Africa
Marikana mine killings: South African police ‘planted weapons’
South African police have been accused of planting weapons near the bodies of workers killed during strikes at the Marikana platinum mine. Photographs taken by police suggested large knives had been placed near the bodies after they had been shot, a lawyer told an inquest into the deaths. Thirty-four striking miners were killed when police opened fire on them, leading to widespread shock. The police have said they were acting in self-defence. The bloodshed occurred on 16 August, days after the deaths of 10 people, including two police officers who were hacked to death. The inquiry into all 44 deaths was shown photographs of the dead miners after the shooting, one of which shows a dead man lying on rocky ground near the mine. A second photo, taken later the same day, is identical, but for a yellow-handled machete that is now lying under his right hand.
Asia
Death sentences over Mekong murders
A Chinese court has sentenced a Burmese drug smuggler and three of his gang to death over the murder of 13 Chinese sailors on the Mekong river, state media report. Naw Kham was extradited to China in May to stand trial over the deaths. He and three fellow gang members received the death penalty, and two more were jailed by a court in Kunming. All six men will appeal. The 13 crew members were found dead in two Chinese cargo ships on the Thai side of the Mekong in October 2011. Naw Kham has been described as a warlord from Shan state believed to be behind a drug-smuggling network in the Golden Triangle. Nine Thai soldiers have also been named as suspects in the case, about which much remains unclear. The killings caused outrage in China and prompted Beijing to send gunboat patrols to the Mekong.
Middle East
Car bombing kills 27 at Iraq army base
At least 27 people have been killed by a car bomb that exploded at the entrance to an Iraqi army base near Baghdad, police and medics say, with more than 50 others wounded. The blast occurred at 1200 local time today (0900 GMT) at the facility in Taji, about 15 miles north of the capital. One report suggested potential new recruits gathered outside were the target. It is unclear how many of the victims of today’s attack were soldiers, but one report said as many as 19 were among the dead. It is thought to be the deadliest single attack in Iraq since 24 July, when a series of coordinated bombs – also in Taji – killed 42 people. It follows two car bombings yesterday which killed at least four people and wounded 16 others around Baghdad.
Europe
Greece braces for 48-hour strike amid crucial debate
Greece is braced for a 48-hour general strike across public and private sectors in protest at a proposed new wave of spending cuts. The strike will coincide with a debate in parliament on the austerity measures, with a vote by MPs due on Wednesday. The proposals, which Greece must approve to receive the next part of its bailout and avoid bankruptcy, include a fifth consecutive cut to pensions, an increase in the retirement age, and cuts to benefits, salaries and healthcare. The Democratic Left Party, the junior member of the three-party governing coalition, is refusing to back the package, and the second-biggest coalition party, the socialist Pasok, is also facing a rebellion by some MPs. Prime Minister Antonis Samaras said on Sunday that “these will be the last cuts in wages and pensions” as he sought to reassure an increasingly furious public, who have endured repeated rounds of austerity and a five-year recession.
North America
Polls open in tight presidential race
Tens of millions of Americans are heading to the polls to determine their next president. The candidates, current President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, are running almost neck-and-neck in the national polls, though President Obama holds a slender and perhaps pivotal lead in the swing states that will likely determine the outcome. On the stroke of midnight today, the first votes were cast and quickly counted in the tiny village of Dixville Notch in New Hampshire. They resulted in a tie, with five votes each for Mr Obama and Mr Romney. Polls will begin closing in eastern states at 1900 EST (0000 GMT), and a winner could be known by midnight.
US soldier Robert Bales in court over Afghan massacre
A preliminary hearing has begun for US soldier Sgt Robert Bales, who is charged with killing 16 villagers – mostly women and children – in Afghanistan. Sgt Bales is accused of walking off his base in Kandahar province during the night of 11 March and firing on civilians in their homes. The massacre caused widespread anger in Afghanistan and further strained already difficult US-Afghan relations. Sgt Bales faces 16 counts of premeditated murder and six counts of attempted murder, as well as charges of assault and steroid use. If convicted, he could face the death penalty. The hearing will determine if there is enough evidence for a court martial. Sgt Bales is a married father of two from Lake Tapps in Washington. He had already served three combat tours in Iraq and was on his first tour in Afghanistan when the massacre happened. He is the only known suspect in the killings, despite repeated Afghan assertions that another American was involved.
Australasia
Standard & Poor’s misled investors, says Australian court
Australia’s Federal Court has ruled that credit ratings agency Standard & Poor’s (S&P) misled investors before the global financial crisis, giving its safest credit rating, AAA, to complex and risky securities which later lost most of their value. In the landmark ruling, the court ordered S&P and the bank which arranged the product, ABN Amro, to pay damages to investors. S&P said: “we are disappointed with the Court’s decision, we reject any suggestion our opinions were inappropriate, and will appeal the Australian ruling”. The ruling is the first of its kind on a rating agency’s liability for investors’ losses. IMF Australia, a company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange which funds legal claims, said the ruling was “likely to have global implications and be hardest felt in Europe and the US, where similar products were sold to banks and pension funds”. The firm said the ruling could pave the way for investors in Europe to recover significant losses from both S&P and ABM Amro, which is now owned by Royal Bank of Scotland.
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