Trial for accused CIA shooter resumes in Pakistan (Reuters)

LAHORE, Pakistan (Reuters) – A Pakistani court resumed on Thursday the trial of CIA contractor accused of killing two Pakistanis in a case that has strained relations between the United States and its important Asian ally.

The American contractor, Raymond Davis, 36, shot dead two men in the eastern city of Lahore on January 27. He said he acted in self-defense and the United States says he has diplomatic immunity and should be repatriated.

The case has inflamed anti-American sentiment in Pakistan and is testing the often-fraught ties between the allies. Pakistani efforts against Islamist militants on its border with Afghanistan are seen as crucial for ending the Afghan war.

The trial resumes a day after Pakistani Taliban militants shot dead a government minister, Shahbaz Bhatti, who was also the only Christian in the cabinet, for his criticism of a law that mandates the death penalty for insulting Islam.

Hardline religious parties, which have been campaigning vociferously to prevent any reform of the blasphemy law, have also called for Davis to be hanged.

The United States had retaining a retired judge, Zahid Hussain Bokhari, who is also a former government prosecutor, to help with the Davis case, Bokhari said.

"The U.S. consulate has contacted me and I will represent Raymond Davis," Bokhari told Reuters before the hearing.

Security was tight at Kot Lakhpat jail, where the trial is being held for security reasons. Machine guns were installed on top of water towers inside the jail and concrete barriers were placed on the road leading to it.

Davis, a former U.S. special forces officer, has been charged with double-murder and faces possible execution.

DIPLOMATIC STANDOFF

There have been conflicting accounts about the identity of the two men Davis shot, with Davis and a police report indicating they were armed robbers while Pakistani media and some officials have portrayed them as innocent victims.

On March 14, the Lahore High Court will decide whether Davis enjoys diplomatic immunity, another contentious issue that the government has said must be decided legally, at the risk of angering the United States and jeopardizing up to $3 billion a year in U.S. military and civilian aid.

But with public anger and anti-American feeling running high, President Ali Asif Zardari's unpopular government had little choice but to let the case go through the courts.

In addition to causing a diplomatic standoff, the case has strained relations between the CIA and Pakistan's main Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) spy agency, which says it did not know of Davis' presence in the country.

Relations between the spy agencies -- essential to the almost decade-old war in neighboring Afghanistan -- took a blow in December, when the CIA station chief in Islamabad was forced to leave the country after his name was published in a court filing over attacks in Pakistan by pilotless U.S. aircraft.

The latest case has made things worse, as even the usually tight-lipped ISI noted.

"Post incident conduct of CIA has virtually put the partnership into question ... it is hard to predict if the relationship will ever reach the level at which it was prior to the Davis episode," the ISI said in a letter to the Wall Street Journal last month.

(Additional reporting by Sheree Sardar; Writing by Chris Allbritton; Editing by Robert Birsel)

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Berlusconi faces trial and the wrath of Italy's women (Time.com)

Silvio Berlusconi has never had this much trouble with women. After a weekend in which hundreds of thousands of women turned out to demonstrate against him, the Italian Prime Minister was officially indicted on Tuesday on charges of paying for sex with an underage prostitute and abusing the power of his office to cover it up. In her ruling, judge Cristina Di Censo accepted the argument put forth by prosecutors that the strength of the evidence against Berlusconi was "obvious" enough to warrant an accelerated trial. The proceedings, set to begin on April 6, will take place before three other female judges.

The ruling has energized Italy's fractured opposition and given strength to those who argue that Italian culture - fueled in no small part by Berlusconi's media empire - has a long way to go when it comes to women's rights. "Leaving aside for a moment the Prime Minister's behavior, which I find incredibly deviant, this is a problem that regards all parts of life and the economy in our country," Alessia Mosca, a parliamentarian with Italy's Democratic Party, tells TIME. Italian women have one of the lowest employment rates in Europe, shoulder a disproportionate share of the country's housework, and suffer from badly managed and inadequate services, such as daycare. "Sure, the first thing is that Berlusconi should resign and submit himself to the court's judgment, but we also have a responsibility to intervene on a problem that touches all sorts of sectors," says Mosca. (See pictures of Berlusconi and the politics of sex.)

Tuesday's ruling follows weeks of rolling revelations, in which Italians have watched with a growing sense of shock as leaked wiretaps painted a picture of alleged debauchery at Berlusconi's residence, with callers describing "bunga bunga" parties featuring multiple young women, sometimes dressed as nurses and police officers. The 74-year-old Prime Minister, who has denied all the allegations, stands accused of paying for sex with a Moroccan nightclub dancer named Karima El Mahroug when she was 17. Prosecutors also allege that Berlusconi abused the powers of his office when he called a police station after El Mahroug had been arrested on suspicions of theft, told officers she was the granddaughter of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and urged that she be released.

More disturbing, to many women, is a growing perception - brought into sharp focus by the scandal - that Italy has become a country in which sex provides the surest path to fame and success. Nicole Minetti, one of three people alleged to have procured women for Berlusconi's parties, is a former showgirl and dental hygienist who was installed on the Prime Minister's ticket as a regional counselor. In one tapped call, according to Italian press reports, El Mahroug, who also goes by the name Ruby Rubacuori - "Ruby, Stealer of Hearts" - can be heard telling her boyfriend at the time that Berlusconi accepted her request that he give her €5 million ($7 million) as compensation for having her name sullied by the allegations, and that he asked her not to "tell anybody anything." (See "Berlusconi's "Talk-Show Rant: Just Good Politics.")

On Sunday, Rome's Piazza del Popolo spilled over with demonstrators - mostly women - while others protested in more than 200 towns and cities across the country, displaying signs saying "Berlusconi resign" and "We like Sex; Not Bunga Bunga" in protest of the way women are treated in Berlusconi's Italy. Many Italians worry that the Prime Minister's alleged antics have dragged the country's name into the mud, with some newspaper websites offering regular roundups of the foreign press's coverage of the events. "The Ruby scandal was the last drop that overflowed the glass," says Lorella Zanardo, director of Women's Bodies, a documentary on the Italian media's portrayal of women. "Italian women are doctors, engineers, mothers. But we're in a cage when it comes to how we're represented on the Prime Minister's television stations. We're represented as only sex objects."

On hearing the news of his indictment, Berlusconi abandoned a press conference in Sicily to fly to Rome, where he met with his lawyers and advisers. The Prime Minister and El Mahroug both deny they ever engaged in sex, though El Mahroug, now 18, says she did receive money and jewelry from Berlusconi. And while the premier admits to calling the police station, he has argued that he was carrying out the duties of his office and trying to avoid a diplomatic incident. Berlusconi's lawyers are also expected to argue that El Mahroug is a year older than official documents indicate. (See Berlusconi in TIME's list of the top 10 old leaders.)

Berlusconi and his allies have repeatedly characterized the accusations as the work of a politicized justice system bent on undermining the democratically elected Prime Minister. Speaking to Italian reporters about Tuesday's ruling, Piero Longo, one of Berlusconi's lawyers, said, "We didn't expect anything different." On the fact that the Prime Minister would be tried by female judges, Longo added: "Great, ladies are welcome - and sometimes even pleasing."

Read: "Did Italy's Berlusconi Pay for Sex?"

See more on the Berlusconi sex scandal: Ruby tells her story.

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Judge order trial for man in Mich. mosque plot (AP)

DEARBORN, Mich. – A California man accused of plotting to attack a popular Detroit-area mosque was ordered to stand trial Friday after police testified that he had 96 fireworks in his car, including M-80 firecrackers and smoke bombs.

Roger Stockham was arrested Jan. 24 during a traffic stop near the Islamic Center of America in Dearborn. Witnesses said the 63-year-old Vietnam War veteran spoke hours earlier at a bar about setting off an explosion at the mosque.

Dearborn Officer John Kostiuk said the fireworks were found in a paper bag on the front passenger seat of Stockham's Chrysler PT Cruiser. Officer Stanley Chiles, a bomb technician, testified that Stockham's cache included fireworks that are illegal in Michigan and potentially dangerous.

Chiles said the fireworks could have hurt someone, especially if combined with the alcohol and spray paint that officers found in the car and gasoline in the tank.

Judge Mark Somers found probable cause to order a trial on charges of making a false report or threat of terrorism and possessing explosives with an unlawful intent.

His next court date is Feb. 18 in Wayne County Circuit Court in Detroit.

Stockham of Imperial Beach, Calif., has a history of mental illness. He has been caught during the past three decades for a string of felonies — from kidnapping his son and attempting to hijack a plane to planting a bomb outside an airport — and spent time in various prisons and mental health hospitals.

Outside court, defense attorney Matthew Evans said it was "kind of a stretch" to label the fireworks as powerful — particularly in connection with the gas in the tank and spray paint. He said authorities have exaggerated the threat posed by Stockham and argued that police "don't even have matches" in evidence.

"It just didn't make any sense," he said. "Once you got the guy in custody, all he's got is a bunch of firecrackers he can buy 40 miles south of here."

The judge said it would not be necessary to have the fireworks in the courtroom and denied Evans' request to have police bring them in.

Evans said Stockham was interested in social protest, not attacking the mosque, and intended to spray paint the words "Crazy Horse 18" on or around the building. The phrase refers to a U.S. Apache helicopter involved in a 2007 attack in Iraq that killed a Reuters news photographer and his driver. Classified video of the attack was posted online last year.

Evans said Stockham's anger was directed at the helicopter's pilot and the U.S. government for not doing more to investigate the attack.

"He wanted to bring attention to it — he wanted to do it in a public way," Evans said. "He wanted media attention — no doubt about it. He just got a little more than he expected."

Dearborn, a Detroit suburb, is the hub of the region's Arab-American community, one of the largest in the U.S. A third of the city's 100,000 residents trace their roots to the Arab world.

Joe Nahhas, a manager at a Detroit restaurant, testified Friday that he called 911 and the FBI after spending time talking to Stockham in his eatery. He said Stockham told him he was typing letters intended for the media on a laptop computer and wanted Nahhas to distribute them after a "big explosion."

"I asked him where — where's the explosion?" Nahhas said. "He said 'Here, there, the mosque.'"

Nahhas said Stockham spoke of his conversion to Islam after serving in the Vietnam War and learned about the religion from Indonesian mujahedeen, or holy warriors. He called himself a mujahedeen, which Nahhas said "raised a flag immediately" for him.

"I know what the word mujahedeen means," Nahhas said. "I can read, write and speak Arabic."

In 2002, Stockham was accused of making threats against President George W. Bush and officials at Vermont facilities for veterans.

He was released three years later from a medical center in Springfield, Mo., which treats federal inmates with mental-health problems. Stockham was ordered to abstain from alcohol and continue psychiatric treatment.

He has been caught during the past three decades for a string of felonies — from kidnapping his son and attempting to hijack a plane to planting a bomb outside an airport — and spent time in various prisons and mental health hospitals.

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Ex-Liberian president boycotts war-crimes trial

Charles Taylor, shown in court on February 8, is the first African ruler to appear before a war crimes tribunal.Charles Taylor is the first African head of state to appear before an international war crimes tribunal He is accused of fueling a bloody civil war in Liberia and neighboring Sierra Leone"He indicated he was deeply upset and needed to rest," a court spokesman says of the boycott Taylor has pleaded not guilty to charges that include crimes against humanity
(CNN) -- Former Liberian President Charles Taylor boycotted his war crimes trial again Wednesday after judges rejected a delayed summary from his defense team, a court official said.
Taylor is the first African ruler to appear before an international war crimes tribunal. He is accused of fueling a bloody civil war in Liberia and neighboring Sierra Leone that led to widespread murder, rapes and mutilation.
The former president has pleaded not guilty to charges that include crimes against humanity and war crimes.
His lawyers first walked out Tuesday after a tribunal declined to accept their trial summary because it was filed after a January 14 deadline, a court spokesman said.
His defense team walked out first, then Taylor refused to return to the courtroom after a break, said Solomon Moriba, a spokesman for The Hague court in the Netherlands.
"He indicated he was deeply upset and needed to rest," Moriba said.
Taylor did not attend the proceedings again Wednesday, and the judge has adjourned the case until Friday, the spokesman said.
The boycott comes as prosecutors prepared to present their closing arguments. The verdict is expected this summer, Moriba said.
Taylor is on trial at the Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague. United Nations officials and the Sierra Leone government jointly set up a special tribunal to try those who played the biggest role in the atrocities.
Prosecutors allege that Taylor, who was president of Liberia from 1997 to 2003, fueled the lengthy civil war, which killed tens of thousands, using riches from a diamond trade. The so-called blood diamonds are mined in war zones to support rebels and warlords. Blood diamonds have fueled bloody conflicts in Africa for more than a decade.
The trial has included testimony from supermodel Naomi Campbell, who said that Taylor gave her "dirty-looking" uncut diamonds as a gift. Prosecutors were hoping her testimony would tie him to blood diamonds.
Last year, Washington said it expedited a $4.5 million grant because the court was facing a financial crisis. The U.S. urged the international community to donate to the court before its financial resources run out.
If found guilty, Taylor will be sent to a prison in Britain, the spokesman said.
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Taylor boycotts Hague war crimes trial

Charles Taylor, shown in court on February 8, is the first African ruler to appear before a war crimes tribunal.Charles Taylor is the first African head of state to appear before an international war crimes tribunal He is accused of fueling a bloody civil war in Liberia and neighboring Sierra Leone"He indicated he was deeply upset and needed to rest," a court spokesman says of the boycott Taylor has pleaded not guilty to charges that include crimes against humanity
(CNN) -- Former Liberian President Charles Taylor boycotted his war crimes trial again Wednesday after judges rejected a delayed summary from his defense team, a court official said.
Taylor is the first African ruler to appear before an international war crimes tribunal. He is accused of fueling a bloody civil war in Liberia and neighboring Sierra Leone that led to widespread murder, rapes and mutilation.
The former president has pleaded not guilty to charges that include crimes against humanity and war crimes.
His lawyers first walked out Tuesday after a tribunal declined to accept their trial summary because it was filed after a January 14 deadline, a court spokesman said.
His defense team walked out first, then Taylor refused to return to the courtroom after a break, said Solomon Moriba, a spokesman for The Hague court in the Netherlands.
"He indicated he was deeply upset and needed to rest," Moriba said.
Taylor did not attend the proceedings again Wednesday, and the judge has adjourned the case until Friday, the spokesman said.
The boycott comes as prosecutors prepared to present their closing arguments. The verdict is expected this summer, Moriba said.
Taylor is on trial at the Special Court for Sierra Leone in The Hague. United Nations officials and the Sierra Leone government jointly set up a special tribunal to try those who played the biggest role in the atrocities.
Prosecutors allege that Taylor, who was president of Liberia from 1997 to 2003, fueled the lengthy civil war, which killed tens of thousands, using riches from a diamond trade. The so-called blood diamonds are mined in war zones to support rebels and warlords. Blood diamonds have fueled bloody conflicts in Africa for more than a decade.
The trial has included testimony from supermodel Naomi Campbell, who said that Taylor gave her "dirty-looking" uncut diamonds as a gift. Prosecutors were hoping her testimony would tie him to blood diamonds.
Last year, Washington said it expedited a $4.5 million grant because the court was facing a financial crisis. The U.S. urged the international community to donate to the court before its financial resources run out.
If found guilty, Taylor will be sent to a prison in Britain, the spokesman said.
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Prosecutors move for Berlusconi trial

Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been tried on at least 17 charges since first taking office as prime minister in 1994.NEW: The allegations "throw mud on the government, country and on me," Berlusconi saysAuthorities seek to prosecute him for alleged sex with an underage prostitute, abuse of powerProsecutors want a judge to approve a fast-track trial of Italy's prime ministerThe judge has five days to decide what to do
Rome (CNN) -- Italian prosecutors Wednesday formally requested a fast-track trial of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi for alleged abuse of power and sex with an underage prostitute, they said.
Judge Cristina di Censo has five days to make a decision on how to proceed now that Milan chief prosecutor Edmundo Bruti Liberati has filed the application.
She can accept the request, putting the fast-track trial in motion; or dismiss it, allowing investigations to continue to determine whether there is enough evidence for trial.
She could also refer the case to another court. Berlusconi's lawyers have argued that the Milan courts do not have jurisdiction -- because of where the alleged crimes were committed -- or the authority to try a prime minister.
Prosecutors are investigating claims that Berlusconi paid for sex with nightclub dancer Karima El Mahrough, who was 17 at the time of the alleged activity.
Berlusconi dismissed the accusations as "groundless" Wednesday, saying the call for a trial was a "farce."
There was no abuse of power, he said.
And he said he was "sorry because these (allegations) have offended the dignity of the country. They've thrown mud on the government, on the country and on myself at an international level."
The investigation began in December, after Berlusconi called police and urged them to release El Mahrough, nicknamed Ruby, from jail, where she was being held on charges of theft.
Prosecutors say the activity took place from February until May 2010. Both El Mahrough, now 18, and Berlusconi have denied they ever had sex.
El Mahrough said that she did not know Berlusconi well but that she did receive 7,000 euros (about $9,300) from him the first time they met, on Valentine's Day 2010, because a friend told Berlusconi she needed help.
The young woman's former roommate told investigators that El Mahrough confided to her that she did have a sexual relationship with the premier.
Berlusconi's party argued that he believed that Ruby was Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's niece and the phone call to the police station on her behalf was done to avoid a possible diplomatic crisis with Egypt.
The lower house of Italy's parliament voted Thursday against allowing Milan prosecutors to search property belonging to Berlusconi, as part of the investigation.
The prosecutors asked permission last month to search Berlusconi's offices used by Giuseppe Spinelli, one of the prime minister's accountants.
Prosecutors suspect Spinelli of paying several young women with cash, jewelry or rent for apartments on behalf of the Italian premier for allegedly providing services, including prostitution.
Because he is the prime minister and a member of the lower house of parliament, Berlusconi enjoys partial immunity from prosecution. The Milan prosecutors are not allowed to search his property without the consent of parliament.
The parliamentary commission that handles such authorization requests ruled in January that Milanese prosecutors had no jurisdiction over the premier's alleged crimes, saying the charges should instead be considered by a special tribunal for ministers.
But the parliament still had to weigh in on the request, and rejected it 315-298.
Berlusconi also faces two other trials that are set to resume after the country's top court struck down part of a law protecting top officials from prosecution.
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