Belgian Islamists Convicted On Terror Charges

A Belgian court has convicted the leader of an Islamist group and many of his followers for sending jihadists to Syria.

Fouad Belkacem, the chief of the now disbanded Sharia4Belgium group, was led into the court in handcuffs and smiled as he was jailed for 12 years.

Only eight of the 46 accused appeared in Antwerp's tightly secured courtroom during the five-month trial, with the remainder believed to be in Syria or to have died fighting.

Jejoen Bontinck and his father Dimitri (Photo: allainjules.com)

Judge Luc Potargent said: "Belkacem is responsible for the radicalisation of young men to prepare them for Salafist combat, which has at its core no place for democratic values.

"Sharia4Belgium recruited these young men for armed combat and organised their departure for Syria."

Video: Major Terror Trial In Belgium

Belgium has more jihadist fighters per head of population than any other European country, with authorities estimating 350 Belgians have left for Syria, and the sentence comes with the country on high alert after a plot to kill police was uncovered last month.

Belkacem, 32, a Moroccan-born car engineer, is already serving a two-year sentence for inciting hatred against non-Muslims.

He is known for his street sermons and was a leading figure in persuading young Belgians to fight in Syria, despite never having been there himself.

The aim of his group of radicals was to establish Sharia law in Belgium, an intention he expressed in a series of YouTube videos.

Public prosecutor Ann Fransen told reporters: "Belkacem's words can only be interpreted as a call to violence and jihad."

Video: How I Found My Son

One of the young men Belkacem was accused of radicalising is 20-year-old Jejoen Bontinck, who was charged with belonging to Sharia4Belgium.

Bontinck later became a key prosecution witness and was given a 40-month suspended sentence.

The teenager claimed he had travelled to Syria to help victims of the conflict, but his father, Dimitri, who brought him home, said he knew his son was being indoctrinated.

The other members of the group were sentenced to between three and five years in prison, with some of the sentences being suspended.

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TransAsia Offers £307,000 To Crash Families

Taiwan's TransAsia Airways will pay nearly half a million US dollars in compensation to relatives of each victim following a plane crash earlier this month.

The offer of $14.9m Taiwanese New Dollars (£307,000) for each family comes seven months after the airline made a similar payout to the families of 48 passengers killed in another crash last July.

TransAsia Airways Flight GE235 crashed last Wednesday just minutes after taking off from Taipei's Songshan airport.

There were 53 passengers and five crew on board and at least 42 of these were killed.

Dramatic footage captured by a bystander showed the plane hitting a road and cart-wheeling into the Keelung River.

Video: Plane Crash Recording Released

The compensation deal comes after private discussions held in Taipei between the airline and representatives of some of the families affected.

A spokesman for the airline said the amount was offered as compensation for each person who died in the accident, adding: "We hope to reach a settlement with the families.

"We can fully understand that it would be hard for the families to accept it immediately. Still we hope the representatives could take the proposal back and take it into consideration."

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1. Gallery: Survivors Of TransAsia Plane Crash

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Man Arrested Over Muslim Family's Murder

A man has reportedly been arrested on three counts of first-degree murder following a shooting in North Carolina.

Craig Stephen Hicks, 46, is being held in Durham County jail following the killings of three members of the same family in Chapel Hill.

Local media say the victims have been identified as Deah Shaddy Barakat, 23, his wife Yusor Abu-Salha, 21, and her sister, Razan Abu-Salha, 19, of Raleigh.

Mr Barakat is believed to have been a dental student at the University of North Carolina and volunteered with a charity providing emergency dental care to children in Palestine.

Hicks reportedly turned himself in

Hicks reportedly turned himself in after the shooting on Tuesday afternoon.

At the moment, police in Chapel Hill are not sure what the motive was.

Hicks reportedly described himself as an atheist on his Facebook page and regularly posted images and text condemning religion.

Some people on social media have claimed that the Muslim family were murdered "execution style", but that has not been confirmed.

In a statement police confirmed the three deaths and said the department is "questioning a person of interest in the crime and has reason to believe that there is no ongoing threat to the public".

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Over 300 Migrants Missing In Mediterranean

More than 300 migrants are missing after their boats sank in the Mediterranean, according to international agencies.

The information has come from nine survivors who arrived on the Italian island of Lampedusa on Wednesday.

They were among more than 300 who had left Libya on Saturday in two rubber dinghies, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said.

"Nine were saved after four days at sea. The other 203 were swallowed by the waves," a UN refugee agency spokeswoman said on Twitter.

The IOM said the surviving migrants spoke French, so probably came from west African nations such as Ivory Coast and Senegal.

Video: February - Italian Navy Rescue

"Because of the bad weather conditions, the two dinghies collapsed and the people fell at sea. Many drowned," IOM official Flavio Di Giacomo said.

He said the migrants had left with another dinghy carrying a group of Africans, 29 of whom died from exposure.

The tragedy is the latest in a whole series involving migrants trying to get to Italy from North Africa.

Video: January - Stranded Migrants Rescued

The crossing is short but perilous and the vessels used are often overcrowded and in poor condition.

Earlier this week, the Italian coastguard said at least 29 people had died from hypothermia while travelling from North Africa to Italy's coast.

In late December the coastguard said they narrowly averted a "massacre" after a cargo ship was abandoned off the southern coast of Italy with more than 900 Syrian refugees on board.

Video: Europe's Migrant Crisis In Numbers

Officers said the Blue Sky M's engines had been locked and its steering set on a course which would have seen it run aground in Italy's Puglia region.

A few days later another cargo ship was found abandoned by its crew off Italy with over 300 migrants on board, mostly from Syria.

The Italian navy took control of the ageing Sierra Leone-flagged ship, the Ezadeen, and steered it to the port of Corigliano Calabro.

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Russia Looks With Envy At China's Economy

By Katie Stallard, Moscow Correspondent, in Blagoveshchensk

Blagoveshchensk translates as the "city of good news", but there has been precious little of that for the Russian economy lately.

The value of the rouble has plummeted and the country is heading into recession, hit by the falling oil price and Western sanctions.

Russia's sovereign credit rating has been downgraded to one notch above junk level.

The government says inflation could reach 17% this year, but people we spoke to on the streets of Blagoveshchensk in the Russian Far East said prices in shops were already spiralling.

"The prices have really jumped here,"  said 75-year-old Valentina Kirrilova.

Spiralling prices are hitting home on the Russian side of the river

"It's awful, horrible. I can come to a shop with 1,000 roubles (approximately £10) and it's not enough to buy anything."

An elderly couple said prices were rising "for everything".

From the riverside in Blagoveshchensk, they can look across to the gleaming towers of Heihe City in China.

The two great powers are separated by just a few hundred metres, the breadth of the frozen Amur River.

There were plans to build a bridge to make this a trade gateway between Russia and China.

But, as with so much of the Russian economy, the promised development has so far failed to materialise.

Instead, you take an old bus over a temporary pontoon bridge - in summer everything has to go by boat.

This time last year Russians found shopping on the Chinese side cheap, but now it's the other way around - the rouble buys you half as much.

Restaurant owner Dmitry Gudzovskiy says business in Russia is 'impossible'

Lubov Pikolova moved here from Russia five years ago. She works in one of Heihe's hotels and sees better prospects in China.

"We have non-stop crises in Russia," she explained.

"We always have to pay for this or for that. It's not easy economically to live in Russia, so many people are trying to leave it."

Others are coming for health care. In a Chinese dental clinic we found a number of Russian patients.

"Many Russians are coming here for dentistry because it's high quality," patient Inna Sergienko said.

"The prices are low and they are excellent doctors."

Back on the Russian side, we met businessman Dmitry Gudzovskiy, who runs two Chinese restaurants in Blagoveschensk.

He outlined the problems of doing business in Russia - the endless battle with bureaucracy, and to stay on the right side of the many laws.

There are plans to boost trade by building a bridge to Heihe City

"Not a single businessman will tell you on camera that he is paying bribes, but you should guess yourself," he said.

"You cannot do everything correctly in business, it's just impossible. If you will act as it is written in law you should stop your business right now and just go home.

"I think that the biggest problem of the Russian economy is that there is no dialogue between the Russian government and businessmen, they don't talk to us, they treat us as vassals."

Down by the Amur River, a bronze Soviet border guard stands to attention, a monument to a lost empire.

While the oil price was high, it was easy to believe President Vladimir Putin was rebuilding that power, reclaiming Russia's place in the world, but it doesn't feel so convincing here now.

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Topless Protesters Climb On Strauss-Kahn's Car

Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been confronted by topless protesters outside a courthouse in France before taking the stand at his "aggravated pimping" trial.

The economist was ambushed as his car approached the building, with Femen activists climbing on to the roof and shouting insults.

Many of the women had "guilty" scrawled on their half-naked bodies, amid allegations that Strauss-Kahn was involved in a prostitution ring.

Police attempted to cover up the women after they were handcuffed

Police handcuffed the demonstrators and forcibly removed them from the scene, throwing coats over the women's exposed chests.

Strauss-Kahn, the former head of the International Monetary Fund, faces 10 years behind bars and a £1.1m fine if he is found guilty of organising prostitutes to attend sex parties with him in luxury hotels around the world.

The activists are part of the provocative Femen group

In court, the 65-year-old denied any wrongdoing and insisted that his attendance at sex parties was rare.

The one-time presidential hopeful is expected to say that engaging in orgies with consenting adults is within his rights, and that he was unaware that the women giving him attention were prostitutes.

Strauss-Kahn denies any wrongdoing

In 2011, a maid accused Strauss-Kahn of sexual assault at a luxury hotel in New York. That case was eventually settled in a civil suit.

His lawyer, Henri Leclerc, said at the time: "In these circumstances one isn't always clothed, and I challenge you to tell the difference between a prostitute naked and any other woman naked."

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Charles Urged To Address Human Rights In Saudi

Prince Charles is under pressure to raise humanitarian concerns when he meets Saudi Arabia's new king, Salman.

The Prince of Wales will be arriving in Riyadh on the latest leg of a six-day tour of Middle East countries which border areas dominated by Islamic State militants.

He has been asked to raise the case of jailed Saudi blogger Raif Badawi, who faces 1,000 lashes and at least ten years in jail after he was convicted of insulting Islam.

Saudi blogger Raif Badawi faces being flogged for insulting Islam

Kate Allen, Amnesty International UK director, said: "We don't expect Prince Charles to give up the red carpets and state banquets and become a human rights campaigner, but as a man who knows the Middle East well we hope that he will use this visit to pass on a few well-chosen words to his royal hosts.

"We know that freedom of religion is an issue close to the Prince's heart, and in Saudi Arabia he will surely want to raise the outrageous case of Raif Badawi. We still need the UK government to do more on Raif's case, but Charles' diplomatic intercession could help secure this man's freedom."

Video: January: PM and Charles in Saudi

Amnesty has also called on the Prince to highlight the plight of foreign workers employed to build the infrastructure of the 2022 World Cup when he goes to Qatar.

Charles, and Prime Minister David Cameron, were criticised last month after visiting Saudi Arabia to pay respects following the death of the nation's 90-year-old King Abdullah.

The decision following the King's death to fly flags at half-mast on key public buildings in London, including Downing Street, drew sharp criticism from prominent politicians.

Video: 2014: Charles In Saudi Costume

They highlighted claims of Saudi Arabia's abuses of free speech, women's rights and the country's role as a cradle of Islamist extremism.

Charles began his trip to the region by warning about radicalisation among young Muslims in the UK.

It is an issue he is likely to raise when holding talks with Crown Prince Muqrin and other senior Saudi government figures.

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Don't Arm Ukraine, Russia Tells The West

Moscow has hit out at calls for the West to arm Ukraine in the fight against rebels in the east of the country.

A Kremlin spokesman said it would be regarded as an attempt to destabilise the situation - as would the extension of sanctions against Russia.

The warning came ahead of further talks on Wednesday aimed at ending the Ukraine conflict, which has cost more than 5,300 lives since April.

The planned meeting, in the Belarussian capital Minsk, follows last week's discussions between Russian president Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko, led by Germany and France.

Representatives of Ukraine, Russia, separatists and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe are meeting later to lay the groundwork for Wednesday's negotiations.

Video: Washington Talks Over Ukraine

Details of last week's talks have not been revealed although a French diplomatic official said they included the setting up of a demilitarised zone between Ukraine and Russia, which remained a sticking point.

US President Barack Obama has come under increasing pressure to provide military aid to Ukraine amid claims Russia has been arming the rebels -  claims denied by Moscow.

After meeting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Washington on Monday, Mr Obama said he had ordered his team to see "whether there are additional things we can do to help Ukraine bolster its defences in the face of Russian aggression".

However, Ms Merkel is firmly opposed to arming the Ukrainian military, saying it will hinder attempts to find a solution to the violence. "It has always proved to be right to try again and again to sort such a conflict," she said through a translator.

Video: Dramatic Moment Rocket Hits Hall

A peace deal was reached last Autumn but it has been repeatedly been violated by both sides, and bloodshed has increased significantly in the past two weeks.

On Tuesday, the Ukrainian national guard reportedly launched an offensive against pro-Russian separatists near the strategic south-eastern port city of Mariupol.

The day before, a powerful explosion rocked a chemical plant in the rebel stronghold of Donetsk after shelling by government forces.

According to the Ukraine military, seven of its soldiers have been killed and 23 wounded in fighting with rebels in the past 24 hours.

Video: Could the U.S. Arm Ukraine?

A spokesman said fighting was particularly intense around the town of Debaltseve, a major rail and road junction northeast of Donetsk.

Meanwhile, about 2,000 Russian reconnaissance troops have started month-long exercises in southern Russia, Interfax news agency has reported.

Another news agency, RIA, said more than 600 were in Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in March.

On Monday, Kiev said about 1,500 Russian troops had crossed the border into Ukraine via rebel-controlled border posts over the weekend.

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   Ukrainian servicemen unload Grad rockets from a truck before launching them towards pro-Russian separatist forces outside Debaltseve, eastern Ukraine

At least nine Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 26 wounded in fighting with Russian-backed separatists in Ukraine's eastern regions in the past 24 hours

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Plight Of Refugees Fleeing Terror Of Boko Haram

By Alex Crawford, Sky's special correspondent in Manoua, northern Cameroon

The terror of Boko Haram has forced a six-week delay for Nigeria's presidential elections - but few Nigerians who have escaped the extremists believe their power will be curbed in that time.

Safety has come at a heavy price for tens of thousands of Nigerians who have run away from the Islamic militant group and are now sheltering in neighbouring Cameroon.

They scratch around for food and complain bitterly at the shortage of water in the huge refugee camp north of Maroua which is now their home.

There are rows and rows of tents made of plastic sheeting supplied by the UN refugee agency UNHCR which now house families - but there are also large numbers of fragile one-room stick homes.

Thousands of people have fled to Cameroon to escape attacks by Boko Haram

Halima Adam and her five children live in one of them.

Tears roll down her cheeks as she tells Sky News how the militant fighters murdered her husband and she fled for her life, over the border to Cameroon.

Video: Victim Speaks About Boko Terror

A free and fair election in her homeland is not her first priority right now. Surviving is.

"I'm hungry," cries her 12-year-old daughter Aisha. Her three-year-old sister asks her mother: "Maybe they've come to give us food or water?" She's talking about the foreigners in their shack - us.

But along with the tens of thousands like her, she will not be able to vote in the upcoming Nigerian elections.

Video: Forces Deployed Against Boco Haram

The polls have been delayed for six weeks until March 28 in the hope that the danger of Boko Haram can be more adequately contained.

But few believe that is the sole reason for the vote delay or that the militants who have grown increasingly powerful in northern Nigeria, can be cowed in that time.

Many sceptics believe the set-back to the voting could have more to do with the increasingly close race between the current President Goodluck Jonathan, who is seeking re-election, and his rival, Muhammedu Buhari.

Video: Safety Fears Delay Nigeria Election

Certainly many of the refugees we spoke to in the huge camp (31,222 registered refugees but locals say the more accurate figure is 47,000+) insist they feel let down by their government and the Nigerian army.

"The military have sold us to the Boko Haram fighters," said Yohanna Ayamesi, one of the refugees.

"They're just playing with Boko Haram. There were 30 of us and the militants killed 27. I'm just one of three who survived. The powerful Nigerian army can't take on Boko Haram. They are working with them. They have sold out the poor of Nigeria."

Video: Boko Haram Operation In Nigeria

His view is replicated through much of the camp and in northern Nigeria.

The attacks by Boko Haram appear to be every more frequent and deadly.

The extremist group wants to create its own caliphate across Western Africa much like Islamic State in Syria and Iraq - and the violence is spilling more and more often across the Nigerian borders and into her neighbours' backyards.

Video: Boko Haram Abducts 50 Children

Cameroon and Niger have both suffered Boko Haram attacks within the past week alone. Niger had two attacks within three days.

The decision by the five West African nations of Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger, Benin and Chad have agreed to pool resources and deploy a combined force of 8,750 troops into the area by probably as early as next month.

But the idea that they will be able to curb the militant group's activities within the next six weeks before the new election date, is seen as hopelessly optimistic by most civilians.

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Gunman Knocked Down In Attempted Car-Jacking

Footage has been revealed of an armed man trying to escape a high-speed police chase by hijacking a car on a busy motorway.

Two men had been tracked by police from Queensland, Australia, on a 93-mile (150km) police chase from near Brisbane through to New South Wales.

Police halted the blue Mitsubishi Lancer with road spikes at Tweed Heads before one of the men fired his semi-automatic handgun at police.

He then tried to shoot at a passing car, forcing it to stop suddenly and the car behind it to plough into its back, sending belongings across the busy Pacific Motorway.

Both drivers appeared unhurt.

Apparently trying to hijack another car, the 32-year-old pointed his gun at another vehicle, which struck him, knocking the gun from his hand.

Lying by the roadside, the man was then arrested by police, who had been following the pair while dodging bullets.

The other man, aged 20, was also arrested by police.

New South Wales Police said the men have been charged with intent to murder, discharging a firearm to avoid arrest, attempted car-jacking and Skye's law.

Skye's law is aimed at greater punishment for people who lead police on dangerous high-speed chases and is named after 19-month-old Skye Sassine, who was killed when two alleged thieves crashed into her parents' car in Sydney.

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