumu katika eneo hilo kwa kutowajibika ipasavyo kuwalinda raia. Ripoti hiyo aidha imependekeza serikali ya Sudan kuondoa vikosi hivyo katika eneo hilo mara moja na kuchunguza madai hayo.

Ripoti hiyo yenye kurasa 88 inasema matukio hayo yalitekelezwa katika eneo kubwa na kwa ukatili mkubwa. Zaidi ya mashahidi mia mbili waliohojiwa, wengine wakiwa katika mataifa ya Chad na Sudan Kusini ambako wamekimbilia hifadhi. "RSF imeuwa, kubaka na kuwatesa raia wengi katika vijiji, katika mashambulio ambayo yalipangwa awali, " alisema mkurugenzi wa HRW barani Africa Daniel Bekele,
" Serikali ya Sudan ni lazima iwapokonye silaha mara moja vikosi hivi na kuwafungulia mashtaka makamanda wote waliohusika." aliongeza

Mapigano yalizuka katika eneo la Darfur, Magharibi mwa Sudan Mwaka wa 2003, baada ya waasi waliojihami kuanza kupinga kutengwa na serikali ya Omar al Bashir. Kiongozi huyo anasakwa na Mahakama ya Kimataifa kuhusu uhalifu wa kivita ICC kwa madai ya kutekeleza ukiukaji mkubwa wa haki za kibindamu katika eneo hilo.

Source: BBC/swahili

Couple found shot dead in car with toddler daughter after responding to call for help

Makangale SATELLITE 11:41:00 PM International News

Shot dead: Anthony and Catherine Costner

A young couple were found shot dead in their car, with their toddler alive in the back seat, after responding to a call for help from someone they knew, police said.

Anthony Costner, 24, and wife Catherine, 22, from Georgia, were found inside the car, which was in a ditch with its headlights on, around 2am on Thursday.

The young dad had been shot multiple times and died at the scene, in Powder Springs, while Catherine was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound but later died,

The couple's three-year-old daughter was also found in the car with them, but was unharmed.

Anthony Costner, 24, and wife Catherine, 22, were gunned down in front of their three-year-old daughter

Family: The couple's daughter was in the car with them

Catherine’s mother said her daughter received a call for help in the middle of the night from someone she knew.
Cynthia Quinn told WXIA: "When they went to help these people, for whatever reason, a gun was pulled and my son-in-law and my daughter are now dea.

“Her husband was shot in the face, the head and the hand. She was shot in the stomach, all in front of my granddaughter.”

Catherine’s brother told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution the couple seemed nervous as they left their home for the last time.
Police have not named any suspects and are investigating the deaths as a homicide.

Source www.dailymirror.co.uk

Officer "shot in face"

Makangale SATELLITE 12:51:00 AM International News

St. Louis County Police Chief Jon Belmar says two officers were shot around midnight at a Ferguson, Missouri, protest.

He said a 32-year-old officer from Webster Groves was shot in the face and a 41-year-old officer from St. Louis County was shot in the shoulder.

He says both are conscious
.
Belmar says he did not know who shot the officers.


Police stand guard moments after gun shots were fired outside the City of Ferguson Police Department

Police arrests a protestor outside the City of Ferguson Police Department and Municipal Court in Ferguson, Missouri

Protestors demonstrate outside the Ferguson Police Department

Protestors Demonstrate outside Ferguson Police Department

Source by www.dailymirror.co.uk

SERIKALI YA JAPAN YAIPATIA MSAADA WA DOLA LAKI 1.4 HALMASHAURI YA WILAYA YA MONDULI

Makangale SATELLITE 10:54:00 AM International News

Kaimu Balozi wa Japan nchini Tanzania,Mh. Kazuyoshi Matsunaga (kulia) na Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa Halmashauri ya Wilaya ya Monduli,Twalib Mbasha wakisaini mkataba wa makubaliano wa kufanikisha Miradi miwili iliyopo kwenye Halmashauri ya Monduli.Serikali ya Japan imeipatia Halmashauri hiyo dola za kimarekani 142,251 (sawa na Shilingi Milioni 250) kwa ajili ya kufanikisha miradi hiyo.Wengine pichani ni Mbunge wa Viti Maalum - Monduli,Mh. Namelock Sokoine (katikati),Mwenyekiti wa Halmashauri ya Monduli,Edward Sapunyu pamoja na Afisa wa Mambo ya Nje na Mkuu wa Idara ya Miradi wa Ubalozi wa Japan nchini,Takashi Higuchi.

Kaimu Balozi wa Japan nchini Tanzania,Mh. Kazuyoshi Matsunaga (kulia) na Mkurugenzi Mtendaji wa Halmashauri ya Wilaya ya Monduli,Twalib Mbasha wakibadilishana mikataba mara baada ya kuisaini,wakati wa hafla ya fupi iliyofanyika leo nyumbani kwa Balozi huyo,Masaki jijini Dar.Serikali ya Japan imeipatia Halmashauri ya Monduli dola za kimarekani 142,251 (sawa na Shilingi Milioni 250) kwa ajili ya kufanikisha miradi miwili ya wilaya hiyo.Wengine pichani ni Waziri Mkuu Mstaafu na Mbunge wa Jimbo la Monduli,Mh. Edward Lowassa (kulia) Mbunge wa Viti Maalum - Monduli,Mh. Namelock Sokoine pamoja na Mwenyekiti wa Halmashauri ya Monduli,Edward Sapunyu.

Waziri Mkuu Mstaafu na Mbunge wa Jimbo la Monduli,Mh. Edward Lowassa akiteta jambo na Kaimu Balozi wa Japan nchini Tanzania,Mh. Kazuyoshi Matsunaga wakati wa hafla fupi ya kusaini mkataba wa makubaliano wa kufanikisha Miradi miwili iliyopo kwenye Halmashauri ya Wilaya ya Monduli,jijini Arusha.Serikali ya Japan imeipatia Halmashauri hiyo dola za kimarekani 142,251 (sawa na Shilingi Milioni 250) kwa ajili ya kufanikisha miradi hiyo.

Mauaji ya Kinyama ya wanafunzi nchini Pakistani yaliofanywa na wapiganaji wa Talibani

Makangale SATELLITE 5:33:00 AM International News

Watu zaidi ya mia moja na ishirini na sita (126) wamefariki wakiwamo watoto 84 mara baada ya wapiganaji wa Taliban kuingia ndani ya shule na kuanza kushambulia kwa risasi na mmoja wa magaidi kujilipua na kufa ndani ya darasa linalosadikiwa kuwa na jumla ya watoto sitini (60).

Mwalimu wa wanafunzi pia alichomwa moto mbele ya kadamnasi ya watu huku wanafunzi wake wakilazimishwa kuangalia unyama huo.

Waziri mkuu wa Uingereza amelaani vikali mauaji hayo na kuelekezea kusikitishwa kwake sana.

Wavamiaji hao waliingia wakiwa na silaha ndani ya shule yenye uwezo wa kuchukua watu 500 na iliyo na wanafunzia kuanzia gredi ya kwanza hadi ya kumi kuanzia umri wa miaka mitano hadi kumi na minne.

Pia inakisiwa watoto mia na sitini 160 wenye umri wa miaka 13 na 14 bado wanashikiliwa kama mateka na wavamiaji wanne.

Mmoja wa majeruhi wa uvamizi huo

mmoja wawanafunzi waliojeruhiwa akiwahishwa hospitalini

Vikosi vya usalama vya Pakistan wakiwamstari wambele katika barabara inayoelekea shule ya Army Public

Stori ya kusikitisha ya kumtafuta kichanga Zaani.

Makangale SATELLITE 8:54:00 AM International News

Polisi katika hali ya kushangaza wanamtafuta kitoto kichanga baada ya kukiri kuupata mwili wa mama mzazi katika mapango ya gorge jana usiku.

Charlotte Bevan aliyekuwa na umri wa miaka 30 inasidikika kutoka katika hopsitali ya Bristol Maternity akiwa amevaa slippers nyembamba za hoSpitali bila ya koti na huku akiwa amemfunika mwanawe katika blanketi majira ya saa tatu usiku juzi jumanne.

Kulingana na picha za CCTV zimeonyesha jinsi mama huyo wa kichanga cha siku nne alivyoweza kutoka hopistali na kupita wodi floors kadhaa na kichanga hicho licha ya kuonekana na manesi wanne na kutomea bila ya kuonekana.

Jana usiku mtembea kwa miguu alivikuta vitu vyake juu ya Avon Gorge na helikopta ya ploisi kuukuta mwili wake chini ya daraja la Clifton Suspension lakini hawakumkuta mwanawe.

Watafutaji wakiendelea na utafutaji

Clifton Suspension Bridge

Charlotte Bevan, 30, kushoto, akiondoka Bristol Maternity Hospital bila ya koti na akiwa amevaa ndala nyepesi za hospital akiwa na mwanae mchanga Zaani Tiana ndani ya blanketi juzi jumanne saa tatu usiku.

Mchumba wa Miss Bevan, Pascal Malbrouck, 37

Sub Saharan Africa improves business environment

Makangale SATELLITE 12:56:00 AM International News

By Damas Makangale, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Singapore tops the list of business-friendly economies globally, while five of the top 10 most improved countries are in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the World Bank Group’s doing Business 2015 rankings.

Aerial view of Singapore

The 12th annual report finds that the 10 economies with the most business-friendly regulatory environments are Singapore; New Zealand; Hong Kong SAR, China; Denmark; the Republic of Korea; Norway; the United States; the United Kingdom; Finland; and Australia.

The 10 economies that have improved the most since the previous year are Tajikistan, Benin, Togo, Côte d’Ivoire, Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Azerbaijan, Ireland, and the United Arab Emirates.

Singapore

Sub-Saharan African countries had the highest number of regulatory reforms — 75 of 230 around the world — while emerging Europe and Central Asia had the highest percentage of improving countries.

Progress was uneven in the Middle East and North Africa, with conflict-affected Syria near the bottom. South Asia saw the lowest number of reforms.

While 80% of countries in the study improved their business regulations last year, only about one-third moved up in the rankings.

However, the gap between the best- and worst-performing countries continues to narrow as countries improve their business climates, said Rita Ramalho, manager of the Doing Business Project.

“It’s easier to do business this year than it was last year, than it was two years ago or 10 years ago,” she said. “We see that the economies that score the lowest are reforming more intensely, so they are converging toward the economies that do the best.”

For example, in 2005 it took an average of 235 days to transfer property in the lowest-ranked countries and 42 days in the top-ranked countries — a difference of 193 days. The gap now has narrowed to 62 days (around 90 days for the lowest-ranked and less than 40 for the top-ranked).

The report measures the ease of doing business in 189 economies based on 11 business-related regulations, including business start-up, getting credit, getting electricity, and trading across borders. The report does not cover the full breadth of business concerns, such as security, macroeconomic stability, or corruption.

This year’s report, “Doing Business 2015: Going Beyond Efficiency,” uses new data and methodology in three areas: resolving insolvency, protecting minority investors, and getting credit.

Kenyatta appears at ICC in Hague for landmark hearing

Makangale SATELLITE 1:03:00 AM International News

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has appeared before the International Criminal Court (ICC), where he faces charges of crimes against humanity.

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta arrives at the International Criminal Court on 8 October 2014

Uhuru Kenyatta (C) shakes hands with supporters outside the International Criminal Court

He is the first serving head of state to come before the court in The Hague.

He was called to appear at the ICC "status conference" when the prosecution said evidence needed to go ahead with a trial was being withheld.

The charges - which Mr Kenyatta denies - concern his alleged role in violence following the 2007 elections.
More than 1,000 people died in the aftermath of the poll.

Mr Kenyatta says the charges against him are politically motivated and insists that the case should be thrown out.

The prosecution accuses the Kenyan government of obstructing the investigation.

The president temporarily relinquished power to come to The Hague. Nevertheless, his convoy received a presidential welcome. Flag-waving crowds surged as his police-escorted car pulled up. International TV crews jostled to get him in their frame.

But the trial has reached a deadlock. The prosecution accuse the Kenyan government of withholding vital evidence, the defence say without evidence there should be no trial. Around 100 politicians flew to The Hague. One of them told me they had all paid their own air fares, a public demonstration of support for their president.

About 1,200 Kenyans were killed in the violence - the case was sent to the ICC after Kenya failed to bring the perpetrators to justice. The judges must now decide whether to abandon the trial or give the prosecution more time to search for the missing evidence.

Kenya's president Uhuru Kenyatta talks to a member of his defence team at the International Criminal Court in The Netherlands on 8 October 2014

Mr Kenyatta (R) shown here with a member of his defence team has appeared relaxed throughout the trial

The ICC wants Mr Kenyatta to explain allegations that evidence against him had been withheld by the Kenyan government - a claim rejected by Kenyan Attorney-General Githu Muigai, who appeared before the court on Tuesday.

Scores of Mr Kenyatta's supporters packed the public gallery as the hearing got under way.
Defence lawyer Steven Kay said Mr Kenyatta would not be making a statement. He said the government had co-operated with the prosecution requests where it was possible to do so.
The hearing was later adjourned.

As he left the court Mr Kenyatta told his supporters in Swahili: "We know where we are coming from, we know where we are now, we know where we are going. No-one will tell us where we are going and yes, we will decide for ourselves."

The prosecution has accused the Kenyan government of failing to hand over potentially crucial pieces of evidence, as Anna Holligan reports

ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda, who is from The Gambia, said there was still a significant "body of evidence" against Mr Kenyatta.

The prosecution, which wants an indefinite adjournment, told the court it had phone data and nine witnesses who were willing to testify how Mr Kenyatta had funding links with the Mungiki sect which took part in the violence.

Fergal Gaynor, a lawyer for the victims, said they were entitled to know why witnesses for the prosecution had withdrawn from the case.

Displaced Kenyan watch the hearing of President Uhuru Kenyatta in Kenya on 8 October 2014

Those displaced by the wave of violence following the 2007 Kenyan elections, watch Uhuru Kenyatta's hearing

In September, the court postponed the trial after prosecutors said the Kenyan government had failed to deliver key documents.

Personal capacity Deputy President William Ruto is acting president while Mr Kenyatta is at The Hague.

On Monday, the president again stressed his innocence, saying his conscience was clear.
In a speech to the Kenyan parliament, Mr Kenyatta said that he was going to The Hague in a personal capacity - not as president of the country - so as not to compromise the sovereignty of Kenyans.

No special arrangements have been made at the ICC. The main spokesperson for the court said that Mr Kenyatta would not be treated differently from any other accused person.

Mr Kenyatta was elected in 2013, despite facing charges. Analysts said he turned the prosecution to his advantage, portraying it as foreign intervention in Kenya's domestic affairs.

Uhuru Kenyatta's defence lawyers, Steven Kay and Gillian Higgins, look into legal documents at the International Criminal Court in The Netherlands on 8 October 2014

Uhuru Kenyatta's defence lawyers, Gillian Higgins and Steven Kay, pore over legal documents

Mr Kenyatta has accused the court of being biased against African leaders.
In 2009 the ICC also issued a warrant for Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir over alleged war crimes in Darfur, but he has not yet been arrested.

Mr Kenyatta faces five charges relating to the ethnic massacres - the worst violence in Kenya since independence in 1963. Tens of thousands of people were displaced and Kenya's reputation for stability was tarnished.

Mr Kenyatta was a close ally of President Mwai Kibaki, who was declared the winner of the 2007 election. Mr Kibaki's rival, Raila Odinga, claimed the poll was marred by fraud.

The dispute took on an ethnic dimension, pitting members of the Kikuyu ethnic group of Mr Kenyatta and Mr Kibaki against other communities such as the Luo and Kalenjin. Mr Kenyatta is accused of organising an ethnic Kikuyu gang, the Mungiki sect, to attack rival groups.

Deputy President Ruto also faces charges at The Hague, but he was on Mr Odinga's side during the violence. He also denies the charges.

A supporter of Kenya's president Uhuru Kenyatta waits outside the International Criminal Court in The Netherlands on 8 October 2014

One of Uhuru Kenyatta's many supporters waits for him outside the International Criminal Court

Source by www.bbc.com

Ukraine: Pro-Russia rebels downed Malaysian plane

Makangale SATELLITE 10:41:00 PM International News

HRABOVE, Ukraine (AP) -- Ukraine accused pro-Russian separatists of shooting down a Malaysian jetliner with 298 people aboard, sharply escalating the crisis and threatening to draw both East and West deeper into the conflict. The rebels denied downing the aircraft.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 takes off at 12.31 PM from Schiphol airport near Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 17 July 2014. A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 with more than 280 passengers on board crashed in eastern Ukraine, Russian and Ukrainian news agencies report. The airline said on its Twitter account that it lost contact with flight MH17 from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur. Both Russian and Ukrainian sources confirmed that the plane went down between the city of Donetsk and the Russian border, an area that has

American intelligence authorities believe a surface-to-air missile brought the plane down Thursday but were still working on who fired the missile and whether it came from the Russian or Ukrainian side of the border, a U.S. official said.

Bodies, debris and burning wreckage of the Boeing 777 were strewn over a field near the rebel-held village of Hrabove in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the Russian border, where fighting has raged for months.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden described the plane as having been "blown out of the sky."

The aircraft appeared to have broken up before impact, and there were large pieces of the plane that bore the red, white and blue markings of Malaysia Airlines — now familiar worldwide because of the carrier's still-missing jetliner from earlier this year.

The cockpit and one of the turbines lay at a distance of one kilometer (more than a half-mile) from one another. Residents said the tail was about 10 kilometers (six miles) farther away. Rescue workers planted sticks with white flags in spots where they found human remains.

There was no sign of any survivors from Flight 17, which took off shortly after noon Thursday from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur with 283 passengers, including three infants, and a crew of 15. Malaysia's prime minister said there was no distress call before the plane went down and that the flight route was declared safe by the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko called it an "act of terrorism" and demanded an international investigation. He insisted his forces did not shoot down the plane.

In Kuala Lumpur, several relatives of those aboard the jet came to the international airport.

A distraught Akmar Mohamad Noor, 67, said her older sister was coming to visit the family for the first time in five years. "She called me just before she boarded the plane and said, 'See you soon,'" Akmar said.

Counsellors were meeting with a few family members in the airport viewing gallery, sealed off from a horde of journalists. One woman emerged in tears and was escorted out of the airport by a security officer without saying anything.

It was the second time a Malaysia Airlines plane was lost in less than six months. Flight 370 disappeared in March en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. It has not been found, and the search has focused on the Indian Ocean far west of Australia.

"This is just too much," said Cindy Tan, who was waiting at the airport for a friend on another flight. "I don't know really why this happened to a MAS (Malaysia Airlines) plane again."

Ukraine's security services produced what they said were two intercepted telephone conversations that showed rebels were responsible. In the first call, the security services said, rebel commander Igor Bezler tells a Russian military intelligence officer that rebel forces shot down a plane. In the second, two rebel fighters — one of them at the crash scene — say the rocket attack was carried out by a unit of insurgents about 25 kilometers (15 miles) north of the site.

Neither recording could be independently verified.

Russia's Interfax news agency quoted Sergey Kavtaradze, a special representative of the Donetsk People's Republic leader, as denying that the intercepted phone conversations were genuine.

Earlier in the week, the rebels had claimed responsibility for shooting down two Ukrainian military planes.

President Barack Obama called the crash a "terrible tragedy" and spoke by phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as Poroshenko. Britain asked for an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council on Ukraine.

Later, Putin said Ukraine bore responsibility for the crash, but he didn't address the question of who might have shot it down and didn't accuse Ukraine of doing so.

"This tragedy would not have happened if there were peace on this land, if the military actions had not been renewed in southeast Ukraine," Putin said, according to a Kremlin statement issued early Friday. "And, certainly, the state over whose territory this occurred bears responsibility for this awful tragedy."

At the United Nations, Ukrainian Ambassador Yuriy Sergeyev told the AP that Russia gave the separatists a sophisticated missile system and thus Moscow bears responsibility, along with the rebels.

More than half of those aboard the plane were Dutch citizens, along with passengers from Australia, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, the Philippines and Canada. The home countries of 41 people were not confirmed.

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott told Parliament Friday that authorities owe it to the families of the dead to find out exactly what happened and who was responsible. "As things stand, this looks less like an accident than a crime. And if so, the perpetrators must be brought to justice," he said.

The different nationalities of the dead would bring Ukraine's conflict to parts of the globe that were never touched by it before.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said he was "horrified" by the crash, and said the United States was prepared to help with an international investigation.

Ukraine's crisis began after pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych was driven from office in February by a protest movement among citizens angry about endemic corruption and seeking closer ties with the European Union. Russia later annexed the Crimean Peninsula in southern Ukraine, and pro-Russians in the country's eastern regions began occupying government buildings and pressing for independence. Moscow denies Western charges it is supporting the separatists or sowing unrest.

Kenneth Quinn of the Flight Safety Foundation said an international coalition of countries should lead the investigation. Safety experts say they're concerned that because the plane crashed in area of Ukraine that is in dispute, political considerations could affect the investigation.

The RIA-Novosti agency quoted rebel leader Alexander Borodai as saying talks were underway with Ukrainian authorities on calling a short truce for humanitarian reasons. He said international organizations would be allowed into the conflict-plagued region.

Some journalists trying to reach the crash site were detained briefly by rebel militiamen, who were nervous and aggressive.

Aviation authorities in several countries, including the FAA in the United States, had issued warnings not to fly over parts of Ukraine prior to Thursday's crash, but many carriers, including cash-strapped Malaysia Airlines, had continued to use the route because "it is a shorter route, which means less fuel and therefore less money," said aviation expert Norman Shanks.

Within hours of Thursday's crash, several airlines said they were avoiding parts of Ukrainian airspace.

Malaysia Airlines said Ukrainian aviation authorities told the company they had lost contact with Flight 17 at 1415 GMT (10:15 a.m. EDT) about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from Tamak waypoint, which is 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the Russia-Ukraine border.

A U.S. official said American intelligence authorities believe the plane was brought down by a surface-to-air missile but were still working to determine additional details about the crash, including who fired the missile and whether it came from the Russian or Ukraine side of the border.

But American intelligence assessments suggest it is more likely pro-Russian separatists or the Russians rather than Ukrainian government forces shot down the plane, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The United States has sophisticated technologies that can detect missile launches, including the identification of heat from the rocket engine.

Anton Gerashenko, an adviser to Ukraine's interior minister, said on his Facebook page the plane was flying at about 10,000 meters (33,000 feet) when it was hit by a missile from a Buk launcher, which can fire up to an altitude of 22,000 meters (72,000 feet). He said only that his information was based on "intelligence."

Igor Sutyagin, a research fellow in Russian studies at the Royal United Services Institute, said both Ukrainian and Russian forces have SA-17 missile systems — also known as Buk ground-to-air launcher systems.

Rebels had bragged recently about having acquired Buk systems.

Sutyagin said Russia had supplied separatists with military hardware but had seen no evidence "of the transfer of that type of system from Russia."

Earlier Thursday, AP journalists saw a launcher that looked like a Buk missile system near the eastern town of Snizhne, which is held by the rebels.

Poroshenko said his country's armed forces didn't shoot at any airborne targets.

Separatist leader Andrei Purgin told the AP he was certain that Ukrainian troops had shot the plane down, but gave no explanation or proof.

There have been several disputes over planes being shot down over eastern Ukraine in recent days.

A Ukrainian fighter jet was shot down Wednesday by an air-to-air missile from a Russian plane, Ukrainian authorities said, adding to what Kiev says is mounting evidence that Moscow is directly supporting the insurgents.

Pro-Russia rebels claimed responsibility for strikes on two Ukrainian Sukhoi-25 jets Wednesday. Ukraine's Defense Ministry said the second jet was hit by a portable surface-to-air missile but the pilot landed safely.


An armed pro-Russian separatist stands on part of the wreckage of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane after it crashed near the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region, July 17, 2014. The Malaysian airliner flight MH-17 was brought down over eastern Ukraine on Thursday, killing all 295 people aboard and sharply raising stakes in a conflict between Kiev and pro-Moscow rebels in which Russia and the West back opposing sides. (REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev)

The site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash is seen near the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region, July 17, 2014. The Malaysian airliner Flight MH-17 was brought down over eastern Ukraine on Thursday, killing all 295 people aboard and sharply raising the stakes in a conflict between Kiev and pro-Moscow rebels in which Russia and the West back opposing sides. (REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev)

People stand near part of the wreckage of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane after it crashed near the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region, July 17, 2014. The Malaysian airliner Flight MH-17 was brought down over eastern Ukraine on Thursday, killing all 295 people aboard and sharply raising stakes in a conflict between Kiev and pro-Moscow rebels in which Russia and the West back opposing sides. (REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev)

An Emergencies Ministry member (front) walks at the site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash near the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region, July 17, 2014. The Malaysian airliner Flight MH-17 was brought down over eastern Ukraine on Thursday, killing all 295 people aboard and sharply raising the stakes in a conflict between Kiev and pro-Moscow rebels in which Russia and the West back opposing sides. (REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev)

Armed pro-Russian separatists stand at the site of a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 plane crash near the settlement of Grabovo in the Donetsk region, July 17, 2014. The Malaysian airliner Flight MH-17 was brought down over eastern Ukraine on Thursday, killing all 295 people aboard and sharply raising the stakes in a conflict between Kiev and pro-Moscow rebels in which Russia and the West back opposing sides. (REUTERS/Maxim Zmeyev )