Baby-swapping mothers held at Chennai hospital

CHENNAI: In a curious case of mutual consent, two women at a government maternity hospital in Egmore tried to swap their newborn babies, but got caught in the act. One of them, who already had two daughters, wanted a male 

child, while the other, who had a son, wanted a girl. They had struck a deal to swap infants. But while walking out with the infant, one of the women was stopped by an ambulance driver. On police interrogation, both women confessed they had planned the whole thing.

S Thangam (34), a native of Alandur, was rushing out of the hospital with a baby boy at 7 am on Friday when ambulance driver Muthalagan stopped her on suspicion and reported her to the duty nurse. Asked for an exit pass with details of her discharge, Thangam fumbled. Around the same time, the staff heard another woman from the post-operative ward screaming that her newborn boy was missing.

Thangam was handed over to the police. The mother of the newborn boy, B Ammu (30), a native of Thiruvallur, was also summoned. On questioning, Ammu confessed that the exchange was carried out with mutual consent and that she had raised an alarm to avoid blame after learning that hospital authorities had busted their plan.

Thangam told cops that after raising two girls, she longed for a boy, and was depressed to find that her newborn too was a girl.

US plane attack suspect quizzed after ‘terror attempt’

A Nigerian reported to have links to al-Qaeda is being questioned after an attempted act of terrorism on a plane arriving in the US, officials say.

They say the 23-year-old man was trying to ignite an explosive device as the jet approached Detroit from Amsterdam.

He was overpowered by some of the 278 passengers and 11 crew. Reports say he burnt his leg. No-one else was hurt.

Police in the UK are conducting searches and inquiries into the man, believed to be a London student.

Nigeria has ordered its security agencies to investigate the incident and verify the suspect’s identity and motives. It has also said they will “co-operate fully” with the US investigations.

The Nigerian, named as Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, had third-degree burns, said Peter King, a Congressman on the US House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee.

The Metropolitan Police said its officers were liaising with the US authorities, and University College London says it has a student of the same name.

Officials have described the device as a mixture of powder and liquid which failed to go off properly.

One terrorism expert said it looked as though a new way of concealing explosives on the body was involved.

President Barack Obama, on holiday in Hawaii, has ordered increased security for air travel.

White House spokesman Bill Burton said the president was monitoring the situation.

The suspect’s name was in a database indicating “a significant terrorist connection” although it did not appear on a “no-fly” list, said Mr King.

Mr Abdulmutallab reportedly told investigators he had links to al-Qaeda and had received the explosives in Yemen.

Mr King also said investigators were looking into whether the incident was part of a larger plot and a “worldwide alert” had been raised.

The US Department of Homeland Security said “additional screening measures” had been put into effect since the incident.

Northwest Airlines Flight 253 had begun its descent towards Detroit Metropolitan Airport on Friday afternoon when the incident occurred.

The Airbus 330, which had originated in Amsterdam, was about 20 minutes from landing when passengers noticed something was wrong.

One of them, Syed Jafri, said he had been seated three rows behind the suspect and had seen a glow and smelled smoke.

Then, he said, “a young man behind me jumped on him”.

“Next thing you know, there was a lot of panic,” Mr Jafri added.

As the suspect was being tackled, he was reportedly shouting and a passenger said she had heard the word “Afghanistan”.

Another unnamed passenger heard a “little pop”, then saw “a bit of a smoke and then some flames”.

After “yelling and screaming”, the passenger added, “they took him out and it was really quick”.

Fellow passenger Melinda Dennis said the man had been severely burned on one leg, and a fire extinguisher and water were used to put out the fire.

The suspect later told the US authorities he had had explosive powder taped to his leg and used a syringe of chemicals to mix with the powder that was to cause explosion, the ABC television network reports.

Dr Sally Leivesley, an adviser on terrorism and public protection, told the BBC: “This has looked as though it’s a first attempt of a new way to use the body to conceal explosives.”

“They may be concealing the explosives on the human body – but on the inside upper leg, and we only know this by seeing a very badly burnt leg on the suspected perpetrator.”

Met Police search London flat in US plane attack probe

Police are conducting searches at a mansion block in London in connection with the inquiry into an attempted act of terrorism on a US passenger plane.

Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab, 23, a Nigerian being held after the flight to Detroit, is thought to have been a student at University College London.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the UK would take “whatever action was necessary” to protect passengers.

UK airport operator BAA said searches on flights to the US would increase.

Meanwhile, a statement on British Airway’s website said Washington has revised its security arrangements for all travellers to the US and they would only be allowed one piece of hand luggage.

A BA spokesman said the directive meant US-bound passengers on all airlines would be subjected to additional screening.

“We apologise to passengers for any delays to their journeys. Safety and security are our top priorities and will not be compromised.”

Extra resources

Passengers on the Northwest Airlines Flight 253 operated by Delta say a man was overpowered on Christmas Day after trying to ignite an explosive device as the Airbus 330 approached Detroit from Amsterdam.

According to reports in the US, Mr Abdulmutallab has links to al-Qaeda.

Mr Brown said he had been contact with Sir Paul Stephenson, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, because of the “serious potential threat”.

He said: “The security of the public must always be our primary concern.

“We have been working closely with the US authorities investigating this incident since it happened.”

BBC security correspondent Gordon Corera said the British authorities were informed of a possible connection to the UK on Thursday evening.

The MI5 and police teams assigned to the case are trying ascertain first of all whether the reported identification is correct, our correspondent said.

It is understood one of their key priorities will also be to check whether the arrested man has cropped up in the course of any other investigations.

BBC News correspondent Richard Slee said there was fairly low-key police activity at the last known address of Mr Abdulmutallab, a basement flat in a smart mansion block near Harley Street in central London.

Reporting from the scene, he said police forensic officers have been seen going into the building on Mansfield Street.

A blue English Heritage plaque states that philanthropist Sir Robert Mayer once lived there.

The Metropolitan Police said its officers were liaising with the US authorities.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: “We are in liaison with the US authorities.

“Searches are being carried out at addresses in central London.”

A UK Department for Transport spokeswoman said: “In response to events in Detroit the US authorities have requested additional measures for US-bound flights.

“We are monitoring the situation and will make any assessments as necessary as this develops.”

Egypt’s barrier along Gaza border called ‘wall of shame’

The underground barrier meant to prevent smuggling shows that Egypt is siding with Israel, Arab commentators say. ‘It is like a total obedience to the American recommendations,’ a Cairo editor says.

Cairo – An underground barrier to prevent tunneling by smugglers along Egypt’s border with the Gaza Strip has been dubbed a “wall of shame” by Arab writers and politicians who charge that Cairo is siding with Israel in isolating the 1.5 million Palestinians living in the seaside enclave.

Construction on the 100-foot-deep steel wall began a few weeks ago, but the Egyptian government didn’t publicly acknowledge the project until the weekend. Officials defended the effort against accusations that it was an affront to Palestinians by the government of President Hosni Mubarak, which opposes Hamas, the militant group ruling Gaza.

“Whether it is a wall, sensors or tapping devices . . . what matters is that Egyptian territory must be protected,” Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit was quoted as saying by Al Ahram al Arabi weekly magazine. “Whoever says Egypt is imposing its control on the border, we tell them this is Egypt’s full right.”

The controversy highlights Egypt’s close geographical and emotional ties to the Palestinians, but also the complex political dilemma it faces in attempting to undercut Hamas. The construction comes at a time when Egypt is wary over Hamas’ ties to Iran and the militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, but also as Egyptian officials are pushing for unity between Palestinian parties and a prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas that would free Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

Egypt has tightened its border with Gaza since Hamas gained control of the coastal strip in 2007. But the smuggling tunnels — transporting goods as varied as weapons and baby food — were considered lifelines to Palestinians who faced shortages because of Israel’s siege of the territory.

“It is a wall of shame being built by Egypt on the borders with Gaza,” wrote Ibrahim Issa, chief editor of daily newspaper Al Dustour. “It is like a total obedience to the American recommendations. We are opening our territories for a barrier that only serves and supports the Israeli and U.S. policies.”

Issa, a frequent government critic, pointed out that regardless of his and many Egyptians’ political persuasions, building the wall is a clear example of Egypt’s authoritarianism.

“Unlike in Israel, where constructing a wall separating its territories from Gaza and the West Bank was debated in parliament and in the media before it was given the thumbs up, our regime was keen on classifying any information regarding the new wall. This is simply because Israel adopts a democratic system while Egypt doesn’t enjoy such luxury,” he wrote.

Similar reactions echoed across the region. They followed denunciations in January when Egypt closed its Rafah border crossing with Gaza during the Israeli invasion of the strip. The move effectively put a stranglehold on goods entering the enclave.

“We can understand it when the Israeli government uses the same methods as the Nazis in transforming the Gaza Strip into a huge concentration camp,” wrote the London-based pan-Arab daily Al Quds al Arabi. “But what we cannot understand or accept is that the Egyptian government — and not the Egyptian people — should take part in such a crime for fear of the Israelis, and in an attempt to appease the U.S., getting nothing in return except humiliation and dishonor.”

Palestinian journalist Mustafa Sawwaf wrote on a Hamas-affiliated website: “The issue has nothing to do with Egyptian national security, and more to do with Egyptian policy.

“As far as the borders with the Gaza Strip and the steel wall are concerned, this policy is linked less to Egypt’s interests and security as it has become a tool for implementing U.S. schemes in the region.”

The wall, dubbed “the steel barrier” by Egyptian media, prompted a number of lawmakers to file reports to the attorney general against Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif.

“Our government is alleging that it is for the country’s own security while it is just another effort to stiffen the ongoing siege over our fellow Muslims in Gaza,” said Hamdi Hassan, a Muslim Brotherhood member of parliament.

Egypt building underground metal wall to curb smuggling into Gaza

Secret tunnels used to skirt Israel’s economic blockade and take weapons into Hamas-controlled strip

Work has begun on Egypt’s northern border to dig the foundations for what reports say will be a vast underground metal wall in the latest effort to prevent weapons smuggling into the Gaza Strip.

Egyptian security officials have said they are digging steel tubes into the ground on their side of the border and are paving a road that will have devices along its route to monitor smuggling. The US Army Corps of Engineers, which is reportedly involved, has worked with the Egyptians on preventing smuggling along this border for at least two years.

Palestinian smugglers in Gaza have built dozens, perhaps hundreds, of underground tunnels through the sand to bring a wide range of goods into the small territory, from food to fuel to cattle, to skirt Israel’s economic blockade. Armed groups, notably Hamas, also operate more secret tunnels to bring in weapons and these are often targeted by Israeli jets. After Israel’s three-week war in Gaza last January the US said it would provide technical and intelligence assistance to Egypt to stop weapons smuggling into the strip.

Egypt’s new wall will be about six miles long and “impossible to cut or melt”, the Israeli newspaper Ha’aretz said. It said construction had already begun and that large slates of steel would eventually be buried into the ground. Joint Egyptian-American patrols had been seen on the Egyptian side of the border, it said.

Other reports said it would take 18 months to build. But Egyptian officials have not spoken publicly about the plan, saying they can do enough to halt smuggling without a wall.

Since Israel withdrew its soldiers and settlers from Gaza in 2005, Egypt has been allowed to deploy 750 lightly armed border guards in the northern Sinai to patrol the Gaza border.

But since Hamas won Palestinian elections in early 2006 Israel has tightened an economic blockade on the strip that has now spawned a vast smuggling industry.

The tunnels are dug deep and reinforced by wooden batons. Their entrances, under large tents, can be seen dotted along the Gazan side of the border. Hamas, which controls Gaza, effectively licenses the tunnels, providing electricity, taking a tax on smuggled goods and banning the import of drugs, alcohol and cigarettes.

Egypt is reluctant to take on full responsibility for Gaza’s future and is under US and Israeli pressure to halt weapons smuggling. Shortly after Barack Obama was inaugurated in January, just after the Gaza war, he promised help to Egypt to stop smuggling.

In early 2008 the US gave $23m in military aid to the Egyptians to stop the tunnels, sending in a team from the engineer corps to advise and train in several techniques, including ground-penetrating radar. Another plan was to build a deep canal along the border to prevent tunnelling.

A mix of protest and mourning in streets of Iran after death of top dissident cleric

Tens of thousands take part in a procession in Qom as Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri is laid to rest. Security forces are on hand as mourners in green chant anti-government slogans.

Tehran and Dubai, United Arab Emirates — Tens of thousands of opposition supporters took to the streets today in Qom, Iran’s main theological center, to mourn the passing of the country’s top dissident cleric, Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, who died late Saturday at the age of 87.

Witnesses described a steady procession of mourners walking from Montazeri’s home to the shrine of Fatemeh Masoumeh, where Montazeri was laid to rest. Despite the presence of security forces, many mourners chanted anti-government slogans and carried green ribbons and banners signifying allegiance to the opposition movement that sprang out of Iran’s disputed June presidential elections.

As the ceremony concluded, Montazeri’s son, Ahmad, asked mourners to disperse peacefully out of respect for the family. But there were a few reports of clashes between mourners and the security forces that had flooded the city, 90 miles south of the capital.

According to reformist news websites, pro-government militiamen pulled down a funerary banner honoring Montazeri.

Several hundred government supporters chanting slogans in support of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei gathered near Montazeri’s home, according to news websites. Uniformed law enforcement had to intervene to prevent clashes from breaking out between government supporters and mourners, some of them throwing stones.

Official Iranian media has given limited coverage to Montazeri’s death and potentially volatile funeral and mourning ceremonies. They coincide with a key period on the Shiite calendar, when there were already expectations of confrontations between opposition protesters and the government.

“It was a very timely demise,” said an aide to opposition figurehead Mehdi Karroubi, who attended the ceremony along with fellow presidential candidate Mir Hussein Mousavi. He asked that his name not be published. “The grand ayatollah passed away at the zenith of his reputation among middle class and educated people of Iran.”

Montazeri supporters and opposition activists began pouring into the shrine city Sunday, many arriving from the senior cleric’s hometown of Najafabad.

From 8 a.m. on, cries of, “Death to the dictator,” and “Ya Hossein! Mir Hossein!” in support of opposition figurehead and former presidential candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, could be heard from around his home, according to witnesses and amateur video footage posted on the Internet.

Wrapped in black cloth and mounted atop a truck also draped in black, his body emerged at around 9 a.m. to be taken slowly to the shrine and buried next to his late son, Mohammad, who was killed in a bomb blast during the early years after Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution, witnesses said.

The boos of chanting mourners overwhelmed official slogans emanating from loudspeakers near the shrine that condemned the United States and supported Khamenei, who offered his condolences Sunday to Montazeri’s family, witnesses said.

“The green nation of Iran is in mourning,” chanted mourners, many dressed in green and holding green ribbons. “The oppressed Montazeri is before God.”

Perhaps the most striking image was the young female mourners who, instead of being swathed in black chadors, wore colorful and trendy waistcoats and attempted to enter the shrine grounds in violation of religious traditions.

Montazeri, an architect of Iran’s 1979 revolution and the man first designated as successor to its founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, fell out of the Islamic Republic’s inner circle following his criticism of the mass killing of prisoners in the late 1980s. He eventually became Iran’s leading clerical dissident and, in recent months, began stridently questioning the legitimacy of Islamic Republic and Khamenei.

Observers said he had changed his views dramatically over the decade, and he said he’d been wrong about core issues of Islamic law, politics and faith.

Supporters predicted that Montazeri’s death would eventually help the opposition grow stronger.

“I think his demise has galvanized the movement,” said Mohammad Aghazadeh, a reformist journalist who attended the ceremony.

“It is gaining roots,” he said. “People from the middle class who are not mosque goers or pilgrims of Qom are here among the youth. It shows the green movement is spreading among all walks of society.”

 

Autopsy planned to help shed light on death of Brittany Murphy

L.A. coroner’s officials plan to perform an autopsy on the body of Brittany Murphy on Tuesday. The hope is to shed some light on the sudden death of the 32-year-old actress Sunday at her Hollywood Hills home.

Murphy, who starred in “Clueless,” “8 Mile” and other films, collapsed Sunday morning and was pronounced dead a short time later at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Both the L.A. coroner’s office and the Los Angeles Police Department spent Sunday looking into her medical history and other factors that could be related to her death.

Police said there is no evidence to suggest foul play — but it’s unclear whether an underlying medical condition might have caused or contributed to her death.

Authorities said Murphy was taking prescription drugs for medical ailments but would not be more specific.

Murphy appeared upbeat at a Dec. 3 fashion event, in what may have been her final public appearance. She told Access Hollywood at the event: “As far as having a New Year’s resolution, I’d love to have a child next year.”
Los Angeles firefighters responded to a medical call about 8 a.m. at the 8,000-square-foot home Murphy shared with her husband, British screenwriter Simon Monjack, in the hills above the Sunset Strip.

There were conflicting reports as to whether Murphy was discovered by Monjack or her mother.

Firefighters tried unsuccessfully to revive Murphy on the way to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead about two hours later.

Los Angeles police are investigating the cause of Murphy’s death, said Officer Norma Eisenman. Investigators and coroner’s officials were at her home Sunday as paparazzi camped outside.

Reached at his home in northern Florida, Murphy’s father, Angelo Bertolotti, said he learned of her death Sunday morning from his son (Murphy’s half-brother), who read it on the Internet.

“It’s too shocking and too fast,” Bertolotti said in a phone interview. “It just doesn’t make sense to me. As we speak, I am staring at a picture of her. I just can’t believe it. Can’t convince myself she’s gone.”

Bertolotti, who described himself as a “retired mobster” who now works in the movie business, said he and Sharon Murphy divorced when Brittany was 4. He last saw his daughter about three years ago.

Bertolotti said his daughter was very close to her mother.

“They were inseparable,” he said.

A statement from Murphy’s family released late Sunday by her publicist, Nicole Perna, called the actress’ death “a terrible tragedy.”

“She was our daughter, our wife, our love and a shining star,” the statement said. “We ask you to respect our privacy at this time.”

Born Nov. 10, 1977, in Atlanta, Murphy moved to Burbank with her mother when she was 13.

After rising to prominence in the 1995 film “Clueless,” Murphy appeared in the Winona Ryder-Angelina Jolie drama “Girl, Interrupted” and the Michael Douglas thriller “Don’t Say a Word.”
A series of lighter roles followed the 2002 drama “8 Mile,” including a lead role opposite Ashton Kutcher in the 2003 romantic comedy “Just Married.”

Murphy also lent her voice to animated characters, including Luanne Platter on the Fox TV show “King of the Hill” and Gloria the penguin in the 2006 feature “Happy Feet.”

Airline Passengers Allowed Off Stuck Planes Under U.S. Rule

Dec. 21  — U.S. airlines would have to let passengers off planes stuck on airport tarmacs after three hours, under a new federal rule prompted by consumer complaints.

The rule, which takes effect in April, exempts airlines from the limit for safety or security, or if air-traffic controllers say returning to the gate would disrupt airport operations, the Transportation Department said today in a statement. The rule applies to domestic flights; airlines flying International routes would set separate limits.

“Airline passengers have rights, and these new rules will require airlines to live up to their obligation,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said today in a written statement.

Carriers, including Delta Air Lines Inc. and AMR Corp.’s American Airlines, have been trying to fend off a limit since flights that waited for as long as 10 1/2 hours in late 2006 and early 2007 put tarmac delays in the national spotlight.

Continental Airlines Inc. and two regional carriers were fined $175,000 last month for stranding passengers all night on a grounded plane in August, the first time carriers have been punished for extended tarmac delays.

Traveler groups including FlyersRights.org of Napa, California, and the Business Travel Coalition of Radnor, Pennsylvania, back a deadline for airlines to release passengers and have said it should be set at three hours.

Crandall Endorses Rules

Former American Airlines chief Robert Crandall also endorsed such a rule, saying in September that the government should initially require that passengers be allowed off after four hours and narrow that standard to three hours in 2011.

There were 1,096 flights stuck on tarmacs for three hours or more in the year ended Sept. 30, according to government data. About 6.5 million flights were scheduled in that period.

Carriers say operators should decide when to release passengers in delays due to weather or heavy traffic. The airlines have been under pressure from Congress to cut the number of such incidents.

In August, 47 passengers on an ExpressJet Holdings Inc. 50- seat plane were stuck on the ground in Rochester, Minnesota, for 5 1/2 hours. Continental, which hired ExpressJet to make the flight, was fined $50,000 by LaHood’s department.

ExpressJet was fined $50,000, and Mesaba Airlines, a unit of Atlanta-based Delta, was assessed $75,000 for its role in giving faulty information to the stranded crew.

The Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved legislation on July 21 that includes a three-hour rule. That legislation, part of a $34.6 billion proposal to fund the Federal Aviation Administration for two years, is still pending before a separate Senate panel.

Crowds gather to mourn reformist Iran cleric Montazeri

Crowds of mourners are gathering in the Iranian city of Qom following the death of leading reformist cleric Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Ali Montazeri at 87.

Some pro-reform websites say thousands of people are travelling to the city ahead of Monday’s funeral.

Other unverified reports say opposition supporters are also gathering in some squares in Tehran, fuelling government concern of increased political tension.

Iran faced serious unrest after its disputed presidential election in June.

Grand Ayatollah Montazeri, one of Shia Islam’s most respected figures and a leading critic of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, himself said in August that the turmoil following the election “could lead to the fall of the regime”.

He said Iran’s clerical leadership was a dictatorship and issued a fatwa condemning the government after the election.

The BBC’s Jon Leyne says his death comes at a crucial time in a standoff between the government and opposition, and the leaders will fear a big turnout for Monday’s funeral.

It is scheduled to start at 0900 local time (0530 GMT) and it is reported that no foreign media will be allowed to attend. Reporting in Iran by foreign organisations has been restricted since the post-election protests.

One reformist website, Jaras, has quoted opposition leaders Mir Hossein Mousavi and Mehdi Karroubi as calling for Monday to be a “day of national mourning” and urging people to attend the funeral.

Large crowds have already gathered outside the grand ayatollah’s home in Qom, 125km south (90 miles) of Tehran, following his death on Saturday evening.

The moderate Parlemannews website said that thousands of people were travelling from all over the country to be at the funeral.

Grand Ayatollah Montazeri died of natural causes, his family said.

He will be laid to rest at the shrine of Hazrate Masoumeh, one of the most revered female saints in Shia Islam, his office told AFP news agency.

Another moderate website, Tagheer, which backs Mehdi Karroubi, said it had reports of people gathering in the Mohseni and other squares in Tehran to mourn. The reports have not been independently verified.

Tagheer also said there were reports of heavy riot police presence in Qom.

However, Grand Ayatollah Montazeri’s grandson, Naser Montazeri, told Reuters news agency: “People and friends are coming to express their condolences but there are no special security measures around our house.”

State news agency Irna did not use the ayatollah title in its early reports of Grand Ayatollah Montazeri’s death and referred to him as the “clerical figure of rioters”.

Vocal critic

Hoseyn Ali Montazeri was a moving spirit in the 1979 revolution which created Iran’s Islamic state.

But during his lifetime, the cleric was transformed from a pillar of the revolution to one of the most vocal critics of its leadership.

He repeatedly accused the country’s rulers of imposing dictatorship in the name of Islam and said the liberation that was supposed to have followed the 1979 revolution never happened.

Hoseyn Ali Montazeri was one of the early backers of the man who became the Islamic Republic’s founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Hoseyn Ali Montazeri organised public protests in support of Khomeini and was repeatedly detained and tortured in jail during the years of the monarchy.

Hoseyn Ali Montazeri was designated to succeed Khomeini, but the pair fell out over Iran’s human rights record a few months before Khomeini died of cancer in 1989.

In 1997 he famously clashed with Khomeini’s successor, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whom he outranked in the religious hierarchy, after questioning the powers of the Supreme Leader.

This led to the closure of Grand Ayatollah Montazeri’s religious school and an attack on his office in Qom. He was placed under house arrest for six years.

After his detention, state-run media began referring to him as a “simple-minded” cleric, references to him in schoolbooks were erased and streets named after him were renamed, but he remained defiant.

In his opposition to President Ahmadinejad, he became an unlikely inspiration for Iranian reformists.

Despite his old age and failing health, Grand Ayatollah Montazeri backed the opposition’s claims that the 2009 election result, which gave President Ahmadinejad a landslide victory, had been widely rigged.

The cleric had often said his opinions were guided by his “sense of religious duty”.

Iran’s authorities denied the rigging allegations and said the post-election protests were a foreign-backed plot to bring down the leadership.

Lorry hits Nigeria Kogi state market killing up to 100

Up to 100 people people have been killed after a runaway truck ploughed into a crowded market in Nigeria.

Officials said 55 people died, but a BBC reporter at the scene, in Kogi state, counted at least 100 corpses.

Kogi state police said the lorry hurtled down a hill at speed, smashing cars and motorcycles then crashing into the market, injuring up to 40 people.

Traffic accidents are common in Nigeria because vehicles and roads are badly maintained.

“I can only confirm that 55 people were killed. The driver of the truck lost control and ran into a group of people moving in a procession along the road,” a senior police officer told AFP news agency.

Burned beyond recognition

Kogi state commander of the Federal Road Safety Commission, Yomi Asaniyan, said brake failure was the cause.

Declaring three days of mourning, Ibrahim Idris, the governor of Kogi state, expressed his sadness and offered to pay the medical bills of those injured.

Eyewitnesses told Nigeria’s Sunday Trust newspaper that the market in Allo village in the Dekina area was filled to capacity when it was rammed by the lorry.

A number of vehicles caught fire, burning people beyond recognition. It is not yet clear whether the accident happened on Friday or Saturday.

Last week, more than 20 people burned to death when a bus carrying mourners to a funeral collided with a truck on a road in Oyo state, south-west Nigeria.

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