Kenyan Farmers Threaten Violence Over Khat Ban

By Hind Hassan, Sky News Reporter

Kenyan khat farmers have threatened violent action against the British government following its decision to ban the stimulant.

FG Machuma, who says he represents the Miraa tribe, told Sky News the decision to make the plant a class C drug was a "declaration of war".

He added: "If they don't listen to us ... they have a military base in Nanyuki ... and they will have to leave.

"If they don't leave peacefully then we will take arms and deal with them in Kenya."

Men chew khat and drink coffee in London

In the UK, khat is popular among some members of Somali and Yemeni communities.

The latest figures from 2011-2012 put the plant's UK value at £13.8m.

Users chew the leaves then swallow the juice, which contains an ingredient similar to amphetamine.

After a few hours, users become talkative and experience feelings of alertness, euphoria and excitement.

But symptoms can include depression, lack of concentration and psychosis.

The majority of British trade comes from the town of Meru in Kenya.

A farmer plucking khat shoots off a tree on a plantation in Kenya

It provides a source of income for around 500,000 farmers belonging to the Miraa tribe, who say the ban threatens their livelihood.

Home Secretary Theresa May defied the Government's Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs to push through the ban, which was approved by the House of Lords on May 12.

A Home Office spokesperson said: "Drug misuse has a serious impact on society and the ban on khat will help protect vulnerable members of our community.

"It will also prevent the UK from becoming a single regional hub for criminals trying to make a profit, as countries across Europe have already implemented the same ban.

"Parliament has now approved the government's decision and khat will become a class C drug on June 24, 2014."

Users of the plant claim they are being unfairly targeted.

A van transporting khat meant for export to Nairobi

Mahamud Ahmed Mohamad - who owns the UK's largest khat warehouse in west London - insists that chewing khat is a Somali tradition.

He told Sky News: "It's like closing a pub ... will you feel happy if you close British pubs?

"Why don't you close alcohol which is affecting a lot of people? Why is it only khat that is a major issue?"

He currently employs around 40 workers and says they will be made redundant once the ban is implemented.

Mr Mohamad is challenging the ban in the Court of Appeal.

Farmer James Ntonyi chews khat leaves at his father's farm in Meru

Abukar Awale, a former user, insists the substance is addictive and psychologically damaging.

The anti-khat activist blames his former habit for a violent confrontation during which he was stabbed.

"Availability of khat and the legality of khat was attracting more young people," he said. "By banning it we are preventing young people from failing in society."

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Cameron: Meriam Death Sentence Is 'Barbaric'

David Cameron says the death sentence handed down to Meriam Ibrahim is "barbaric" and has called on Sudanese authorities to intervene.

The Prime Minister joined international condemnation of the 27-year-old mother's plight, saying he is "absolutely appalled" by the case.

"The way she is being treated is barbaric and has no place in today's world," he told The Times.

"I urge the government of Sudan to overturn the sentence and immediately provide appropriate support and medical care for her and her children.

"The UK will continue to press the government of Sudan to act."

Ms Ibrahim was found guilty by a Sudanese court of apostasy in renouncing Islam and adultery for marrying a Christian, Daniel Wani.

Husband Daniel Wani with his newborn baby in prison

She was sentenced to 100 lashes and death by hanging earlier this month.

Her death sentence has been suspended for two years so she can nurse her daughter Maya, who was born in prison on Wednesday.

Ms Ibrahim was forced to give birth to the child while shackled to a prison floor after guards at Omdurman Women's Prison refused to release her.

Both the UK and US governments have summoned the Sudan's charge d'affaires to discuss the case.

The US State Department has described Ms Ibrahim's incarceration as "horrific" and continues to press Sudanese officials to intervene.

US embassy officials have been attending Ms Ibrahim's public hearings and are monitoring the appeals process in Khartoum.

Mr Cameron's comments follow condemnation from former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and British politicians including Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg.

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British Volunteer Missing In Malaysian Jungle

Family and friends of a British man who disappeared while trekking on a paradise island off Malaysia have appealed to local authorities to step up search efforts.

Gareth David Huntley disappeared four days ago after attempting to find a waterfall in the jungles of Tioman Island, off the peninsula's east coast.

He told friends at a charity project he had been working with he would return by 2pm that day but he has not been seen since.

A group of volunteers and local people have been into the jungle on the island to search for the 34-year-old but have not been able to find him.

Mr Huntley had been volunteering at a Turtle sanctuary

Mr Huntley's mother has demanded the Malaysian authorities step up the search for her son, who was on an extended holiday in the southeast Asian country.

Janet Southwell said: "I'm extremely concerned and anxious about my son.

"He's been missing for four days now and as yet I've had no contact from any official agency advising me as to the progress of the search.

"At this stage I feel it's essential that the search be intensified as time is running out for Gareth, so I'd really appreciate the support of the Malaysian authorities and the UK Government with this."

According to one of Mr Huntley's close friends, Malaysian authorities have so far failed to conduct a thorough search.

Sophie Wilson told Sky News: "Nothing has come from the authorities. As far as we're aware, the police were informed and haven't been doing anything. They've been incredibly lethargic.

"They've said they're performing a search but all evidence on the ground suggests they're just not taking this seriously.

"They're not providing this with the resources it needs."

Mr Huntley, from London, had been working as a volunteer at the Juara Turtle Project, a conservation charity on Tioman Island.

A file picture of a beach on Tioman Island

One of the other volunteers, Charles Fisher, said police were informed the day after he went missing but did not actively begin searching.

He said: "The afternoon of the second day the police were informed.

"They sent a couple of members of the police force along to have a look but didn't go far or look very much - they were just sort of assessing the situation.

"Then, the next day, a group of volunteers went out and looked, then came back again.

"Another group from the local community also went out as well and went deep into the jungle.

"The police were no longer physically looking at that point. I think they were arranging for a search party but nothing happened that day."

A spokeswoman for the Foreign Office said the local embassy was aware Mr Huntley was missing and was offering support.

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India: Gang-Raped Sisters' Bodies Hung From Tree

Two police officers suspected of gang-raping and killing teenage sisters before hanging their bodies from a mango tree have been arrested in India.

A third man was also held, according to reports, after the discovery of two bodies renewed public outrage over sexual violence in the country.

Villagers in Katra found the bodies hours after the girls, aged 14 and 15, disappeared from fields they used because their homes had no toilet.

Hundreds of people spent Wednesday in silent protest over alleged police inaction in the case.

Indian TV channels filmed villagers sitting under the girls' hanging bodies, preventing authorities from removing them until the suspects were arrested.

Police responded by making three arrests - and four more suspects are being sought.

Police officers at the scene of the hanging

Autopsies confirmed the girls were gang-raped and strangled before being hanged, police Superintendent Atul Saxena reportedly told AP.

A police station chief has been suspended, according to the news agency, after allegedly ignoring a complaint the girls were missing.

India tightened its rape laws last year - introducing the death penalty for gang rape - following the fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus in New Delhi.

The case sparked nationwide protests.

A rape is committed every 22 minutes in India, a nation of 1.2 billion people - and activists say many more cases go unreported because of a culture of tolerance.

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Former Army Chief Wins Egyptian Elections

Egypt's Military Strongman: Saviour Or Dictator?

Updated: 3:25am UK, Tuesday 06 May 2014

By Sherine Tadros, Middle East Correspondent

For the past three years Egypt has seen constant surprises - this month's elections though are a foregone conclusion.

Presidential candidate and former army chief Abdel Fattah al Sisi is practically guaranteed a win, formally taking the reins of the Egyptian state.

That's why Monday's interview, his first interview since announcing his candidacy, was so important and offered the biggest indication yet of what Mr al Sisi's Egypt will look like. 

He appeared on privately owned channels ONTV and CBC simultaneously with the channels' main anchors co-interviewing him.

The presenters, both vocal supporters of last July's military coup, danced around important questions seemingly afraid to offend or push too hard.

In the two-hour interview there was no mention of the killing of hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood supporters in Cairo following the coup, nor the thousands currently detained without charge after the recent crackdown.

Mr al Sisi assured the Egyptian public he had not planned the overthrow of elected President Mohamed Morsi nor did he plan to become president. Rather, he reluctantly answered a call of duty as Egypt was headed for disaster.

The referendum on the constitution earlier this year, he argued, showed him the people wanted him at the helm and so despite two assassination attempts, he decided to run.

The main theme of the interview was - 'I am running for president because someone has to save Egypt'. And in a climate of fear and rumours, this rhetoric is sure to resonate with the Egyptian public.

When pushed about his strong military background and the possibility of the country being run as a military regime, he argued the military has had no role in Egyptian politics in decades.

Unchallenged by the presenters (three Egyptian presidents since 1952 came from the army's ranks) he went on to profess his neutrality and independence from the very institution recent history has shown his survival in politics will depend on.

One of the interviewers, CBC's Lamis al Hadidyi, asked the presidential candidate about his family and where he grew up.

Mr al Sisi, for the first time, spoke emotionally about his wife and four children. This nicely crafted section of the interview was designed to show his human side.

So far the Egyptian public has seen the soldier. On Monday, they had to see the husband and father. 

On terrorism, Mr al Sisi compared what Egypt is facing to what US forces are fighting in Afghanistan. He spoke about "major progress" being made in the troubled Sinai (where a military operation has been ongoing for several months) saying 1,200 out of the 1,300 tunnels between Egypt and the besieged Gaza Strip had been destroyed. 

The security issue is his trump card and he didn't miss an opportunity to explain the serious threat facing Egypt. It justifies not only the need for a president with a military background (the only person standing against him in the election, Hamdeen Sabahi, is a civilian) but also the current crackdown on Brotherhood supporters and other forces of dissent.

Mr al Sisi made clear there was no room in his Egypt for the Muslim Brotherhood. No surprise there. Under his watch the group was declared a terrorist organisation and their members and supporters imprisoned and sentenced to death.

In the end this was never going to be a hard interview to test Mr al Sisi. He had everything to gain. In fact, at times he sounded more like the president than a candidate - using the same nationalist and paternal tone to address Egyptians while offering no details of his economic or social policies.

But then again, why should he campaign?  Egyptians weren't watching to find out the campaign pledges on offer but rather for a glimpse of his first unscripted comments.

I watched the interview at home with an Egyptian family and friends and the reaction was generally positive.

Mr al Sisi delivered a convincing performance to an Egyptian public that is exhausted and looking for a saviour.

But what he sees as saving Egypt appears to others as dragging it firmly back to authoritarianism and a security state - the very things hundreds died fighting against in the 2011 uprising.

As Mr al Sisi spoke, the nation watched. But in many areas around Cairo, power cuts (which have become a common problem across Egypt due to energy shortages) meant not everyone heard what he had to say.

This is yet another indication of the huge challenges he faces if he becomes president.

He is in good favour with much of the Egyptian people now, but once he becomes accountable for the serious problems his citizens are facing, how long will this honeymoon last?

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Pakistan Stoning: Widower 'Killed First Wife'

The husband of a pregnant Pakistani woman who was stoned to death by her family has reportedly admitted to strangling his first wife.

Mohammad Iqbal, 45, told news agency AFP he murdered his first wife so he could marry 25-year-old Farzana Iqbal, who was bludgeoned to death outside a courthouse for her choice of husband.

"I was in love with Farzana and killed my first wife because of this love," he said.

Iqbal said he had been spared prison after his son forgave him for the killing - under the same controversial "blood money" laws that could see Farzana's killers ultimately go unpunished.

According to AFP, Mr Iqbal then switched off his phone and has not responded to subsequent calls. 

However a senior police officer investigating Farzana Iqbal's killing has verified his claims.

"Iqbal was a notorious character and he had murdered his first wife six years ago," Zulfiqar Hameed said.

Mrs Iqbal's father is accused of taking part in the killing

"He was arrested and later released after a compromise with his family."

He said a report detailing Mr Iqbal's past would be handed to the government.

Mr Iqbal has made several public appeals for justice since his three months pregnant second wife's murder on Tuesday.

He alleges that several members of her family hit her in the head with bricks outside Lahore High Court while police stood by and watched.

"I begged them to help us but they said, 'this is not our duty',"  he told Reuters. "I took off my shirt (to be humble) and begged them to save her."

Her family was reportedly angered by her decision to marry Mr Iqbal rather than a cousin who was selected for her.

Human rights activists protested against the killing in Pakistan's capital

According to police her father, brother and former fiance all took part in the attack.

The couple were due to testify in court that their marriage was genuine after her family alleged she had been abducted.

The brazen nature of the killing, which took place on one of the busiest roads of Pakistan's second biggest city has shocked the country.

There are fears that the alleged killers could walk free due to a provision in Pakistani law which allows perpetrators to be let off if they are forgiven by the victim's relatives or if the relatives accept so-called "blood money" over the crime.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has described the killing as "totally unacceptable" and demanded to know why nearby police did not intervene.

Pakistan's prime minister has called for immediate action over the killing

However Lahore police chief Shafiq Ahmad has denied that police witnessed the killing.

He said: "By the time police reached the scene, the lady had been murdered."

He added that the victim's father was arrested after the incident.

The remaining suspects have not been found.

According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan 869 women died in so-called honour killings last year alone.

British Foreign Secretary William has called on Pakistan to take immediate action to prevent further killings.

He said: "I am shocked and appalled by the death of Farzana Parveen - both for the appalling manner of her death, and the unspeakable cruelty and injustice of murdering a woman for exercising her basic right to choose who to love and marry.

"There is absolutely no honour in honour killings and I urge the government of Pakistan to do all in its power to eradicate this barbaric practice."

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Missing Plane: 'Search Boat May Have Made Pings'

MH370 Data Leaves Many Unanswered Questions

Updated: 4:55pm UK, Tuesday 27 May 2014

By Lisa Holland, Foreign Affairs Correspondent

It is 47 pages which are supposed to satisfy the families of the missing Malaysia Airlines aircraft about the fate of their loved ones.

But soon after its publication both the families and aviation analysts scouring the details said the information added little that was new.

And what's more it lacked the finer detail enabling other experts to give their own independent assessment of the data.

The lion's share of the information released relates to data from MH370 while it was still on the ground in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur. 

It goes on to give information about the electronic pings or 'handshakes' received from the aircraft after its ACARS communication system was switched off shortly after it took off for Beijing.

Aviation analysts say one of the so-called pings - at 11.41pm on the night the aircraft disappeared - is omitted from the data.

We don't know why.

They also say that additional data giving the exact position of satellites and their distance from the aircraft have not been released. 

It is this kind of detail which makes further interpretation by others difficult.

And that's something which has been leapt on by the families who have called for all information known to authorities to be released. 

This data was known within a few weeks of the aircraft's disappearance on March 8, but it has taken until now for it to be released.

A team of international experts used the satellite data along with other information such as radar data and engine performance calculations to reach their conclusion. 

But it's not clear why it's taken until now for the basic data to be released.

Inmarsat, the British satellite company which provided the ping data to the Malaysians, said they were unable to release information without the authority of the Malaysian government. 

The Malaysian government concluded within a couple of weeks of the flight going missing that it had ended in the southern Indian Ocean.

Steve Wang, a relative of one of the missing Chinese passengers, said: "What we want is the full version of the information including all the data and how it is calculated. 

"Data on its own means nothing. The data leads to a conclusion not an ending."

Sarah Bajc, whose partner Philip Wood was on the missing plane, said she was "annoyed" that Inmarsat and the Malaysian authorities hadn't released everything they used to reach their conclusions.

She said: "I see no reason for them to have massaged this before giving it to us."

Communications expert Mischa Dohler says there are still many unanswered questions - and there is still information to be released.

He said: "I don't think this specific data will help in the search for the aircraft. It is important we find the plane but we may never know what happened."

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US Tells Snowden 'Man Up And Come Home'

US Secretary of State John Kerry has challenged Edward Snowden to "man up and come back to the United States", after the whistleblower admitted he wanted to return home.

Mr Kerry's comments follow the former National Security Agency contractor's interview with NBC, his first for US media since he fled the country after leaking a huge volume of classified documents.

Now living in Russia on a temporary grant of asylum, Mr Snowden told the network he took action in the belief that he was serving his country in exposing the surveillance programs of the NSA.

"I don't think there's ever been any question that I'd like to go home," Snowden said in a segment of the interview.

"Now, whether amnesty or clemency ever becomes a possibility is not for me to say. That's a debate for the public and the government to decide. But, if I could go anywhere in the world, that place would be home."

And Mr Kerry, speaking before NBC aired that portion of the interview, said: "If Mr Snowden wants to come back to the United States, we'll have him on a flight today. A patriot would not run away.

Susan Rice has denied Mr Snowden's recent claims

"He should man up and come back to the United States. If he has a complaint about what's the matter with American surveillance, (he should) come back here and stand in our system of justice and make his case.

"If he cares so much about America and he believes in America, he should trust the American system of justice."

Mr Snowden had also said in an earlier part of his interview that he worked undercover and overseas for the CIA and the NSA. He claimed he had a far more important role in US intelligence than the government has acknowledged.

"I was trained as a spy in sort of the traditional sense of the word, in that I lived and worked undercover overseas," he said.

National security adviser Susan Rice insisted in a CNN interview that Mr Snowden never worked undercover.

Mr Snowden said he never intended to end up in Russia but was forced to go there because Washington decided to "revoke my passport."

In response, Mr Kerry said: "Well, for a supposedly smart guy, that's a pretty dumb answer, after all.

"I think he's confused. I think it's very sad. But this is a man who has done great damage to his country."

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Japan Oil Tanker Explosion Leaves Four Hurt

One person is missing and four people have been seriously hurt after an oil tanker exploded off the coast of Japan.

The blast and subsequent fire aboard the 998-tonne vessel Shoko-Maru sent towers of billowing acrid smoke into the sky near Himeji port, around 280 miles west of Tokyo.

The vessel's owner says the tanker was "virtually empty" when it blew up

Coastguard ships battled the blaze on the Hiroshima-based tanker, which has extensive damage to its central section and was listing heavily.

Of the eight people aboard the 260ft vessel, seven have been rescued, four of whom suffered severe burns.

The missing crew member is believed to be the captain.

The cause of the explosion is unclear, a spokesman for the coastguard said.

The tanker had unloaded its cargo of crude oil and was "virtually empty" when the blast happened, according to an official from Syoho Shipping, the company that owns the vessel.

Akihiro Komura said: "I heard a crew member was using a grinder to remove paint and that seems to have triggered the blast, which we believe could have occurred when the remnants of the oil caught fire.

"All the crew members are Japanese nationals. We have confirmed seven out of the eight are alive and one, believed to be the captain, is still missing."

News of the accident caused Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to interrupt a debate in parliament.

"In waters off Hyogo (prefecture), a tanker has exploded and is currently in flames," he said.

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What Next For EU's 'Self-Hating Parliament'?

A paralysing financial crisis which saw rich European countries bailing out the poor meant that these elections were always going to be ugly for the mainstream parties.

And so it transpired in Greece (Syriza 27%), Denmark (Danish Peoples Party 23%), UK (UKIP - more than 30%) and most spectacularly in France (Front National 25%).

In these countries, EU-critical voices from the populist right and anti-austerity left have taken the lion's share of seats in their respective national delegations.

There are plenty of other results to worry the centre-right (EPP) and centre-left (S&D) groups which have traditionally passed laws in the parliament, with a little help from the ALDE Liberal group.

Take the success of Italy's anti-politician, anti-journalist, (anti pretty-much-everything) Five Star group. The election of a pirate and a neo-nazi MEP from Germany will also cause shudders.

But, take a deep breath. The centre ground still rules the roost, with two thirds of the MEPs in the parliament, albeit a drop of 10%.

Also many of these EU-critical parties have little in common: Mr Farage gave us a terse 'not interested' when the Netherland's anti-Muslim PVV sounded him out again to join an anti-EU alliance.

Marine Le Pen of France's National Front has led a European earthquake

Greece's Golden Dawn may support the anti-immigration stance of Denmark's People's Party, but they differ wildly on abortion and gay rights.

To wield any real influence the 'antis' will need to form a political group before the constitutive session of the eighth parliament. Each faction needs at least 25 MEPs drawn from seven countries.

That will involve horse trading and compromise, which may play badly with party supporters back home.

However things will certainly be stickier for the ruling mainstream groups: the 'anti' MEPs may join forces to reject the entire batch of commissioners, and hold up laws and trade deals.

But this parliament is more likely to be a speed bump than a roadblock to this EU institution.

Its most significant impact may be back in the member states, if these parties manage to pull mainstream parties - and therefore governments - in a more Eurosceptic direction.

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