Gitmo detainee's NY trial moves into final stages - Wall Street Journal

NEW YORK — The first civilian trial for a Guantanamo detainee is moving toward the final stages in a lower Manhattan courtroom.

Deliberations could begin Wednesday afternoon at the trial of Ahmed Ghailani (guh-LAHN'-ee).

On Tuesday, his lawyer said Ghailani didn't know about a 1998 plot to bomb two U.S. embassies in Africa.

Attorney Peter Quijano (kee-HAH'-noh) said in his closing argument that Ghailani was a "dupe" and a "fall guy" for al-Qaida operatives.

In its closing Monday, the government called Ghailani a cold-blooded killer and terrorist. It said he bought a truck and explosive components for the bombers before slipping away to Pakistan.

The attacks in Tanzania and Kenya killed 224 people, including a dozen Americans.

—Copyright 2010 Associated Press

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German nuclear waste train reaches final destination - BBC News

8 November 2010 Last updated at 10:55 GMT Activists say neither the waste containers nor the site are safe A train carrying nuclear waste across Germany, which has been held up by a series of protests by anti-nuclear activists, has reached its destination in the north of the country.

The waste, which was reprocessed in France, will be unloaded in Dannenberg and taken by road to a nearby disused salt mine in Gorleben for storage.

Police removed 3,000 protesters from the tracks who tried to stop the train.

More demonstrators have gathered along the road to Gorleben.

From midnight, police removed thousands of demonstrators from the railway line, and the train finally got moving again just after dawn, says the BBC's Stephen Evans in Germany.

Earlier, the train, which is made up of 14 wagons containing 123 tonnes of reprocessed nuclear waste in glass and steel containers, was halted after activists lowered themselves on ropes from a bridge over the tracks.

On Sunday, activists fought running battles with the police near Dannenberg, which is between Hamburg and Berlin, in an attempt to halt the train.

Officers used batons, pepper spray, tear gas and water cannon to disperse at least 1,000 protesters who were trying to sabotage railway tracks.

The protesters hurled fireworks and set a police car on fire near Dannenberg.

Sunday's clashes followed peaceful protests against the train on Saturday by tens of thousands of people.

Activists say neither the waste containers nor the site are safe.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision recent to extend the lifespan of Germany's 17 nuclear power plants, which a previous government said would be phased out and despite strong public opposition, has highlighted the issue of the waste trains.

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Rand Paul will face Jack Conway in final debate after all - MiamiHerald.com

Republican U.S. Senate nominee Rand Paul will participate in a debate Monday night on Kentucky Educational Television with his Democratic rival, Jack Conway.

Paul, who said earlier in the week that he was not sure if he would appear with Conway in the fifth and final scheduled debate before the Nov. 2 election, held a news conference Friday afternoon at the Lexington Hyatt Regency to discuss his decision.

Paul has expressed disappointment that Conway aired a TV ad that said Paul was in a secret group as a student in the 1980s at Baylor University that mocked Christianity.

It also alleged that Paul tied up a woman while in college and forced her to bow down to a god named “Aqua Buddha.”

The ad, which has drawn a mixed reception from Democrats, was based on articles in GQ magazine, The Washington Post and Politico.com in recent weeks and months.

Paul called the ad “all lies” and “completely untrue.” He ran a counter ad calling Conway “shameless” and his wife, Kelley Paul, held a news conference to criticize the ad.

Conway campaign spokesman John Collins said in an e-mail, “Jack will debate on Monday without any preconditions. The voters will see a clear choice - between Jack’s record of standing up for Kentuckians and Rand Paul who won’t.

“Rand has spent the last week hemming and hawing, demanding restrictions on what he’ll answer. Instead of having another tirade, Rand should show up and face the voters.”

To read the complete article, visit www.kentucky.com.

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