New Pics Emerge Of Cuban Ex-Leader Fidel Castro

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Student Randy Perdomo Garcia in an interview with the former president

The first pictures of Fidel Castro for more than five months have been published in Cuba.

The country's main state media outlets published pictures showing the 88-year-old former leader having what appeared to be a lively conversation with university student Randy Perdomo Garcia.

Mr Castro's wife, Dalia, stands between the two men

Mr Castro is show sitting while reportedly discussing current events with the head of the main Cuban student union on 23 January.

The photos are the first images of the revolutionary leader since a set of photos came out in August showing him talking with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

1/17

1. Gallery: A History Of US-Cuba Relations In Pictures

   1 January 1959: Fidel Castro's rebels - under the command of Che Guevara (R) - sweep into Havana. Dictator Fulgencio Batista, who had strong relations with the American mafia and large US corporations, flees Cuba. The US soon recognises the new government

June-October 1960: Castro announces the nationalisation of nearly all US businesses - and American-owned oil refineries, after they refuse to process Soviet oil

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October 1960: Washington, under President Dwight Eisenhower, bans exports to Cuba, other than food and medicine. The US embargo begins

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3 January 1961: The US ends relations with Cuba and closes its embassy in Havana

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16 April 1961: Fidel Castro, pictured here with Che Guevara (R), declares Cuba a socialist state

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Mr Perdomo wrote a long article to accompany the pictures, saying he was in the former leader's house for more than three hours after an event celebrating the 70th anniversary of Castro starting his studies at the University of Havana.

He said Mr Castro was keeping abreast of the news and performing daily exercises.

The pair reportedly discussed topics including international politics, astronomy, agriculture and Namibia's donation of animals to Cuba's National Zoo.

Video: Obama On Cuba: The Full Statement

The two men also discussed the release of three Cuban intelligence agents as part of the 17 December declaration by Cuba and the US to move to re-establish full diplomatic relations.

The student leader wrote: "I'm about to go but he continues a conversation about new ways of fighting some diseases, including diabetes, with the production of natural foods; about Cuba's relations with Africa, from its contribution to those countries' independence to the end of apartheid and the current contribution of Cuban doctors to the fight against Ebola."

The former president - who seized power in the 1959 Cuban revolution - did not issue a public statement for nearly a month after the announcement that Cuba and the US were aiming to re-establish full diplomatic relations. 

1/11

1. Gallery: Cuban Exiles Divided Over Deal

   Anti-Castro activists protest in Little Havana in Miami after the US announced a thaw in relations with Cuba

Miami is home to America's largest population of Cuban exiles

]]>

His unusually lengthy silence sparked intense speculation about his health.

Mr Castro's public appearances and statements have become increasingly infrequent since he stepped down from duties as president after a serious illness in 2006 and handed over leadership to his younger brother Raul.

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We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

Student Randy Perdomo Garcia in an interview with the former president

The first pictures of Fidel Castro for more than five months have been published in Cuba.

The country's main state media outlets published pictures showing the 88-year-old former leader having what appeared to be a lively conversation with university student Randy Perdomo Garcia.

Mr Castro's wife, Dalia, stands between the two men

Mr Castro is show sitting while reportedly discussing current events with the head of the main Cuban student union on 23 January.

The photos are the first images of the revolutionary leader since a set of photos came out in August showing him talking with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

1/17

1. Gallery: A History Of US-Cuba Relations In Pictures

   1 January 1959: Fidel Castro's rebels - under the command of Che Guevara (R) - sweep into Havana. Dictator Fulgencio Batista, who had strong relations with the American mafia and large US corporations, flees Cuba. The US soon recognises the new government

June-October 1960: Castro announces the nationalisation of nearly all US businesses - and American-owned oil refineries, after they refuse to process Soviet oil

]]>

October 1960: Washington, under President Dwight Eisenhower, bans exports to Cuba, other than food and medicine. The US embargo begins

]]>

3 January 1961: The US ends relations with Cuba and closes its embassy in Havana

]]>

16 April 1961: Fidel Castro, pictured here with Che Guevara (R), declares Cuba a socialist state

]]>

Mr Perdomo wrote a long article to accompany the pictures, saying he was in the former leader's house for more than three hours after an event celebrating the 70th anniversary of Castro starting his studies at the University of Havana.

He said Mr Castro was keeping abreast of the news and performing daily exercises.

The pair reportedly discussed topics including international politics, astronomy, agriculture and Namibia's donation of animals to Cuba's National Zoo.

Video: Obama On Cuba: The Full Statement

The two men also discussed the release of three Cuban intelligence agents as part of the 17 December declaration by Cuba and the US to move to re-establish full diplomatic relations.

The student leader wrote: "I'm about to go but he continues a conversation about new ways of fighting some diseases, including diabetes, with the production of natural foods; about Cuba's relations with Africa, from its contribution to those countries' independence to the end of apartheid and the current contribution of Cuban doctors to the fight against Ebola."

The former president - who seized power in the 1959 Cuban revolution - did not issue a public statement for nearly a month after the announcement that Cuba and the US were aiming to re-establish full diplomatic relations. 

1/11

1. Gallery: Cuban Exiles Divided Over Deal

   Anti-Castro activists protest in Little Havana in Miami after the US announced a thaw in relations with Cuba

Miami is home to America's largest population of Cuban exiles

]]>

His unusually lengthy silence sparked intense speculation about his health.

Mr Castro's public appearances and statements have become increasingly infrequent since he stepped down from duties as president after a serious illness in 2006 and handed over leadership to his younger brother Raul.

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23.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Widow Recalls Litvinenko's Final Words To Her

The widow of poisoned spy Alexander Litvinenko has broken down while recalling the last words he spoke to her before he died.

Marina Litvinenko has been giving evidence at the public inquiry into the death of her husband, who died nearly three weeks after drinking tea laced with polonium-210 at a London hotel in 2006.

Mrs Litvinenko said that, as she left his hospital bed the day before he died, she looked back as he "smiled so sadly".

"I just said 'don't worry, tomorrow morning, I will come back'," she said.

"He said 'I love you so much'."

Video: Litvinenko's Face As Target

She added: "It was his last words that I heard."

:: Read the latest updates from court

She said in his final days Mr Litvinenko lay mostly "speechless" with pain all over his body.

Before he was admitted to hospital, he fell ill a number of times, vomiting and complaining of "feeling weak", she told the inquiry.

At first, they had blamed a spicy chicken dinner he had eaten but it soon became clear that something else was wrong.

Mr Litvinenko, a former Russian spy who also worked for British intelligence services during his time in the UK, died on 23 November 2006, almost three weeks after drinking tea laced with polonium-210 at the Millennium Hotel in London's Grosvenor Square.

Two men - former KGB bodyguard-turned-politician Andrei Lugovoi and Dmitri Kovtun - were named as the main suspects in 2007. Both deny any involvement and remain in Russia.

Video: Litvinenko's Speech In London

Mr Litvinenko was taken to Barnet Hospital by ambulance on 3 November 2006.

Mrs Litvinenko said the 43-year-old's hair was falling out as she ran her fingers across his head and that the hospital staff realised his immune system was failing, although nobody could tell them why.

He was later moved to University College Hospital and converted to Islam just a few days before his death, so he could be buried in Chechen soil - a move that his father responded to by saying: "Doesn't matter, at least you're not communist".

Mr Litvinenko signed a statement on his death bed written for him by his friend and solicitor, in which he blamed Mr Putin for his death, his widow told the inquiry.

He had published two books - Blowing Up Russia and The Lubyanka Gang - in which he claimed Vladimir Putin had links to St Petersburg mafia and that Mr Putin and the security forces were behind the apartment bombings of 1999.

The bombings, which killed almost 300 people, were to give Mr Putin an excuse for a second Chechen war and to help him win the presidency, Mr Litvinenko said.

23.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

France Targets 'Ghettos' In Anti-Terror Fight

By Sam Kiley, Foreign Affairs Editor

Counter-terrorism operations have been launched across France in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks, with the Prime Minister declaring the country has collapsed into "apartheid".

A total of 64 suburbs in many major cities have been identified as ghettos and Manuel Valls' admission that geographic, social and ethnic apartheid exists in France signals a seismic change in the country's approach to immigration

It also highlights the scale of the problem.

France has not been able to concede that significant proportions of its population were being left behind economically, marginalised into ethnic enclaves, leaderless and vulnerable to Islamist radicalisation.

Because until now French political thought refused to recognise the notion of the nation having different communities within it.

But the 64 ghettos identified in dozens of cities share startling statistical characteristics.

Video: Hot Spots For Muslim Radicalisation

Unemployment is at 23% in the banlieues. Among the young that figure soars to 45%.

The average income is €11,000 (£8,300) a year. Between a third and half of all families are single-parent and about half are made up of immigrants or their children.

Meanwhile, the French interior ministry has designated around 15 Priority Security Zones across the country, which have been seen to be hotbeds of crime and potential hot houses of jihadism.

These zones have been reinforced by extra intelligence and uniformed officers, as well as quick-reaction units which set up road blocks and random checks to look for drugs and weapons.

"There is a very blurred and small gap between organised crime and terrorism," said colonel Gael Marchand, head of the Gendarmerie for the Alpes-Maritime region.

"Terrorists need funding and they are often recruited in prisons. If you're a terrorist and a former criminal you know where and how to get weapons."

Video: 'My Son Is Not A Terrorist'

He said guns were easily obtained via smuggling routes through Italy from eastern Europe.

France has launched an internet campaign attacking Islamic State's online recruitment drive and warning potential jihadis they will die a "lonely death far from home".

But the colonel said the majority of the most effective indoctrination was conducted by individual preachers who were able to speak directly to potential recruits beyond the scrutiny of members of mosques and prayer rooms.

Anne Mamadou lost his son to jihad. He was radicalised by Omar Omsen, a notorious Muslim convert, originally from Senegal, who settled in Nice and took "dozens" of volunteers with him when he went to fight in Syria.

"It's been very hard to get hold of him," he said.

"The last I heard is that he was fighting somewhere near Kobani in the north.

Video: Young Muslims 'Caught In Whirlwind'

"He was brought up a Muslim in the correct way. He got a good education and then he suddenly disappeared - just after getting married and having his first baby.

"He's probably too proud to come back and say: 'Daddy, I made a mistake'."

Bekri Boubekeur is an Imam and member of the local Muslim council who was part of a group that built and funded the first mosque in the region, which sits across the road from a drug den in L'Ariane, a ghetto on the outskirts of Nice.

He said young people who signed up for Jihad were "committing slow suicide".

"They probably don't know they're doing it at the time, but they are," he said.

23.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Cocktail Of Misery Feeds French Radicalisation

Anxiously eyeing the upper floors of a tower block, the gendarme admitted: "I don't want to stay here long".

Why not?

"Someone might drop a washing machine on my head," he replied.

This comic-book image provoked an unstifled snigger.

But what France's Gendarmerie and police now face, according to their own Prime Minister, is operating on the front lines of decades of a failed philosophy of ethnic integration.

Major Denis Mottier is a combat veteran of Afghanistan. Now he's in L'Ariane, a suburb of Nice, dealing with crime and the steady infiltration of extreme Islamist ideology.

He explains that the area, which sits just two miles up an industrial valley from the centre of Nice, faces severe unemployment, drugs, and organised crime - a cocktail of misery that can feed the radicalisation of young people, especially immigrants.

In France, until about 10 days ago, there was no such thing as community.

Video: 'My Son Is Not A Terrorist'

No Tunisian community. No communities of Congolese, Senegalese, Chechens or Libyans.

France, it was deeply believed, had a unifying culture that was as indomitable as Asterix and inclusive of all.

"We have a different approach to Britain," said colonel Gael Marchand, the commander of the Gendarmerie for the Alpes-Maritime region.

"There you have multiculturalism. You have communities from all the immigrant groups. Differences are celebrated. Here we see everyone as French. Just French."

Partly derived from the French colonial approach which favoured assimilation of races over separation, the French mono-cultural view has been the bedrock of policy throughout the Fifth Republic.

Video: Hot Spots For Muslim Radicalisation

Until Prime Minister Manuel Valls dropped an A-Bomb. He admitted the unthinkable.

France, he said, had become an apartheid state that had confined people to the urban fringes and excluded them from the mainstream of life because of their skin colour, their surnames or their sex.

The problems of immigrants in the banlieues were not new. Thousands rioted in 2005 after a group of young people died while allegedly being chased by police in Paris.

But the evolution of Islamo-fascism alongside the alienation of young men and women of immigrant stock has grown and born bloody fruit in the form of the Charlie Hebdo slaughter - killings carried out by men born French but feeling other.

Children in the Nice banlieues often drop out of school at 13. They are easy prey for radical preachers who have a political and theological explanation for why hope fades for many in their teens.

Video: France 'Gave Us Everything'

As in England and across Europe vulnerable young people are told they are "hated" by the indigenous communities and that the West is a decadent brothel-cum-casino that should be purged.

These arguments combined with the prospect of getting into gunfights and the thrill of Holy War, are powerful magnets that have drawn thousands from Europe to the ranks of terror groups in Syria.

Many dozens have travelled from Nice. Now 64 ghettos have been officially identified in across France. Six are around Nice, including L'Ariane.

Nearly half of young people living in them are unemployed and the average income is about €11,000 (£8,300) and more than half of families have a single parent.

So France has admitted it has a problem. It's just the solution that eludes the Republic - just as it does the United Kingdom.

23.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Egypt Could Free Al Jazeera Journalist Today

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Al Jazeera journalists Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed

A second Al Jazeera journalist could be freed from his Egyptian jail cell within hours, his Qatar-based news channel has reported.

Mohamed Fahmy, an Egyptian and Canadian national, has revoked his Egyptian citizenship and this would pave the way for his release and deportation under a presidential decree, his family have said.

Marwa Omara, Fahmy's fiancee, has been campaigning for his freedom

Fahmy was arrested in December 2013 along with Al Jazeera English colleagues Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed on charges of collaborating with the Muslim Brotherhood, a banned group in Egypt.

All three denied the charges and their trial was widely described as a sham.

1/9

1. Gallery: Al Jazeera Journalists' Journey To Freedom

   Peter Greste has posted this photo on Twitter of him celebrating his freedom in Cyprus en route to his home in Australia. Greste along with Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were jailed in Egypt, accused of aiding a banned political group

Juris Greste, father of Peter Greste, Peter's brother Andrew Greste and mother Lois Greste are all smiles at a press conference in Brisbane following news of Greste's release on Sunday.

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Marwa Omara, fiancee of Mohamed Fahmy, who is expected to be released later today

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Mohamed Fahmy, Al Jazeera's Cairo bureau chief, addresses the Egyptian court

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Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed appear in an Egyptian court

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In June, Fahmy and Greste were sentenced to seven years in jail and Mohamed to 10 years, sparking international outrage.

Their convictions were overturned on 1 January but they had been kept in custody pending a retrial.

But on Monday night Canadian foreign minister John Baird said Fahmy's release was "imminent".

Video: 'Incredible Angst' Of Journalist

Mr Greste, an Australian, was released unexpectedly on Sunday and later told reporters of his "incredible angst" at leaving his two colleagues behind in jail.

He took to Twitter on Tuesday morning, celebrating his freedom by posting photos of him and his brother Mike in Cyprus en route to his home in Australia.

He wrote: "Free in Cyprus! Feels sweet. Peter back online for first time in 400+ days. 

Video: Wife Wants Baher Mohamed Released

"Brother Mike and I due to head home to Australia shortly. Can't wait for the family reunion. Keep shouting #FreeAJStaff

"Special thanks to all who've supported us over the past year. MUST NOT FORGET THOSE STILL IN PRISON."

There are still concerns for the future of Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed, who does not hold nationality of another country.

Video: Al Jazeera: 'We'll Continue Fight'

According to campaign group Reporters Without Borders, there are currently 165 journalists imprisoned around the world, including 15 in Egypt.

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We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

Al Jazeera journalists Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed

A second Al Jazeera journalist could be freed from his Egyptian jail cell within hours, his Qatar-based news channel has reported.

Mohamed Fahmy, an Egyptian and Canadian national, has revoked his Egyptian citizenship and this would pave the way for his release and deportation under a presidential decree, his family have said.

Marwa Omara, Fahmy's fiancee, has been campaigning for his freedom

Fahmy was arrested in December 2013 along with Al Jazeera English colleagues Peter Greste and Baher Mohamed on charges of collaborating with the Muslim Brotherhood, a banned group in Egypt.

All three denied the charges and their trial was widely described as a sham.

1/9

1. Gallery: Al Jazeera Journalists' Journey To Freedom

   Peter Greste has posted this photo on Twitter of him celebrating his freedom in Cyprus en route to his home in Australia. Greste along with Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were jailed in Egypt, accused of aiding a banned political group

Juris Greste, father of Peter Greste, Peter's brother Andrew Greste and mother Lois Greste are all smiles at a press conference in Brisbane following news of Greste's release on Sunday.

]]>

Marwa Omara, fiancee of Mohamed Fahmy, who is expected to be released later today

]]>

Mohamed Fahmy, Al Jazeera's Cairo bureau chief, addresses the Egyptian court

]]>

Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed appear in an Egyptian court

]]>

In June, Fahmy and Greste were sentenced to seven years in jail and Mohamed to 10 years, sparking international outrage.

Their convictions were overturned on 1 January but they had been kept in custody pending a retrial.

But on Monday night Canadian foreign minister John Baird said Fahmy's release was "imminent".

Video: 'Incredible Angst' Of Journalist

Mr Greste, an Australian, was released unexpectedly on Sunday and later told reporters of his "incredible angst" at leaving his two colleagues behind in jail.

He took to Twitter on Tuesday morning, celebrating his freedom by posting photos of him and his brother Mike in Cyprus en route to his home in Australia.

He wrote: "Free in Cyprus! Feels sweet. Peter back online for first time in 400+ days. 

Video: Wife Wants Baher Mohamed Released

"Brother Mike and I due to head home to Australia shortly. Can't wait for the family reunion. Keep shouting #FreeAJStaff

"Special thanks to all who've supported us over the past year. MUST NOT FORGET THOSE STILL IN PRISON."

There are still concerns for the future of Egyptian producer Baher Mohamed, who does not hold nationality of another country.

Video: Al Jazeera: 'We'll Continue Fight'

According to campaign group Reporters Without Borders, there are currently 165 journalists imprisoned around the world, including 15 in Egypt.

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5. CCTV Footage Exposes Slaughterhouse Cruelty

23.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Etan Patz's Mum Recalls The Day He Vanished

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Etan Patz's disappearance sparked a national missing children's movement

By Sky News US Team

The mother of Etan Patz, a six-year-old boy who disappeared in New York in 1979, has testified at the trial of the man accused of killing the child.

Julie Patz recalled how her son vanished and the last time she saw him.

She said she walked Etan down the stairs of their Manhattan loft and sent him off to school, with a dollar in hand to buy soda. It was 25 May 1979.

July Patz in New York in 2012

"That was the last time I saw him. I watched him walk one block away," 72-year-old Ms Patz said.

"I turned around and went back upstairs, and that was the last time."

1/8

1. Gallery: Etan Patz: A History Of The Case

   Etan Patz disappeared on 25 May 1979

The boy, six, was on his way to school

]]>

Etan became one of the first missing children featured on milk cartons

]]>

His case prompted a series of reforms that changed how law enforcement handles missing children

]]>

In 2012, a suspect was identified and arrested

]]>

The boy was headed first to the corner store to buy soda, then to the bus stop. It was the first time he was allowed to walk the short trip alone.

Etan's best friend at the time, Chelsea Altman, testified that she had saved him a seat on the bus, but he never got on.

Etan's disappearance captivated the nation, and he became one of the first missing children featured on milk cartons.

The case ushered in a new era of child protectiveness and a series of reforms that changed how law enforcement handles missing children, with his parents advocating the legislation.

His body has never been found.

In 2012 a former store clerk, Pedro Hernandez, emerged as a suspect and was charged with killing Etan. 

The apparent breakthrough in the case was based on a tip and a videotaped confession.

On Monday, Julie Patz recounted her time living in Manhattan's SoHo neighbourhood when her children were little. She said the corner store was a safe zone for neighbourhood children.

She described Etan as a trusting boy.

Video: Man On Trial For 1979 Murder

"Totally non-judgmental about people," she said.

"Everyone that he met once was his friend and was a nice person."

But while Etan craved independence and was eager to become a grown-up, Ms Patz said, "at the same time, he was very fearful of being lost or left alone by himself".

Ms Patz could not hold back tears as she talked about how she felt in the hours after she learned Etan had not been at school.

"I don't remember a thing about that night and the next day, quite honestly," she said.

She recalls only having "very rubbery legs", an upset stomach and difficulty walking, thinking and talking.

Hernandez initially confessed to strangling the child in the basement of the store, but his lawyers now say the confession was false and was obtained after hours of police interrogation.

They suggest the real killer may be a convicted Pennsylvania child molester who was a prime suspect for years.

According to the New York Times, Hernandez also has a personality disorder and a weak mind.

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5. CCTV Footage Exposes Slaughterhouse Cruelty

We use cookies to give you the best experience. If you do nothing we'll assume that it's ok.

Etan Patz's disappearance sparked a national missing children's movement

By Sky News US Team

The mother of Etan Patz, a six-year-old boy who disappeared in New York in 1979, has testified at the trial of the man accused of killing the child.

Julie Patz recalled how her son vanished and the last time she saw him.

She said she walked Etan down the stairs of their Manhattan loft and sent him off to school, with a dollar in hand to buy soda. It was 25 May 1979.

July Patz in New York in 2012

"That was the last time I saw him. I watched him walk one block away," 72-year-old Ms Patz said.

"I turned around and went back upstairs, and that was the last time."

1/8

1. Gallery: Etan Patz: A History Of The Case

   Etan Patz disappeared on 25 May 1979

The boy, six, was on his way to school

]]>

Etan became one of the first missing children featured on milk cartons

]]>

His case prompted a series of reforms that changed how law enforcement handles missing children

]]>

In 2012, a suspect was identified and arrested

]]>

The boy was headed first to the corner store to buy soda, then to the bus stop. It was the first time he was allowed to walk the short trip alone.

Etan's best friend at the time, Chelsea Altman, testified that she had saved him a seat on the bus, but he never got on.

Etan's disappearance captivated the nation, and he became one of the first missing children featured on milk cartons.

The case ushered in a new era of child protectiveness and a series of reforms that changed how law enforcement handles missing children, with his parents advocating the legislation.

His body has never been found.

In 2012 a former store clerk, Pedro Hernandez, emerged as a suspect and was charged with killing Etan. 

The apparent breakthrough in the case was based on a tip and a videotaped confession.

On Monday, Julie Patz recounted her time living in Manhattan's SoHo neighbourhood when her children were little. She said the corner store was a safe zone for neighbourhood children.

She described Etan as a trusting boy.

Video: Man On Trial For 1979 Murder

"Totally non-judgmental about people," she said.

"Everyone that he met once was his friend and was a nice person."

But while Etan craved independence and was eager to become a grown-up, Ms Patz said, "at the same time, he was very fearful of being lost or left alone by himself".

Ms Patz could not hold back tears as she talked about how she felt in the hours after she learned Etan had not been at school.

"I don't remember a thing about that night and the next day, quite honestly," she said.

She recalls only having "very rubbery legs", an upset stomach and difficulty walking, thinking and talking.

Hernandez initially confessed to strangling the child in the basement of the store, but his lawyers now say the confession was false and was obtained after hours of police interrogation.

They suggest the real killer may be a convicted Pennsylvania child molester who was a prime suspect for years.

According to the New York Times, Hernandez also has a personality disorder and a weak mind.

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5. CCTV Footage Exposes Slaughterhouse Cruelty

23.12 | 0 komentar | Read More

Murder Charge For Suge Knight Over Hit-And Run

Former hip-hop mogul Marion "Suge" Knight has been charged with murder and attempted murder after he ran two men over in his truck.

Prosecutors claim the Death Row Records founder deliberately struck a friend - who died - and another man after an argument on a movie set.

Defence attorney James Blatt says Knight, who handed himself in to police, ran the pair over by accident as he tried to escape a vicious attack.

The 49-year-old's initial bail of $2m (£1.3m) was revoked after a court commissioner agreed with authorities that he was a potential flight risk and could intimidate witnesses.

Knight handed himself in to authorities the day after the fatal hit-and-run

Knight, who was out on bail in a separate robbery case when the men were hit, is scheduled to appear in court in Compton to be arraigned on four felony counts.

They include the murder of 55-year-old Terry Carter, "attempted, willful, deliberate, and premeditated murder" involving victim 51-year-old Cle "Bone" Sloan, and two charges of hit-and-run.

Mr Carter was a founder and owner of Heavyweight Records and was viewed as a local father figure who tried to help mentor young men in the community, according to Doug Young, a friend and hip-hop music promoter.

Authorities say Knight had an argument with Mr Sloan, an actor and film consultant, who had been working earlier on a commercial for Straight Outta Compton, a movie about the rise of rap group NWA.

Knight was ordered off the film set - where former group members Dr Dre and Ice Cube had also been taking part - by sheriff's deputies who were providing security.

Ice Cube and Dr Dre, seen here in 2000, were filming the promotional video

But authorities say the argument resumed in the car park of a nearby burger restaurant as he and Mr Sloan exchanged punches through a window of the pickup truck, before the two men were run down.

Mr Blatt has said Knight was attacked by four people, including Mr Sloan, and that he accelerated away as he fled in fear.

The charges come less than six months after Knight was shot six times at a West Hollywood nightclub - the second time he has survived a shooting.

Knight was at the centre of the most notorious rap conflict of the 1990s, pitting rappers Tupac Shakur against Biggie Smalls in an East Coast-West Coast rivalry. Both artists were shot dead within six months of each other in 1997.

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'Mohammed Cartoon' To Be Investigated: Abbas

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called for an investigation into a cartoon apparently depicting the Prophet Mohammed.

The cartoon appeared in official West Bank-based newspaper al-Hayat al-Jadidah on Sunday and showed a robed man reaching into a pouch to scatter seeds of love over the world.

It was accompanied by the caption: "Our Prophet Mohammed".

Islam frowns on any depictions of Mohammed and strict interpretation of Islamic scripture bans any depictions of sentient beings.

The cartoonist Mohammed Sabanneh, who is a Muslim, said he meant no harm by drawing the cartoon, adding that the figure was not Mohammed but "a symbol of humanity enlightened by what the Prophet Mohammed brought".

But Mr Abbas ordered "an immediate investigation" into the cartoon, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA said.

It quoted him as citing "the need to take deterrent actions against those responsible for this terrible mistake, out of respect for sacred religious symbols and, foremost amongst them, the prophets".

Mr Abbas' words comes less than a month after he joined world leaders marching for free speech in Paris after the deadly attacks on Charlie Hebdo.

The French satirical magazine had attracted criticism for publishing cartoons of Mohammed.

It is not the first time Sabaaneh has tested free speech, having been jailed in Israel for five months and fined last year for "being in contact with hostile parties".

Sabaaneh, a famous cartoonist in Palestine, where cartoons are often used as a medium to criticise Israel, has not received any public threats and thanked his supporters online.

He wrote: "Despite facing a committee of inquiry, I love this country." 

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Knife Attack On French Troops At Jewish Centre

Three French soldiers have been attacked by a man armed with a knife outside a Jewish centre in the southern city of Nice.

The troops had been on an anti-terror patrol at the time of the attack, in which two of the servicemen were injured.

A police official said the attacker pulled a knife at least 20cm (8 ins) long out of a bag and set upon the soldiers.

The knifeman was detained by riot police following the attack near the Galeries Lafayette department store.

The attacker, aged about 30, had a record of theft and violence, the official said.

France has been on high alert since the attacks in Paris by three Islamic extremists that left 20 people dead, including the gunmen.

France has been on high alert since the deadly Paris attacks

More than 10,000 soldiers have been deployed around the country to protect sensitive locations, including major shopping areas, synagogues, mosques and transport hubs.

Counter-terrorism operations have also been launched across France.

More follows...

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Harper Lee To Publish Second Novel This Summer

Harper Lee is to publish her second book this summer - 55 years after the release of To Kill A Mockingbird.

Go Set A Watchman was apparently completed in the 1950s and put aside until it was rediscovered late last year.

It is essentially a sequel to the Pulitzer Prize-winning To Kill A Mockingbird, although it was finished earlier.

The 304-page book will be Lee's second and is due to be released on 14 July.

Publisher HarperCollins said it plans a first printing of two million copies.

"In the mid-1950s, I completed a novel called Go Set A Watchman,'" the 88-year-old Lee said in a statement.

To Kill A Mockingbird has been read by millions

"It features the character known as Scout as an adult woman, and I thought it a pretty decent effort. My editor, who was taken by the flashbacks to Scout's childhood, persuaded me to write a novel (which became To Kill A Mockingbird) from the point of view of the young Scout.

"I was a first-time writer, so I did as I was told. I hadn't realised it (the original book) had survived, so was surprised and delighted when my dear friend and lawyer Tonja Carter discovered it.

"After much thought and hesitation, I shared it with a handful of people I trust and was pleased to hear that they considered it worthy of publication. I am humbled and amazed that this will now be published after all these years."

The new book is set in Lee's famed Maycomb, Alabama, during the mid-1950s, 20 years after To Kill A Mockingbird and roughly contemporaneous with the time that Lee was writing the story.

The civil rights movement was taking hold by the time she was working on Watchman.

The Supreme Court had ruled unanimously in 1953 that segregated schools were unconstitutional, and the arrest of Rosa Parks in 1955 led to the year-long Montgomery bus boycott.

According to the publisher, the book will be released as Lee first wrote it, with no revisions.

Lee's publisher said the author is unlike to do any publicity for the book.

She has rarely spoken to the media since the 1960s, when she told one reporter that she wanted to "to leave some record of small-town, middle-class Southern life".

To Kill A Mockingbird is among the most beloved novels in history, with worldwide sales topping 40 million copies.

It was released on 11 July, 1960, won the Pulitzer Prize and was adapted into a 1962 movie of the same name, starring Gregory Peck in an Oscar-winning performance as the courageous lawyer Atticus Finch.

It is a widely studied text in schools across the UK.

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