Posted on May 21st 2012 by Neil Murphy
Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the man convicted of the 1988 Lockerbie bombing made headlines in both Middle Eastern and Western media today, with some clearly differing perspectives on his death. Opinion has been split for many years on the issue of his trial and subsequent conviction for the bombing of US bound airliner Pan Am 103, which claimed the lives of 270 people.
CNN correspondent Nic Roberston, reports on the details of the death of Megahri, and the facts of the case which leave many unanswered questions about who was ultimately responsible, and also the possibility that Megrahi has brought a lot of these secrets about the attack to the grave with him.
CNN also spoke to a relative of the victim who believed that justice had not been properly served over the years, but pressure had been put on governments which had caused serious embarrassment for them.
Megahri’s funeral will be held today and it will be interesting to see if he has the same support as he did in Libya three years ago when he was greeted a hero’s welcome by Muammar Gaddafi after being released from prison in Scotland.
BBC reporter Rana Jawad, claims that many Libyans are unsure of his guilt and that views on his death are mixed, especially since the death of the former Libyan ruler.
What do you think? Was al-Megrahi the man responsible for the attack or was he a victim of a miscarriage of justice?
Posted on August 15th 2010 by Johannes Ledel
Here are some of the stories coming up in the week ahead.
What is to become of the millions affected by the floods in Pakistan? UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon called the floods the worst natural disaster the he had ever seen and is pleading for more foreign aid after he and President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan met this Sunday. So far up to 1600 people have killed and as many as 20 million have been left homeless. Fears are now growing of a cholera epidemic, after first the cases have been confirmed.
China held a day of mourning today for the victims in the Zhouqu Country in China’s Gansu Province, and relief efforts will be continuing after the mudslide that struck the region. At least 1,239 people have died and over 500 are a listed as missing. After new rains on Saturday in China’s Sichuan province another 38 people have gone missing.
Australia is holding its General Election and it looks to be a tight race between Labor party leader and current prime minster Julia Gillard and her Liberal opposition party leader Tony Abbot. Tony Abbot only became the leader of the opposition a couple of months ago but has quickly gained a strong following. Australians will head for the polls on Saturday, August 21.
Also coming up in the week ahead.
Japan will be publishing its official GDP figures this week, and they are expected to show a slowing growth. Some experts are guessing that they will show that China has taken over as the world second largest economy.
In Russia firefighters are continuing to battle the many wildfires in the country. So far more than 50 people have died as a result of the fires and thousands have been displaced.
Friday, August 20, marks the one year anniversary of the release of the Lockerbie bomber, and on Thursday, August 19, it will be 100 days since David Cameron took office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
See these stories and more unfold on Livestation.