A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Karadzic has had 'enough' time over trial
AMSTERDAM – Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has had enough time to prepare for his trial over war crimes during the 1992-1995 Bosnia conflict, the chief prosecutor for the Yugoslavia tribunal said yesterday.
Karadzic is scheduled to go on trial in The Hague on Monday on 11 counts of war crimes, including genocide, but has said he did not have sufficient time to prepare.
Chief prosecutor Serge Brammertz said Mr Karadzic, who has filed almost 270 motions on various issues since his transfer to the tribunal’s detention centre, has had 15 months to prepare and his rights have been respected. – (Reuters)
Support falls for Romanian leader
BUCHAREST – Romanian president Traian Basescu’s public support has tumbled in the latest opinion poll before elections next month, losing his leading position for the first time since he came to power in 2004.
Mr Basescu lost the top spot to Mircea Geoana, the candidate for the November 22nd presidential election of the Social Democrats, who walked out of the coalition government three weeks ago and helped to bring it down in a confidence vote. The survey, conducted from October 15th-18th, showed Mr Basescu’s support slid to 29 per cent from 35 per cent in recent months. – (Reuters)
New pledge on CIA prison claim
VILNIUS – Lithuania must properly investigate allegations that it hosted a secret CIA prison for al Qaeda and, if true, take responsibility for its actions, the president said yesterday.
US ABC news reported in August that Lithuania was the third European country after Poland and Romania to have provided the CIA with facilities for detaining, and possibly interrogating, suspects.
President Dalia Grybauskaite, who is in charge of foreign and defence policy, said an investigation by parliament, which found no such jail, had been only a formality. – (Reuters)
Atheists plan subway campaign
NEW YORK – Atheists in New York are preparing to take their message underground with a subway campaign inspired by bus ads in the UK, writes Matt Williams.
From Monday, users of the public transport system will be confronted with posters declaring: “A million New Yorkers are good without God. Are You?” A coalition of free-thinking groups in the city are behind the campaign, which they hope will generate as much publicity as slogans emblazoned on London buses earlier this year. – (Reuters)
India's PM warns of fresh attack
NEW DELHI – India’s prime minister warned yesterday of a fresh militant attack and urged the armed forces to take measures to tackle security challenges nearly two weeks after a bomb attack on its embassy in Kabul.
“There are regular intelligence reports of imminent attacks in the country. This is a matter of deep concern, and there is no room for complacency,” prime minister Manmohan Singh told a conference of the country’s combined armed forces. – (Reuters)
Protester labels Blair a 'terrorist'
HEBRON – Bodyguards subdued a Palestinian man yesterday as he approached Middle East envoy Tony Blair, shouting, “You are a terrorist.”
The former British prime minister was verbally assailed while visiting an ancient mosque during an official trip to the West Bank city of Hebron. The protester, carrying a bag, was backed into a corner by guards who tried to shut him up. “He is not welcome in the land of Palestine,” the struggling man shouted. – (Reuters)