Explosions And Gunfire Near Somali Parliament

At least four policemen have been killed after al Qaeda-linked militants carried out a bomb and gun attack outside Somalia's parliament.

Police said at least six insurgents also died in the assault in a Mogadishu compound.

There were two explosions - one was from a car bomb which exploded at the gate of parliament house and the other was a suicide bomber on foot nearby.

A soldier died while trying to stop the bomber from entering parliament in the capital.

Police captain Mohammed Hussein said security forces had shot and killed four men.

The two other attackers who died were the driver of the car bomb and the bomber on foot.

"A car bomb exploded at the gate of the parliament house - then it was followed by a suicide bomber explosion. So far we have confirmed four policemen dead," said police colonel Farah Hussein.

Al Shabaab admitted carrying out the 2013 Westgate shopping centre attack

"The lawmakers and the other workers were rescued as soon as the car bomb exploded. But the terrorists are still firing from inside a mosque nearby," he added.

Militants from the al Qaeda-linked group al Shabaab, which fighting to overthrow Somalia's internationally-backed government, reportedly claimed responsibility for the blasts.

The organisation previously admitted it was behind last September's attack on the Westgate shopping centre in the Kenyan capital Nairobi in which scores of people were killed.

Al Shabaab said that assault was in retaliation for Kenyan forces carrying out anti-militant operations in neighbouring Somalia.

The group was pushed out of Mogadishu about two years ago but has waged a sustained guerrilla campaign.

It has claimed a series of suicide bomb attacks in the city.

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Thailand Police Confront Anti-Coup Protesters

Police and armed soldiers have been involved in a tense stand-off with protesters marching against the military coup in Thailand.

A group of around 200 demonstrators defied limits on public gatherings imposed since the army took control and refused to obey instructions not to march through Bangkok.

As the protesters marched from a shopping centre in the centre of the city they were met by a line of riot police, backed up by heavily-armed soldiers, and ordered to disperse.

Sky News Asia Correspondent Mark Stone, who is at the scene of the confrontation, said it had been "bloodless, but incredibly tense".

He said: "This is very tense because one of the key conditions the general now in charge of this country made was that he did not want any political gatherings of more than five people."

Soldiers descended from a truck as the situation became more tense

Former Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra was in a "safe place" on Saturday, an aide said, after being held by the army following a coup this week,

The army moved on Thursday after failing to forge a compromise in a power struggle between Ms Yingluck's populist government and the royalist establishment, which brought months of unrest to Bangkok's streets.

The military detained Ms Yingluck on Friday when she and scores of other people, most of them her political allies, were summoned to an army facility in Bangkok. 

Lines of riot police and soldiers confronted the protesters

Thailand has been locked in political crisis since a 2006 military coup that deposed Ms Yingluck's elder brother Thaksin Shinawatra, a billionaire tycoon who clashed with the royalist establishment.

His Red Shirt supporters had warned that any military overthrow of the government could trigger civil war and all eyes are now on how his movement will respond.

US Secretary of State John Kerry said there was "no justification" for the military takeover.

He said it would have "negative implications" for US relations, and demanded early elections.

British ambassador to Thailand Mark Kent said British citizens should "exercise extreme caution" and follow travel advice and media updates."

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Pope's Delicate Mission In The Middle East

By Tom Rayner, Middle East Reporter, Jerusalem

Pope Francis has arrived in Jordan at the start of a whirlwind three-day tour to the Middle East.

During the visit the head of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics will also visit the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Israel, hold talks with national leaders and deliver 13 speeches - all in just over 48 hours.

The Vatican says the aim is raise awareness of the exodus of Christians from the region in the face of increasing persecution, as well as to call for support for refugees and greater unity between the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

In an effort to promote inter-religious dialogue, the Pope will be accompanied by a Rabbi and an Imam, both close friends from his home city of Buenos Aires in Argentina.

But while the Vatican insists the visit is a religious mission, the programme is fraught with potential political stumbling blocks, and every word delivered will be subject to intense scrutiny.

The Pontiff is expected to address the exodus of Christians from the region

The 77-year-old Pontiff was welcomed at Amman's Queen Alia International Airport, by an honour guard, Catholic leaders and Prince Ghazi bin Mohammed, King Abdullah II's chief adviser for religious and cultural affairs.

He was then due to meet the King before the first public mass of the visit where he is expected to address the plight of Christians in the Middle East.

He will then travel to visit the site where Jesus is believed to have been baptised at Bethany, before meeting with Syrian refugees and disabled young people.

On Sunday, he will fly by helicopter to Bethlehem, where he will hold a meeting with President Abbas before commencing the largest public mass of the visit in Manger Square, outside the Church of the Nativity.

Mayor of Bethlehem Vera Baboun says she believes his message will be one of hope for many Palestinians.

"The Pope is an adamant believer in peace, and adamant believer in the right of the discriminated-against and the marginalised", she told Sky News.

The Christian population has been declining steadily across the Middle East

"When he comes here, he will be praying for peace to the Palestinians, praying the message of peace from the place that the message was ordained."

Following the mass he will meet with children at the Deheisheh Palestinian refugee camp near Bethlehem, before heading to Tel Aviv to receive an official welcome to Israel from President Shimon Peres, and then on to Jerusalem.

The 50th anniversary of an historic meeting between Pope Paul VI and Orthodox Patriarch Athenagoras, which ended hundreds of years of division between the two branches of Christianity, will be marked by a joint prayer meeting of Catholic and Orthodox priests at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

The final day of the visit will see Pope Francis visit the grounds of the Al Aqsa Mosque as well as the Western Wall, the most holy site in Judaism, and the Holocaust memorial at Yad Vashem, before a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The visit will conclude with a mass at the Cenacle in Jerusalem, the site at which the last supper is thought to have taken place.

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Zuma Pledges SA 'Economic Transformation'

Jacob Zuma has been sworn in again as South African president vowing "economic transformation" will take "centre stage" in his second term in power.

He pledged the economy would be put on an "inclusive growth path" and promised to promote "broad-based black economic empowerment".

There have been concerns that much of the economy remains in the hands of South Africa's white minority.

In his speech to a cheering crowd of thousands, Mr Zuma said his country was "a much better place to live in now than before 1994".

But he added that poverty, unemployment and other problems persisted despite many improvements.

The ceremony, attended by dignitaries including the leaders of Nigeria and Zimbabwe, was marked by dance, prayer, a 21-gun salute and flyovers by the air force.

It took place in the amphitheatre of Pretoria's Union Buildings - the seat of government - where just five months before Nelson Mandela's body lay in state.

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan was among the dignitaries

"Today marks the beginning of the second phase of our transition from apartheid to a national democratic society," Mr Zuma said, promising a bigger economic role for the state.

Mr Zuma was a former anti-apartheid activist who was jailed for 10 years on Robben Island, the same prison where Mr Mandela was held for many years.

As president, Mr Zuma has been hit by criticism over a scandal surrounding more than $20m (£12m) in state spending on his private home.

On May 7, the ruling African National Congress (ANC) won elections, continuing its political dominance since the end of the apartheid system that it had fought for decades.

The ANC retains a comfortable majority, but opposition parties have capitalised with some success on allegations of official corruption and mismanagement.

National elections are held every five years.

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Baby Caught After Two-Storey Plunge In China

CCTV footage has captured the dramatic moment a baby was caught by a passerby after falling two storeys from a building in China.

The one-year-old had apparently got out of a window during a thunderstorm when he slipped from the building in Guangdong Province.

Cameras trained on the street below showed the hero, Mr Li, with his arms outstretched as the baby began to fall.

He then rushes forwards and clings on to the youngster despite the pouring rain.

Mr Li said: "I didn't think too much at the time.

"I was just afraid of failing to catch him. Some people put down cardboard to avoid serious injuries to the baby if I failed to catch him."

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Thailand Coup: Politicians Banned From Leaving

Timeline Of Thai Political Crisis

Updated: 3:24pm UK, Thursday 22 May 2014

Thailand has a long history of political unrest with the army staging at least 11 coups since the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932.

The latest crisis has its roots in the 2006 military overthrow of prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was embroiled in a telecoms corruption scandal.

September 2006: Thailand's armed forces oust Thaksin in a bloodless coup and impose martial law.

December 2007: The People Power Party made up of Thaksin's allies, wins elections and forms a coalition government.

May 2008: Royalist anti-Thaksin Yellow Shirts relaunch street protests that led to the 2006 coup.

September 2008: State of emergency declared after clashes between pro and anti-government groups leave one person dead and dozens wounded.

Constitutional Court strips Thaksin-allied prime minister Samak Sundaravej of his powers, ruling he illegally accepted payments for hosting TV cooking shows. Thaksin's brother-in-law Somchai Wongsawat takes his place.

October 2008: Clashes between police and demonstrators leave two people dead and nearly 500 wounded.

Court sentences Thaksin in his absence to two years in jail for corruption after he flees the country.

November-December, 2008: Thousands of Yellow Shirts blockade Bangkok's airports. State of emergency imposed for nearly two weeks.

December 2008: Constitutional Court dissolves Somchai's party, forcing him from office. British-born Abhisit Vejjajiva of the Democrats becomes premier in a parliamentary vote with army backing.

January-March 2009: Red Shirts loyal to Thaksin stage mass protests in the capital against Abhisit's government.

April 2009: Red Shirts storm an Asian summit in the beach resort of Pattaya, forcing the evacuation of regional leaders. Riots and a 12-day state of emergency in Bangkok ensue, leaving two people dead.

March 2010: Tens of thousands of Red Shirts begin rolling demonstrations calling for Abhisit's government to step down, saying it is elitist and undemocratic.

April-May 2010: Street clashes between Red Shirt protesters and armed troops leave more than 90 people dead, mostly civilians, in the country's worst civil unrest in decades.

July 3 2011: Thaksin's allies sweep to power in elections on a wave of support from their Red Shirt followers.

August 2011: Parliament elects Thaksin's youngest sister Yingluck Shinawatra as Thailand's first female prime minister.

November 2012: Police fire tear gas at demonstrators as clashes erupt at the first major street protests against Ms Yingluck's government.

October 2013: Protests break out against an amnesty bill which critics say is aimed at allowing Thaksin - who went into self-imposed exile to avoid jail for a corruption conviction - to return home and escape prison.

November 2013: Opposition protesters occupy the finance and foreign ministries demanding Ms Yingluck resign.

December 2013: Police use water cannon and tear gas on protesters who storm the government and police headquarters. Opposition politicians resign en masse from parliament.

Ms Yingluck calls early elections as demonstrators return to the streets. Opposition announces a poll boycott.

February 2, 2014: Opposition demonstrators prevent 10,000 polling stations from opening for the election.

March 21, 2014: Constitutional Court declares February elections invalid.

April 30, 2014: Government announces new elections for July 20.

May 7, 2014: Constitutional Court removes Ms Yingluck and several cabinet ministers from office. New caretaker premier Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan appointed by remainder of cabinet.

May 15, 2014: The Election Commission says a general election scheduled for July 20 is "no longer possible" as polls cannot be held without the support of the protesters.

May 20, 2014: Army declares martial law, stressing the move "is not a coup".

May 22, 2014:  The country's armed forces announce a military coup.

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Thai General Gave Rival Leaders Three Options

Timeline Of Thai Political Crisis

Updated: 3:24pm UK, Thursday 22 May 2014

Thailand has a long history of political unrest with the army staging at least 11 coups since the end of the absolute monarchy in 1932.

The latest crisis has its roots in the 2006 military overthrow of prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who was embroiled in a telecoms corruption scandal.

September 2006: Thailand's armed forces oust Thaksin in a bloodless coup and impose martial law.

December 2007: The People Power Party made up of Thaksin's allies, wins elections and forms a coalition government.

May 2008: Royalist anti-Thaksin Yellow Shirts relaunch street protests that led to the 2006 coup.

September 2008: State of emergency declared after clashes between pro and anti-government groups leave one person dead and dozens wounded.

Constitutional Court strips Thaksin-allied prime minister Samak Sundaravej of his powers, ruling he illegally accepted payments for hosting TV cooking shows. Thaksin's brother-in-law Somchai Wongsawat takes his place.

October 2008: Clashes between police and demonstrators leave two people dead and nearly 500 wounded.

Court sentences Thaksin in his absence to two years in jail for corruption after he flees the country.

November-December, 2008: Thousands of Yellow Shirts blockade Bangkok's airports. State of emergency imposed for nearly two weeks.

December 2008: Constitutional Court dissolves Somchai's party, forcing him from office. British-born Abhisit Vejjajiva of the Democrats becomes premier in a parliamentary vote with army backing.

January-March 2009: Red Shirts loyal to Thaksin stage mass protests in the capital against Abhisit's government.

April 2009: Red Shirts storm an Asian summit in the beach resort of Pattaya, forcing the evacuation of regional leaders. Riots and a 12-day state of emergency in Bangkok ensue, leaving two people dead.

March 2010: Tens of thousands of Red Shirts begin rolling demonstrations calling for Abhisit's government to step down, saying it is elitist and undemocratic.

April-May 2010: Street clashes between Red Shirt protesters and armed troops leave more than 90 people dead, mostly civilians, in the country's worst civil unrest in decades.

July 3 2011: Thaksin's allies sweep to power in elections on a wave of support from their Red Shirt followers.

August 2011: Parliament elects Thaksin's youngest sister Yingluck Shinawatra as Thailand's first female prime minister.

November 2012: Police fire tear gas at demonstrators as clashes erupt at the first major street protests against Ms Yingluck's government.

October 2013: Protests break out against an amnesty bill which critics say is aimed at allowing Thaksin - who went into self-imposed exile to avoid jail for a corruption conviction - to return home and escape prison.

November 2013: Opposition protesters occupy the finance and foreign ministries demanding Ms Yingluck resign.

December 2013: Police use water cannon and tear gas on protesters who storm the government and police headquarters. Opposition politicians resign en masse from parliament.

Ms Yingluck calls early elections as demonstrators return to the streets. Opposition announces a poll boycott.

February 2, 2014: Opposition demonstrators prevent 10,000 polling stations from opening for the election.

March 21, 2014: Constitutional Court declares February elections invalid.

April 30, 2014: Government announces new elections for July 20.

May 7, 2014: Constitutional Court removes Ms Yingluck and several cabinet ministers from office. New caretaker premier Niwattumrong Boonsongpaisan appointed by remainder of cabinet.

May 15, 2014: The Election Commission says a general election scheduled for July 20 is "no longer possible" as polls cannot be held without the support of the protesters.

May 20, 2014: Army declares martial law, stressing the move "is not a coup".

May 22, 2014:  The country's armed forces announce a military coup.

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Germain Katanga Jailed For Congo War Crimes

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1:30pm UK, Friday 23 May 2014

Katanga is only the second person convicted by the international court

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Kidnap Victim 'So Happy' To Be With Family

LA Kidnap: Case Of Stockholm Syndrome?

Updated: 12:46pm UK, Thursday 22 May 2014

Authorities are expected to explore whether a woman who was kidnapped as a teenager and held for 10 years may have experienced Stockholm syndrome, which sees hostages sympathise with their abductors.

The victim, who remained unidentified, was initially locked up but was eventually allowed to lead what appeared from the outside to be a normal life, police said.

Investigators in Santa Ana, a suburb of Los Angeles, said she did try to escape her captor, Isidro Garcia, at least twice, but was severely beaten.

She appeared to have passed up other opportunities to escape, investigators said. 

According to authorities, the victim was new to the country, did not speak English and saw no way out of her situation as she lived under sustained physical and mental abuse.

She is believed to have been sexually abused and bore a child to her captor in 2012, five years after she was forced to marry him.

In other recent cases, such as the kidnapping of three women in Ohio, the victims were chained or tied up for most of the time.

It was still unclear if this was also the case with Garcia as no full details have emerged and police were investigating the circumstances of the abduction.

But neighbours said the couple seemed normal, hosting parties and going to church in Bell Gardens, a Los Angeles suburb where they lived for four years.

Garcia, who was known in the neighbourhood as Tomas Medrano, even bought a new car for the victim, who was known to neighbours as Laura Ortiz.

"I'm astounded she waited so long to say something," said Rita Salazar, who lived across the street from the couple and said she never saw any signs of trouble.

Neighbour Javier Campos said he did not believe the allegations.

Stockholm syndrome was identified in 1973 and named after a hostage situation in a bank in the Swedish capital.

During the course of the six-day ordeal, bank employees who were taken hostage came to sympathise with the abductors and defended them.

Perhaps the most famous example of Stockholm syndrome came a year later, when American heiress Patty Hearst was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army but joined the group later.

She was caught wielding a gun during a bank robbery and was later convicted for it. 

Dr Frank Ochberg, a prominent psychiatrist who helped define Stockholm syndrome, said people in kidnapping situations become "infantilised, dominated".

"They end up being attached to the person who dominates them, much like a child," Dr Ochberg told the AP news agency.

Small gifts, or token of kindness from a captor, such as a bit of food or a trip to the bathroom, can create positive feelings within the victim.

"Someone takes away the fear, the isolation, and we have positive feelings," he said.

"That could be the beginning of a trauma bond."

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China Market Explosion Kills Dozens In Urumqi

By Mark Stone, China Correspondent, in Beijing

An explosion at a market in the Chinese city of Urumqi has killed 31 people and left more than 90 injured.

According to witnesses quoted in state media, two 4x4 vehicles drove into a crowd of people in the centre of the city, which is the regional capital of the far northwestern Xinjiang Province.

Picture apparently showing the explosion in the market Pic: Weibo

Explosives were thrown from the vehicles, and one of the vehicles exploded, said Xinhua news agency.

The attack was described by China's Ministry of Public Security as "a serious violent terrorist incident of a particularly vile nature".

Pictures posted on China's version of Twitter, Weibo, show victims lying in a street strewn with debris.

One picture shows officials carrying a man with a badly-blooded head.

The pictures were taken by witnesses moments after the explosion and show flames rising from the market which, shortly before 8am, would have been busy.

On Weibo, one user with the alias "Clarence-DD" described what he saw: "(It) was only 300 metres from my home, so close. I don't know if it will happen to me next time. I only hope all are safe."

Urumqi is the capital of Xinjiang Province

Another witness, alias "Paikeluotuoci," posted: "It was before 8 this morning, (there were) several explosions took place near the Wenhuagong morning market, I was there, less than 100 metres away, I can see big smoke and people running around."

A user with the alias Suisuibusui wrote: "Two vehicles broke through police barrier, and drove into the morning market together, detonated explosives. 5 or 6 big sounds could be heard. One can smell the explosives from the north gate of the park."

Victims lying in a street full of debris Pic: Weibo

In a statement, Chinese President Xi Jinping said his government will "swiftly solve the case, harshly punish the terrorists, promptly recover the dead and treat the injured, offer condolences to the families of the injured, and strictly prevent any ripple effects to materialise from this."

The head of the Ministry of Public Security, Guo Shengqun, is on his way to Urumqi from Shanghai where he had been attending a major summit of Asian nations.

Meng Jianzhu, an official from China's Politburo, the top government body, said all will be done to help those caught up in the attack.

The market was busy at the time of the blast. Pic: Weibo

Xinjiang Province is the traditional home to China's Uighur Muslim population.

Over the past decade or so, an influx of the country's majority Han Chinese population has caused the Uighur community to complain of an erosion of their culture, their religion and their freedoms.

With a growing and worrying frequency, this resentment has manifested itself in violent attacks against government institutions and the Han Chinese population.

Attackers killed 29 people in Kunming train station in March

Three weeks ago, on the final day of a visit to the region by President Xi Jinping, a knife-wielding group attacked passengers at a train station in Urumqi.

One person was killed and 79 injured. The two attackers were killed by Chinese security personnel.

In March, a group of attackers stabbed to death 29 people on the concourse of Kunming train station in central China. A total of 143 people were injured.

A vehicle crashed into a crowd in Tiananmen Square last October

The incident, described within China as the country's 9/11, signalled to the Chinese government that Uighur extremist groups were capable of operating well outside Xinjiang province.

In December, a vehicle drove into railings in front of the iconic Tiananmen gate at the northern end of the hugely symbolic square in Beijing.

The Chinese government said the three occupants were all Uighur Muslims. They all died along with two tourists.

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