Greek coastguards say they have arrested the captain of a boat that was to be part of a Gaza-bound flotilla trying to deliver humanitarian aid. The 60-year-old captain, whose name was not released, is being held at Piraeus police headquarters and will remain there until a court hearing on Tuesday.
Greece’s coastguard said today the captain of the Audacity of Hope faces charges of trying to leave port without permission and of endangering the lives of the passengers.
The Audacity of Hope was due to carry 36 passengers, four crew and about 10 members of the media. Its attempt to sail last night from the port of Perama, near Athens, was thwarted by coastguard speedboats.
Africa may ignore Gaddafi warrant
The African Union is calling on member states to disregard the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court against Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
The AU said the warrant against the Libyan leader “seriously complicates efforts to find a solution to the Libyan crisis”.
The body recommended late last night that African nations which are ICC signatories do not honour the warrant if the Libyan leader visits their country.
The decision and its passage was confirmed by Daniel Adugna, a spokesman in the AU’s commissioner’s office.
If member states apply the AU’s decision, it will weaken the warrant as it will mean Gaddafi will be able to travel freely on the continent.
UK car vandal is three years old
A boy of three has been caught vandalising cars in the street near his home, British police have said.
The little boy, seven years below the age of criminal responsibility, was too young to be charged with any offence.
The incident near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, last May was revealed by police following a Freedom of Information Act request.
South Yorkshire Police revealed three other under 10s in the town have been caught damaging cars this year, while three more were involved in a robbery at a snooker club.
Roadside bomb kills 13 Afghan civilians
A roadside bomb ripped through a van in the south of Afghanistan, killing 13 people, the country’s government said yesterday.
The Ministry of Interior said the explosion struck in Shamulzayi district of Zabul province yesterday morning.
The ministry also said two gunmen riding on a motorcycle killed a local council member in Nahri Sarraj district of Helmand province.
And in Kabul, several hundred people demonstrated against rocket attacks that have killed an estimated 36 civilians along the eastern border with Pakistan in recent weeks.
Pakistan’s army has said no rounds were intentionally fired but that some may have accidentally fallen in Afghanistan in fighting with militants carrying out cross-border attacks.
US judge blocks abortion restrictions
A US federal judge temporarily blocked the state of Kansas from enforcing new abortion regulations that would have prevented two of the state’s three abortion providers from continuing to terminate pregnancies.
US District Judge Carlos Murguia’s injunction will remain in effect until a trial is held in a lawsuit challenging the Kansas rules.
A new licensing law and state health department regulations had taken effect last Friday, and abortion providers were given the latest version of those regulations less than two weeks ago.
The new law requires hospitals, clinics and doctors’ offices to obtain an annual licence from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to perform more than five non-emergency abortions in a month.
Celebrities flee blaze at hotel
Around 1,500 people were evacuated from an exclusive London hotel after a fire broke out following a star-studded music awards ceremony last Friday.
Celebrities including Annie Lennox and Liza Minnelli were reportedly among the guests forced to flee the Hilton in Park Lane after a blaze took hold of the second floor.
Around 50 firefighters, including senior fire officers and fire investigators, battled to extinguish the blaze at the 28-floor building which overlooks Hyde Park.