Fort Hood Shooting: Major Nidal Hasan Guilty

Major Nidal Hasan has been found guilty of killing 13 people and wounding more than 30 others at the Fort Hood military base.

The army psychiatrist could face the death penalty after military jurors reached unanimous verdicts on 13 counts of premeditated murder and also found him guilty of 32 counts of premeditated attempted murder.

Hasan gave no visible reaction as the verdict was read out.

The jury will begin hearing the "penalty phase" of the court martial on Monday and make a recommendation to the judge, who will determine the sentence.

If the death penalty is approved, Hasan would face death by lethal injection for the 2009 shooting spree on the Texas base.

The 42-year-old defended himself during the 13-day trial but chose not to call witnesses or testify and questioned only three of prosecutors' nearly 90 witnesses.

In statements to the judge the American-born Muslim suggested that he believed the attack was justified as a jihad against the US military campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Kim Munley, who helped take down Hasan, tweeted her "joy" at the verdict

Sergeant Kim Munley, a member of Fort Hood's SWAT team who was shot three times as she took down the shooter, tweeted her delight at the verdict.

She wrote: "So overwhelmed with joy and tears!!!! I sure hope those 14 angels and dancing with joy from above!!! God Bless the victims in their strength."

Hasan never denied opening fire in a crowded waiting room at Fort Hood, where unarmed troops were making final preparations to deploy to Afghanistan and Iraq.

All but one of the dead were soldiers, including a pregnant private who curled on the floor and pleaded for her baby's life.

The sentencing phase is expected to begin with more testimony from survivors of the attack in a medical center where soldiers were waiting in long lines for immunizations and medical clearance.

About 50 soldiers and civilians testified of hearing someone scream "Allahu akbar!" - Arabic for "God is great!" - and seeing a man in Army camouflage open fire.

Hasan, pictured in his uniform, carefully planned the attack at Fort Hood

Many identified Hasan as the shooter and recalled his handgun's red and green laser sights piercing a room made dark with gun smoke.

Hasan spent weeks planning the November 5, 2009, attack. His preparation included buying the handgun and videotaping a sales clerk showing him how to change the magazine.

He later offered $10 at a gun range outside Austin for pointers on how to reload with speed and precision.

An instructor said he told Hasan to practise while watching TV or sitting on his couch with the lights off.

Soldiers testified that Hasan's rapid reloading made it all but impossible to stop the shooting.

Investigators recovered 146 shell casings inside the medical building and dozens more outside, where Hasan shot at the backs of soldiers fleeing toward the parking lot.

The military's death row has just five other prisoners and no other soldier has been executed since 1961.

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Syria: US Moves Warship As Strike Calls Grow

US defence officials said an additional warship has been moved into the Mediterranean Sea as calls for military action against the Syrian regime grow following an alleged chemical attack.

The US Sixth Fleet has decided to keep the USS Mahan in the region instead of letting it return to its home port in Norfolk, Virginia.

Three other destroyers are currently deployed in the Mediterranean - the USS Gravely, USS Barry and USS Ramage.

Survivors of the alleged gas attack rest inside a Damascus mosque

All four warships are equipped with several dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles which would allow the Pentagon to act rapidly if a military strike was ordered against Syria.

US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel suggested commanders have prepared a range of "options" for President Barack Obama if he chose to launch a strike against Bashar al Assad's regime.

He said: "The president has asked the Defence Department for options. Like always, the Defence Department is prepared and has been prepared to provide all options for all contingencies to the president of the US."

Dead animals lie in the street in the suburb of Zamalka

Mr Hagel said he expected US intelligence to "swiftly" assess whether the Syrian government did use chemical weapons in two Damascus suburbs.

Mr Obama last year threatened to punish Assad's regime if it resorted to using chemical weapons during the conflict, saying the use of weapons of mass destruction constituted a "red line" being crossed.

Russia on Friday joined calls for a swift probe into the alleged chemical weapon attack.

Syrian refugees in the Quru Gusik camp in Iraq

Britain and France have pressed for a team of UN inspectors already in Syria to be granted immediate access to the sites of the gas attack that activists say killed more than 130 people.

British Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Friday there was little chance the attack had been carried out by rebels.

He said: "The only possible explanation of what we have been able to see is that it was a chemical attack and clearly many, many hundreds of people have been killed, some of the estimates are well over 1,000.

"I know some people in the world would like to say this is some kind of conspiracy brought about by the opposition in Syria - I think the chances of that are vanishingly small."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has sent his disarmament chief to Damascus to press Assad's regime to agree to an investigation.

Immediate access would allow inspectors to collect blood and soil samples to detect what chemicals - if any - were used.

The Assad regime has denied it has used chemical weapons, calling the allegations "absolutely baseless".

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Hosni Mubarak To Be Placed Under House Arrest

An Egyptian court has ordered the release of ousted former president Hosni Mubarak, according to security sources.

The 85-year-old is being retried on charges of ordering the killing of protesters during the 2011 uprising that led to his downfall.

However, he has already served the maximum amount of pretrial detention permitted in that case.

Egypt's prime minister said the former leader would be placed under house arrest when he is released from prison following more than two years in detention.

Hazem el-Beblawi said in a statement on Wednesday that he had ordered the move as part of the emergency measures put in place this month.

Mubarak was sentenced to life in prison last year for failing to prevent the killing of demonstrators. But a court accepted his appeal earlier this year and ordered a retrial.

A lawyer told Reuters he could be freed on Thursday.

Leaving the Cairo prison where the court convened, Fareed El-Deeb said: "The court decided to release him." Asked when, he said: "Maybe tomorrow."

Egypt's prosecutor will not appeal against the court ruling.

"The decision to release Mubarak issued today ... is final and the prosecution cannot appeal against it," Judge Ahmed el-Bahrawi said.

The ailing former president probably has no political future. But many Egyptians would see his release as the rehabilitation of an old order that endured through six decades of military-backed rule - and even a reversal of the pro-democracy revolt that toppled him.

At least 900 people, including 100 soldiers and police, have been killed in a crackdown on Mohamed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood in the past week, making it Egypt's bloodiest civil episode in decades.

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Shark Attack Victim Dies After Arm Bitten Off

A German woman who lost her arm in a Maui shark attack has died a week after the incident.

Jana Lutteropp, 20, had her right arm bitten off while she was snorkeling off Makena. Her arm was not recovered.

The statement from her mother and sister said: "Jana fought hard to stay alive but lost her fight today."

The beach where the attack happened

A teacher visiting from southern California came to Ms Lutteropp's aid and swam her to shore. She was on life support earlier this week.

It is unknown what type of shark bit her.

"Jana was a very beautiful, strong, young woman who was always laughing, and we will forever remember her that way," said the statement from her mother Jutta Lutteropp, and sister Julia Broeske.

"We appreciate all the support from the Maui community, as well as the prayers and thoughts from around the world and in Germany.

"We especially want to thank the wonderful caregivers and everyone at Maui Memorial Medical Centre."

It was the seventh shark attack in Hawaiian waters this year, and the fourth in Maui.

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Egypt: Brotherhood's Supreme Leader Arrested

The supreme leader of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has been arrested on charges of "inciting the murder of protesters".

The development comes as authorities continue a crackdown on the Brotherhood, the party of ousted president Mohamed Morsi, which has sparked deadly protests and international condemnation.

Mohammed Badie was arrested in an apartment near Rabaa al Adawiya square, where hundreds of Morsi supporters were killed last Wednesday as police cleared their protest camp.

Senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood organisation, including Mr Badie, are wanted for questioning, accused of inciting the deaths of protesters.

The arrest comes days after his son was killed.

The arrest could spark further violence

Egypt's interior ministry has said it has arrested more than 1,000 Muslim Brotherhood "elements" during the unrest.

Mr Morsi was deposed by the military on July 3 in what his supporters call a coup.

His opponents say the military had no choice but to intervene after the start of another popular uprising like the one that overthrew president Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

Mubarak's lawyer said on Monday that he expects the deposed dictator to be freed from jail after being cleared of corruption charges.

According to his Fareed El Deeb, judicial authorities have ordered that 85-year-old Mubarak should be released on one of the remaining corruption charges against him.

The development came after Egyptian authorities disclosed that suspected militants had attacked two police minibuses with rocket-propelled grenades, killing 24 officers in Sinai.

Sinai has been witnessing near daily attacks by suspected militants since July 3.

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Pakistan's Musharraf Charged In Bhutto Case

Pakistan's ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf has been charged over the 2007 murder of opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.

"He was charged with murder, criminal conspiracy for murder and facilitation for murder," said public prosecutor Chaudhry Azhar.

Musharraf appeared briefly at the anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi, where he denied the charges.

He has been under house arrest near Islamabad since April 19, but appeared before the court in person.

"The charges were read out to him in the court. He denied the charges," said Mr Azhar.

Musharraf's legal team has dismissed the indictment.

"These charges are baseless. We are not afraid of the proceedings. We will follow legal procedures in the court," his lawyer Syeda Afshan Adil said.

Scores of security forces guarded the area around the court in Rawalpindi, the city where Bhutto was killed on December 27, 2007, and roads were sealed off for Musharraf's appearance.

The indictment follows lingering speculation about the possibility of a behind-the-scenes deal that could allow Musharraf to leave Pakistan without facing the courts and embarrassing the military.

Bhutto, twice elected prime minister of Pakistan, was assassinated in a gun and bomb attack after campaigning for elections that were won by her Pakistan People's Party in February 2008.

There was no public claim of responsibility for her murder.

Musharraf's government blamed the assassination on Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who denied any involvement. He was killed in a US drone attack in 2009.

The Bhutto case is one in a series of court battles that Musharraf has faced over allegations dating back to his 1999-2008 rule, since he returned in March from four years of self-imposed exile.

The new government headed by Nawaz Sharif, whom Musharraf deposed in 1999, has said he should stand trial for treason for subverting the constitution and has appointed a committee to investigate him.

The offence carries the death penalty or life imprisonment.

The case has been adjourned until August 27.

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Diana's Death: Police Handed New Information

New information that alleges Princess Diana was murdered has been passed to Scotland Yard through military sources, it has emerged.

The information, thought to include the allegation that the Princess of Wales, Dodi al Fayed and their driver were killed by a member of the British military, will be assessed by officers from the Specialist Crime and Operations Command.

According to Sky sources it was given to the police by the former parents-in-law of a former soldier.

The deaths of Princess Diana and Mr al Fayed in Paris in 1997 were investigated and examined during a 90-day inquest led by Lord Justice Scott Baker at the Royal Court of Justice in 2007.

On April 7, 2008, the jury concluded their verdict as "unlawful killing, grossly negligent driving of the following vehicles and of the Mercedes".

Princess Diana and Dodi al Fayed leaving the Ritz Hotel on August 31, 1997

The Metropolitan Police said its assessment was not a re-investigation and does not come under Operation Paget, the inquiry led by Lord Stevens into conspiracy theories surrounding Princess Diana and Mr al Fayed's deaths.

A royal spokeswoman said there will be no comment on the matter from Prince William or Prince Harry, or from Clarence House.

After the inquest, the Metropolitan Police said it had spent £8m on services arising from it and the Operation Paget investigation from 2004 to 2006.

Former Met Police commissioner Lord Stevens published his report in December 2006, rejecting claims that Princess Diana and Mr al Fayed had been murdered.

The wreckage of the Mercedes the pair were travelling in when it crashed

Sky's Crime Correspondent Martin Brunt said: "We understand this information includes an allegation that Princess Diana and Dodi al Fayed and the driver of their car were killed by a member of the British military.

"The information we're told was passed to Scotland Yard quite recently. It also includes, we understand, references to something known as Diana's diary.

"These are very early days, the information has just come in, and Scotland Yard is adamant in saying that this is not a reopening of its investigation from 2004 when it spent three years looking into the circumstances of the Princess' death.

"But it is taking the information seriously and it is considering and it is possible that a new investigation may open."

Princess Diana, Mr al Fayed and their driver Henri Paul died after the Mercedes crashed in a Paris tunnel on August 31, 1997.

Diana was 36 at the time of her death and Mr al Fayed, the son of former Harrods owner Mohamed al Fayed, 42.

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Egypt Violence 'Must Stop', Hague Says

Foreign Secretary William Hague has told his Egyptian counterpart that the "disproportionate use of force" by security forces over recent days must stop.

Mr Hague made the comments in a phone call with Nabil Fahmy after security forces stormed the al Fath mosque in Cairo while Muslim Brotherhood supporters have been blamed for attacks on Coptic Christian churches.

A Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "The foreign secretary and the Egyptian foreign minister spoke about the tragic violence and loss of life over recent days.

"The foreign secretary emphasised UK condemnation of all acts of violence, whether disproportionate use of force by the security forces or violent actions by some demonstrators.

"They also discussed the recent attacks on places of worship and the foreign secretary stressed that attacks on mosques and churches were unacceptable and that places of worship must be protected."

Brotherhood supporters had barricaded themselves inside

Mr Hague also underlined the need for urgent steps by all sides "to end the violence and enable a return to dialogue", the spokeswoman said.

Meanwhile, the interim army-backed government announced it had begun deliberations on whether to ban the Muslim Brotherhood, a long-outlawed organisation that swept to power in Egypt's first democratic elections a year ago.

Egyptian presidential adviser Mostafa Hegazy said: "When you talk about a difference or a divide that's happening in Egyptian society, I think it's either wrongful thinking or wishful thinking.

"Egyptians today are more united than ever before. We are not only united towards a common dream, but we're united against a common enemy."

His comments came after security forces cleared Brotherhood supporters from the al Fath mosque in Cairo yesterday after a stand-off that included exchanges of fire, as the death toll from four days of violence surpassed 750.

State TV ran an English 'Egypt fights terrorism' caption as the PM spoke

Security forces dragged people from the mosque, passing through angry crowds which shouted "terrorists" at them.

Further demonstrations backed by the brotherhood are expected across Egypt later today.

Last night, Islamist marchers clashed with civilians in the port city of Alexandria during the funeral of politician Khalid Mohsen, who was shot on Friday.

A few hours later Alexandria's streets were deserted, as night fell and a dusk to dawn curfew began.

The curfew was imposed when Egypt's military rulers declared a state of emergency on Wednesday, and is set to remain in place for at least a month.

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