Russians to restrict poisoning inquiries
The top prosecutor said Tuesday that Moscow will not extradite possible Russian suspects to Britain in the poisoning of the former KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko and warned that British detectives would not be allowed to carry out interrogations in Russia.
ABC News reported Tuesday night that British detectives had identified Andrei Lugovoi, another former Russian spy who met with Litvinenko on the day he fell ill, as a prime suspect in the poisoning. The report, which cited an unnamed senior British official, said Russia was barring access to Lugovoi, who is hospitalized with signs of radiation poisoning.
Prosecutor General Yuri Chaika said that under Russian law, a Russian citizen who is accused of committing a crime abroad must face trial at home.
Litvinenko, 43, died Nov. 23 in London, and toxicologists found the radioactive isotope polonium-210 in his body. Litvinenko blamed President Vladimir Putin for the poisoning. The Kremlin has vehemently denied the accusations.
Beirut, Lebanon
Leader says protest stretching military
Shiite Muslims on Tuesday buried a man killed in street clashes in a Sunni Muslim neighborhood as Lebanon’s army commander warned the military may not be able to contain further protests linked to the country’s tense political standoff.
Army commander Gen. Michel Suleiman urged politicians to compromise, according to comments quoted by several Beirut newspapers.
Outside, thousands of opposition protesters were gathered near Prime Minister Fuad Saniora’s offices and in several other downtown squares in another evening of rallies aimed at bringing down the government.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
U.S. pilots get OK to leave after crash
A Brazilian court said Tuesday it had released the passports of two U.S. pilots of a private jet involved in a collision with a Boeing 737 over the Amazon that killed 154 people.
Joseph Lepore, 42, of Bay Shore, N.Y., and Jan Paladino, 34, of Westhampton Beach, N.Y., can pick up their passports and leave the country in 72 hours.
The Americans were piloting a Brazilian-made Legacy executive jet when it collided Sept. 29 with a Gol Airlines Boeing 737-800.
Shortly after the accident, authorities seized the passports of Lepore and Paladino, effectively barring them from leaving Brazil.
Prosecutors have said they could be charged with involuntary manslaughter if they are found responsible for the crash. The pilots have denied any wrongdoing.