Kenyan lawmakers approve controversial anti-terror bill
NAIROBI: Kenyan lawmakers yesterday voted in favour of a tough anti-terror bill following a heated debate that sparked a brawl in parliament between opposition and pro-government MPs. The new legislation gives authorities sweeping powers to crack down on terror suspects and curtail press freedoms in a country that has suffered a string of attacks by Somalia-based Shabaab Islamists. Divisions over the legislation triggered a war of words between lawmakers that culminated in a brawl, forcing the vote to be repeatedly delayed yesterday. It was finally approved to loud boos from opposition MPs. The legislation includes proposals boosting the time police can hold terror suspects from the current 90 days to nearly a year, increasing sentences and giving investigators more powers to tap phones. Under the bill, journalists could also face up to three years behind bars if their reports “undermine investigations or security operations relating to terrorism,” or if they publish images of terror victims without permission from the police.
ATHENS: Political anxiety gripped Greece yesterday with early elections a step closer after lawmakers failed to elect a new president in the first of three votes in parliament. Only 160 deputies on Wednesday supported the government candidate, former EU commissioner Stavros Dimas, far short of the 200 required. The focus now shifts to December 23 when the parliament will vote in a second round, once again requiring 200 votes for Dimas to win. Should a third and final round be required on December 29, Dimas would need just 180 votes. However, a third failure would trigger the dissolution of parliament and early elections.
Child abuse: UK police probe ‘murders’
LONDON: Police looking into accusations that powerful figures at the heart of the British establishment were involved in child sex abuse in the 1970s and 1980s said yesterday they were investigating allegations three young boys had been murdered. Detectives said the “credible” murder claims came from an alleged victim, known only as Nick, who said he was sexually abused at locations across London and southeast England including military establishments and at Dolphin Square, a central London block of flats close to parliament. Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Steve Rodhouse, who heads up all the inquiries, said they were looking into 18 different strands, of which the murder claims were just one, and had interviewed more than 1,000 witnesses. Agencies
