South Korea rescues Samho Jewelry crew from pirates

The Choi Young was despatched to track down the ship and rescue the crew

PIRACY CRISIS

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South Korean navy commandos have stormed a cargo ship which had been seized by pirates in the Arabian Sea.

All 21 crew members of the South Korean-owned Samho Jewelry were rescued, said Lt Gen Lee Sung-ho of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The navy said eight of the pirates had been killed and five captured.

South Korea is part of a multinational anti-piracy patrol in the area - it had dispatched a warship after the vessel was seized on Saturday.

The unprecedented rescue mission took place about 1,300km (800 miles) off the coast of Somalia and was described by Lt Gen Lee as "a perfect military operation".

The 11,500-tonne Samho Jewelry had been carrying chemicals from the United Arab Emirates towards Sri Lanka when it was hijacked in the waters between Oman and India.

Earlier in the week, President Lee Myung-Bak told the navy to take "all possible measures" to free the eight South Koreans, two Indonesians and 11 Burmese on board.

The Choi Young destroyer had been pursuing the ship for nearly a week, and the navy said the pirates appeared to have been weakened by the chase.

Lt Gen Lee said there were also concerns that they were expecting a mother ship to arrive soon to give them support.

“Start Quote

We will not tolerate any behaviour that threatens the lives and safety of our people in the future”

End Quote Lee Myung-Bak South Korean President

"Since we thought we could be in an extremely difficult situation if the pirates joined forces, we chose today to carry out the operation," he said.

Lt Gen Lee said the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff had taken advice from the Fifth Fleet - the US Navy division based in Bahrain - before the mission, and that the raid was carried out with support from a US destroyer.

'Never negotiate'

The Choi Young moved in when some of the pirates left the Samho Jewelry, apparently to attack a Mongolian ship nearby.

Commandos boarded the ship while a smaller boat and a helicopter were sent to rescue to Mongolian vessel.

"Three of our soldiers suffered light scratches on their bodies as they were fired upon by pirates on Tuesday," said Col Lee Bung-Woo, a spokesman for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

• In pictures: South Korea navy rescue

"Our Lynx helicopter immediately returned fire and several pirates fell into the waters. We believe they are dead."

Officials said eight of the 13 pirates on board were killed, although their bodies have not been found. Five were captured alive.

The captain of the ship suffered a bullet wound to the stomach but his condition was not thought to be life-threatening - he was praised for his actions in assisting the rescue.

"Pirates sought to take the vessel to the Somalian coast fast but the skipper helped us earn time by manoevering the vessel in a serpentine manner," said Lt Gen Lee.

"This operation demonstrated our government's strong will to never negotiate with pirates," he said.

In a televised statement after the mission, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak said the military had "carried out the operation perfectly under difficult circumstances".

"I appreciate it and send a message of encouragement," he said.

"We will not tolerate any behaviour that threatens the lives and safety of our people in the future."

Family members of the crew said the news of the rescue was "breathtaking".

"I feel so relieved," said the son of crew member Kim Doo-Chan. "I'm ecstatic."

The Gulf of Aden, between Yemen and Somalia, is one of the world's busiest shipping routes and has become a hotspot for pirate attacks.

Last year, Somali pirates received a record ransom of $9.5m (£5.8m) after seizing another ship owned by Samho Shipping.

The Samho Dream supertanker had been hijacked in the Indian Ocean in April.

Pope makes moral appeal to Italian public officials

The Pope did not mention Mr Berlusconi

Pope Benedict XVI has said public officials must offer a strong moral example, his first apparent comment on the sex scandal engulfing Italy's PM.

Though Silvio Berlusconi's name was not explicitly mentioned, the Pope's words echo those of a senior Vatican official who said the issue was troubling.

Mr Berlusconi's lawyers have said he will not attend questioning on charges that he paid for sex with a minor.

He has denied the allegations, which he insists are politically motivated.

"Society and public institutions must rediscover their soul, their moral and spiritual roots," Pope Benedict said in front of an audience of police chiefs in the capital, Rome.

"The singular vocation that the city of Rome requires today of you, who are public officials, is to offer a good example of the positive and useful interaction between a healthy lay status and the Christian faith."

Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said earlier that those in authority should show a more "robust morality".

Italy's President Giorgio Napolitano has also been outspoken on the matter, saying more "sobriety and responsibility" is needed from public figures in times of austerity.

'Indecent example'

Milan prosecutors have placed the prime minister and three associates under investigation, alleging he paid for sex with a 17-year-old girl nicknamed Ruby. They also allege that he had sex with several prostitutes during parties at his Milan estate.

Ms Mahroug, nicknamed Ruby, has denied being paid to have sex with the prime minister

Frequenting prostitutes is not a crime in Italy but having sex with one under the age of 18 is an imprisonable offence.

According to unsourced comments published in Italy's left-leaning newspaper La Repubblica, Mr Berlusconi dismissed the Pope's comments as being too generic to refer specifically to him.

But the BBC's David Willey, in Rome, says there was no mistaking the Pope's intention.

He says the fact that the pontiff added his voice to the criticism is very significant as the Roman Catholic Church remains very powerful in the country.

Mr Berlusconi, despite the numerous scandals that have surrounded him, has tried to position his conservative coalition as supportive of the Church's stance on family, life and social issues.

In a highly critical editorial on its website, the influential Famiglia Cristiana publication said that Mr Berlusconi had divided Italian Catholics as never before, arguing that his actions represented "an indecent representation of how to live".

Mr Berlusconi's lawyers have been quoted by Italian media as saying the Milanese prosecutors do not have the jurisdiction to investigate the matter.

Much of the investigation focuses on Karima El Mahroug, an 18-year-old Moroccan belly-dancer who attended Mr Berlusconi's parties when she was 17 and, prosecutors say, was paid to have sex with him.

Both Mr Berlusconi and Ms Mahroug have denied having sexual relations, and she has described a sum of 7,000 euros (£5,900) that he gave her as a gift.

French foreign minister gets hostile reception in Gaza

Ms Alliot-Marie's alleged comments about Gilad Shalit sparked anger

The French foreign minister has been mobbed by Palestinian protesters on her arrival in Gaza.

They were angry at incorrect reports that Michele Alliot-Marie had said the five-year captivity of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by Hamas was a war crime.

Other news reports from her meeting with the soldier's father on Thursday suggested she had said Sgt Shalit should receive Red Cross visits.

The Israeli-French dual national was captured by militants in June 2006.

A small crowd of protesters - many of them relatives of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons - tried to block Ms Alliot-Marie's car after it went through the Erez crossing into Gaza.

Some held pictures of Palestinian prisoners and banners saying "Get out of Gaza". Other protesters banged on the bonnet and threw shoes at the vehicle.

Later, as the French minister left a hospital she had been visiting, her car was pelted with eggs.

Ms Alliot-Marie, who was unhurt in the incident, has dismissed it as "not very serious".

"Among the demonstrators were mothers whose sadness I can understand, but there were others who had other intentions," she told reporters.

Impassioned appeal

Ms Alliot-Marie is on her first trip to the Middle East since her appointment to the post last November.

Many of the protesters have relatives being held in Israeli prisons

In Jerusalem she met Sgt Shalit's father, Noam Shalit. Afterwards he said the minister had promised to speak to the European Union and "to pass on the message that the prisoner should receive visits from the Red Cross".

Mr Shalit then told reporters: "Holding a hostage without allowing him to meet representatives of the Red Cross is a war crime."

Some media outlets, including Israeli radio, then attributed the comment to Ms Alliot-Marie.

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said her reported comments reflected a "total bias toward Israel" and ignored the thousands of Palestinians held by Israel.

"They are the true prisoners of war," he said.

While in Gaza, the French minister issued an impassioned call for an end to Israel's blockade of the impoverished Palestinian territory, according to AFP news agency.

"The blockade of Gaza breeds poverty and fuels violence. In the spirit of the values of freedom and dignity that we share, France calls on Israel to stop it," Ms Alliot-Marie is quoted as saying.

Tunisia's UGTT trade union urges 'salvation cabinet'

Protests have continued against leaders of Mr Ben Ali's party

Tunisia turmoil

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• Key players now
• Q&A: Tunisia crisis

Tunisia's main trade union has called for the government appointed after the overthrow of President Zine al-Abedine Ben Ali to be replaced by a cabinet not linked with his regime.

A spokesman for the General Tunisian Workers' Union (UGTT) told AFP news agency such a "national salvation" cabinet was what Tunisians demanded.

On Tuesday the UGTT withdrew from the interim administration, led by long-time PM Mohammed Ghannouchi.

Mr Ben Ali fled abroad on 14 January.

Mr Ghannouchi has since left Mr Ben Ali's RCD party saying his government needed "clean hands", but also said the transition to democracy needed experienced politicians.

The UGTT's deputy head, Abid Briki, told AFP that its leaders had met on Friday and were calling for the government to stand down.

They also called for a "collegial national salvation government to be set up, in accordance with the demands of the street and political parties".

The call came as Tunisia began three days of mourning to honour those who died in the unrest that led to Mr Ben Ali's fall a week ago.

Fall from power

• 17 Dec: Man sets himself on fire in Sidi Bouzid over lack of jobs, sparking protests
• 24 Dec: Protester shot dead in central Tunisia
• 28 Dec: Protests spread to Tunis
• 8-10 Jan: Dozens of deaths reported in crackdown on protests
• 12 Jan: Interior minister sacked
• 13 Jan: President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali promises to step down in 2014
• 14 Jan: Mr Ben Ali dissolves parliament after new mass rally, then steps down and flees
• 15 Jan: Parliamentary Speaker Foued Mebazaa sworn in as interim president

At least 78 people have been killed since a wave of protests began last December.

The government has faced continuing protests against RDC figures remaining in positions of power.

Last week four opposition ministers quit the cabinet just one day after it was formed over the issue.

The RCD has also dissolved its central committee.

The cabinet has promised to release all political prisoners and said previously banned political groups will now be legal.

It has also pledged to hold free elections within six months but has given no dates.

Mr Ben Ali fled to Saudi Arabia a week ago, following a wave of demonstrations.

The UN says as many as 100 people died as the police cracked down on the protests, which started to spread after a man set himself on fire in central Tunisia on 17 December.

Ex-Vivendi bosses convicted in French court

Bronfman received a suspended sentence and a fine

A French court has fined the chairman and chief executive of Warner Music Group, Edgar Bronfman Jr, 5m euros ($6.7m; £4.2m).

The fine relates to insider trading when he was a leading executive at Vivendi. He had denied wrongdoing.

He was given a 15-month suspended sentence as well as the fine.

The court also gave Vivendi's ex-boss Jean-Marie Messier a three-year suspended jail term for his part in the scandal.

Bronfman's lawyer Thierry Marembert said his client would appeal against the decision and "continue to vogorously defend against this charge".

Messier was ousted from Vivendi, where he had been chairman and chief executive, in 2002 after he gave upbeat reports of the group's finances when it was actually 35bn euros in debt.

In 2004, the French stock market regulator fined him 1m euros - later reduced to 500,000 euros.

In January 2010, a New York court ruled that Vivendi had deliberately misled investors about the company's finances but Messier himself was found not liable.

In Friday's ruling, Messier was also ordered to compensate various minority shareholders. His lawyer said he would appeal against the decision.

Two other former executives, Guillaume Hannezo and Eric Licoys, were also given suspended sentences. Three others on trial were acquitted.

Gabrielle Giffords moved to Texas rehabilitation centre

Giffords shot

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The US congresswoman shot in the head in an attack at a constituency meeting in which six people died has been moved to a rehabilitation centre in Texas.

Gabrielle Giffords was transported from a hospital in the Arizona city of Tucson to Memorial Hermann Rehabilitation Hospital in Houston.

Scores of well-wishers turned out to wave at Ms Giffords' ambulance.

Jared Loughner, 22, has been jailed pending trial for the attack in Tucson, in which six were killed and 13 hurt.

Ms Giffords was flown from Tucson to William Hobby Airport in Houston on Friday afternoon, from where she was transported to the rehab facility.

The congresswoman was taken in an ambulance led by a police escort from the University Medical Center to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base earlier in the day.

Ms Giffords' husband, a Nasa astronaut, says he hopes his wife will make a full recovery.

"GG [Gabrielle Giffords] going to next phase of her recover today. Very grateful to the docs and nurses at UMC, Tucson PD, Sheriffs Dept....Back in Tucson ASAP!" her husband, Mark Kelly, wrote on micro-blogging website Twitter early on Friday.

Doctors in Arizona, where the congresswoman has undergone a series of operations, say her condition has stabilised to the point where Ms Giffords can move into the rehabilitation phase of recovery.

But despite her steady progress, doctors say Ms Giffords still has a long road to recovery and are not sure what, if any, disability she will have.

'Biggest smile'

On Thursday, hospital workers in Tucson brought Ms Giffords to an outside deck where she was given the opportunity to breath fresh air and feel the sun, trauma surgeon Peter Rhee said.

Mrs Giffords is being transported to a rehabilitation clinic in Houston in the state of Texas

"I saw the biggest smile she could gather," Mr Rhee said, adding that those at the hospital are "very happy to have her enjoying the sunshine of Arizona."

A University Medical Center spokeswoman said Ms Giffords had also been able to scroll through an iPad, and had picked out colours and moved her lips.

Hospital staff are also unsure of how well the congresswoman can see.

Earlier this week, Ms Giffords had reportedly stood, aided by medical staff.

Mr Kelly said on Thursday he believed she was attempting to speak and could recognize those around her, calling his wife "a fighter like nobody else that I know".

"I can just look in her eyes and tell," Mr Kelly said, adding that he is hoping she will make a full recovery.

Ms Giffords' mother has said the Democratic congresswoman has made remarkable progress since the early January attack at a constituency event outside a store in Tucson.

Mr Loughner was indicted earlier this week on three counts of attempting to kill federal officials, relating to Ms Giffords and two of her aides wounded in the assault.

The indictment does not include a charge in the death of John Roll, a federal judge. The Arizona US attorney described the initial indictment as the beginning of federal legal action against Mr Loughner.

State charges are also likely to follow.

DR Congo officer Kibibi Mutware held over mass rape

The Congolese army has previously been accused of human rights abuses

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Authorities in DR Congo have arrested an army officer over a mass rape of civilians in the east of the country on 1 January, officials and the UN say.

Lt Col Kibibi Mutware is accused of leading the rape of more than 50 women in Fizi, in South Kivu province.

Col Kibibi has dismissed the allegations as rumours.

There have been numerous cases of mass rape in eastern DR Congo, but this is believed to be the largest single incident allegedly involving the army.

Tahirou Diao, a UN spokesman in Uvira near Fizi, said Congolese military officials carried out the arrest during a visit to Fizi by peacekeeping officers.

Maso'a Mwenembuka, head of Fizi's municipal administration, confirmed that he had seen Col Kibibi being handcuffed and driven away, along with about 10 other soldiers arrested in connection with the violence on New Year's Day.

Military and humanitarian sources say the events over the New Year period began when a mob lynched a soldier who had shot a civilian - allegedly in a fight over a woman.

A group of soldiers then took revenge on the people of Fizi.

The UN's humanitarian coordination office said the soldiers had stabbed 26 people, including a four-year-old child, looted more than 20 homes and shops and raped dozens of women.

Several residents of Fizi and a victim of the alleged rapes have accused Col Kibibi, the local commanding officer, of directing the violence.

But in a BBC interview this week, he dismissed the allegations and said the soldiers who had committed crimes had disobeyed his orders.

The 16 years of unrest in eastern DR Congo have become notorious for the widespread sexual abuse of women and young girls.

More than 300 women, men and children were raped by a coalition of rebel groups in the town of Luvungi and neighbouring villages in North Kivu within miles of a UN base in August.