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EU slaps sanctions on Assad’s wife, relatives Asma al-Assad, Syria’s First Lady
US soldier Bales to face murder charges over Afghan massacre
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Joachim Gauck is being sworn-in at the Reichstag in Berlin. — Reuters
Coroner says Whitney drowned accidentally
Mali govt leaders ‘safe & sound’
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EU slaps sanctions on Assad’s wife, relatives
Beirut, March 23 The trio were among 12 Syrians added to a list of figures already hit with EU travel bans and asset freezes, diplomats said. Foreign ministers in Brussels also barred European firms from trading with two Syrian oil companies. "With this new listing we are striking at the heart of the Assad clan, sending out a loud and clear message to Assad: he should step down," said Dutch Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal. The decision came on a day of renewed violence across Syria, with the army firing at least 24 mortar rounds into the rebellious city of Homs, in central Syria, killing up to eight civilians, opposition supporters said. Live television feeds from around Syria showed a slew of anti-Assad rallies, including in the Damascus district of Barzeh, in the northwestern city of Hama, in Qamishli in the Kurdish east, and in the southern city of Deraa. "Damascus here we come," read several placards held up by the relatively small crowds. Activists said eight people were wounded after demonstrations near five Damascus mosques were broken up. On the diplomatic front, the UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, who is leading international efforts to stop the relentless mayhem, planned to travel to Moscow and Beijing this weekend for talks on the crisis, his spokesman said. Russia and China have resisted Western and Arab demands that Assad stand down and have vetoed two UN resolutions highly critical of Damascus. However, they supported a Security Council statement this week calling for peace, in a move that analysts saw as a sign they were adopting a tougher stance on Syria. Nevertheless, both Russia and China voted against a call by the UN Human Rights Council on Friday to extend a probe into violations committed by Syrian forces. The motion passed regardless, with 41 of the forum's 47 members voting in favour. The new EU sanctions build on 12 previous rounds of sanctions aimed at isolating Assad, including an arms embargo and a ban on importing Syrian oil to the European Union. Full details will be released on Saturday, when the measures come into force, but diplomats confirmed that Assad's British-born wife was on the new list. — Reuters
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US soldier Bales to face murder charges over Afghan massacre Washington, March 23 Responsible for one of the worst American atrocities of Afghan war, 38-year-old Bales would be formally charged, the official said on condition of anonymity, adding that the charges confirm the US soldier was fully aware of his actions and that the slayings were premeditated. Charges against the soldier, who is currently lodged in a high-secure prison, include 17 counts of murder, six counts of attempted murder and six counts of aggravated assault as well as dereliction of duty and other violations of military law. Blake faces trial under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. "The murder charges indicate that Army prosecutors have concluded that the slayings were premeditated and that Bales was fully aware of his actions, but Bales's civilian attorney has said that his client does not remember much about what happened in the pre-dawn hours of March 11," The Washington Post reported. John Henry Browne, a lawyer for the soldier said he expected the charges. "I'm not persuaded by many facts," he told The New York Times. "There's no crime scene. There's no DNA. There's no confession, although they're leaking something, which I don’t believe until I see it. This is going to be a hard case for the government to prove. And my client can't help me a lot with some of the things because he has mental problems and I believe they’re totally legitimate," he was quoted as saying. — PTI
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Berlin, March 23 The election of 72-year-old Gauck last Sunday has raised hopes that a charismatic figure of such ethical stature can revive faith in a post, which is largely ceremonial but symbolically important for Germany following his predecessor's ignominious exit. "I would like to ask you all for a gift: your trust," Gauck said in a moving speech to the Reichstag, the German parliament which was set on fire on 1933 and bombed in World War II. Chancellor Angela Merkel and lawmakers from across the political divide warmly applauded the President's maiden speech. Despite their shared history - Merkel is the daughter of an East German pastor and grew up under communism - she opposed his first candidacy in 2010 in favour of her conservative colleague Christian Wulff. — Reuters
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Coroner says Whitney drowned accidentally Los Angeles, March 23 The autopsy results have dispelled speculation surrounding the mysterious death of the 48-year-old pop star on February 11 in Beverly Hills hotel. The singer, who was found dead in the bathtub, had traces of cocaine in her system and may have had a heart attack at the time of her death. Houston suffered from a pre-existing condition known as atherosclerotic heart disease which is intensified with the use of cocaine and other narcotics, the Los Angeles Times reported. — PTI
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Mali govt leaders ‘safe & sound’ Bamako, March 23 Captain Amadou Sanogo said President Amadou Toumani Toure was safe and "doing very well", saying he did not want to reveal his whereabouts, which remain unclear. Members of Toure's entourage said yesterday he was under the protection of his elite paratrooper guard at a military barracks. However it was not clear if this was still the case a day later. Several government ministers were arrested when the mutinous troops attacked the presidential palace on Wednesday night. "These people are safe and sound. We will not touch a hair on their heads. I will hand them over to the courts so that the Malian people know the truth," Sanogo told journalists in an interview. He was speaking at a military barracks 15 km from Bamako, surrounded by rank-and-file soldiers, who appear to form the backbone behind the coup, with few officers among the coup leaders. — AFP
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The
European
Union
slapped
sanctions on the mother, sister and influential wife of President Bashar al-Assad today, increasing pressure on Syria to halt its bloody crackdown against a year-long uprising.
The trio were among 12 Syrians added to a list of figures already hit with EU travel bans and asset freezes, diplomats said.
American soldier Staff Sgt Robert Bales will be charged with 17 counts of murder of civilians, including women and children, in a shooting rampage in Afghanistan, a senior US official said today.
Mali’s coup leader said today that the President and members of the government arrested by soldiers were safe and sound and the ministers would soon be handed over to the courts for trial.
