Mokhtar Belmokhtar: Gas Terror Chief 'Killed'

Belmokhtar: Profile Of Mr Marlboro

Updated: 12:54am UK, Sunday 03 March 2013

By Sam Kiley, Middle East Correspondent

He was known as Mr Marlboro because of his cigarette smuggling. The French intelligence service called him "The Uncatchable".

Born in central Algeria in 1972, Mokhtar Belmokhtar grew obsessed with Jihadi ideology in his teens. At 19 he volunteered to fight alongside the mujahedeen in Afghanistan.

He missed most of the fighting there as the Soviets withdrew as he arrived but he did encounter senior members of what was to become al Qaeda - receiving training in a Jalalabad base.

In the early 1990s he returned to Algeria to join Islamic militant groups. He served them as a quartermaster - rapidly rose to dominate operations in the south of the country during the Algerian civil war.

Described by the then head of France's Territorial Surveillance Directorate (Direction de la surveillance du territoire – DST) as Algeria's link to al Qaeda, Belmokhtar maintained strong links to the movement's core in Pakistan.

But he was a vital element in the expansion of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). A franchise of the Jihadi movement AQIM was seen as the poorly performing franchise during the last decade. 

But Belmokhtar forged links with Tuareg rebels in the south Sahara from Mali to Niger and into Mauritania.

He rapidly expanded a criminal empire to fund his political and military operations from smuggling cigarettes, diamonds, drugs and people into Europe.

He further stuffed his war chest with funds from hostage taking operations. In 2003 he was implicated in the kidnapping of 32 Europeans in the Sahara.

In 2008, he took control of negotiations for the release of two Austrian hostages. And in 2009 took control of two Canadians kidnapped in Mali and released by him for allegedly £3m and freedom for several of his associates from Malian jails.

Robert Fowler was a UN special envoy in Mali when he was kidnapped and then handed on to Belmokhtar.

He described the man who has now projected himself on to the world stage from the relative obscurity of the Saharan wastes.

"He is very cold. Very business-like. I was afraid for my life all the time. I was afraid for my life when I woke up in the morning and when I went to sleep at night. He is a very serious player," Mr Fowler told ABC News in the US.

Belmokhtar's movement got a huge boost from the collapse of the Libyan regime of Muammar Gaddafi.

The Tuareg fighters he had employed from Niger, Mali and Chad, fled his service carrying with them vast stockpiles of heavy weapons and bringing many years of combat experience.

This influx of new weapons and fighters allowed for al Qaeda-related groups to capture much of northern Mali and establish closer links between groups from Mauritania to Somalia and into the Arabian Peninsula.

Some intelligence agencies believe that Belmokhtar fell out with the AQIM leader in the north of Africa, Abdulmalek Droukel.

But al Qaeda is a franchise. Its strength lies in fragmentation. A devolved series of groups are harder to infiltrate or destroy than one large organisation.

Al Qaeda expert Aaron Zelin describes this as "controlled fragmentation".

French intelligence services had been trying to kill or capture Belmokhtar for more than a decade. They believed that he had the capacity to mobilise French citizens with their roots in North Africa for terror operations inside Europe.

After France launched its war against Islamists in Mali, many of whom are connected to Belmokhtar, his organisation which calls itself "The Masked Ones", vowed to continue attacks against western targets in Africa and beyond.

Belmokhtar's attack in Algeria meant his name was heard more widely as his movement posed a strategic threat to Europe's energy supplies.

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Hosni Mubarak Retrial Date Set For April

A retrial of Egypt's former president Hosni Mubarak – who was jailed for life for his role in the deaths of protesters in 2011 - is to open on April 13.

Mubarak, former interior minister Habib al Adly and six top security chiefs will be retried on orders of the Court of Cassation, the country's top appeals court, over the hundreds of killings during the 2011 uprising which ousted him from power.

The court agreed in January on a retrial for the 84-year-old, who appealed against his life sentence for involvement in the deaths.

In January, an ailing Mubarak who has been treated for fractured ribs and fluid in the lungs at a Cairo military hospital, was also interrogated over fresh charges of corruption.

He is accused of accepting gifts worth seven million Egyptian pounds $1m (£670,000) from the country's flagship state newspaper Al Ahram.

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World Cup 2022 Could Be Moved To Winter, Fifa

A senior Fifa official has admitted for the first time that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar could be moved to winter.

The finals were awarded by the world governing body in 2010 and are due to be held in the summer months when the temperature can reach more than 40 degrees Celsius.

European football boss Michel Platini has repeatedly said the competition needs to be held in winter, when the average is a far less intense 17 degrees.

Now Fifa's general secretary Jerome Valcke has become the first senior official to say the event could be moved if strong medical advice is received to support it.

Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke said the finals could be moved

Speaking at the meeting of the International Football Association Board - which governs the laws of football - he said: "Maybe the Fifa Exco (executive committee) will say based on medical reports or whatever: 'We really have to look at playing the World Cup not in summer but in winter'."

Qatar's winning bid caused a major stir in world football with critics arguing it would be impossible to freeze football leagues for a World Cup in December or January.

However, Mr Valcke believes that the timeframe for any decision could be extended to 2015.

"I am not saying that the case is closed but what I'm saying is as long as we have not fixed the international calendar all alternatives are open," he said.

"I can tell you there is no working group within Fifa thinking and working on what it means to move the World Cup from summer to winter for the time being.

"The international calendar has been agreed for 2015 to 2018, meaning that we kept open all potential for the period 2019 to 2022. We have time."

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Assad Hits Out At UK Government In Interview

Syrian President Bashar al Assad has heavily criticised the British government, calling it "shallow and immature".

In an interview with The Sunday Times, he dismissed any suggestion that Britain could help to resolve the conflict saying: "We do not expect an arsonist to be a firefighter."

He said Britain was not trusted by many in the Middle East, saying its has been viewed as "unconstructive" in the region for centuries.

"There's no contact between Syria and Britain for a long time.

"You cannot separate the role from the credibility, and you cannot separate the credibility from the history of that country.

"To be frank, Britain has played famously in our region (an) unconstructive role in different issues, for decades, some say for centuries."

He added: "How can we expect to ask Britain to play a role while it's determined to militarise the problem?

"How can you ask them to play a role in making the situation better, more stable, how can we expect them to make the violence less when they want to send the military supply to the terrorist?

"I think they are working against us, and they are working against the interests of the UK itself.

"This Government is acting in a naïve, confused, and unrealistic manner. If they want to play a role they have to change this, they have to act in a more reasonable and responsible way."

But Foreign Secretary William Hague said the interview was "one of the most delusional" by a modern leader.

"This is a man presiding over this slaughter, and the message to him is that we, Britain, are the people sending food and shelter and blankets to the people driven from their homes and families in his name.

"We are the people sending medical supplies to try to look after people injured and abused by the soldiers working for this man, President Assad.

"And Lakhdar Brahimi, the UN envoy, who's a soft-spoken diplomat, said this week that Assad thinks and is told by his inner circle, that all this is an international conspiracy, not the actual rebellion and revolt of his own people.

"So I think this will go down as one of the most delusional interviews that any national leader has given in modern times."

He also confirmed more direct assistance would be given to the Syrian opposition.

Earlier this week the Syrian Government said it is ready for talks with its armed opponents.

However, Syrian rebel leader Selim Idris said there could be no negotiations unless Mr Assad stepped down and leaders of the army and security forces were put on the trial.

The UN estimates that around 70,000 people have been killed since fighting began in Syria almost two years ago.

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Obama Signs Order To Start Spending Cuts

President Barack Obama has signed an order authorising $85bn cuts in domestic and defence spending following the failure of efforts to strike a deal with Republicans on cutting the US deficit.

Mr Obama and Republican leaders in the House and Senate declared themselves still deadlocked after a last-minute White House meeting last night.

The two sides are at odds over the president's insistence on increasing tax revenue as part of any plan to tackle the country's $16.6trn debt.

Mr Obama signed the order which officially enacts the across-the-board reductions - known as a "sequester" in government budget language. Under the law, the president had until midnight.

The $85bn cuts apply to the remainder of the 2013 fiscal year, which ends on September 30. But the legislation that requires the spending reduction will continue slashing government spending by about $1trn more over a 10-year period.

Speaking after the White House meeting, Mr Obama said: "Let's be clear, none of this is necessary."

He blamed the deadlock on Republicans who he said refused to close tax loopholes that benefit the wealthy, adding that "the pain will be real" for the American people.

"I am not a dictator. I'm the president," Mr Obama said, warning he could not force his Republican foes to "do the right thing," or make the Secret Service barricade Republicans leaders in a room until a deal is done.

"These cuts will hurt our economy, will cost us jobs and to set it right both sides need to be able to compromise," Mr Obama added.

US Speaker of the House John Boehner walked out of the meeting

Republican John Boehner, speaker of the House of Representatives, walked out of the meeting to say there would be no compromise as long as Mr Obama insisted on higher tax revenue.

Republicans are standing fast against further increasing taxes and will not compromise on achieving debt reduction through spending cuts alone.

The opposition party is still feeling the sting from its most conservative members after agreeing at the end of 2012 to allow the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts for Americans earning $400,000 or more a year.

Friday's meeting was the first the two sides have held this year on the budget battle, and it lasted less than an hour.

The immediate impact of the cuts on the public is uncertain, but they will carve 5% from domestic agencies and 8% from the Pentagon between now and October 1.

Defence officials say they will be forced to reduce the working week of 800,000 civilian employees, scale back flight hours of warplanes and postpone some equipment maintenance.

The deployment of a second aircraft carrier to the Persian Gulf has also been cancelled.

The US Navy will gradually stand down several hundred planes starting in April, the Air Force will curtail flying hours and the Army will cut back training for all units except those deploying to Afghanistan.

Several major programmes will be unaffected, including the Social Security pension programme, the Medicaid health care programme for the poor and food stamps.

Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel warned that the budget cuts will endanger the US military's ability to conduct its missions.

"This will have a major impact on training and readiness," he said. "Later this month, we intend to issue preliminary notifications to thousands of civilian employees who will be furloughed."

Mr Hagel also acknowledged that the budget cuts "will cause pain, particularly among our civilian workforce and their families".

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Sharks: 'Hundred Million Are Killed A Year'

Nearly 100 million sharks are killed each year and they need to be better protected or many species could face possible extinction, according to a new study.

The rate of commercial fishing far exceeds what many populations need to recover, scientists have warned.

Sharks take years to sexually mature, produce small litters and are exceptionally vulnerable to overfishing.

They are being caught at an average rate that is 30% to 60% higher than they can sustain, the study said.

The fish are often targeted for their fins, which are used in shark fin soup, a delicacy in Asia where a bowl of it can reportedly sell for £65.

The practice known as "shark finning" - where the fish are caught and thrown back after their fins are cut off - is globally widespread, according to the researchers from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada.

Some areas including Europe, the US, Canada and Australia have introduced anti-finning legislation but the practice continues in most other parts of the world, they added.

The Porbeagle shark is also under threat

Sharks are also caught accidentally by vessels looking for tuna, swordfish and other species.

The researchers, using information from nearly 100 papers, estimated global reported catches, unreported landings, discards and finning totalled 97 million fish caught in 2010.

The number is only slightly less than the estimated 100 million caught in 2000, and the 2010 figure could actually be as high as 273 million, said the study published in the journal Marine Policy.

It is thought between 6.4% and 7.9% of all sharks are killed each year, less than the 4.9% that means population stability can be maintained.

Anything over that threatens the long-term survival of species like the oceanic white tip, porbeagle and several kinds of hammerheads.

"There's a staggering number of sharks being caught every year and the number is way too high considering the biology of species," says Dalhousie biologist Boris Worm, the study's lead researcher.

The study said "protective measures have to be scaled up significantly in order to avoid further depletion and the possible extinction of sharks, with likely severe effects on marine ecosystems around the world".

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Protesters Torch Egypt Police Station

Protesters torch a police station in Port Said as US Secretary of State John Kerry lands in Cairo for talks.

The interior ministry said in a statement that around 500 protesters threw stones and petrol bombs at the police station, setting it on fire, and then blocked fire engines from getting to the blaze.

The protests had begun outside the station after two men were injured when a police truck hit them during earlier clashes in the city - now entering its third week of a general strike.

One person was killed and dozens injured in overnight clashes between police and protesters in the Nile delta city of Mansura, according to security officials.

Regular clashes have been taking place across Egypt amid a stalemate between Islamist President Mohamed Morsi and his secular-leaning opposition ahead of parliamentary elections next month.

It comes as Mr Kerry arrived in Egypt to press bickering leaders and opposition politicians to forge a consensus that will allow the country to emerge from economic crisis.

He is due to meet with a number of opposition figures before seeing Mr Morsi on Sunday.

US officials said Mr Kerry is particularly concerned that Egypt takes the reforms necessary to qualify for a $4.5bn International Monetary Fund loan package.

More follows...

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Britons Hurt In Coach Crash In Kenya

A number of Britons are being treated in hospital after the coach they were travelling in crashed in Kenya.

Around 15 people were believed to have been in the vehicle when the accident happened in the coastal city of Mombasa.

The Foreign Office has said it is providing consular assistance to the wounded British nationals.

The injuries are not believed to be life-threatening and is not known how many Britons were caught up in the crash.

Earlier, a Foreign Office spokesman said: "There has been a coach crash that we are aware of.

The number of Britons involved is not yet known

"We believe there are British nationals involved, and there are some injuries.

"We are sending staff there now and we'll have more details later.

"Indications are the injuries are not life-threatening but we won't know for certain until our people are on the scene."

People stand at the side of the road following the crash

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Delhi Rape: Seven-Year-Old 'Attacked In School'

A seven-year-old girl has been raped at a government school in northwest Delhi, according to Indian media.

The Times of India newspaper said the attack happened in the Mangolpuri area of the capital.

The girl's parents informed police after the injured child was taken to hospital.

It is understood a school guard has been detained and other staff at the facility, run by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), are being questioned.

Dr Sanjay Kumar, who helped treat the girl, said she had injuries consistent with rape.

Angry mobs gathered at the hospital and threw stones at a nearby bus, shattering its windows. Police cordoned off the road and were trying to disperse the crowd.

There has been a nationwide debate in India in recent months about the treatment of woman and girls and their safety.

Last month three sisters, aged six, nine and 11 were raped and murdered before their bodies were dropped in a village well.

In December a 23-year-old medical student was gang raped and attacked on a bus in Delhi. She died 13 days later after being flown to a hospital in Singapore.

Six men, including a 17-year-old, have been charged with her murder.

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South Africa Suspends Cops After Van Brutality

Several South African police officers have been suspended and a murder investigation launched after a video showed a man being handcuffed to a moving police van.

Police in Pretoria held a press conference to placate a nation outraged by the video showing taxi driver Mido Macia being dragged through the streets.

He was later found dead in a police cell with serious head and internal injuries.

National Commissioner of the South African Police Service, General Riah Phiyega, said that eight officers had been suspended and disarmed.

The station commander in Daveytown, a township east of Johannesburg, had also been removed from his post, she said.

The Independent Police Investigative Directorate has opened a murder investigation.

"Any one death is one too many," Ms Phiyega said. "We believe in the principle of police being policed."

The Daily Sun, a South African newspaper, posted footage of the dragging incident, which occurred on Tuesday.

It was apparently filmed by several people on mobile phones.

Witnesses said Mr Macia, 27, of Mozambique drew the attention of police when he parked in a way that blocked traffic, and then got into an row with officers.

"We are going to film this," several onlookers shouted in Zulu as the police subdued Mr Macia.

One bystander can be heard shouting: "What has this guy done?"

President Jacob Zuma condemned the killing of Mr Macia.

Some commentators drew comparisons with the 1977 death of anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko, who also suffered head injuries in police custody.

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