15/03/2007
9/11 Mastermind confesses to Pearl killing
Suspected 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has confessed to the
killing of US journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan in 2002. During a military
hearing at the U.S. naval prison at Guantanamo Bay, he also claimed to
have plotted 9/11 and many other attacks. But his claim that Pearl was
an Israeli intelligence agent has been dismissed by terrorism experts
and journalism colleagues as baseless.
I decapitated with my blessed right hand the head of the American Jew,
Daniel Pearl, in the city of Karachi, Pakistan," he is quoted as
saying in a revised transcript of US hearing. "For those who would
like to confirm, there are pictures of me on the Internet holding his
head."
Pearl, a 38-year-old reporter for the Wall Street Journal, was kidnapped
and killed in Pakistan in 2002.
The Kuwaiti-born al-Qaeda leader, arrested in Pakistan in 2003, claimed
he was sorry for killing children on 9/11.
The admissions of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed pave the way for the US to bring
him before a military tribunal, who could sentence him to death.
While urging caution, critics of the military tribunal system say it
is unfair and illegal and relies on torture for its evidence. 15/03/2007
Castro Fit enough to Run in 2008
Cording to National Assembly head Ricardo Alarcon, Cuba's ailing President
Fidel Castro will be "in perfect shape" to run for re-election
to parliament next year, the head of the National Assembly said. 15/03/2007
Trial jury selected in Black case
A jury was selected in the racketeering trial of media tycoon Lord Conrad
Black, who is accused of swindling the Hollinger International newspaper
empire he once ran out of $84 million. 15/03/2007
US marine justifies' Haditha Decisions
A US marine, charged with murdering 18 unarmed Iraqi civilians in Haditha,
Iraq, in 2005, said he regrets the deaths but would make the same decisions
again. 15/03/2007
Business
Japanese tycoon gets 2 1/2 years in prison
Former dot-com mogul Takafumi Horie has been found guilty of fraud, following
a six-month trial which has gripped corporate Japan. 15/03/2007
Cisco acquires WebEx for $3.4bn
Networking gaint Cisco Systems is to acquire web conferencing company WebEx
in a deal worth $3.2bn. 15/03/2007 Entertainment
Angelina Jolie adopts Vietnam boy
Film star Angelina Jolie has adopted a three-year-old boy she picked
up at an orphanage in southern Vietnam. 15/03/2007
Final Harry Potter to have record-breaking print run
Record 12 million copies of the final Harry Potter book are to be released
in its first US print run. 15/03/2007
Sports
Nadal sets up Roddick semi-final
Rafael Nadal set up a semi-final with Andy Roddick at the Indian Wells
Masters Series with a 7-5 7-5 win over Juan Ignacio Chela. 15/03/2007
Ilmor withdrawal stuns McWilliams
Veteran Northern Ireland rider Jeremy McWilliams is out of the MotoGP
series after his Ilmor team withdrew because of lack of sponsorship. 15/03/2007
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