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page 22 a MALDIVES Maldives jails ex-vice president for 10 years A Maldives court has convicted the country’s former vice president on a terrorism charge for possession of firearms and sentenced him to 10 years in prison. The decision by the Criminal Court on Sunday made Ahmed Adeeb the fourth high-profile politician to be jailed […]

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MALDIVES

Maldives jails ex-vice president for 10 years

A Maldives court has convicted the country’s former vice president on a terrorism charge for possession of firearms and sentenced him to 10 years in prison.

The decision by the Criminal Court on Sunday made Ahmed Adeeb the fourth high-profile politician to be jailed on a terrorism charge since President Yameen Abdul Gayoom was elected in 2013.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed, the former Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim and the head of a leading political party, Sheikh Imran Abdulla, are the others to get lengthy prison terms. Nasheed has since been granted asylum in Britain.

The cases have been criticised for a lack of due process.

Adeeb still faces charges of trying to assassinate Gayoom, after an explosion hit the presidential speedboat last year.

Gayoom made his trusted protégé Adeeb vice president last July after sacking his running mate in the 2013 election.

SOMALIA

AU troops arrested for selling military supplies

Five soldiers with the African Union mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and 10 Somalis have been arrested for selling military equipment, police say. They were found with improvised detonators, fuel, sandbags and empty ammunition boxes.

AMISOM confirmed the arrests saying it would not accept “unprofessional conduct among its personnel”.

The mission is fighting alongside Somali government forces against al-Shabab Islamist militants.

This is the first time African Union troops have been arrested in Somalia since AMISOM was established nine years ago.

The authorities say the five AU soldiers are from Uganda, which has the largest number of troops in the 22,000-strong mission.

The police said they caught the men as they were trying to sell the equipment to civilians.

UKRAINE

Ukraine detains Frenchman over ‘Euro 2016 attack plot’

Ukraine has detained a Frenchman suspected of planning a series of attacks across France during the forthcoming European 2016 football championship, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said.

The man came to Ukraine under the guise of volunteering to fight in the conflict in the country’s east and managed to obtain 125kg of TNT, five assault rifles, two anti-tank grenade launchers and ammunition, the SBU said on Monday.

The man planned to blow up bridges and highway infrastructure in various parts of France, as well as a tax collection office, a mosque, a synagogue and public areas to be used for the football championship, the statement said.

The security services said the unidentified man wanted to carry out 15 attacks in total.

KENYA

Opposition Cord protests turn deadly in Kisumu

At least two protesters have died and five have been injured after Kenyan police opened fire to disperse crowds in the western city of Kisumu. The police have not commented.

The opposition has been holding weekly demonstrations against the electoral commission, which it says is biased.

Nairobi’s police chief had warned opposition supporters not to take part in Monday’s protest in the Kenyan capital “if you value your life”.

Officers shot dead three people in similar protests in May. They said they were acting in self-defence.

Journalist Richard Omondi says he has confirmed the latest fatalities with the authorities at the Kisumu hospital where the injured were taken.

UK

British paedophile gets life for Malaysia, Cambodia Crimes

British paedophile Richard Huckle was sentenced to life in prison by a London court on Monday for abusing 23 Malaysian and Cambodian babies and children over almost a decade.

Huckle, 30, stood in the dock at London’s Old Bailey court with his hands clasped together as if in prayer as he was told he would have to serve at least 23 years behind bars for his crimes against impoverished victims aged 6 months to 11 years.

Huckle had pleaded guilty to 71 offenses and was found with over 20,000 indecent images of children on his computer and camera when he was arrested at Gatwick Airport in 2014.

IRAQ

IS Shooting Civilians Fleeing From Fallujah

Islamist extremists in Iraq are shooting and killing civilians as they attempt to flee fighting between the Islamic State group and Iraqi government forces in the city of Fallujah, the Norwegian Refugee Council said.

“Reports from families that NRC has been in touch with describe that civilians trying to cross the Euphrates River in order to flee the fighting are being targeted by armed opposition groups,” the human rights group said in a statement.

Iraqi forces have been battling with the IS fighters for a few weeks in an effort to retake the city, which has been controlled by the Muslim group since January, 2014.

PERU

Election: Kuczynski leads narrowly

Partial results in Peru’s presidential election have given former World Bank executive Pedro Pablo Kuczynski a narrow lead.

He had 50.52% against 49.48% for Keiko Fujimori, with 88% of votes counted.

Ms Fujimori had a strong lead ahead of the vote on Sunday but corruption scandals in her Popular Force party may have dented her support.

She is the daughter of Peru’s former President, Alberto Fujimori, who is in jail for crimes against humanity.

Ms Fujimori, 41, has said tackling crime is her priority.

She won the first round of voting in April.