Kenya: 'Criminal' President Invited To UK

Britian has invited a world leader who is indicted by the International Criminal Court to a conference in London next week.

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta has been asked to attend a conference on Somalia on Tuesday - co-hosted by both Britain and Somalia.

Mr Kenyatta, who won elections for the Kenyan presidency on March 4, is due to go on trial in July at The Hague for crimes against humanity.

He stands accused of orchestrating violence in Kenya after the last presidential elections in 2007 and 2008 during which up to 1,500 died.

Britain has said it has a policy of only "essential contact" with anyone charged by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

A Whitehall source said that having Mr Kenyatta at the conference "is seen as essential".

A spokesman for Kenya's High Commission in Nairobi said the High Commissioner had delivered a letter to Mr Kenyatta.

The commission said in a statement: "Kenya plays a vital role on Somalia, having nearly 5,000 troops in Somalia, and hosting more Somali refugees than any other nation."

January 2008: Violence broke out in the wake of the election

The statement said Mr Kenyatta and High Commissioner Christian Turner also "discussed how the two countries would work together not only on the shared agendas of regional security and stability, but also prosperity and development".

It added that London wanted to support Nairobi in its aims to double UK-Kenya trade.

Mr Kenyatta's election was predicted to pose problems for European countries and America, which are nervous about dealing with alleged criminals against humanity.

Until recently, Kenya had been considered the West's ally in the war against Islamic extremism centred in Somalia.

Recent gains have been made in pushing back the al Shabaab militant group, which had come to control parts of Somalia after the US withdrawal in the late 1990s led to a power vacuum.

Military victories against al Shabaab have in-part been spearheaded from Kenya, where the US has a base.  Ethiopia has also played a major role.

Britain is also believed to be keen to keep Kenya on side in the fight against international terrorism.

In 2012, The British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK) built a new base just outside the town of Nanyuki, about 80 miles north of Nairobi.

The London conference will be the first trip outside Africa for Mr Kenyatta since his election, which was held to be fraudulent by the losing candidate Raila Odinga.

Uhuru, meaning freedom, is the son of Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya's first president, who was put on trial by the ruling British colonial powers for inciting rebellion and kept in jail for seven years.

After independence and Kenya being declared a republic, Jomo was promoted from interim prime minister to president.

Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto, who also faces trial at the ICC, have both said they will co-operate fully with the ICC. They deny the charges against them.

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Italy: Baggage Handlers In Airport Bust

Italian police have arrested 29 baggage handlers from Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport after an investigation into the theft of valuable objects from passengers' luggage.

Those arrested are accused of stealing items including cameras and mobile phones from passengers' bags.

The arrests took place after hidden cameras were installed in airplane cargo holds to capture footage of the alleged thefts.

Images from the cameras released by Italian authorities show baggage handlers rifling through people's possessions and stealing a number of items including cash.

Police captured footage of the alleged thefts on hidden cameras

Italian national carrier Alitalia said it cooperated with police at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci airport and in Lamezia Terme, where the investigation began in 2011 and spread to a half-dozen airports across the country.

Lamezia Terme airport deputy police chief Ferruccio Martucci said investigators were stumped as to where the loot was being stolen and theorised that the only place where handlers could be assured of secrecy was in the cargo holds.

He said police installed temperature and pressure-resistant cameras in the holds and identified the thieves.

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US Officials: Israel Launches Airstrike Into Syria

US officials say Israel has launched an airstrike into Syria, apparently targeting a suspected weapons site.

They believe the strike hit a warehouse, but it does not appear that a chemical weapons site was targeted.

CNN said the strike took place overnight on Thursday into Friday, just as Israel was flying many warplanes over Lebanon.

But the US does not believe Israeli warplanes entered Syrian airspace to conduct the strikes, the TV news station added.

Israel has targeted weapons in the past that it believes are being delivered to the Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah.

Earlier this month, Israel admitted carrying out a January airstrike on a weapons convoy in Syria thought to be en route to Hezbollah.

Israeli Embassy spokesman Aaron Sagui said he could not comment on the report, but said Israel is determined to prevent the transfer of chemical weapons by the Syrian regime to terrorists.

Mr Obama, on a trip to Costa Rica, rules out US 'boots' on Syrian ground

The reports came hours after Barack Obama refused to rule out options in dealing with the crisis in Syria but said he did not foresee sending in US ground troops.

Speaking during a visit to Costa Rica, the President said: "As a general rule, I don't rule things out as commander-in-chief because circumstances change and you want to make sure that I always have the full power of the United States at our disposal to meet American national security interests.

"Having said that, I do not foresee a scenario in which boots on the ground in Syria, American boots on the ground in Syria, would not only be good for America but also would be good for Syria."

Mr Obama said there was evidence that chemical weapons had been used in Syria, but that "we don't know when, where or how they were used".

But if "strong evidence" is found of such weapons being used by the regime of President Bashar al Assad, then "that is a game changer for us" because "there is a possibility that it lands in the hands of organisations like Hezbollah", Mr Obama said.

Mr Obama said if use of chemical weapons in Syria is confirmed, the US will present that evidence to the international community, because it concerns the entire world.

But he called for caution to avoid unintended consequences, saying: It's important for us to do it right."

There have been reports of a 'large-scale massacre' in Baida

Meanwhile, warnings of a new "large-scale massacre" in Syria have emerged following reports President Assad's troops bombarded Sunni areas near the city of Bania.

The opposition National Coalition accused the regime of "war crimes and genocide", citing witness reports of civilians being stabbed to death.

"The Coalition calls on the Arab League and the United Nations to act rapidly to save the civilians of Baida, Banias and other villages across Syria," it said in a statement.

"Several sources in the village say at least 50 people were killed in summary executions and shelling in Baida village,"Rami Abdel Rahman, of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told AFP news agency.

Syria's official Sana news agency said troops killed "terrorists" and seized arms in an operation targeting rebels.

Regular forces were supported by pro-regime "shabiha" militiamen, said the Observatory, which relies on a network of sources on the ground for its information.

The Banias region is predominantly Alawite, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam and the sect of President Assad, while the insurgents battling to topple his regime are mainly Sunni Muslims.

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'Massacre By Syrian Forces Kills At Least 50'

Forces loyal to Syria's leader have stormed a village in a "massacre" that has left at least 50 people dead, reports say.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said President Bashar al Assad's troops and militias raided the coastal village of Baida, killing many with gunfire or knives.

Women and children were among the victims and some bodies were found burned, the group said.

The British-based Observatory said the final toll was expected to exceed 100 dead. It earlier reported fighting around Baida that killed at least six government troops.

The village has previously witnessed mass arrests of men after residents joined protests challenging Mr Assad's regime, according to human rights activists.

The reports emerged as the US confirmed it was taking a fresh look at whether to provide weapons to Syria's rebels, having rejected doing so in the past.

A protest against the Assad regime in Baida in 2011

Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel said "Yes" when asked at a Pentagon news conference with his British counterpart Philip Hammond whether the US government was rethinking its opposition to the idea.

Mr Hammond said Britain had not yet provided arms, but would not rule it out.

He told Sky News: "We've never removed from the table the possibility of providing lethal support to the opposition forces.

"We haven't done so yet - we've drawn a very clear line - but we've made it clear to the Assad regime that every option remains on the table if they consider to massacre their population.

"The reports coming in of another massacre, if they turn out to be true, will turn out to be yet another shocking chapter in this regime's book."

Asked why the West was not doing more to assist the rebels, Mr Hammond said Britain was "strongly supportive" of the opposition.

He said the disjoined nature of the opposition forces and their extremist elements were "complicated factors", and an international consensus was needed.

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California Wildfire Forces Evacuation Of Homes

By Sky News US Team, In Los Angeles

A wildfire fanned by gusty winds and soaring temperatures is raging along the fringes of several southern California communities, forcing schools and neighbourhoods to evacuate.

The blaze erupted during the morning rush hour along the US 101 motorway in Camarillo, some 50 miles northwest of downtown Los Angeles.

More than 6,500 acres had been engulfed by midday on Thursday as temperatures soared to 35C (95F), said Ventura County Fire spokeswoman Myrna Pinon.

Several recreational vehicles were destroyed

Winds gusting to 30mph quickly spread the blaze through the bone-dry canyonlands.

The fire forced the evacuation of the campus of California State University, Channel Islands, which is attended by about 5,000 students.

Several vehicles in a car park were destroyed as flames moved close to a mobile home park.

Just before 1pm, police closed the Pacific Coast Highway as the fire approached the busy road.

The fire is sending off thick smoke

More than 200 firefighters, with help from aircraft dropping water and retardant, worked to protect dozens of homes around Camarillo Springs Golf Course and in a section of adjacent Thousand Oaks.

Shifting winds were increasing the challenge but were expected to die down later in the day.

Meanwhile, fire officials said a hazardous materials team has been dispatched to deal with a highly toxic pesticides fire caught up in the wildfires.

Fire crews evacuate people from a Ventury County neighbourhood

The pesticides were stored at a farm in Ventura County, near the campus of California State University.

Nearby residents were warned to stay out of the smoke which officials said is making air quality very poor throughout the area.

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Bhutto Assassination Case Prosecutor Shot Dead

A leading Pakistani prosecutor working on the Benazir Bhutto murder case has been shot dead in the capital Islamabad.

State prosecutor Chaudhry Zulfiqar was shot multiple times by gunmen who intercepted his vehicle in a busy street in the capital.

His bodyguard was also wounded and a woman passer-by killed during the attack.

Police officer Mohammad Yousuf said: "Chaudhry Zulfiqar was driving his car. He lost control and the car crushed a woman passer-by.

Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007

"Zulfiqar was rushed to hospital where he succumbed to his injuries."

The gunmen fled and a massive search has been launched.

The prosecutor was on his way to the anti-terrorism court hearing the Bhutto case in the neighbouring city of Rawalpindi.

Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf was this week placed under two-week house arrest over charges that he conspired to murder Ms Bhutto.

Mr Zulfiqar had been given extra government security last year after police investigators working on the case received threats which also named him.

Former Pakistan ruler Pervez Musharraf has been placed under house arrest

He was also the government's lead prosecutor in a case related to the 2008 terrorist attack on the Indian city of Mumbai, in which 166 people were killed.

It is not yet clear who is responsible for the shooting, which comes days before Pakistan holds general elections.

No one has ever been convicted for Ms Bhutto's assassination after a campaign rally in Rawalpindi on December 27, 2007.

Mr Musharraf's government blamed the killing on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was killed in a US drone attack in 2009.

He returned to Pakistan in March after four years in self-imposed exile to make a political comeback, but was barred from running in the parliamentary election because of investigations into his rule between 1999 and 2008.

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Benghazi Attack: FBI Seeks Three Men At Scene

The FBI is seeking information on three people who were in the grounds of the US diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, when it was attacked on September 11.

The bureau has published photographs of the trio and said they may be able to provide information as officials continue to investigate the events of that night.

The blurry CCTV images show three different men walking the consulate grounds and carrying assault weapons.

"We need your help to solve this crime," the FBI said.

Heavily armed militants stormed the consulate last summer, killing US ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

In a posting on the FBI's website, the agency urges anyone with information related to the men to come forward or report it confidentially.

Four Americans were killed in the attack

Eight months later Republican lawmakers continue to question the Obama administration about the attack.

A Congressional report released in January was highly critical of the State Department's handling of security at the mission, and its failure to ramp up protection after threats were made ahead of the attack.

The White House's response to the incident has also been called into question. The administration first classified it as a spontaneous protest instead of the deliberate attack it was later found to have been.

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North Korea Reactor 'Could Produce Plutonium'

New satellite images of North Korea suggest it is nearing completion of a reactor designed for generating electricity - but which will have the capability to produce plutonium.

US academics who visited the site at the Yongbyon nuclear complex in 2010 concluded the reactor was being built for electricity.

Kim Jong-Un shut down a reactor in 2007 during aid negotiations

But analysts say that once complete the reactor will have a residual capability to produce weapons-grade plutonium.

The pictures have been published on 38 North - the website of the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins' School of Advanced International Studies.

The images - the most recent taken last month - show what appear to be external finishing touches made to the complex.

North Korea revealed an industrial-scale uranium enrichment facility in 2010 designed to provide fuel for the light-water reactor.

This development caused international alarm because of the potential for the centrifuges to be reconfigured to produce highly-enriched uranium - another means of creating fissile material for weapons.

If North Korea has produced enough low-enriched uranium to run the new reactor, it could commence the lengthy process of starting it up in the coming weeks, and be fully operational during the first half of 2014.

Containing the nuclear fuel and keeping the reactor cool pose major challenges - as would unforeseen events like natural disasters that caused a meltdown in Japan's Fukushima reactor in 2011, the analysis says.

"Pyongyang is probably planning to build additional power reactors to end its electricity shortage and help solve its economic problems," said Joel Wit, a former State Department official and editor of 38 North.

The latest image taken in March 2013 shows what could a water channel

"It may have some residual ability to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons, but the biggest concern about these reactors is whether they are safe or not," he added.

North Korea announced in April that it was restarting an older reactor at Yongbyon from which it is estimated to have derived enough plutonium for six bombs.

The reactor was closed in 2007 during aid-for-disarmament negotiations.

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Somali President Says Terrorists Are Defeated

By Alex Crawford, Special Correspondent, in Mogadishu

Al Shabaab terrorists operating in Somalia have been "defeated as a fighting force" after decades of creating havoc, according to the country's president.

But President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has warned that the extremists are an international network with links to al Qaeda and they still have the ability to mount attacks both inside Somalia and abroad.

The president is travelling to England next week to jointly chair an international conference with the British Prime Minister on Somalia's future.

He will be trying to convince backers like Britain and America that, despite more than two decades of financial support, their help is not only still needed but as crucial as ever.

"Somalia is so close to coming out of the quagmire," he told Sky News in his only television interview ahead of the conference.

"I say, please bear with us and stretch your patience just a little bit and you will get the kind of Somalia you have been dreaming of for 22 years."

President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has asked for patience

The president is the first elected leader in more than two decades and is heading up the first permanent government in that time.

He has only been in his job for eight months but with United Nations support there finally seems to be some progress in a country known as being the world's most fragile state.

International money along with the 18,000 African Union peacekeepers in the country has meant tentative stability in a nation more used to war.

The extremists have mostly been driven out of the capital Mogadishu and the joint Somali and African Union troops continue to take territory once held by the Islamists.

Many Somalis who once fled to safety in exile are now returning from their bolt holes around the world to set up businesses and live once again in their homeland.

There are big efforts to train the newly bolstered national army and police force, and the first permanent government is widely seen as legitimate and progressive.

But the terrorists' capacity to wreak havoc was demonstrated just a few weeks ago when al Shabaab extremists stormed the capital's court buildings, firing guns and setting off explosions.

The attack triggered a gunfight between the terrorists and the Somali security forces and at least 20 people were killed.

And over the past few days the capital has been virtually locked down due to fears of another attack.

But there is still a definite feeling of confidence among the Somali forces and the African Union peacekeepers that progress is being made bit by bit.

A new British embassy has been opened in the terror-ravaged country

Colonel Kassim Roble is one of the returning diaspora, lured back to his motherland after becoming convinced Somalia has turned the corner.

He had spent the previous eight years in Leicester before deciding to return home last year.

"Security is getting better every day, every month, every hour," he told Sky from the newly renovated Ministry of Defence in the capital. "We are in charge of 85% to 90% of the city (of Mogadishu)."

He put much of the change down to a fresh focus by the country's new president who has insisted funds be used to improve conditions for the troops with better salaries, better food and better training.

"The morale is now very good," said the colonel.

His words were echoed by peacekeepers from the African Union who are involved in helping secure areas but also mentoring and training the Somali security forces.

"Peace is coming back to Somalia," one Nigerian commander said. "The people are out on the streets, doing business again. The danger is not so much now. There's is a lot of difference even since a few months ago."

But the insecurity is never far away and there are concerns that without international community help, the fragile stability will shatter and be reversed.

"Al Shabaab is an international operation. They are operating inside Somalia but they are part of an international terror network," the president told Sky News.

"Somalia is just a small country, ill-equipped and ill-trained. Shabaab is defeated as a fighting force. Soon there will be no front line or no place they are in control of.

"But when they are defeated militarily, the way they work is they go into the society - so the suicide bombers and roadside bombings and grenade-throwing will go on for some time.

"But they will be defeated. They are about to be defeated and they are on the run."

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Guantanamo: Obama Pursues Prison Closure Again

President Barack Obama has said he will "re-engage" Congress on his failed attempt to close down the US detention centre at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

Mr Obama called for the controversial prison's closure as a candidate for the White House in 2008, and vowed to shut the centre's gates for good within his first year in office.

But lawmakers on Capitol Hill objected and the facility has remained open.

Obama promised to close down Guanatamo in the first hear of his presidency

"It needs to be closed," Mr Obama told a White House news conference on Tuesday. "I'm going to go back at this."

He said: "I think it is critical for us to understand that Guantanamo is not necessary to keep America safe.

"It is expensive. It is inefficient. It hurts us in terms of our international standing. It lessens co-operation with our allies on counter-terrorism efforts. It is a recruiting tool for extremists."

A spreading hunger strike by prisoners, who are protesting their indefinite detention without charges or trials, has drawn new attention to the controversial camp.

A majority of the prison's 166 inmates are said to be on hunger strikes

Mr Obama said he was not surprised there are problems at the facility, where a recent tally indicated 100 of the prison's 166 detainees are refusing food.

Asked about the strikes, he said: "I don't want these individuals to die", adding that the Pentagon was doing what it could to manage the situation.

Mr Obama warned the situation would only get worse, and said it made no sense to hold more than 100 people in a "no man's land" indefinitely.

Activists rally for the prison's closure outside the White House

He urged Congress to help him find a long-term solution that would allow for prosecuting terror suspects while shuttering the detention centre.

Rights groups, which have long branded the prison as a legal "black hole", welcomed the president's remarks.

Daphne Eviatar, of Human Rights First, said in a statement: "The writing is on the wall. It's time for the failed Guantanamo experiment to end and for our nation to return to the values that have kept us strong."

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