|
Giuliani
receives honorary knighthood for service
LONDON
(AP) — Former New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani received an honorary
knighthood from Queen Elizabeth II Wednesday in a tradition-filled
ceremony at Buckingham Palace.
New
York’s former fire commissioner, Thomas Von Essen, and former
police commissioner Bernard Kerik also received royal honors for
services after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Von Essen and Kerik
were made honorary Commanders of the British Empire.
The
three New Yorkers were the last to be received by the queen during
the ceremony in the gilded palace ballroom at which a total of 104
people were honored.
The
queen — who was dressed in black following the death of her
sister, Princess Margaret, last week — handed Giuliani his
medal in an open case, and the two chatted briefly before Giuliani
stepped back and bowed gently.
Giuliani
did not kneel for the traditional touching of the sword on each
shoulder — a protocol reserved for British subjects who receive
a full knighthood.
Speaking
to reporters outside the palace afterward, Giuliani said the queen
told him she watched the events of Sept. 11 unfold and said it must
have been a difficult time for New York.
He
showed off his honors, a blue and red enameled cross on red ribbon
and the Star of the Knight Commander, a jewel-encrusted silver star,
which he dedicated to the people of his home city.
Milosevic
challenges arrest, war crimes trial
THE
HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — In his first words to his war crimes
trial, Slobodan Milosevic on Wednesday challenged the legality of
his arrest and of the U.N. tribunal that is trying him on charges
of murdering and oppressing non-Serbs in a series of Balkan wars.
Hours
after prosecutors showed graphic footage of gaunt prisoners in Bosnian
camps, the former Yugoslav leader spoke and took the same defiant
stance he has adopted since his arrest.
“I
challenge the legality of this court because it is not established
on the basis of law,” Milosevic told the judges. He demanded
they respond to his pre-trial motions that the court was illegal
and that his arrest and transfer to The Hague violated the Serb
and Yugoslav constitutions.
Presiding
judge Richard May rejected his charges and said the court had already
ruled on its own legality. “Your views on this court are entirely
irrelevant,” he said.
Milosevic
was given his chance to speak after nearly two days of the prosecutors’
opening statements. But with less than 30 minutes before a scheduled
adjournment, he declined
to begin his formal statement, saying he didn’t want to be
interrupted.
On
Thursday, he was to begin what promised to be a lengthy opening
statement, in which he was expected to challenge the right of the
court to try him and paint himself as a leader who had tried to
maintain the unity of his nation.
Milosevic,
66, is the first head of state to be brought to trial before an
international tribunal. His case is the most prominent in international
law since a military tribunal tried the Nazi leaders after World
War II.
He
faces a total of 66 counts of genocide and other war crimes during
a decade of strife in the republics that once made up Yugoslavia.
Each count carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. U.N. tribunals
don’t have a death penalty.
Since
he was brought to The Hague from Belgrade on June 28, the former
leader has kept up a belligerent attitude, refusing to accept lawyers,
to submit a plea or even to put on headphones to listen to proceedings.
A not guilty plea was submitted on his behalf, and Milosevic plans
to defend himself — and now a speaker in front of him gives
him no choice but to hear the translation.
During
the trial, which is expected to last more than two years, prosecutors
will call up to 350 witnesses. By questioning his close political
and military associates, they hope to link him to a policy of brutal
ethnic violence carried out by Serb forces between 1991 and 1999.
Police
arrest suspect, unable to locate Wall Street reporter
KARACHI,
Pakistan (AP) — Police were interrogating a British-born Islamic
militant suspected of masterminding the abduction of Wall Street
Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, but so far the militant has not revealed
the reporter’s whereabouts, police said Wednesday.
In
Washington, Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said he believed
Pearl is alive, adding, “We are as close as possible to getting
him released.” He suggested that the journalist may have been
abducted in response to the government’s crackdown on Islamic
militants.
Ahmad
Omar Saeed Sheikh, arrested Tuesday, had been scheduled to face
formal kidnapping charges in court Wednesday, but the hearing was
apparently postponed by a day.
Still,
Tariq Jamil, deputy police chief of the southern port city of Karachi,
where Pearl disappeared three weeks ago, insisted that the interrogation
of Saeed was “going well” and that the militant has “given
us some information” — though he would not elaborate.
He
refused to explain why police haven’t located Pearl.
Jamil
said several houses were raided in Karachi, apparently on information
received from Saeed. Police believe the 38-year-old reporter is
still in the Karachi area.
Jamil
Yousuf, head of a citizen-police liaison committee involved in the
investigation, said the bearded, bespectacled Saeed told police
that threats to kill Pearl were not carried out. “He’s
alive. He’s OK,” Yousuf quoted Saeed as saying.
Pakistani
law requires suspects to appear in court within 24 hours of their
arrest. Police said Saeed’s arrest date will likely be listed
as Wednesday to give police another day to interrogate the 27-year-old.
Saeed’s
capture followed an intensive, nationwide manhunt and was a boost
for Musharraf ahead of his meeting with Bush. Musharraf is expected
to seek U.S. economic and political support to help combat Muslim
extremism in this predominantly Islamic country of 147 million people.
Pearl,
the Journal’s South Asia bureau chief, disappeared Jan. 23
on his way to meet with Islamic extremist contacts. He was believed
to be investigating links between Pakistani militants and Richard
C. Reid, accused of trying to detonate explosives hidden in his
sneakers on a Paris-to-Miami flight in December.
Suspected
al Qaeda member killed by grenade
SAN’A,
Yemen (AP) — A suspected al Qaeda member carrying explosives
blew himself up Wednesday after being cornered by Yemeni security
forces, according to a police statement.
The
statement said Sameer al-Hada, 25, was being chased by Yemeni security
forces and had been stopped for questioning when he threatened police
with a hand grenade.
The grenade exploded in his hand, killing him instantly. No police
were injured.
The
incident happened in a suburb of the Yemeni capital, San’a,
during the early evening.
|
