A round-up of today's world news in brief
Court upholds conviction for 9/11 conspirator
WASHINGTON – Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person convicted in a US court on criminal charges related to the September 11th, 2001, attacks, has lost a bid to overturn his guilty plea and get a new trial.
A US appeals court based in Richmond, Virginia, yesterday rejected arguments by Moussaoui, who is serving a life sentence at a super- maximum federal security prison in Colorado, that his guilty plea was invalid because the US government failed to turn over classified evidence that could have helped in his defence.
“Moussaoui challenges the validity of his guilty plea and his sentences” on the various counts, the three-judge panel said in its ruling.
“We affirm Moussaoui’s convictions and sentences in their entirety.”
– (Reuters)
Yemeni forces kill al-Qaeda militants
SANAA – Yemeni forces yesterday killed at least two al-Qaeda militants they said were behind a threat that forced the US and European embassies to close, as concern grew about the poor Arab country’s stability.
The raid took place after the attempted bombing of a US-bound aircraft on Christmas Day thrust Yemen into the foreground of the US-led war against Islamist militants.
A Yemeni security official said militants targeted in yesterday’s raid were behind the US embassy threats.
“Security authorities had been monitoring them for several days,” he said.
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton said fighting in Yemen was a threat to regional and global stability.
“We see global implications from the war in Yemen and the ongoing efforts by al-Qaeda in Yemen to use it as a base for terrorist attacks far beyond the region.”
– (Reuters)
France sells swine flu vaccine supplies
PARIS – France has begun selling its excess supplies of swine flu vaccine to other countries after clinical tests showed fewer doses were needed to protect the French population.
The smaller recommended dosage means France’s 94 million-dose order last summer would result in overstock, the health ministry said. “In an effort to co-operate with countries in need and to manage its vaccine stockpile, France decided to sell vaccines to foreign countries to the extent that deliveries allow,” the ministry said.
Clinical studies in November supported a one- dose regimen rather than the two doses recommended as a guideline for government purchases to vaccinate every French person who requested it.
France has sold 300,000 doses to Qatar and is selling two million to Egypt. Talks are under way with Ukraine and Mexico for additional sales. – (Bloomberg)