One of key suspects in the murder in London of Alexander Litvinenko the former Russian spy has told the BBC he had nothing to do with his death by poisoning 10 years ago. A British inquiry has concluded that President Putin probably approved the assassination of Mr. Litvinenko. But the suspect Andrei-Lugovoi called this nonsense. He also said the inquiry was nothing more than invention, supposition and rumors, as Sarah Rainsford reports from Moscow. Asked of the telling trail of radioactive polonium that he left across London, Andrei Lugovoi claimed that was laid by the British intelligence agents in a bid to implicate him and to blacken the image of Russia. Just like the Kremlin spokesman and Russia's Foreign Ministry, his tone in referring to the Litvinenko inquiry was defiant, even mocking. When asked if he was prepared to appear in court in the UK to prove his innocence, Mr. Lugovoi said there was more chance of the moon becoming part of the earth than of him being extradited. That, he said, is impossible. The British government accused Moscow of committing an unacceptable breach of international law. But Russian officials described the inquiry's findings as a gross provocation that would worsen ties with Britain.
The Tunisian Prime Minister Habib Essid has cut short a European tour to return to the country after another day of clashes between security forces and protesters demanding jobs. The demonstrations began this week in the town of Kasserine and spread to other cities. Rana Jawad is in Tunisia. On Thursday night, security officials and local media said two neighborhoods in the capital Tunis were rocked by protests and public disorder. They say some people vandalized and tried to loot some shops there prompting the National Guard to intervene. One town in the south of the country saw two police stations and seven police cars set ablaze by demonstrators according to the Ministry of Interior. The state says it needs more time to reverse a long legacy of high unemployment rates in the country.
At least nine people, including six policemen, have been killed by a bomb during a raid on a militant hideout in the Egyptian capital Cairo. More than 13 others were injured. This local resident, Mahmud Abu Bahad, described what he'd heard and seen. We heard a sound of explosion. When we ran outside, we could see nothing but a dense cloud of dust and fumes for around half an hour. Only when the dust cleared, we could see the damage. But none of us knows what happened.
Al-Shabaab militants said they carried out an attack on a popular beach-front restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu. Two car bombs exploded about an hour apart in the early evening. In between, as many as five gunmen approached from the beach and opened fire on diners. An eyewitness described bullets flying around and people jumping out of upstairs windows. Reports say at least three people have been killed. BBC News.
US and European stock markets have rallied a day after billions of dollars were wiped off the value shares because of concerns about the oversupply of oil and weak economic growth. Wall Street ended the day higher as oil prices had their biggest one day gain this year. In Europe, major stock indices closed nearly 2% up.
The President of Haiti Michel Martelly says a runoff vote to choose his successor will go ahead on Sunday as planned despite street protests against vote-rigging in the first round. The opposition has called the electoral process a farce. Our Americas Editor Leonardo Rocha has more. In a televised address, President Martelly accused a small group of people of trying to destroy Haiti's democratic process. The runoff election has been postponed twice amid opposition protests. President Martelly's term ends in less than three weeks. And this time, he said, the vote will go ahead. Police will be out in the streets on Sunday to make sure that those who want to vote can do so without intimidation. Earlier this week, the opposition candidate Jude Celestin said that he would pull out of the vote. He accused the electoral authorities of favoring the government candidate Jovenel Moise.
A US federal court has rejected a bid by 27 states to block the centerpiece of the Obama administration's strategy to tackle climate change. The Clean Power Plan aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions from power stations by nearly a third within 15 years. The states argued that the plan would damage the coal industry and increase energy costs for consumers.
A prisoner, who's spent 14 years at Guantanamo Bay, has decided to pass up the offer of freedom. Mahammed Bwazir, who's from Yemen, rejected the chance to leave the US base in Cuba to go and live in an unnamed new country. He's not allowed to return to Yemen. And he said he would only leave for a place where he already had family. BBC News.