Obama sees 'hope' for US economy

US President Barack Obama has said he sees "glimmers of hope" in the economy, but warned that the system remained under "severe strain".

Speaking after a meeting with his top economic advisers, he said there was still "a lot of work to do".

Mr Obama promised more action on the economy in the coming weeks.

He said he and his team had discussed the stability of the financial system, the housing market and plans to help banks clear their books of bad assets.

Captain 'tried to escape pirates'

The US captain taken hostage by Somali pirates managed to jump off their lifeboat overnight but was recaptured, according to US media reports.

The escape attempt by Capt Richard Phillips was witnessed by a US navy ship nearby but happened too fast for it to come to his aid, NBC News says.

He was captured after a struggle on his ship, Maersk Alabama. Pirates seized the ship but the crew fought them off.

The US navy is bolstering its forces in the area to combat the pirate captors.

After a lull earlier this year, the Maersk Alabama was the sixth ship hijacked off Somalia in the past week.

Andrew Mwangura, of the East African Seafarers' Assistance Programme, told the BBC at least 18 vessels were now being held in Somali waters, with at least 267 crew members held hostage.

MAJOR PIRATE INCIDENTS Ukrainian ship MV Faina seized on 25 September 2008, held until 5 February 2009 Saudi tanker Sirius Star held for two months from November 2008; a $3m ransom was negotiated At least 15 pirate attacks reported to International Maritime Bureau during March 2009 The 32,500-tonne Malaspina Castle, UK-owned but operated by Italians, seized on 6 April 2009.

There are thought to be four pirates with Capt Phillips in the lifeboat, which has reportedly run out of fuel, and it is not yet clear what they are demanding.

The Maersk Alabama is reportedly sailing for the Kenyan port of Mombasa under armed guard.

Gen David Petraeus, head of US Central Command, said reinforcements would arrive within 48 hours, adding that a warship was already very close to the lifeboat.

But other hijacked ships with hostages aboard are also reported to be nearing the area to support the pirates on the lifeboat.

Top priority

There has been rising concern over the fate of Capt Phillips.

"The safe return of the captain is the top priority," US Defence Secretary Robert Gates told reporters in Washington.

Is there a 19th Century solution? Profile: Capt Richard Phillips

The cruise-missile carrying USS Bainbridge was sent to the scene in a move analysts say will strengthen the hand of US negotiators.

The destroyer is shadowing the lifeboat, and its officers are talking to the pirates, as well as giving them food and batteries for a two-way radio.

Capt Phillips has a radio and contacted the navy and crew of his ship to say he was unharmed, the Maersk shipping company said in a statement.

FBI experts are helping negotiate his release.

Analysts have said negotiations could be lengthy, with the pirates likely to want a hefty ransom for the captain as well as compensation for a boat that was wrecked in the attack.

Pirate reinforcement

Mohamed Samaw, a Somali who claimed to have a "share" in a British ship hijacked this week, told AP news agency two hijacked ships had left the pirate stronghold of Eyl on Wednesday afternoon.

The USS Bainbridge remains close to the scene of the stand-off

He said a further two seized vessels were also sailing towards the lifeboat.

Two of the ships have some 54 hostages aboard, from China, Germany, Russia, Ukraine, the Philippines, Tuvalu, Indonesia and Taiwan.

A man identified as a pirate named Badow told AP: "They had asked us for reinforcement and we have already sent a good number of well-equipped colleagues, who were holding a German cargo ship."

He said there was no intention of harming the captain, as long as the pirates holding him were not hurt.

"All we need, first, is a safe route to escape with the captain, and then (negotiate) ransom later," he said.

Destabilisation concern

The cargo ship, carrying food aid destined for Somalia and Uganda, was seized about 500km (311 miles) off Somalia's coast in the early hours of Wednesday.

Capt Phillips' sister-in-law Lea Coggino says he is "a smart guy who is in control"

After a long struggle, the crew members regained control of the ship.

It is thought that Capt Phillips offered himself as a hostage in order to save his crew.

Zoya Quinn, wife of the ship's second officer, told the Associated Press that Capt Phillips had told the crew to lock themselves in a room and that the pirates, who were "desperate", searched all over the ship for them.

The crew held a wounded pirate for about 12 hours, dressing his wounds "because he was bleeding all over the ship", she said, after communication with her husband Ken by phone and e-mail.

Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991, fuelling the lawlessness which has allowed the pirates to thrive.

Pirates typically hold the ships and crews until large ransoms are paid by the shipping companies - last year the firms handed over about $80m (£54m).

Efforts to stop the pirates have so far had only limited success, with international naval patrols struggling to cover the vast areas of ocean where pirates operate.

The UN's Somalia envoy, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, told Reuters that piracy was threatening to destabilise the region.

In what may prove an important test case, Kenyan officials are currently seeking to try seven pirates captured by US forces in February, the Wall Street Journal reports.

It has previously proved difficult to prove national jurisdiction because pirate attacks usually take place in international waters.

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SOMALIA - FAILED STATE

PIRACY HOT-SPOT

Gunboat diplomacy
The merits of a 19th Century approach to piracy

Captain 'tried to escape pirates'

How to deliver a pirate ransom

Is EU task force up to the job?

Lure of easy money

Q&A: Somali piracy

ISLAMISTS ON THE RISE

Text insurgency
SMS Islamists vying to seize Somalia and beyond

President faces tough task

Somali Islamists unbroken

Unending security nightmare

UK Somalis play politics from afar

Mogadishu: Ghost city

Profile: President Ahmed

PERSONAL STORIES

Sick nomad Helpless doctor Displaced wife Rape and death Fleeing father Displaced mother 'Many patients' Fleeing death 'My son died' Somali sister 'City is calm' 'Waiting to die' Somali widow Somali teacher

BACKGROUND

Timeline: Ethiopia and Somalia

Q&A: Somali conflict

Country profile

RELATED INTERNET LINKS

Maersk

Maritime Security Centre

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites

FROM OTHER NEWS SITES

Telegraph Captain attempts to escape Somali pirates - 41 mins ago

94Country WKKJ BREAKING: Captain attempts to escape pirates and fails - 49 mins ago

Sydney Morning Herald US skipper fails in attempt to escape from pirates holding him captive - 50 mins ago

Reuters Defiant pirates block U.S. hostage's escape bid - 52 mins ago

San Francisco Chronicle Pirates Holding Captain Demand Ransom - 1 hr ago

About these results

TOP AFRICA STORIES

Captain 'tried to escape pirates'

Landslide win for Algeria leader

Shock at Burundi corruption death

| News feeds

Bomb hits Islamabad police base

A suicide bomber has killed at least five paramilitary police in an attack on a security base in the capital, Islamabad, police say.

The attacker apparently slipped into the base under cover of darkness and attacked a mess tent, also injuring a number of policemen.

Shots heard after the explosion are believed to have come from guards.

It was the second attack on security forces in Islamabad in two weeks and comes amid a rise in militant violence.

Map

A suicide bomb attack on a police station on 23 March left one policeman dead and another injured.

The Pakistani Taleban leader, Baitullah Mehsud, claimed responsibility for that attack.

Violence in Pakistan has surged in recent months amid a wave of attacks blamed on Islamist militants.

Last June a massive bomb blast in Islamabad's Marriott hotel killed at least 53 people and injured more than 250.

Berlusconi call puts Nato on hold

First he complimented Barack Obama's "tan", then he played hide and seek with the German leader. He has even annoyed the Queen by being too loud.

Now Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has held up the start of a key Nato summit - by talking for too long on his mobile phone.

In his defence, Mr Berlusconi was talking to Turkey's prime minister in a bid to resolve a row at the summit.

But Germany's leader was kept waiting on the red carpet for several minutes.

Angela Merkel had just led Nato leaders from Germany across a bridge straddling the River Rhine to meet President Nicolas Sarkozy coming from Strasbourg on the French side.

Mr Berlusconi joined the group shortly afterwards.

Mrs Merkel looked bemused as the Italian's call dragged on and finally opted to start the event's opening ceremony without the Italian.

It emerged later that Mr Berlusconi had been speaking to his Turkish counterpart in Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in an attempt to persuade Turkey to drop its opposition to Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen as Nato's new chief.

In the event, Turkey did concede, with Mr Erdogan saying it had been swayed by US President Barack Obama's assurances.

Playboy tactics

The Italian leader has developed a reputation for gaffes, outspoken comments and playful behaviour, even on the world stage.

Silvio Berlusconi speaks on his mobile phone during the French-German Nato summit, 4 April 2009
The best political leader in Europe and the world
Silvio Berlusconi, on himself

Berlusconi in his own words
Berlusconi in pictures

The latest incident comes just days after the Queen appeared to express mild irritation when Mr Berlusconi noisily greeted US President Barack Obama at a photo-call in London.

Last year he was filmed apparently playing "hide and seek" with Mrs Merkel in Trieste, hiding behind a large column as she walked past.

Earlier, he came under fire for describing Barack Obama as "young, handsome and tanned". Mr Berlusconi has palmed off the criticism those comments prompted, saying it emanated from humourless "imbeciles".

Mr Berlusconi's previous practical jokes at formal gatherings include making the Italian horned cuckold gesture behind a Spanish minister during a group photo of EU leaders in 2002.

The billionaire media mogul then sparked a minor diplomatic incident in 2005 by suggesting he had used "playboy tactics" to woo Finnish President Tarja Halonen in order to ensure her backing for Italy to host the European Food Safety Authority.

The International Monetary Fund looks like the big winner in the G20 summit, with huge increases planned in its resources and new roles.

ut what does it do, and how will its role change in the future?

The IMF was set up to help countries which get into short-term financial crises because they do not have enough currency to pay their bills.

It offers short-term loans to help those countries over the difficulties.

But in return, it imposes strict conditions on those countries, such as cutting their budget deficits.

At first, when the IMF was set up in 1944, it was mainly European countries that turned to it for help. But in recent years, it has been developing countries that have been forced to ask for help when times are hard.

Now, with the financial crisis intensifying, more and more countries are coming to the IMF for help and its supply of funds to loan may run out.

So the G20 has agreed that the IMF should triple its borrowing, to ensure that it has enough money to offer loans.

The money would have to be pledged by other IMF countries. Japan, for example, has already offered to loan the IMF $100bn and the EU says it will put in $100bn.

Radical step

The IMF wants to use this money to offer a new kind of loan that would be preventative. Rather than waiting for countries to get into financial difficulties, it would offer them a line of credit to help them defend their currencies in advance.

In the past, countries were reluctant to ask for such money, as the financial markets got worried that they were in trouble. But Mexico has become the first country to ask for such a facility and there now seems to be less stigma about this approach.

Much of the new IMF funds would be used in this facility, which would mainly be directed to the middle income countries who had relatively sound economies.

But in an even more radical step, the G20 leaders appear to have agreed to increase another type of IMF funds, the quotas owned by individual countries, by an additional $250bn.

This would be done by creating more of its own currency, the SDR or special drawing right, which is a basket of currencies including the US dollar, the yen and the euro.

This would give countries essentially free money, which they could use as they wish without having to negotiate deals with the IMF, and would do much to boost confidence among poorer countries. Many of them have been critical of the harsh conditions imposed by the IMF before they are given help.

In the past, such moves have always been resisted by Germany, on the grounds that creating money is inflationary. But in the current deflationary climate, they appear to have lifted their objections.

Reform looms

The IMF is also set to have a bigger role in preventing future crises, by developing an early warning system for financial problems, and taking a larger role in looking at the problems of the financial sector as a whole, in conjunction with a new global regulator, the Financial Services Board.

But the biggest changes in the IMF will come after 2011, when it has been agreed that there will be a review of the voting structure. That could lead to the US losing its veto power, while China and other emerging countries get a bigger voice.

It has already been agreed that in future, the convention that the World Bank and IMF must be headed by an American and a European respectively will be abandoned.

In return, China will be asked to lend some of its reserves to the IMF - and will continue to push for the idea that the SDR will become a real reserve currency, ultimately replacing the dollar.

The changes to the resources and the role of the IMF are historic and perhaps the most important outcome of the G20 summit.

But it must be borne in mind that providing more resources for the IMF can be only a short-term solution to the immediate crisis now engulfing developing countries.

It is no substitute for a fiscal stimulus, as the money is loaned and must be paid back. Nor will it counter the need for additional development aid to counteract poverty.

But it is a move towards a more global system of international finance.

Austrian Fritzl sentenced to life

Austrian Josef Fritzl, who kept his daughter in a cellar and fathered her seven children, has been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

Fritzl, 73, was found guilty of all charges against him, including rape, incest, murder and enslavement.

He showed no obvious emotion at the verdict, telling the court that he accepted it and would not appeal.

The court ordered that Fritzl should serve his life sentence in a secure psychiatric facility.

The judge said he could speak to his lawyer but he shook his head. Then he was led out of court with an impassive face.

See the Fritzl family tree

Fritzl's lawyer, Rudolf Mayer, said outside the court after the verdict: "I would say that the verdict was a logical consequence of a confession.

"Of course if you have 3,000 cases of rape and 24 years of being kept in a cellar, it is evident that there can only be a punishment or verdict like this one."

Court officials describe the details of Fritzl's life sentence

The life sentence was handed down for the murder by neglect of one of the children, who died soon after birth.

The jury unanimously accepted prosecutors' arguments that the child could have survived if it had received medical care denied by Fritzl.

The defendant first denied murder and enslavement but changed his plea to guilty after seeing testimony from his daughter.

The verdict is final and irreversible, as neither the defence nor the prosecution is contesting it.

Co-ordination centre

The BBC's Bethany Bell at the court says there has been a huge amount of media interest in the trial, and its twists and turns have been enormous.

At the time of the first details of this case, no-one could grasp the extent of this man's crimes, she says, and Austria still has to come to terms with it.

Court officials said Fritzl would initially return to St Poelten jail, where he has been held in custody. Justice Ministry spokeswoman Katharina Swoboda told AFP news agency that he would remain there in the coming weeks.


I regret from the bottom of my heart what I've done to my family
Josef Fritzl

In pictures: Josef Fritzl trial
Timeline: Austrian cellar case
Profile: Josef Fritzl

The prison's deputy warden, Erich Huber-Guensthofer, said he would be kept under suicide watch.

He will then be sent to a co-ordination centre, where it will be determined how dangerous he is and whether he is able to undergo therapy, before going on to the psychiatric facility.

He could in theory be released from the facility if he is deemed to be cured of his illness and would serve the remainder of his sentence in a normal prison.

In this case he will be eligible for release after 15 years.

Court spokesman Franz Cutka said Fritzl's daughter could also bring a civil case against her father, adding that there was no limit to the damages she could request.

Regrets

The Austrian imprisoned his daughter in a cellar under his house for 24 years and repeatedly raped her.


FRITZL'S CRIMES
Murder by neglect
Enslavement
Deprivation of liberty
Rape
Incest
Coercion

Why did Fritzl change his mind?
Lawyer: 'Fritzl had to be powerful'
Day-by-day: Fritzl trial
The daughter and three of the children were kept captive in the cellar until the case came to light in April last year, when one of them became seriously ill and was taken to hospital.

In his surprise confession on Wednesday, Fritzl admitted murdering by neglect one of newborn twin boys his daughter gave birth to in 1996, having failed to arrange medical care for the ailing infant.

The other three children were raised in the family home by Fritzl and his wife, after he told people that his daughter had abandoned them and joined a sect.

The daughter and her six surviving children been recovering from their ordeal in a psychiatric clinic and at a secret location.

Addressing the jury before the verdict, Fritzl said: "I regret from the bottom of my heart what I've done to my family."

"Unfortunately I cannot undo what I did. I can only try to limit the damage done as best as I can," he said.

Japan warns it may shoot down North Korean satellite launcher

Japan today threatened to shoot down a satellite that North Korea plans to launch early next month if it shows any signs of striking its territory.

Tokyo's warning that it would deploy its multibillion-dollar missile defence system raised tensions in the region after North Korea said that it had identified a potential "danger area" near Japanese territory along the rocket's flight path.

The regime told the International Maritime Organisation that the missile would be launched during daylight between 4 and 8 April, and that its boosters would fall into the Sea of Japan – about 75 miles (120km) from Japan's north-west coast – and the Pacific Ocean.

Officials in Tokyo said they reserved the right to destroy any threatening object in mid-flight, despite North Korean warnings that it would consider such a move an act of war.

"Under our law, we can intercept any object if it is falling towards Japan, including any attacks on Japan, for our security," Takeo Kawamura, the chief cabinet secretary, told reporters.

Despite repeated assurances from Pyongyang that the rocket is a vital part of North Korea's space programme, other countries in the region suspect the hardware is a Taepodong-2 ballistic missile.

South Korean intelligence has reported a build-up of activity in recent days near the missile's launch pad at Musudan-ri base on its neighbour's north-east coast.

Any missile launch, even one intended to put a satellite into orbit, would represent a snub to the US administration, which has repeatedly invited the communist state to return to negotiations over its nuclear weapons programme.

Last month the US secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, urged the north to cancel the launch, which US officials say would be in violation of a 2006 UN security council resolution.

The South Korean foreign ministry said in a statement: "If North Korea goes ahead with the launch, we believe there will be discussions and a response by the security council on the violation of the resolution."

The UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, said a missile or satellite launch would "threaten the peace and stability in the region."

After Japan's transport ministry ordered airlines and shipping companies operating in the area to take precautionary measures, Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways said they would alter flight paths on several European and other routes.

Speculation has been mounting for weeks that North Korea was about to put its hitherto unreliable missile technology to the test. The regime suffered a setback in 2006 when a Taepodong-2 missile – theoretically capable of reaching Alaska – blew up moments into its flight.

Japan has intensified efforts to protect itself against conventional missile attacks since 1998, when the north test-launched a long-range rocket over its territory without warning.

In response, Japan and the US have jointly developed a ballistic missile defence system that includes interceptor missiles on board ships and Patriot missiles dotted around Tokyo.

But experts believe that a rocket capable of launching a satellite into orbit may be too high to intercept.

Madoff to plead guilty, faces 150 years in prison

Bernard Madoff will plead guilty Thursday to 11 criminal counts including money laundering, perjury and securities, mail and wire fraud and will do so without a plea deal, knowing it carries a potential prison term of 150 years, lawyers said Tuesday in court.


Lawyers outlined the plea arrangement for the 70-year-old former Nasdaq chairman that was set to unfold later this week after Madoff waived several potential conflicts of interest between Madoff and his lawyer, Ira Sorkin.

He was charged in court papers with securities fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, three counts of money laundering, false statements and perjury among other charges. U.S. prosecutor Marc Litt said there was no plea agreement with Madoff, accused of bilking thousands of investors worldwide over many years.
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The prosecutor told U.S. District Judge Denny Chin at a hearing that Madoff could face up to 150 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines. The judge said he would sentence Madoff in several months in the event of a guilty plea.

In court, Madoff's attorney Ira Lee Sorkin said there was an expectation that Madoff, 70, would plead guilty on Thursday to the criminal charges.

At the court hearing in New York over potential conflicts of interest for Sorkin, Madoff said "Yes, I am" when asked by the judge whether he was satisfied with his attorney continuing to represent him.

U.S. prosecutors have said Madoff, free on $10 million bail but under 24-hour house arrest and electronic surveillance in his luxury Manhattan apartment, ran a massive Ponzi scheme. In a Ponzi scheme early investors are paid with money from new investors.

The purported swindle ran for decades with consistent returns of between 10% and 12%, but collapsed in last year's market meltdown

Put Maddoff and Blagojevich on work detail

When you hear about the outrageous accusations against Wall Street icon, now shamed, Bernard Maddoff, regarding his $50 billion Ponzi scheme and the corrupt thinking Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and his peddling of Obama's Senate seat, it almost makes you want to bring back the firing squad because their offenses are almost treasonous.

Are we not in the midst of a financial battle of historic proportion? If the charges against them hold true, have they not destroyed the lives of thousands of people, not to mention the integrity of both the political and financial systems at a time when our nation is in crises?

Unfortunately, as they used to quip in another time; "hanging is too good for them!"

I have another solution for them and all white collar criminals doing soft time, even if it is a long time, PUT THEM TO WORK!


There are many manufacturing jobs we have exported to foreign countries because we have priced ourselves out of so many markets and we would not be competing with American labor to do so. Putting these felons to work would accomplish many beneficial results.

First of all we would be able to bring jobs home and the criminals would be helping to support the cost of their incarceration. Second we would be helping to balance (note the scales of justice) the trade deficit, which is hurting all of us more each year. Third, these guys need to do work that will help them better understand what it means to actually do an honest day's work. And lastly they could also make some restitution to those they have harmed.

Not to make light of President Bush's recent shoe incident in Iraq but I think the ideal job is to make shoes. I think it would be great if our "resort" jails had contracts with Skechers or Nike Inc. (NYSE: NKE) to bring their manufacturing home. While Bush showed his agility in avoiding getting hit by the flying shoes, white collar criminals should not be allowed to avoid being hit with a more severe and just penalty.

Tariq Aziz guilty of Iraq murders

Tariq Aziz, for many years the public face of Saddam Hussein's Iraqi regime, has been jailed for 15 years for his role in the execution of 42 merchants.

Aziz had denied any role in the summary trials of the men accused in 1992 of profiteering during economic sanctions.

Two of Saddam Hussein's half-brothers were also found guilty and sentenced to death by a court in Baghdad.

Another top official, Ali Hassan al-Majid - commonly known as Chemical Ali - was jailed for 15 years.

Two other Iraqi officials were jailed for six and 15 years, while a former governor of the Iraqi central bank was acquitted.

Although Aziz was a world-renowned politician in his time, the BBC's Mike Sergeant in Baghdad says this trial is not viewed by Iraqis as a big political event

'Poor health'


TARIQ AZIZ
Born in 1936, near Mosul, northern Iraq
Studied English literature and became a journalist
The most senior Christian in the toppled regime
Enlisted US support for war on Iran
Met US President Ronald Reagan at the White House in 1984
In US custody since April 2003

Profile: Tariq Aziz
This is Tariq Aziz's first conviction in the controversial Iraqi High Tribunal process, which has been criticised by human rights groups on a number of counts.

He could also have received a death penalty. Last week he was acquitted in a separate trial over the killings of Shia Muslim protesters in 1999.

Aziz, a Christian, was Iraq's foreign minister during the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, later becoming the deputy prime minister.

He had argued that his work was political and he bore no responsibility for the deaths of the flour merchants.

Aziz surrendered to US troops on 24 April 2003, shortly after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein and has been in custody ever since.

In recent years, he has reportedly suffered from poor health in prison awaiting trial.

His Amman-based lawyer Badea Aref told AFP news agency that he had expected his client would be acquitted for a second time as he had not been in Iraq at the time of the killings.

Mr Aref said he would appeal within the statutory 30-day period, and added that Aziz is awaiting verdicts in two further trials.

'Flawed' process

Sabawi Ibrahim giving evidence in court 13 June 2006
Sabawi Ibrahim said he would be proud to die a martyr
On Wednesday, two of Saddam Hussein's half-brothers - former presidential adviser Watban Ibrahim and former intelligence chief Sabawi Ibrahim - were sentenced to death by hanging.

As his death sentence was read out, reports say Sabaawi Ibrahim stood up and proclaimed "God is great" and that he was proud to be a martyr. The judge told him to sit down.

Co-defendant Majid was jailed for 15 years. Majid had faced his fourth capital conviction in the merchants' case, having already been sentenced in the Anfal campaign against the Kurds in the late 1980s, the crushing of a Shia uprising in 1991 and the 1999 killings.

Saddam Hussein himself was hanged in December 2006 in a separate case.

Human Rights Watch issued a report into the trial of Saddam Hussein, concluding that the process was flawed and its verdict unsound because of "serious administrative, procedural and substantive legal defects".

Youngest billionaires lose money

The world's youngest billionaires have lost nearly a third of their wealth, according to Forbes rich list.

The average net worth of billionaires aged 40 and under is $2.9bn (£2.1bn), down 30% from last year.

The youngest billionaire is Germany's car-racing bachelor Prince Albert von Thurn und Taxis, who is worth about $2.1bn at the age of 25.

His fortune dropped 10% as the financial downturn hit his family's real estate and forestry holdings.

Old money

The family's wealth derives from centuries ago when, under the German emperors, they had a monopoly over running the postal system.

According to Forbes, Prince Albert's 30,000 hectares of woodland in Germany is considered one of the largest forest holdings in Europe.


YOUNG BILLIONAIRES
Sergey Brin, Google co-founder, $12bn
Larry Page, Google co-founder, $12bn
Sheik Mansour Bin Sayed Al Nahayan, Abu Dhabi royal family, $4.9bn
Daniel Ziff, Ziff Brother Investments, $3.5bn
John Arnold, Centaurus Hedge Fund, $2.7bn
Prince Albert von Thurn und Taxis, $2.1
Kenneth Griffin, Citadel Hedge Fund, $1.5bn
Chu Lam Yiu, Huabao International, $1.5bn
Jerry Yang, Yahoo co-founder, $1.1bn
William Ding, Netease founder, $1.1bn
Andrey Melnichenko, MDM Bank founder, $1bn
source: Forbes

His mother, Gloria von Thurn und Taxis, is one of Germany's leading socialites.

The next youngest billionaires are Google founders Sergey Brin, 35, and Larry Page, 36, who have about $12bn each, according to Forbes, which also makes them the richest on the list.

Both have lost just over $6.5bn as shares in Google have dropped 30% in the past 12 months.

Drop outs

The two met at Stanford University before dropping out in 1998 to start Google from a friend's garage.

Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo, scrapes into the list with a personal wealth of $1.1bn. Shares in Yahoo have fallen by 55% since the last list was compiled after the search engine's sale to Microsoft fell through.

Sheik Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahayan, the 39-year-old member of Abu Dhabi's royal family, also appears in the list.

He came to prominence by buying Manchester City football club last year, as well as investing large sums of cash into Barclays bank.

Andrey Melnichenko, the Russian industrialist worth $1bn, just managed to keep his place in the list despite losing 80% of his personal fortune in recent months.

The same cannot be said of Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who drops off the list completely after heading it last year.

Forbes magazine compiles an annual list of the world's billionaires.

German school gunman 'kills 16'

The shooting started at a secondary school near Stuttgart

Sixteen people have been killed by a teenage gunman who went on a rampage in south-west Germany, officials say.

Among the dead were 10 pupils and three teachers at the Albertville secondary school in Winnenden, north of Stuttgart, police say.

The gunman, a 17-year-old former pupil, entered the school at about 0930 (0830 GMT) dressed in black combat gear and opened fire at random.

He fled in a stolen car, but was later killed in a shoot-out with police.

See where the school shooting took place

German Chancellor Angela Merkel described the shooting as "incomprehensible".

"It is unimaginable that in just seconds, pupils and teachers were killed - it is an appalling crime," she told reporters.

"This is a day of mourning for for the whole of Germany."

'Trembling and crying'

Police said the suspect - now named as Tim Kretschmer - was killed during a shoot-out with officers in the town of Wendlingen, about 40km (25 miles) away from the school.

He had fled there in a car he had hijacked after the school shooting - killing a passer-by as he made his escape, police said.

Spokeswoman Inka Buckmiller said the shoot-out took place at a car showroom, where two bystanders were killed and two police officers were injured.


GERMAN SCHOOL ATTACKS
2006: A former pupil injures 11 students at a school in western town of Emsdetten before turning the gun on himself.
2002: A former pupil kills 17 people in his school in the eastern city of Erfurt, then kills himself.

In pictures: School shooting
Timeline of school shootings

"The suspect also died as a result of this shooting," she said.

Baden-Wuerttemburg state governor Guenther Oettinger said police killed the suspect, the Associated Press reported.

In total, 10 students, three teachers and three passers-by are thought to be among the dead.

One woman said her daughter had been in the school at the time of the shooting, and she was now at home "trembling and crying".

"She and her friend jumped out of the window. Her friend is now in hospital... We hope that she's all right," the woman said.

"What can I say? I don't understand the world any more."

'Heart-breaking'

Regional police chief Erwin Hetger said the teenager "went into the school with a weapon and carried out a bloodbath", according to the Associated Press.

"I've never seen anything like this in my life," he said.

Mr Hetger said informing the families of what had happened was a heart-breaking job.

"Our thoughts are concentrated on the parents. I have looked some of them in the eye, and it's damn hard to keep your composure," he said.

Local media reported that police had raided the youth's house and recovered 16 weapons.

The teenager's father, thought to be a prominent businessman in the area, was reported to be a member of a local shooting club.

Earlier, the chief reporter of the Stuttgart Journal newspaper, Kevin Latzel, told the BBC that there was a lot of confusion at the school.

"It's very horrible... the parents are crying, the pupils are crying and a lot of police is there and nobody knows really what happened," he said.

About 1,000 children are thought to attend the Albertville school, about 20km (12 miles) north-east of Stuttgart.

Russia’s refusal to sell its zenith rocket complexes to Iran can help Moscow establish good relations with Washington and Israel 18.02.09 10:43

Azerbaijan, Baku, Feb. 17 /corr. Trend News E.Tariverdiyeva / Russia’s refusal to sell its zenith rocket complexes to Iran will help Moscow not only establish good relations with Washington, but also strengthen co-operation with Israel.

“Our refusal to Iran is a signal for Washington, but more considerably this is connected with the fact that we have serious and good relations with Israel,” said Russian military expert Pavel Felgengauer.

To Moscow yesterday arrived the Minister of Defense of Iran [Mostafa] Mohammed [Nadzhzhar] with the three-day visit for the negotiations about the deliveries of Russian armament, first of all air defense weapons.

On Feb. 16, the Minister of Defense of Iran Mostafa Mohammed Nadzhar arrived in Moscow on a three days visit to hold negotiations on delivery of Russian arms.

Teheran is interested in zenith rocket complexes S-300PMU-1, supply agreement on which has already been signed long ago. According to the information, still Russia does not intend to provide these complexes to Iran, since this can prevent the commenced dialogue between Moscow and new U.S. Administration.

Before departure from Teheran, the Minister of Defense of Iran reported that he intended to make a basic accent on the deliveries of Russian air defense arms to Iran.

Experts consider that Russia will unlikely realize deliveries of the promised air defense arms soon, since for one or other reasons, this is not of interest now.

Each state builds relations with other countries within its own interests, and Russia’s refusal to provide the promised air defense arms is in the interests of Russia itself, Bahram Amirahmedyan, Iranian expert on Russia and Caucasus, told TrendNews in a telephone conversation from Tehran.

According to him, now the deployment of the missile defense system in Europe is stopping, and friendship is developing with Washington in the interests of Russia.

“Iran understands this, and this will in no way affect the relations between Russia and Iran,” Amirahmedyan said.

By the recent period, the USA intended to, until 2010, place radar in the Czech Republic and ten interceptor missiles in Poland under the pretext of protection from the rocket threat from Iran. Russia fears that these systems will threaten its security. In the beginning of November, the President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev said that as a response to deployment of the American missile defense system in Europe, Russia will place Iskander missile complexes in Kaliningrad region, and also will use radio-electronic suppression of missile defense system. However, after Barack Obama came to power in the USA, more frequently they speak of stopping or canceling the development of the third position region in Europe.

If the Kremlin gives a high priority to repairing relations with the United States, Russia will continue to refuse to sell that system to Tehran—even though a negative decision will anger the Iranian government, U.S. military expert Ted Carpenter said.

“If, on the other hand, Russian leaders have concluded that Washington is not serious about wanting to improve relations, the Kremlin will end its refusal and thereby seek to strengthen its ties with Iran,” Cato Institute defense and foreign policy studies vice president Ted Carpenter wrote to Trend News in an email.

Carpenter said Iran is not in a good bargaining position. “ If Russia blocks the sale, there is little Iranian leaders can do—especially since Tehran remains dependent on Moscow for assistance in other aspects of its defense and needs Moscow to continue blocking robust sanctions measures that the United States and its European allies continue to propose in response to Iran’s nuclear program,” he said.

From a Russian perspective this would not be a good time to announce such a
sale because the government is currently exploring its relationship with the
new Obama Administration, military expert Ian Anthony said.

“Discussions with colleagues from the United States are taking place now or are expected soon on several important topics and this announcement would be a negative complication,” Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) Research Coordinator
Ian Anthony wrote to Trend News in an email.

The governmental agreements between the US and its European allies are signed even if they are not yet in force, so it will be difficult for the United States to shut down the missile defense programs that have already been agreed. However, further development of the system would be a very negative signal to Russia, said Anthony.

However, leading Russian military expert Felgengauer said that the refusal to Iran rather proceeded from Russia's desire to strengthen cooperation with Israel.

The deal is rather an agreement between Russia and Israel than between Russia and Washington, said the expert.

Russian Parliamentary Defense Committee member Mikhail Musatov told RIA Novosti in early 2009 that in the next two to three years Russian Armed Forces will procure unmanned aerial vehicles from Israel. Musatov recalled the words of Russian Armed Forces General Staff Chief of Nikolai Makarov and specified that this step is necessary because Russian manufacturers do not have similar reconnaissance aircraft.

Felgengauer said Russia maintains very serious contracts and joint projects with Israel, including purchase of modern weapons. “In recent years, Russia has significantly improved relations with Israel. Purchasing a large consignment of unmanned aerial vehicles is being negotiated” Felgengauer told Trend News in a telephone conversation from Moscow.

A proof is that Moscow had refused to Iran and Syria before Obama Administration came to the White House.

“It is difficult to deal with Iran. The country is endlessly bargaining. Allied relations with Iran did not result in expected partnership. Therefore, Russia now does not want to sell its S-300 to the country,” said Felgengauer.

Obama fights false links to Islam

WASHINGTON — For Barack Obama, it is an ember that he has doused time and again, only to see it flicker anew: links to Islam fanned by false rumors, innuendo and association. Obama and his campaign reacted strongly this week when a photo of him in Kenyan tribal garb began spreading on the Internet.

And the praise he received Sunday from Nation of Islam Minister Louis Farrakhan prompted pointed questions -- during Tuesday night's presidential debate and also in a private meeting over the weekend with Jewish leaders in Cleveland.

During the debate, Obama repeated his denunciation of Farrakhan's views, which have included numerous anti-Semitic comments. And, after being pressed, he rejected Farrakhan's support in the presidential race.

The Democratic candidate says repeatedly that he's a Christian who took the oath of office on a family Bible. Yet on the Internet and on talk radio -- and in a campaign introduction for John McCain this week -- he is often depicted, falsely, as a Muslim with shadowy ties and his middle name, Hussein, is emphasized as a reminder of Iraq's former leader.

"If anyone is still puzzled about the facts, in fact I have never been a Muslim," he told the Jewish leaders in Cleveland, according to a transcript of the private session.

The photo of Obama wearing Kenyan tribal raiments -- taken by an Associated Press photographer during his visit in 2006 to the country where his father was born -- resurfaced on the Internet amid unsubstantiated claims that it was being circulated by members of Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign. Clinton and her aides said they had nothing to do with it. The Obama campaign accused them of "shameful, offensive fear-mongering."

On Tuesday Republican candidate McCain denounced the introduction he got in Cincinnati that criticized Obama in vivid terms. Talk show host Bill Cunningham referred to Obama three times as "Barack Hussein Obama" and called him a "hack, Chicago-style" politician during the introduction of McCain.

The Obama campaign is closely attuned to the rumors and insinuations. Information on Obama's Christian faith is prominently available on the "Know the facts" page of his Web site. The campaign has distributed flyers to churches in states with presidential contests. And it encourages supporters to flag any attack that may make its way into cyberspace.

"Our campaign is vigilant in quickly responding to any information about Senator Obama that surfaces, be it on the Internet, in the media or from our opponents," spokesman Bill Burton said Wednesday.

If there is confusion -- and opportunity for political mischief -- it derives at least in part from Obama's rich cultural background. His mother was a white woman from Kansas, his father was Kenyan and he spent part of his childhood in Indonesia, a largely Muslim country.

"My grandfather, who was Kenyan, converted to Christianity, then converted to Islam," Obama said Sunday. "My father never practiced; he was basically agnostic. So, other than my name and the fact that I lived in a populous Muslim country for four years when I was a child, I have very little connection to the Islamic religion."

Obama has become careful in denouncing the links, lately noting that some rumors about him also have been insulting to Muslims. Jim Zogby, founder and president of the Arab American Institute, said many Arab Americans are drawn to Obama because of his cultural background.

"It is clear he wants to have a broader relationship with the Muslim world," Zogby said. "He has a biography that connects him to the Muslim world."

Obama, though in the presidential limelight now for more than a year, is still introducing himself to voters. An AP-Yahoo poll in January asked people to volunteer the first few words that came to mind about each of the candidates, and 4 percent of the respondents, unprompted, mentioned the word Muslim when describing Obama.

Some of the rumors and allegations about Obama are clearly not true, yet still spread, often anonymously:

_ A debunked chain e-mail circulating widely on the Internet suggests he is hiding his Islamic roots. It says he was sworn into the Senate on the Quran and turns his back on the flag during the Pledge of Allegiance.

He took his Senate oath with his hand on a family Bible, and he says, "Whenever I'm in the United States Senate, I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America." In fact, no candidate could survive if he publicly spurned the pledge.

_ Another false report says he attended a Muslim madrassa school as a child in Jakarta. Obama was born in Hawaii and moved to Indonesia when he was 6 to live with his mother and stepfather. He returned to Hawaii when he was 10 to live with his maternal grandparents. Interviews last year by The Associated Press at the elementary school in Jakarta found that it is a public and secular institution and has been open to students of all faiths since before Obama attended in the late 1960s. Said vice principal Akmad Solichin: "Yes, most of our students are Muslim, but there are Christians as well. Everyone's welcome here."

_ Obama also has faced questions about his pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, where he has been a member for 20 years. Trinity calls itself "Unashamedly Black and Unapologetically Christian." But it accepts non-black congregants. The United Church of Christ's president and general minister, the Rev. John H. Thomas, was quoted in a church publication as pointing out that the Rev. Jane Fisler-Hoffman, Illinois Conference Minister, who is white, "has been a member of the congregation for years."

_ Obama has been asked about Farrakhan's words of praise and Farrakhan's receipt of an award from "Trumpet Newsmagazine," a Trinity church publication last month. Obama told Jewish leaders Sunday: "An award was given to Farrakhan for his work on behalf of ex-offenders completely unrelated to his controversial statements. And I believe that was a mistake and showed a lack of sensitivity to the Jewish community and I said so."

Farrakhan did not endorse Obama but said Sunday: "This young man is the hope of the entire world that America will change and be made better." Asked Tuesday night whether he would accept support from Farrakhan, Obama said: "I live in Chicago. He lives in Chicago. I've been very clear, in terms of me believing that what he has said is reprehensible and inappropriate. And I have consistently distanced myself from him."

Following an exchange with Clinton, he then added: "There's no formal offer of help from Minister Farrakhan that would involve me rejecting it. But if the word 'reject' Senator Clinton feels is stronger than the word 'denounce,' then I'm happy to concede the point, and I would reject and denounce."

Netanyahu to form Israel cabinet

Benjamin Netanyahu, the leader of the right-of-centre Likud party, has been asked to form Israel's next government.

Mr Netanyahu said Israel faced "great challenges" including the global economic crisis and what he said was Iran's wish to obtain nuclear weapons.

He said he would try to form a unity government with his political rivals.

But Tzipi Livni, leader of the centrist Kadima, has suggested she would rather be in opposition than join a government led by Mr Netanyahu.

Kadima narrowly defeated Likud in the election held on 10 February, but Mr Netanyahu has the support of religious and right-wing parties in the Israeli parliament.

His position was bolstered on Thursday when Avigdor Lieberman, head of Yisrael Beiteinu, which favours tightening the Israeli blockade on Gaza, said it wanted him to be prime minister.

Let's unite to secure the future of the State of Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu
Likud leader

Profile: Benjamin Netanyahu

President Shimon Peres and Mr Netanyahu held a news conference to officially announce that the Likud leader now has six weeks to put together a coalition.

He told the news conference he wanted to open talks with his political rivals to form a "broad national unity government for the good of the people and the state".

He said: "I call on Kadima chairwoman Tzipi Livni and Labour Party chairman Ehud Barak and I say to them - let's unite to secure the future of the State of Israel."

On Iran, Mr Netanyahu returned to a key campaign theme, suggesting that Tehran had emerged as Israel's greatest security threat.

The Islamic Republic was seeking to develop nuclear weapons, he said, as well as sponsoring the Hezbollah and Hamas militant groups in Lebanon and Gaza.

'Pawn'

The BBC's diplomatic correspondent, Jonathan Marcus, says the decision to choose Mr Netanyahu marks the beginning of a period of serious horse-trading.

He says Mr Netanyahu will have a real job on his hands - either to persuade Ms Livni to join his government, or to reconcile the differences among the various factions on the right.

ELECTION RESULTS
Kadima: 28 seats
Likud: 27 seats
Yisrael Beiteinu: 15
Labour: 13
Shas: 11
United Torah Judaism: 5

See results in full
Tough dealing ahead
Q&A: Israel's general election

Minutes before the news came out that the Likud leader would be asked to form a government, Ms Livni said what was being proposed was a government "without political vision, a government with no values".

"I will not be a pawn in a government that would be against our ideals," she said.

Israel's Haaretz newspaper reported on Thursday that Ms Livni said she would consider a coalition which included Likud, Kadima, and Yisrael Beiteinu.

She ruled out joining a coalition which included a number of other right-wing parties, the newspaper reported.

One of the main points of contention between the two parties is how to handle the Palestinian territories.

Ms Livni favours more talks and the creation of a separate state for the Palestinians.

Mr Netanyahu says he does not want Israel to rule the Palestinians, but says they should not be allowed things he considers a threat to Israeli security, such as an army, or control of airspace or the Jordan Valley.

Likud's 1999 charter "flatly rejects" a sovereign Palestinian state, but backs Palestinian self rule.

Palestinian officials reacted with caution to the news of Mr Netanyahu's appointment.

Saeb Erekat, a senior aide to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who has been negotiating with Israel's outgoing Kadima-led coalition, said Israel needed a government committed to peace.

"We will not be in the negotiations with an Israeli government that continues settlement activities, that refuses the two-state solution, and that doesn't accept agreements signed," he said.

كلينتون: أمريكا مصممة على التقدم في طريق السلام

اعلنت وزيرة الخارجية الامريكية هيلاري كلينتون الاربعاء ان الولايات المتحدة تريد المضي قدما على طريق السلام في الشرق الاوسط.

وصرحت كلينتون خلال مؤتمر صحافي مشترك مع الرئيس الفلسطيني محمود عباس "اننا مصممون على احراز تقدم. الوقت يداهمنا".

و اعلنت وزيرة الخارجية الامريكية ان المبعوث الاميركي الخاص الى الشرق الاوسط جورج ميتشل سيعود الى المنطقة بعد تشكيل الحكومة الاسرائيلية الجديدة.

ووصفت كلينتون خطة اسرائيل لتدمير عشرات المنازل التي تعود لفلسطينيين في الضفة الغربية بانه اختراق للقانون الدولي.

وأضافت "إن من الواضح أن هذا النوع من التصرفات غير مفيد، وتخالف التزام خطة خريطة الطريق".

ومن جانبه، قال عباس انه يجب على الحكومة الاسرائيلية المقبلة وقف الاستيطان في الضفة الغربية وفتح المعابر مع غزة.

وأضاف عباس خلال المؤتمر الصحافي انه يجب على الحكومة الاسرائيلية المقبلة وقف الاستيطان في الضفة الغربية وفتح المعابر مع غزة.

وقال عباس "نحن نحترم خيار الشعب الاسرائيلي ونحترم الانتخابات" الاسرائيلية، طالبا بالمقابل بان تحترم الحكومة الاسرائيلية المقبلة خريطة الطريق وحل الدولتين الاسرائيلية والفلسطينية.

واضاف "على اسرائيل الالتزام بحل الدولتين ووقف الاستيطان وهدم المنازل".

وشدد عباس كذلك على ضرورة فتح المعابر مع قطاع غزة لوضع حد لـ"معاناة الشعب الفلسطيني" في القطاع والسماح باعادة اعماره بعد الهجوم الاسرائيلي المدمر عليهوكانت كلينتون قد التقت في وقت سابق اليوم في رام الله رئيس الوزراء الفلسطيني سلام فياض.

وكانت كلينتون قد وصلت إلى رام الله اليوم قادمة من إسرائيل حيث التقت بالمسؤولين الإسرائيليين وأكدت من جديد التزام الإدارة الأمريكية بإقامة دولة فلسطينية وقالت إن ذلك سيكون في مصلحة إسرائيل.

إلا أن بنيامين نيتانياهو، المكلف بتشكيل الحكومة الاسرائيلية الجديدة، كرّر رفضه لهذا المبدأ.
سورية

وكانت كلينتون قد كشفت في وقت سابق أن بلادها سترسل مبعوثين إلى دمشق في احدث مسعى لادارة الرئيس باراك أوباما للتعاطي مع سورية.

وفي تصريحات أدلت بها في القدس قالت كلينتون أن الولايات المتحدة ستواصل "بقوة" مساعيها الهادفة إلى إقامة دولة فلسطينية مستقلة.

وقالت إن التوجه إلى إقامة دولة فلسطينية هو أكثر ما يمكن أن يخدم مصالح إسرائيل.

وجاءت تصريحات كلينتون قبل اجتماعها مع نظيرتها الإسرائيلية تسيبي ليفني خلال أول زيارة تقوم بها للشرق الأوسط منذ تسلمها وزارة الخارجية في إدارة أوباما.

كما عقدت وزير الخارجية الامريكية لقاء مع رئيس الوزراء المكلف بينيامين نتانياهو الذي عرف بمعارضته لحل الدولتين، إلا انه وبعد لقاءه مع كلينتون قال إنه اسمتع إلى لغة مشتركة.

ويتبنى نتنياهو موقفا متشككا تجاه قيام دولة فلسطينية مفضلا بدلا من ذلك اتباع برنامج لتنمية الاقتصاد الفلسطيني والتصدي لمشكلة إيران، وقد أثار تصريحاته مخاوف من صدام بين حكومة يترأسها والإدارة الأمريكية.

شاهد بالفيديو:
كلينتون

"نشارك إسرائيل قلقها"

وفي تصريح لهيلاري كلينتون بعد لقاء عقدته مع الرئيس الاسرائيلي شيمون بيريز اعلنت كلينتون دعم بلادها "الثابت والدائم" لاسرائيل وامنها.

وفي المقابل وصفت حركة حماس تصريحات وزيرة الخارجية الامريكية بانها "قمة في الانحياز لصالح الاحتلال الاسرائيلي".

وقال طاهر النونو المتحدث باسم الحكومة الفلسطينية المقالة في بيان ان تصريحات كلينتون هي "قمة في الانحياز لصالح الاحتلال الاسرائيلي وتؤكد ان حكومة ايهود اولمرت هي من افشلت جهود التهدئة في اللحظات الاخيرة".

من جهته اعتبر فوزي برهوم المتحدث باسم حركة حماس ان هذه التصريحات هي "دعوة صريحة لاستمرار العنف ضد الشعب الفلسطيني وتحريض مباشر على حركة حماس واهلنا في غزة وتبرير وغطاء لجرائم الاحتلال الصهيوني".


ارسل هذا الموضوع لصديق نسخة سهلة الطبع


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الخارجي

أوكامبو: الحكومة السودانية ملزمة بتنفيذ مذكرة الاعتقال

أكد مدعي المحكمة الجنائية الدولية لويس مورينو اوكامبو ان الحكومة السودانية ملزمة بتنفيذ مذكرة الإعتقال التي أصدرتها المحكمة باعتقال الرئيس السوداني عمر البشير. جاء ذلك في مؤتمر صحفي لأوكامبو تعليقا على هذا القرار.

غير أن السودان أعلن رفضه قرار المحكمة. وقال وزير الدولة السوداني للشؤون الخارجية علي أحمد كرتي رفض بلاده التام للقرارن مشيرا إلى أن البشير سيحضر قمة الدوحة العربية ويقوم بمهامه وواجباته رغم صدور مذكرة المحكمة الجنائية الدولية بتوقيفه.

كما أكد وزير العدل السوداني ان الخرطوم لن تتعامل مع المحكمة، ووصف مستشار الرئيس السوداني القرار بانه جزء من الاستعمار الجديد.

وصرح متحدث باسم الجيش السوداني بان "القوات المسلحة ستتعامل بالحسم مع كل من يتعامل مع ما يسمى بالمحكمة الجنائية الدولية".

وكانت المحكمة الجنائية الدولية قد أصدرت مذكرة باعتقال الرئيس السوداني عمر البشير.

وجاء في بيان المحكمة "اليوم أصدرت المحكمة مذكرة باعتقال الرئيس السوداني عمر البشير fتهم جرائم حرب وجرائم ضد الانسانية، وهناك اشتباه بمسؤوليته بشكل مباشر أو غير مباشر عن شن الهجمات على المجتمع المدني في إقليم دارفور مما أدى إلى قتل وتشريد أعداد كبيرة من المدنيين".

واضاف البيان "إن منصب البشير لا يمنحه الحصانة، والقضاة يرون أن الجرائم المذكورة قد ارتكبت ويقال إن هذه الحملة شنت عام 2003 بعد الهجوم على مطار الفاشر نتيجة لخطة مشتركة شارك فيها كبار اعضاء الحكومة".

وتابع البيان "وكان الجزء الأساسي من تلك الحملة الهجوم على المدنيين في دارفور الذين يعتقد انهم مقربون من الجماعات المسلحة والذين تعرضوا لهجمات من قبل الجيش السوداني وميليشيا الجنجاويد".

ومضى البيان قائلا "إن قرار المحكمة ان عمر البشير نسق ووضع خطة الحملة ونفذها ضد المتمردين وهناك مبررات معقولة للاعتقاد بانه كان مشرفا على أجهزة الحكومة في السودان خلال تلك الحملة".

واشار البيان إلى سبع تهم موجهة إلى البشير وهي خمس تهم لجرائم ضد الانسانية وهي القتل والقضاء على الأشخاص والتشريد الاجباري والاغتصاب، وهناك تهمتان بارتكاب جرائم حرب وهي التعمد في شن هجمات على سكان مدنيين أو ضد مدنيين افراد لا يشاركون في اعمال قتالية والسلب والنهب ولكن لا تشمل التهم الابادة الجماعية ولكن إذا تم تقديم المزيد من الاثباتات فقد توجه لاحقا".

وقال البيان "والآن سيتم مطالبة السودان بالتعاون لتسليم الرئيس السوداني ومطالبة جميع الدول بالتعاون مع هذا القرار".