Bombing was not a religious crime, says federal prosecutor
Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was sentenced to death by a federal jury at a court in the city on Friday. The jury in its decision said that Tsarnaev deserved capital punishment for six out of the 17 charges of which he was found guilty last month. Prosecutors said that Tsarnaev, an ethnic Chechen, had carried out the attack in revenge for the United States' military campaigns in Islamic countries. However, a federal prosecutor said that the bombing was not a religious crime. "It was a political crime designed to intimidate and coerce the United States," said Carmen Ortiz. Tsarnaev's lawyers are likely to appeal the decision. The attack, which took place in April 2013, killed three people and wounded 264 others.
Islamic State seizes government headquarters in Iraqi city
Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on Friday seized control of the government headquarters in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, the capital of the Anbar province. A statement released by the militant group said that it had also blown up buildings near the government complex. Provincial officials said that the city's residents were fleeing to surrounding areas. However, the country's government said that the city was still not fully under the control of the militants. A statement released by the country's Interior Ministry said that the counter-attack against the outfit had begun. "This is like any other war, there might be pullback here and there, but we are determined to defeat Daesh," said Anbar Governor Sohaib al-Rawi. Meanwhile, an Iraqi security official said that the militants had also seized a town 180-kilometres north-west of Ramadi.
700 migrants rescued by Indonesian fishermen
Over 700 migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar were rescued from a sinking ship by Indonesian fishermen on Friday. A police official from the Aceh region of the country said that the sinking boat had been towed back to land by the fishermen, adding that it had most likely been turned away by the Malaysian Navy. Medical officials said that eight of the migrants, who belonged to the marginalised Rohingya community, were critically ill. Unconfirmed reports stated that the Indonesian Navy had turned back another boat seeking to land on the country's shore. Meanwhile, the United Nations condemned the country along with Thailand and Malaysia for their official policy of pushing back migrants trying to land in those countries. "The focus should be on saving lives, not further endangering them," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesperson Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein.
UN urges Israel to halt plans for settlements in Palestinian territories
The United Nations on Friday urged Israel to halt its plans for new settlements in Palestinian territories, saying that reversing the plans was in the interest of a "just final status agreement" between the two nation-states. "The international community will not recognise unilateral actions on the ground and that the status of Jerusalem can only be resolved through negotiations," said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Ban also condemned the "advancement of settlement activities on three occasions over the past three consecutive weeks". Outgoing UN Envoy for the Middle East Robert Serry added that the implementing the plans for the new settlements would "kill the very possibility of peace". However, Israel maintained that the settlements were being built on its own territory, and not on occupied land.
Former Bin Laden aide jailed by US over 1998 embassy attacks
A United States court on Friday sentenced a former aide of ex-al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden to life in prison over his role in the bombings of two of the country's embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. The court's Judge ruled that Khaled al-Fawwaz had been supporting Bin Laden even before the attacks, which killed 224 people including 12 US citizens. Prosecutors said that they managed to prove that Fawwaz had been a leader of the militant outfit, adding that he had also led a terror cell in Kenya in 1993. Fawwaz stated that he was "terribly sad and sorry" for having taken part in the attacks. "I hope one day people will find other ways to live with their differences other than violence," he said.
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Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was sentenced to death by a federal jury at a court in the city on Friday. The jury in its decision said that Tsarnaev deserved capital punishment for six out of the 17 charges of which he was found guilty last month. Prosecutors said that Tsarnaev, an ethnic Chechen, had carried out the attack in revenge for the United States' military campaigns in Islamic countries. However, a federal prosecutor said that the bombing was not a religious crime. "It was a political crime designed to intimidate and coerce the United States," said Carmen Ortiz. Tsarnaev's lawyers are likely to appeal the decision. The attack, which took place in April 2013, killed three people and wounded 264 others.
Islamic State seizes government headquarters in Iraqi city
Fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant on Friday seized control of the government headquarters in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, the capital of the Anbar province. A statement released by the militant group said that it had also blown up buildings near the government complex. Provincial officials said that the city's residents were fleeing to surrounding areas. However, the country's government said that the city was still not fully under the control of the militants. A statement released by the country's Interior Ministry said that the counter-attack against the outfit had begun. "This is like any other war, there might be pullback here and there, but we are determined to defeat Daesh," said Anbar Governor Sohaib al-Rawi. Meanwhile, an Iraqi security official said that the militants had also seized a town 180-kilometres north-west of Ramadi.
700 migrants rescued by Indonesian fishermen
Over 700 migrants from Bangladesh and Myanmar were rescued from a sinking ship by Indonesian fishermen on Friday. A police official from the Aceh region of the country said that the sinking boat had been towed back to land by the fishermen, adding that it had most likely been turned away by the Malaysian Navy. Medical officials said that eight of the migrants, who belonged to the marginalised Rohingya community, were critically ill. Unconfirmed reports stated that the Indonesian Navy had turned back another boat seeking to land on the country's shore. Meanwhile, the United Nations condemned the country along with Thailand and Malaysia for their official policy of pushing back migrants trying to land in those countries. "The focus should be on saving lives, not further endangering them," said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights spokesperson Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein.
UN urges Israel to halt plans for settlements in Palestinian territories
The United Nations on Friday urged Israel to halt its plans for new settlements in Palestinian territories, saying that reversing the plans was in the interest of a "just final status agreement" between the two nation-states. "The international community will not recognise unilateral actions on the ground and that the status of Jerusalem can only be resolved through negotiations," said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Ban also condemned the "advancement of settlement activities on three occasions over the past three consecutive weeks". Outgoing UN Envoy for the Middle East Robert Serry added that the implementing the plans for the new settlements would "kill the very possibility of peace". However, Israel maintained that the settlements were being built on its own territory, and not on occupied land.
Former Bin Laden aide jailed by US over 1998 embassy attacks
A United States court on Friday sentenced a former aide of ex-al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden to life in prison over his role in the bombings of two of the country's embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998. The court's Judge ruled that Khaled al-Fawwaz had been supporting Bin Laden even before the attacks, which killed 224 people including 12 US citizens. Prosecutors said that they managed to prove that Fawwaz had been a leader of the militant outfit, adding that he had also led a terror cell in Kenya in 1993. Fawwaz stated that he was "terribly sad and sorry" for having taken part in the attacks. "I hope one day people will find other ways to live with their differences other than violence," he said.
