Six Chinese Uighur inmates from the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay have been transferred to the Pacific island nation of Palau, officials have said. Lawyers for three of them said they had “arrived to freedom” early on Sunday. Palau agreed in June to take up to a dozen Uighurs who were captured during the US-led war in Afghanistan but not later classified as “enemy combatants”. China wants them to be returned there, but the US says it cannot repatriate them due to the risk of mistreatment. Beijing has frequently cracked down on Uighur dissidents, who it accuses of seeking an independent homeland in the western province of Xinjiang. Four other Uighur detainees were resettled in Bermuda earlier this year, and another five went to Albania in 2006. ‘Safe from oppression’ A law firm representing three of the six Uighurs released from Guantanamo on Saturday confirmed that they had arrived safely at their new home in the main town of Koror. The men are happy at long last to be free Eric Tirschwell Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel “These men want nothing more than to live peaceful, productive lives in a free, democratic nation safe from oppression by the Chinese,” Eric Tirschwell of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel told the Associated Press. “Thanks to Palau, which has graciously offered them a temporary home, they now have that chance,” he added. Mr Tirschwell said the men had already begun learning English and looked forward to become productive members of the community. The men will live in a three-storey building which is a five-minute walk from Koror’s only mosque, one of two on the island. Palau has a Muslim population of about 500, mostly migrant workers from Bangladesh. Many face being deported due to lapsed work permits. In addition to the six Uighurs who arrived on Sunday, the island nation has offered to take six of the seven others still being held at Guantanamo. One did not receive an invitation because of concerns about his mental health. Palau, a former US trust territory, is an archipelago of eight main islands plus more than 250 islets that is best known for diving and tourism and is located some 800km (500 miles) east of the Philippines. The tiny nation has retained close ties with Washington since independence in 1994 when it signed a Compact of Free Association with the US. It relies heavily on the US for aid and defence, and does not have diplomatic relations with China. The latest departures from Guantanamo occurred after the US Supreme Court, rejecting the government’s position, said it would hear an appeal by the Uighurs, who have argued that they should be released onto US soil. There are now 215 detainees remaining at the prison camp, which President Barack Obama has pledged to close by 22 January.
Six bodies have been found at the home of a convicted rapist in the US city of Cleveland, Ohio, authorities say. Police discovered the first two bodies on Thursday when they came to arrest Anthony Sowell, 50, on a rape charge. A third was found a day later and police have now confirmed three more. The remains were recovered in the house and in its backyard. The suspect – who spent 15 years in prison for a 1989 rape – was arrested on Saturday not far from his home. Coroner Frank Miller said two of the bodies had been identified as black females, reports the AP news agency. Autopsies had been performed on all six, said the coroner’s office, but no cause of death was announced. It was such a disgusting sight… the stench from inside was overwhelming Lt Thomas Stacho Police chief Michael McGrath told a news conference that Sowell offered no resistance when arrested, following a tip-off, while walking down the street on Saturday at around noon. The suspect initially denied he was the man authorities were looking for, but admitted his identity as officers began fingerprinting him, police said. Chief McGrath said the bodies were in “various states of being decomposed” and could have been in the property for up to six months. He said Sowell had initially lived in the house with his aunt and uncle, but his uncle had passed away and his aunt had gone to a nursing home about a year ago. Police Lt Thomas Stacho told CNN: “It was such a disgusting sight.” “I can tell you I stood outside the home for about an hour yesterday, and the stench from inside was overwhelming,” he added. Neighbours told media that the suspect made a living from looking for scrap metal to sell. Missing-person reports are being checked dating to June 2005, when Sowell was released from prison. Crowds have been gathering outside Sowell’s home, in the city’s East Side, holding posters of missing loved ones.
Three Cold War leaders from the Soviet Union, West Germany and US who saw the Berlin Wall fall two decades ago have been reunited in Germany’s capital. Mikhail Gorbachev, Helmut Kohl and George Bush Senior paid tribute to the ordinary people who were behind the peaceful revolution of 1989. The trio also praised one another during the two-hour reunion. Major celebrations are planned for 9 November, the 20th anniversary of the wall’s collapse. The event ushered in the end of Soviet communism and Germany’s reunification. “We Germans don’t have very much in our history to be proud of,” said Mr Kohl, 79, who was chancellor of West Germany and then the reunited Germany from 1982-98. “But we’ve got every reason to be proud about German reunification.” The people were the heroes Mikhail Gorbachev Former Soviet leader Berlin Wall road trip: Map Mr Kohl, who has used a wheelchair since fracturing his hip last year, added: “There has never been a relationship that reached the level of my relations with these two gentlemen.” Correspondents say the trio clearly enjoyed each other’s company at their first reunion in many years. Mr Bush, 85, who was US president from 1989-93, said the historic events behind the wall’s collapse had grown “in the hearts and minds of the people who so long had to strive for their God-given rights”. “The wall could never erase your dream, our dream of one Germany, a free Germany, a proud Germany,” he said. Newly re-elected German Chancellor Angela Merkel was among the dignitaries who attended Saturday’s reunion. “The people were the heroes,” said Mr Gorbachev, 78. “The three of us don’t want to take credit for the accomplishments of the previous generations.” The last Soviet leader also remembered two absent Cold War leaders: former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who has dementia, and ex-French President Francois Mitterand, who died in 1996. Mr Bush, now walking with the help of a cane, was full of praise for Mr Gorbachev, a Nobel Peace laureate who was in office between 1985-1991. “Through it all he stood firm, which is why he’ll also stand tall when the history of our time in office is finally written,” said the former US president.
Italian police have captured one of the country’s most wanted mafia fugitives during a raid on a chicken farm near the southern city of Naples. Salvatore Russo, 51, is the head of a Camorra clan which bears his name. He has been on the run since being sentenced in 1995 to life in jail for murder and links to organised crime. Police said he was found with weapons including a machine gun and a pistol, hiding behind a thick wall at the farm near the town of Somma Vesuviana. Along with his brother – 62-year-old Pasquale – Russo is believed to have completely re-organised the operations of the clan-based crime syndicate since the 1990s. “This is a heavy blow for the Camorra,” said Interior Minister Roberto Maroni of Russo’s capture on Saturday morning. “We are closing the net on the super-fugitives.” The Russo clan, based in the town of Nola, had an iron grip on criminal activity in some 40 towns in the Naples areas, police said.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in the Middle East for talks aimed at unblocking the peace process. She will meet Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the United Arab Emirates before heading to Jerusalem to see Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu. Speaking earlier to the BBC, Mrs Clinton said a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians remained a “high priority” for the United States. The US remains committed to plans for a two-state solution, Mrs Clinton added. Before Mrs Clinton’s arrival in the region, Mr Netanyahu said he hoped for a resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians as soon as possible. However, a key sticking point is Israel’s refusal to freeze settlement building on the occupied West Bank. ‘Little urgency’ Mrs Clinton’s visit is part of a weekend of discussions to try to restart the stalled Middle East peace process. “This is a high priority for not only our administration but for much of the world. It is one of the most common questions that I am asked,” Mrs Clinton stressed. “The fact that I’m in the region… reinforces the seriousness with which we are approaching our desire to get the parties to begin a serious negotiation that can lead to a two-state solution.” The Palestinians had been emboldened by earlier American talk of the need for a settlement freeze, the BBC’s Tim Franks in Jerusalem says. Mrs Clinton has said that there is little point in the US wanting negotiations more than the parties themselves and our correspondent adds that there appears little sense of urgency from the Israelis and the Palestinians.
Abdullah Abdullah, President Hamid Karzai’s main rival in the second round of Afghanistan’s presidential election, is reportedly set to abandon the poll. A senior adviser to Mr Abdullah told the BBC he was being forced to withdraw because of concerns that the vote would be as fraudulent as the first round. He has called for the dismissal of the head of the Afghan Independent Election Commission, a demand Mr Karzai rejects. Hundreds of thousands of votes were discounted from August’s first round. The UN-backed Electoral Complaints Commission’s (ECC) action meant Mr Karzai’s total was reduced to below the 50% plus one vote threshold for outright victory, indicating a run-off poll was needed. ‘Nothing has changed’ The BBC’s Andrew North in Kabul says rumours have begun to circulate in the capital that President Karzai’s only opponent in the second round election scheduled for 7 November may pull out. The fact is that the infrastructure of this fraud is still there Ahmed Wali Massoud Senior Adviser to Abdullah Abdullah It is not confirmed, but Saturday is the deadline that Mr Abdullah has set for a series of “minimum conditions” for holding a relatively fair and free contest to be accepted, our correspondent says. These include the closure of many polling stations, and the sacking of the head of the country’s Independent Election Commission (IEC), Azizullah Lodin, within five days, he adds. On Monday, the former foreign minister said Mr Lodin had “no credibility”. Mr Lodin denies allegations that he favoured Mr Karzai. One of Mr Abdullah’s senior advisers, Ahmed Wali Massoud, said he was unhappy that nothing had been done to redress the electoral system’s problems. KARZAI V ABDULLAH Hamid Karzai: First popularly elected president of Afghanistan Opposed Soviet occupation in 1980s Critics say he has done little to rein in corruption Abdullah Abdullah: Tajik-Pashtun, doctor by profession Senior Northern Alliance leader during Taliban rule Removed from Karzai’s cabinet in 2006 Profile: Hamid Karzai Profile: Abdullah Abdullah “The fact is that the infrastructure of this fraud is still there. Almost 1.5 million votes were rigged. Nothing has changed,” he told the BBC. “So if you go back and do the second round election, it means that it will happen again. So, therefore, I don’t think that we would be willing to participate.” An announcement might come as early as Saturday but was more likely on Sunday, people close to Mr Abdullah told the Associated Press. Earlier, the Independent Election Commission announced that it planned to open 6,322 polling stations for the run-off – more than it did during the first round. The Electoral Complaints Commission had recommended cutting the number from 6,000 to about 5,800 – to make sure there would be enough monitors to limit fraud and troops to ensure security.
Somali pirates who have kidnapped a couple from Kent have issued a ransom demand of $7m (?4.3m) in a call to the BBC. Paul and Rachel Chandler, aged 59 and 55, from Tunbridge Wells, were taken hostage by gunmen in the Indian Ocean in the early hours of 23 October. They had been travelling to Tanzania from the Seychelles and their yacht was later found in international waters. The caller said: “If they do not harm us, we will not harm them.” He added: “We only need a little amount of $7m.” He said the couple had been captured by “our brothers who patrol the coast”. Explaining the decision to set the ransom at $7m, the caller said: “Nato operations had a lot of negative impact here. Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. “They have destroyed a lot of equipment belonging to the poor local fishermen. “They arrest fishermen and destroy their equipment. “In defiance to our local administrations, they illegally transfer the fishermen to their own prisons and prisons of other [foreign] countries. “So when you consider the damage and all the people affected we say the amount is not big.” The BBC’s East Africa Correspondent Will Ross said the pirates had held talks for several hours in Harardhere on the Somali coast. He said they were trying to agree how much money they wanted for the release of the pair. The couple’s empty yacht was found during counter-piracy operations He added that in previous cases pirates had begun negotiating with an extremely high figure, and then settled for far less. Responding to the ransom demand, the couple’s niece, Leah Mickleborough, said: “We had no idea what the figure would be. We have seen the report on the BBC and we will look into it.” The Foreign Office also said it was aware of the demand. A spokesman said: “The government isn’t going to make any substantive concessions to hostage-takers, and that includes the payment of ransom.” Earlier, Somali premier Omar Sharmarke said government officials were trying to explain to the pirates the couple could offer no commercial reward and they only had their boat, the Lynn Rival. He said the government was doing what it could for the hostages. In a phone call on Thursday, the couple said they were first moved from their yacht to a container ship, the Kota Wajar, which had also been seized by the pirates. A man, who identified himself only by his first name, Abdinor, and who claimed to speak for the Somali kidnappers, said the pair spent Thursday night in the coastal town or Harardhere, which is a pirate stronghold. It is thought the Chandlers were then moved to another ship anchored off the eastern coast of Somalia on Friday.
The US is to end its 22-year ban on people with HIV entering the country, President Barack Obama has confirmed. Mr Obama made the announcement as he extended funding for an act that provides HIV/Aids related health care. “If we want to be the global leader in combating HIV/Aids, we need to act like it,” Mr Obama said. The US is one of only about a dozen countries barring entry on HIV status. The ban is expected to be lifted at the beginning of 2010. ‘End the stigma’ Mr Obama confirmed the move as he signed the Ryan White HIV/Aids Treatment Extension Act. Mr Obama said the entry ban had been “rooted in fear rather than fact”. He said: “We lead the world when it comes to helping stem the Aids pandemic – yet we are one of only a dozen countries that still bar people with HIV from entering our own country. “On Monday, my administration will publish a final rule that eliminates the travel ban effective just after the New Year.” Mr Obama added: “It will also take an effort to end the stigma that has stopped people from getting tested, that has stopped people from facing their own illness and that has sped the spread of this disease for far too long.” The process to lift the ban had begun under the administration of George W Bush. The Ryan White Act is named after a 13-year-old boy who contracted the virus via blood transfusion and helped educate Americans about the disease until his death in 1990 aged 18. The act helps about 500,000 people, many on low incomes, by providing treatment and support. HIV was added in 1987 to the list of diseases disqualifying people from entering the US. Are you affected by the issues raised in this story? Send us your comments using the form below: A selection of your comments may be published, displaying your name and location unless you state otherwise in the box below. Name Your E-mail address Town & Country Phone number (optional): Comments The BBC may edit your comments and not all emails will be published. Your comments may be published on any BBC media worldwide. Terms & Conditions
Authorities in the Philippines have been making frantic preparations ahead of the arrival of the fourth storm to hit the country in a month. Typhoon Mirinae is expected to make landfall south of the capital, Manila, early Saturday morning local time. The storm is expected to spare the rice cultivating land and hit the eastern coconut growing province of Quezon. Many parts of the country are still reeling after the worst storm-triggered flooding in decades. The typhoon was travelling at speeds of up to 93mph (150km/h) towards the country’s coast. Flood risk The capital’s 12 million residents and others who live in the path of the typhoon have been told to prepare supplies to last 72 hours. Civil defence spokesman Ernesto Torres said officials were preparing for the worst. “Considering our land is already saturated with water, it may cause flooding in some areas. It is hard to tell if there will be floods, but we are preparing for the worst,” he said. Officials closed schools and grounded ferries and trucks loaded with relief supplies were sent to northern provinces in the storm’s path. Thousands were reported to be stranded on the main island, unable to return to their home provinces to visit their dead as traditional on All Saints’ Day in the mainly Catholic country. More than 900 people have died in the multiple storms, including Typhoon Parma, which have battered the Philippines over the last month. More than 100,000 people remain in government-run evacuation centres and some communities in Manila remain flooded with residents using makeshift rafts to move around.
An Indian tribe in Brazil has found at least nine survivors after a plane came down deep in the Amazon rainforest, the Brazilian air force says. At least one person is believed to have died and one is missing, reports say. The plane disappeared on Thursday. Members of the Matis tribe found the wreckage “in the middle of the Amazon jungle” on Friday morning. The Cessna C-98 Caravan was carrying four crew and seven health workers involved in a vaccination campaign. Jungle find “Of the eleven occupants of the plane, one is missing and there are indications of a possible death. The other nine are fine,” a statement from the air force said. The plane issued a distress signal an hour after it left Cruzeiro do Sul in the Brazilian state of Acre at 0830 local time (1230 GMT). The air force had dispatched eight planes – including one with thermal sensors – as part of the search effort, but had failed to locate the plane by mid-day on Friday. But members of the Matis tribe had told the National Indian Foundation (Funai) that they found the plane in a region of the Amazon jungle near the Itui river. They said the plane came down between the Matis village of Aurelio and Rio Novo in the Muruga tribal area. The Cessna was en route to Tabatinga, in the state of Amazonas, when it went missing. The cause of the crash is not known.
