Al-Megrahi's doctor: 'I just provided an opinion. Someone else let him go free'

The doctor at the centre of the increasingly bitter international debate over the early release of the Lockerbie bomber has spoken to the Observer in his first interview since his expert evidence was used to justify the decision.

Talking ahead of Friday's first anniversary of the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, Professor Karol Sikora strongly attacked the way his prognosis was portrayed. The leading cancer specialist said he would have made his evidence "more vague" if he could have foreseen that it was going to be interpreted as a fact that the convicted terrorist was going to die within three months of being released from Scotland's Greenock prison.

Sikora's claims are likely to reignite the row over the grounds on which al-Megrahi was released. As one of three doctors paid by the Libyan government to provide an expert opinion on al-Megrahi's life chances after he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, Sikora has been attacked for his role in the affair.

Claims by US senators that the release was orchestrated by BP, who wanted to win drilling concessions in Libya, have provoked a bitter international row.

Two of the physicians paid by the Libyans – Sikora, and Professor Ibrahim Sharif, a Libyan oncologist – agreed al-Megrahi's death was "likely" within three months. The third, Professor Jonathan Waxman, conceded that al-Megrahi did not have long to live.

Sikora denied that he succumbed to pressure from Libya to agree al-Megrahi had under three months to live so that he could be returned to Libya on compassionate grounds. "I felt, on the balance of probability, you could justify that [claim], but you couldn't say he was definitely going to be dead in three months," he said.

"It's not like in the films when the oncologist says 'I'm sorry you have three months to live'. There's a huge spectrum for every clinical situation. When I was asked 'Is he likely to die in three months?', my opinion was that he was. If you look at the survival curve, there's about a 60% chance of someone being dead in three months, but that doesn't mean he will die in three months. The legal side has to have it one way or another; it [the prognosis] can't be mousey. If I did it again, I'd really test the grounds for compassionate release. This three months [rule] – is it based on the balance of probability or more than that? Is it beyond reasonable doubt?" Sikora said it was not the job of doctors to deal in certainty, but to make politicians and lawyers aware of the spectrum of potential outcomes when asked to assess how long a terminally ill patient had to live: "If I could go back in time I would have probably been more vague and tried to emphasise the statistical chances and not hard fact".

He agreed that the al-Megrahi affair had, as with the MMR and swine flu scares, highlighted how there could be explosive reactions when science, politics, media and law collided. The Guardian

Suspected member of 'Pink Panther' thievery ring extradited

(CNN) -- A man police believe is a member of the ''Pink Panther'' ring of thieves was transported from Spain to Japan on Saturday to face charges in a major heist at a jewelry shop, a Japanese state news agency reported.

Rifat Hadziahmetovic, 42, of Montenegro, is suspected of stealing a diamond tiara worth 200 million yen ($2.3 million USD) and other jewelry from a Tokyo shop in 2007, according to the Metropolitan Police Department in Tokyo.

Spain agreed to hand Hadziahmetovic, who was in custody for a separate robbery, over to Japan, Kyodo news agency said.

The "Pink Panther" ring, which is believed to have about 200 members, is linked to more than 90 robberies in Europe, the Middle East and Asia since 1999, Kyodo said.

Hadziahmetovic is suspected of participating in other armed robberies in Bahrain, Japan and the United Arab Emirates, according to the Associated Press.

The ring is named after the 1963 movie starring Peter Sellers as the bumbling Inspector Clouseau. Members are believed to be mainly from countries in the Balkans, the AP said. CNN

157 high risk criminals wait to be freed after ruling

Sex offender Hans-Jürgen M. (58) casually strolls through the city of Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. A plain clothes policeman follows close on his heels. The criminal, who raped multiple women, is considered at high risk of reoffending.

But a week ago, after more than 20 years in prison, Hans-Jürgen M. had to be released.

Insane justice!

Seven institutions have refused to take him in. For the time being, he is living in a 14 sq.-metre room in a residential establishment for men.

Five policemen follow the sex offender – either on foot or in two silver Opel Vectra cars. Now and then they exchange a word with the ‘target’.

For his first outing the rapist went to the offices of health insurance firm AOK, and then to a furniture store. The other customers had no idea who was walking in their midst…

The case of Hans-Jürgen M. is a perfect example of the unresolved issue of preventative detention for dangerous criminals.

Since a European Court of Human Rights ruling that the German system of keeping offenders locked up after their sentences had expired for the sake of crime prevention was unacceptable, politicians have been arguing about what to do.

AND TIME IS PRESSING.

There are currently 524 felons in preventative detention in German prisons and the Federal Ministry of Justice has estimated that 80 of them will have to be released in the near future.

According to a BILD survey of state-level justice ministries, however, the actual number is much higher – 157 are waiting to be let free. Of those, 65 are in North Rhine-Westphalia, 19 are in Bavaria, 17 are in Hamburg and 20 are in Berlin.

So far, 14 offenders have been freed – six of them in Hesse.

WHAT CAN WE EXPECT TO HAPPEN?

The released dangerous criminals are under supervision and are being watched by the police. They have to fulfil specified obligations: For example, Hans-Jürgen M. has to report to the police once a week, is not allowed to drink alcohol and cannot carry any dangerous objects on his person.

The risk: The police cannot continue to keep this many offenders under observation. In Hesse alone the ZÜRS (Zentralstelle zur Überwachung rückfallgefährdeter Sexualstraftäter), which is the central office for monitoring high risk sexual offenders, is watching 144 criminals! Bild

EVN Restores Power Supply in Southern Bulgarian Resorts

Earlier Saturday night the EVN cut the power as the Central Dispatcher Unit of the Electricity System Operator (ESO), a state company monitoring power supply, ordered the power cut effective as of 7 pm.

The privately-owned power utility has obeyed the order of the state company, and has focused its efforts on keeping the electricity cut for the region of the largest BulgarianBlack Sea resort Sunny Beach as brief as possible, similar to the situation on Friday whenESO issued the same order for the region north of Burgas. Novinite

Two peacekeepers abducted in Sudan's Darfur

MOSCOW, August 15 (RIA Novosti) - Two police advisors serving with UNAMID, the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force, were abducted in Sudan's war-torn Darfur region, the UN News Centre said.

According to a UNAMID press release made public on Saturday, three individuals driving an SUV abducted the two officers at gunpoint. The incident took place some 100 meters from the peacekeepers' residence in Nyala, the capital of South Darfur state.

An investigation into the incident is underway by Government authorities and UNAMID.

The civil war that broke out in the western region of Darfur in early 2003 has claimed the lives of more than 300,000, according to United Nations estimates, and forced 2.7 million people from their homes. Sudan puts the number of dead at 10,000. RIA Novosti

Fidel Castro's article may spark diplomatic feud between Mexico, Cuba

Fidel Castro's article in support of the runner-up in Mexico's 2006 presidential election threatens to revive diplomatic tensions between Cuba and Mexico.

Mexican political analysts say the diplomatic spat may again delay the visit of the Mexican president to Cuba, expected to take place by the end of this year.

In his column on the Cuba Debate website, headlined 'The giant with the seven-league boots,' Castro doubts the legitimacy of the current Mexican leader, Felipe Calderon.

The Cuban revolutionary leader, who turned 84 on Friday, suggests the 2006 runoff, in which Calderon came only 0.57% ahead of his leftist rival Lopez Obrador, was rigged.

"Obrador went to the polls and defeated the candidate nominated by the National Action party, but the [U.S.] empire did not allow him to take office," Fidel said.

The Mexican Foreign Ministry rejected the information in a statement on Saturday. RIA Novosti

Temporary ban on grain exports comes into force in Russia

On Sunday Russia a temporary ban on grain exports came into force in Russia, and is expected to be in place until the end of this year.

The Russian government may revise the ban after October 1, when the size of the harvest volumes becomes clearer. According to preliminary estimates, the drought ruined crops on about 11 million hectares.

A scorching heat wave has gripped much of European Russia since mid-June, coupled with the worst drought since the 1970s.

A total of 60-65 million metric tons of grain are expected to be harvested in Russia this year, compared to 97.1 million metric tons in 2009.

This agricultural year, Russia can afford to export no more than 4.5 million tons of grain, the Agriculture Ministry said on Thursday.

Analysts said the short term losses for the Russian economy from the record-breaking heat wave and accompanying drought and wildfires may amount to 1% of 2010 GDP, or around $15 billion. RIA Novosti

Migrants on cramped ship appear to be in good shape

(CNN) -- Almost 500 Sri Lankan migrants who spent three months on a cramped ship before being taken into Canadian custody appear to be in good health, officials in British Columbia said Saturday.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said no weapons have been found so far on the ship, which was boarded Thursday by Canadian officials off the coast of British Columbia.

The Canadian Mounties and other agencies are investigating whether there was human smuggling or other criminal activity, said inspector Tracey Rook at a Saturday press conference.

"I believe we're dealing with human smuggling in this instance," said Rob Johnston of the Canada Border Services Agency.

Many of the migrants have been transferred to detention facilities, officials said at an afternoon press conference, and about two dozen have received medical treatment. CNN

Obama takes plunge, swims in Gulf

(CNN) -- The one really big question hanging over President Obama's weekend vacation to Panama City, Florida, now has an answer.

Will he or won't he dive into the water to send a message that the Gulf Coast is back?

The answer: He will, and sooner than expected.

"I think we're going to go tomorrow and as I just said Ed, I'm not going to let you guys take a picture of me with my shirt off," Obama jokingly told CNN Saturday. "You guys will tease me just like last time. I was on the front page ... People commenting".

But just hours later, a photo was published on the White House Flickr page showing a smiling President Obama and his daughter Sasha taking a dip in the Gulf waters off Alligator Point in Panama City Beach, Florida.

No reporters or press cameras were present for the swim, but the image will nonetheless send a message that the White House has sought to convey with the first family's trip: the Gulf Coast is open for business.

Obama caused a bit of a tabloid stir when he took off his shirt to reveal a muscular physique during trips to Hawaii during the 2008 presidential campaign and subsequent presidential transition. But some are less concerned about Obama ending up on magazine covers, and more worried about the White House sending the right message. CNN

4 African migrants killed along Egypt-Israel border

(CNN) -- As many as four African migrants from Ethiopia and Eritrea trying to cross into Israel from Egypt's Sinai desert were shot dead by smugglers and 10 others were wounded, according to state media.

The smugglers opened fire when the group refused to pay them, according to Egypt's official MENA news agency.

Egypt's interior ministry confirmed that an investigation was under way into the incident, though its casualty figures differed. An official at the ministry told CNN that two Eritreans were killed on Egypt's border with Israel, and that three people were wounded. Fifteen others were arrested by Egyptian border police.

In total, the group consisted of three-dozen African migrants attempting to flee into Israel, the official said. CNN

Singer Abbey Lincoln dies at 80

NEW YORK, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Singer, actress and civil rights activist Abbey Lincoln died Saturday in New York, her brother said. She was 80.

Lincoln's brother David Wooldridge announced her death, The New York Times said. No cause of death was reported.

Lincoln recorded more than 20 albums including "Straight Ahead," "You Gotta Pay the Band" and her 1956 debut, "Affair ... a Story of a Girl in Love".

As an actress, she appeared in feature films including "For Love of Ivy" (1968), "Nothing But a Man" (1964), "The Girl Can't Help It" and director Spike Lee's "Mo' Better Blues" (1990). She guest-starred on TV series including "All in the Family," "Mission: Impossible" and "Marcus Welby, M.D.".

Lincoln was active in the civil rights movement of the 1960s, the Times said.

Born Anna Marie Wooldridge in Chicago Aug. 6, 1930, and raised in Michigan, Lincoln was the second-youngest of 12 children. In the 1950s, she sang in nightclubs in Hawaii, and then went to Los Angeles. UPI

Suspect charged with killing 4 in Buffalo

BUFFALO, N.Y., Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A Buffalo, N.Y., man suspected of killing four people in a burst of gunfire early Saturday at a restaurant has been charged with murder, police said.

Keith Johnson, 25, was arrested hours after the shootings, which also left four men injured, at the City Grill, the Buffalo News reported. More charges are likely, police said.

The victims included Daniel Mackin, 30, a Buffalo native who had returned to the city for a party to celebrate his marriage last year in Texas. Mackin's wife, also from Buffalo, was not injured, police sources said.

Police sources told the News a disc jockey turned on the lights and ordered remaining patrons to leave the restaurant when a fight broke out. Someone began shooting a short time later. UPI

Human Remains Found at Nevada Gold Mine

(AP)  Rescuers found human remains at the bottom of a gold mine shaft in Nevada late Friday where two miners were trapped more than a day ago, authorities said Saturday. 

Elko County Sheriff Dale Lotspeich Saturday that while he can't make a positive identification of the remains, they are believed to be those of the two missing miners. 

Lotspeich said it will take from three weeks to two months to identify the remains. 

Barrick Gold of North America spokesman Lou Schack says searchers worked for more than 32 hours to safely access the area Friday at the Meikle mine, about 1,300 feet below the surface.

The men were being lowered into a shaft in a cage early Thursday morning when a vertical pipe broke loose from a wall and struck the cage, severely damaging it. 

The vertical pipe, about 2 feet in diameter, runs the entire length of the 1,330-foot-deep shaft and is used to carry crushed stone and rocks, said Lou Schack of Barrick Gold of North America. 

There were about 160 employees in the mine at the time of the accident. Family members of the missing miners were notified soon after the accident. 

Schack confirmed five fatalities have occurred at the mine, which opened in 1996 about 55 miles northwest of Elko and 275 miles northeast of Reno. There have been 26 mining deaths over the last decade in Nevada, the world's fourth largest gold producer behind South Africa, Australia and China. 

"When the pipe failed everything falls so we have to remove debris to make sure we can get in safely," Schack said. 

The men were lowered in the cage to inspect the pipe when the accident occurred, according to the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration. CBC News

Lebanon 'kills Fatah al-Islam militant leader'

Lebanese security officials say they have shot and killed the suspected leader of the militant Sunni Islamist movement Fatah al-Islam.

Abd-al-Rahman Awad and an associate were intercepted on a main road in eastern Lebanon and died in an exchange of fire with security forces.

Fatah al-Islam fought a three-month battle with the Lebanese army in 2007 in which about 400 people were killed.

The group is believed to be linked to the al-Qaeda terror group.

Abd-al-Rahman Awad was already high on the Lebanese wanted list.

He had been condemned to death in absentia on charges relating to a number of bomb attacks and killings over the past three years.

He was believed to have taken over the leadership of Fatah al-Islam after its long battle with the army at the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr al-Bared near Tripoli in northern Lebanon in 2007.

According to Lebanese security officials, he had recently been hiding in the big Palestinian refugee camp of Ain al-Hilweh near Sidon in the south. BBC News

Shanghai Expo joins nationwide mourning day for landslide victims

More than 100 concerts and other events will be cancelled on Sunday at the Shanghai Expo to mourn victims of a powerful mudslide in northwestern China.

Sunday was declared a nationwide day of mourning in memory of more than 1,200 people killed when mudslides tore down entire apartment blocks, and buried houses and streets under deep layers of mud in the northwestern Gansu Province on August 8.

Chinese flags will fly at half-mast in the country and in its embassies and consulates overseas. Public entertainment will also be suspended on Sunday to express the deep condolences for the mudslide victims.

In Shanghai, National flags, as well as flags of the Bureau of International Expositions and the 2010 Expo will also fly at half mast. Other participating nations may also choose to lower their flags to express condolences and solidarity with the Chinese people.

The pavilion of the disaster-hit Gansu Province has postponed all concerts and other entertainment events until mid-September. RIA Novosti

NASA satellites register 368 wildfires in Russia

Two NASA satellites registered a total of 368 hotspots from fires across Russia on Saturday, with the central part of the country being the worst affected, a spokeswoman for the ScanEx company said.

"Wildfires raging on vast areas and smoke blankets can be clearly seen even on satellite photos of medium definition," Nadezhda Pupysheva said.

Central Russia's Moscow, Ryazan and Nizhny Novgorod regions are the worst affected, she said.

A scorching heat wave has gripped much of European Russia since mid-June, which coupled with the worst drought since the 1970s has made the countryside particularly susceptible to wildfires.

Thousands of emergency workers and military personnel have been working round the clock for almost three weeks to fight the fires in 22 regions, which have so far left over 3,500 homeless. The immediate economic cost of the fires has been estimated at $15 billion.

About 1,200 people sought medical aid in connection with the wildfires as of Saturday, the health ministry said. RIA Novosti

Russian tourist gets one-year imprisonment over expired Indian visa

The court in the Indian state of Goa has sentenced a Russian tourist to one-year imprisonment over the expired Indian visa.

Alexander Solomin from Russia did not prolong his monthly Indian visa, expired on April 25.

He was arrested on May 29 after he came to police to get the exit permit. The court passed a guilty verdict in three weeks. Solomin was put behind the bars before the text of the verdict was unveiled.

Usually the tourists in Goa with the expired visas pay $100-fine and leave the country, a local lawyer, Vicram Varma said.

This crime is considered to be major since it was against Indian nation, the verdict, announced on Saturday, said. RIA Novosti

Pakistan: A role model for a progressive Muslim state

Around 175 million Pakistanis celebrate their country’s independence day with thankfulness to Almighty Allah for giving them this homeland after immense sacrifices.

The emergence of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, now the sixth most populous nation in the world, was a tremendous achievement of the Muslims of British-ruled India. It was made possible by the dedicated leadership of the head of the Muslim League, Quaid-e-Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah.

The Muslims wanted a country in which they could live their lives in accordance with their religious and cultural traditions and prosper economically which otherwise would not have been possible under the majority Hindu community when the British left.

To be able to wrest this independence from the implacable hostility of the majority community’s political leadership and the ambivalent British colonialists, who leaned toward the majority community and unfairly demarcated the boundaries of the two countries depriving full access to Jammu and Kashmir, was a task only accomplished by the iron will of Jinnah, backed by the entire Muslim community.

In the struggle for independence, Jinnah sent Muslim League emissaries all over the world, particularly to Muslim countries and where Muslim communities in other countries resided.

They carried with them the message that Muslims everywhere should support the emergence of this new country with its rich Islamic heritage and traditional ties.

On becoming independent, and even before that, Pakistan and its people would fully support all Muslim countries, support their struggles for independence and their causes and strive with them so that Muslim countries would develop their due weight and influence in the new world order taking shape after the World War II.

This is the compact that Pakistan and its people have kept faith with since their independence in 1947. Immediately after the UN was founded, Pakistan spearheaded the debate against the division of Palestine. Till now Pakistan has not recognized Israel and fully supports the right of the oppressed and occupied Palestinians for their own homeland. Arab News

King’s decree ‘protects Shariah’

MAKKAH: Grand Mosque Imam and Khatib Sheikh Saleh bin Abdullah bin Humaid used his first Friday sermon of the holy month of Ramadan to praise the royal decree banning unqualified people from issuing fatwas.

"Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah has safeguarded the process of issuing fatwas and protected Shariah law from infringements of unqualified people who deviate from the path of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his true followers," said the sheikh, who is also chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council.

"The king is determined to stop any transgression against approved religious establishments".

The imam also called on believers to be true Muslims by worshipping Allah alone and avoid wrongdoings.

He also urged people to fear Allah in such a way that they "do not earn illegally, bear false witnesses, make false promises, nor deceive in their transactions".

Thousands of Muslims attended the first Friday sermon of Ramadan at the Grand Mosque in an atmosphere of spirituality.  Several thousand pilgrims have arrived in the Kingdom to perform Umrah in the fasting month.

According to official figures, up to 3.7 million Muslims from all over the world are expected to perform Umrah this year. Makkah and Madinah have prepared well in advance to receive the visitors from inside and outside the Kingdom and help them perform their rites at ease and in comfort.

All government departments and private establishments concerned have completed their necessary arrangements. Deputy chairman of the Presidency of Affairs of the Grand Mosque Muhammad Al-Khuzaim said his organization's plan this Umrah season is to educate pilgrims and enlighten them about Islam. Arab News

Impact of Pakistan floods as bad as 1947 partition, says prime minister

Pakistan's government has compared the impact of the country's devastating floods to the country's partition from India as it revealed more than 20 million people had been made homeless by the disaster.

The prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, said the country faced challenges similar to those during the 1947 partition of the subcontinent into Hindu-dominated India and Muslim-majority Pakistan in which about 500,000 people were killed in mass violence and thousands of families were torn apart as 10 million refugees crossed the new border.

Gilani said 20 million people were now homeless and called on Pakistanis to rise to the occasion, amid growing fears of social unrest or even a military takeover following the government's shambolic response to the floods.

"The nation faced the situation successfully at that time [of the partition] and inshallah [God willing] we will emerge successful in this test," he said.

About 1,600 people have died in the floods and aid agencies expect the toll to rise due to outbreaks of deadly waterborne diseases. A case of cholera was confirmed today in Mingora, the main town in Swat Valley in the north-east of the country, and UN aid workers are taking proactive measures to try to avert a crisis.

A UN humanitarian operations spokesman, Maurizio Giuliano, said at least 36,000 people believed to have potentially fatal acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) were being treated for cholera.

"Given that there is a significant risk of cholera, which is a deadly and dangerous and a potentially epidemic disease, instead of focusing on testing, everyone who has AWD is being treated for cholera," he told Reuters.

Aid agencies have warned that 6 million children are at risk of life-threatening diarrhoeal diseases, malnutrition and pneumonia. Stagnant flood plains in densely populated, poverty-stricken urban areas may become breeding grounds for cholera, mosquitos and malaria. The Guardian