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Michael Jackson’s former doctor has been charged with involuntary manslaughter by prosecutors in Los Angeles, it has been confirmed.

Dr Conrad Murray is expected to deny the charges in court later. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

Photographers and news cameras have begun to gather at the Los Angeles International Airport Courthouse in anticipation of his appearance.

Jackson died at his home last June at the age of 50.

His death was ruled as homicide, mainly caused by the anaesthetic Propofol.

A cocktail of drugs – including sedatives Midazolam and Diazepam, the painkiller Lidocaine and the stimulant Ephedrine – were also detected in his body, a coroner confirmed.

The prosecutors allege that Dr Murray "did unlawfully, and without malice, kill Michael Joseph Jackson".

Members of Michael Jackson’s family have gone to the court where Dr Murray is expected to arrive shortly.

Legal fight

Dr Murray had been hired to be Jackson’s personal physician last spring as the singer prepared for his comeback concerts in London.

"We’ll make bail, we’ll plead not guilty and we’ll fight like hell"

Ed Chernoff
Lawyer for Dr Conrad Murray

Profile: Dr Conrad Murray

He told police he had been giving Jackson Propofol as part of his treatment for insomnia, according to an affidavit made public in August.

But he has always maintained he did not prescribe nor administer anything that should have killed the singer.

After a week of speculation over the manslaughter charge, Dr Murray had been expected to surrender to authorities last Friday.

But a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles district attorney said the office had chose to delay action until Monday.

The statement came after several days of negotiations, where Dr Murray’s lawyers tried to arrange for him to surrender to prosecutors in an attempt to avoid him being handcuffed and arrested.

Speaking before the charges were filed, the physician’s defence lawyer, Ed Chernoff, said the doctor was prepared for the legal battle ahead.

"We’ll make bail, we’ll plead not guilty and we’ll fight like hell," he said.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

By Richard Galpin
BBC News, Kiev

The people of Ukraine now await the word of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Will she or won’t she accept the election result

Will she or won’t she pursue her political ambitions through the courts or in protest action on the streets

It is not often that the woman with the well-known golden braid, whose glamour permeated the Orange Revolution five years ago, retreats into the shadows and maintains a strict silence.

But this is a moment of truth for her and she has a tough set of options.

‘People’s verdict’

Her chance to reach the pinnacle of power has been thwarted by a foe who has risen from the dead, Viktor Yanukovych.

There could not be a greater irony for those involved in the Orange Revolution which swept aside Mr Yanukovych in 2004 after he nearly came to power in a fraudulent election.

WHY UKRAINE MATTERS

• Russian Black Sea fleet based in Sevastopol, Crimea
• Most Europe-bound Russian gas piped through Ukraine
• Large ethnic Russian and Russian-speaking minority in Crimea and industrialised east
• Strong nationalist, pro-Western sentiment in west
• Aspirations for EU and Nato membership, though latter strongly opposed by Russia

Why the future was not Orange

Ukraine election result: Voters react

But the odds are now stacked against Mrs Tymoshenko.

Not only has the Election Commission confirmed Mr Yanukovych’s victory, she is also being chided by the international community.

At a news conference in Kiev on Monday, a team of election observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe was blunt in its assessment of Ukraine’s post-election landscape.

"Yesterday’s vote was an impressive show of democratic elections. For everyone in Ukraine, this election was a victory," said Joao Soares, the team co-ordinator.

"It is now time for the country’s political leaders to listen to the people’s verdict and make sure that the transition of power is peaceful and constructive."

Those two sentences alone may have been enough to cut the ground from underneath Mrs Tymoshenko’s feet.

Challenging the election result in the courts or on the street without the cover of credible allegations of fraud would be a tough sell even to her own supporters.

‘Victory’ rally

So what will she choose to do Will she still try to leave her mark

There are very few who believe she could muster serious number of protestors to back her cause.

And she is under pressure to make a choice sooner rather than later.

Mr Yanukovych’s supporters are now arriving in the capital, Kiev, partly to celebrate his victory.

But the choice of venue is no coincidence.

They are gathering in front of the Central Election Commission because they are also protesting about the failure of Mrs Tymoshenko to accept her defeat and resign as prime minister.

Mr Yanukovych’s Party of Regions has openly said it is prepared to "defend his victory".

So the longer Mrs Tymoshenko delays her choice, the higher political tensions here will rise.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

By Richard Galpin
BBC News, Kiev

The people of Ukraine now await the word of Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.

Will she or won’t she accept the election result

Will she or won’t she pursue her political ambitions through the courts or in protest action on the streets

It is not often that the woman with the well-known golden braid, whose glamour permeated the Orange Revolution five years ago, retreats into the shadows and maintains a strict silence.

But this is a moment of truth for her and she has a tough set of options.

‘People’s verdict’

Her chance to reach the pinnacle of power has been thwarted by a foe who has risen from the dead, Viktor Yanukovych.

There could not be a greater irony for those involved in the Orange Revolution which swept aside Mr Yanukovych in 2004 after he nearly came to power in a fraudulent election.

WHY UKRAINE MATTERS

• Russian Black Sea fleet based in Sevastopol, Crimea
• Most Europe-bound Russian gas piped through Ukraine
• Large ethnic Russian and Russian-speaking minority in Crimea and industrialised east
• Strong nationalist, pro-Western sentiment in west
• Aspirations for EU and Nato membership, though latter strongly opposed by Russia

Why the future was not Orange

Ukraine election result: Voters react

But the odds are now stacked against Mrs Tymoshenko.

Not only has the Election Commission confirmed Mr Yanukovych’s victory, she is also being chided by the international community.

At a news conference in Kiev on Monday, a team of election observers from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe was blunt in its assessment of Ukraine’s post-election landscape.

"Yesterday’s vote was an impressive show of democratic elections. For everyone in Ukraine, this election was a victory," said Joao Soares, the team co-ordinator.

"It is now time for the country’s political leaders to listen to the people’s verdict and make sure that the transition of power is peaceful and constructive."

Those two sentences alone may have been enough to cut the ground from underneath Mrs Tymoshenko’s feet.

Challenging the election result in the courts or on the street without the cover of credible allegations of fraud would be a tough sell even to her own supporters.

‘Victory’ rally

So what will she choose to do Will she still try to leave her mark

There are very few who believe she could muster serious number of protestors to back her cause.

And she is under pressure to make a choice sooner rather than later.

Mr Yanukovych’s supporters are now arriving in the capital, Kiev, partly to celebrate his victory.

But the choice of venue is no coincidence.

They are gathering in front of the Central Election Commission because they are also protesting about the failure of Mrs Tymoshenko to accept her defeat and resign as prime minister.

Mr Yanukovych’s Party of Regions has openly said it is prepared to "defend his victory".

So the longer Mrs Tymoshenko delays her choice, the higher political tensions here will rise.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

By Frank Gardner
Security correspondent, BBC News, Kandahar airbase

If the success of all military operations depended on surprise, Operation Moshtarak would be doomed before it started.

But casting convention to one side, Afghan and Nato Isaf commanders behind the coming Moshtarak (meaning "together" in Dari) have purposefully given their insurgent enemy as much notice as possible that they are preparing to arrive in his midst.

For weeks now troops on the ground have been informing villagers in Helmand province that a major force is on its way.

Gatherings of elders are being held, where Afghan government officials are trying to persuade the local population in the areas of Marjah and Nad Ali to turn their backs on the Taliban and welcome Afghan government forces.

And stacked up in hangars here on the airbase are bundles of printed leaflets waiting to be airdropped when the weather clears.

They carry a stark message. "Moshtarak, the Combined Force and the people", it says, "will defeat the insurgents and bring a better life. Where will you stand Help us and report enemy activity on this number."

‘Fan club’

So why give the Taliban the heads-up and allow the insurgents time to escape or – just as likely – to scatter the paths of oncoming troops with lethal IEDs (improvised explosive devices)

I place this to the man in charge of all 50,000-plus Nato/Isaf troops in southern Afghanistan, British Maj Gen Nick Carter.

"What we don’t want to do is to have any collateral hurt or to make civilian casualties. We want the population to act as our fan club when our Afghan security forces and ourselves arrive there.

"Because they will not only act as a restraint on potential insurgents, they will probably tell us where the improvised explosive devices are planted, and they will be positive towards our arrival."

That could be wishful thinking. The Taliban have had years to establish themselves in the lush valleys and concentrated mud-walled compounds of that part of central Helmand.

Once famed for the sweetness of its melons, the area is now a major centre for opium production, a multi-billion dollar business nationwide that has sucked in farmers, the Taliban and members of the government alike.

The Taliban will be loath to relinquish control and on Monday a purported spokesman was quoted as saying his forces would fight to the death.

Wherever the sympathies of the local farmers and villagers lie, the one thing guaranteed to alienate them is if their homes are turned into a battleground between the insurgents on the one hand and the coalition and Afghan government forces on the other.

Nato’s new strategy in Afghanistan, signed off late last year by US President Barack Obama, rests on two principles – protecting the civilian population and partnering more closely with Afghan forces.

To that end, say Nato commanders, Operation Moshtarak has been plotted from the end backwards, in other words with all phases geared to bringing security and excellent governance to central Helmand where it has been beyond government control until now.

They admit that many previous coalition operations have ultimately failed because after defeating the insurgents on the battlefield they have had too few forces to hold the ground and there has been too small political will to improve the lives of the population.

This time, they insist, will be different, with a comprehensive civil-military plot to establish the rule of law in central Helmand, bringing in newly trained police and a commitment to support the plot by the government in Kabul.

But the proof of success or failure will probably not be known for several weeks.

If the civilian population ends up being more secure as a result of this operation then it will be judged a success, if not then the first huge test of Nato’s new strategy in Afghanistan will have resulted in failure.

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Michael Jackson’s former doctor has been charged with involuntary manslaughter by prosecutors in Los Angeles, it has been confirmed.

Dr Conrad Murray is expected to deny the charges in court later. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted.

Photographers and news cameras have begun to gather at the Los Angeles International Airport Courthouse in anticipation of his appearance.

Jackson died at his home last June at the age of 50.

His death was ruled as homicide, mainly caused by the anaesthetic Propofol.

A cocktail of drugs – including sedatives Midazolam and Diazepam, the painkiller Lidocaine and the stimulant Ephedrine – were also detected in his body, a coroner confirmed.

The prosecutors allege that Dr Murray "did unlawfully, and without malice, kill Michael Joseph Jackson".

Members of Michael Jackson’s family have gone to the court where Dr Murray is expected to arrive shortly.

Legal fight

Dr Murray had been hired to be Jackson’s personal physician last spring as the singer prepared for his comeback concerts in London.

"We’ll make bail, we’ll plead not guilty and we’ll fight like hell"

Ed Chernoff
Lawyer for Dr Conrad Murray

Profile: Dr Conrad Murray

He told police he had been giving Jackson Propofol as part of his treatment for insomnia, according to an affidavit made public in August.

But he has always maintained he did not prescribe nor administer anything that should have killed the singer.

After a week of speculation over the manslaughter charge, Dr Murray had been expected to surrender to authorities last Friday.

But a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles district attorney said the office had chose to delay action until Monday.

The statement came after several days of negotiations, where Dr Murray’s lawyers tried to arrange for him to surrender to prosecutors in an attempt to avoid him being handcuffed and arrested.

Speaking before the charges were filed, the physician’s defence lawyer, Ed Chernoff, said the doctor was prepared for the legal battle ahead.

"We’ll make bail, we’ll plead not guilty and we’ll fight like hell," he said.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

In pictures: US power plant blast

About five people remain unaccounted for after a huge explosion at a power plant in the US state of Connecticut, a fire official has said.

Middletown deputy fire marshal Al Santostefano said nearly 100 workers had been at the unfinished power plant on Sunday at the time of the explosion.

Five people were killed and at least 12 others injured by the explosion.

A hurt section of the plant was currently too unstable to be searched for survivors, Mr Santostefano said.

He said it was unclear whether those unaccounted for were missing in the accident or had made it away from the plant and not yet been contacted by authorities.

Officials are unsure how many people were at the plant because a number of different contractors had workers on the site.

But Mr Santostefano said interviews with survivors, contractors and labour union officials indicated there had been nearly 100 people at the facility.

Federal investigation

Officials said the blast had been at 1117 local time (1617 GMT) as workers were testing gas lines.

The Kleen Energy plant was due to open later this year. It is meant to provide electricity by burning gas.

State and federal inspectors are due to start an investigation into the explosion later on Monday.

People living up to 50km (30 miles) away said their homes had been shaken by the blast at the plant, being built south of Middletown, on the Connecticut River.

Some people said they had thought an earthquake had hit the region.

It took at least 100 firefighters an hour to contain the fire started by the explosion.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

The defeated candidate in Sri Lanka’s presidential election, Gen Sarath Fonseka, has been arrested, news reports have said.

Gen Fonseka was defeated by incumbent Mahinda Rajapaksa last month by six million votes to four million.

Gen Fonseka rejected the results and vowed to challenge them in court.

The government has been seeking legal advice to bring a court martial against the general on charges of plotting to overthrow the administration.

Gen Fonseka was in charge of Sri Lanka’s army when it defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels last year after a destructive civil war lasting more than a quarter of a century.

But, he fell out with President Rajapaksa soon after and the pair fought a bitter election campaign.

The initial allegations brought by the government are of "committing military offences", military spokesman Maj-Gen Prasad Samarasinghe said.

‘Disgraceful’

Gen Fonseka’s wife confirmed to the BBC that her husband had been detained after the security presence around his office in Colombo had been stepped up during the day.

ANALYSIS
Charles Haviland, BBC News, Colombo

What President Mahinda Rajapaksa says Gen Fonseka has done is that he has plotted a coup and the assassination of the president and some of his family.

But I am getting reports that the government information department says he has been arrested on charges of committing military offences and that could also refer to leaking certain very sensitive state security information.

Since the election, Gen Fonseka has been responding by strenuously denying the accusations that the government has been spitting out against him.

Gen Fonseka was meeting a number of politicians who had supported his candidacy.

The Muslim Congress leader Rauff Hakeem told Reuters news agency: "He was dragged away in a very disgraceful manner in front of our own eyes."

The politicians at the meeting said the military police had given no reasons as they made the arrest.

Earlier in the day, Gen Fonseka had said he was prepared to give evidence in international courts on any war crimes charges brought in relation to the civil war.

"I am certainly going to reveal what I know, what I was told and what I heard. Anyone who has committed war crimes should certainly be brought into the courts," Gen Fonseka said.

The BBC’s Charles Haviland in Colombo says the arrest was dramatic but not unexpected and there must now by questions about whether this is the start of a larger clampdown on the opposition.

After the election, the government had accused Gen Fonseka of divulging sensitive information to the public, and of plotting both a coup and to assassinate the president and his family.

Gen Fonseka has vehemently denied the charges.

He said he feared an assassination attempt against him and had been told that airports would not allow him to leave the country.

Analysts had predicted a closely fought election contest between the two architects of the government’s victory over the Tamil Tiger rebels.

But in the end President Rajapaksa won the vote comfortably – capturing 57% of the vote, while Sarath Fonseka won 40%.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

War crimes charges against a Darfur rebel leader have been dropped by International Criminal Court judges.

Bahr Idriss Abu Garda was accused of the killing of 12 African Union peacekeepers in 2007. He gave himself up last year.

But the judges ruled that there was not enough evidence to support a trial.

Last week, the ICC said charges of genocide against Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir could be resubmitted. He is already wanted for war crimes. </p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Met commander’s ‘abuse of power’

Profile: Ali Dizaei

Metropolitan Police Commander Ali Dizaei has been found guilty of threatening and falsely arresting a man in a dispute over money.

Dizaei was convicted of misconduct in a public office and perverting the course of justice at Southwark Crown Court after the argument over £600.

The court heard Waad Al-Baghdadi, 24, was arrested by Dizaei in 2008 during a row over work on the officer’s website.

Dizaei is due to be sentenced at 1500 GMT.

Prosecutor Peter Wright QC said the officer was guilty of a "wholesale abuse of power" motivated by self-interest and pride.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said "criminals in uniform like Dizaei" were the greatest threat to the reputation of the police.

The dispute between the men came to a head when Mr Al-Baghdadi demanded payment from Britain’s most senior Asian officer for work on his personal website, alidizaei.com.

"Dizaei behaved like a bully and the only way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them"

IPCC spokesman

Mr Al-Baghdadi, an Iraqi national who has lived in the UK since 2003, told the court he confronted the police officer after seeing him drunk and dancing at the Persian Yas restaurant in Edgware Road in Kensington, west London, in July 2008.

Dizaei then produced handcuffs and arrested him.

A police doctor told the court that injuries Dizaei claimed had been caused by Mr Al-Baghdadi were probably self-inflicted.

The court also heard Dizaei claimed to have received threatening voicemails and text messages from Mr Al-Baghdadi before the incident, but had "accidentally" deleted them.

Mr Al-Baghdadi said he was left "frightened" and "shocked" after the incident.

During the trial he likened the "bully" Dizaei to the movie gangster Tony Montana, played by Al Pacino in the film Scarface.

Mr Wright said once Dizaei realised inconsistencies in his account had been uncovered by detectives he attempted to get the case dropped.

Corruption threat

Dizaei is a former president of the Metropolitan Black Police Association.

He had emerged unscathed from a series of earlier inquiries, including a multimillion-pound undercover operation examining claims of corruption, fraud and dishonesty.

He has been suspended on full pay since September 2008, but now stands to be sacked from the Metropolitan Police.

Responding to the verdict, Nick Hardwick of the IPCC said: "He [Dizaei} went on to lie about what had happened and, if he had been successful, Mr Al-Baghdadi may have been sent to prison.

"Dizaei behaved like a bully and the only way to deal with bullies is to stand up to them."

Mr Hardwick continued: "Corruption comes in many forms and remains a threat to the police service. It requires constant vigilance to fight it."

Last November Dizaei was cleared of misusing his corporate credit card.

He had been accused of spending more than £5,000 on clothes and perfume during a trip to the US but an inquiry by Dorset Chief Constable Martin Baker found no evidence of wrongdoing.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

An Iranian opposition leader has been jailed for six years for his role in the unrest following June’s disputed presidential election, reports say.

Mohsen Aminzadeh was convicted of organising protests, disturbing security and spreading propaganda against the system, his lawyer said.

He was a prominent supporter of the defeated candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi.

Meanwhile, opposition websites say nine journalists have been detained in the past two days, taking the total to 55.

There has so far been no confirmation from the Iranian government.

Correspondents say the authorities are tense ahead of the 31st anniversary of the Islamic Revolution on Thursday.

Opposition supporters have called for widespread anti-government protests to coincide with official rallies. The police have meanwhile warned that opposition demonstrations will be firmly confronted.

In December, eight people were killed in clashes at demonstrations on Ashura, one of the holiest days in the Shia Muslim calendar.

Appeal

Speaking to the semi-official Isna news agency on Monday, Mr Aminzadeh’s lawyer said his client had been sentenced to six years in prison by a branch of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran.

Thousands of opposition supporters were detained at post-election protests

Q&A: Iran protests

Guide: How Iran is ruled

"He was charged with organising gatherings and disturbing the country’s security, as well as spreading propaganda against the system by giving interviews to foreign channels," Abbas Shiri was quoted as saying.

"Rejecting the charges, I will submit the appeal within the legal period," he added.

Mr Aminzadeh, a former deputy foreign minister under President Mohammed Khatami and a leading member of the Islamic Iran Participation Front, was head of the opposition coalition’s headquarters, according to Isna.

He was arrested a week after the 12 June presidential election, the result of which prompted millions to take to the streets demanding a re-run in the largest demonstrations in Iran since 1979.

RECENT UNREST IN IRAN

• 19 Dec: Influential dissident cleric Grand Ayatollah Hoseyn Ali Montazeri dies aged 87
• 21 Dec: Tens of thousands attend his funeral in Qom; reports of clashes between opposition supporters and security forces
• 22 Dec: Further confrontations reported in Qom
• 23 Dec: More clashes reported in city of Isfahan as memorial is held
• 24 Dec: Iran reportedly bans further memorial services for Montazeri except in his birthplace and Qom
• 26 Dec: Clashes reported in central and northern Tehran
• 27 Dec: At least eight dead following anti-government protests in Tehran; 300 reported arrested

Mr Mousavi’s Green Movement said the poll had been rigged to ensure the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a charge the government denied.

At least 30 protesters have been killed in clashes since the election, although the opposition says more than 70 have died.

More than 80 people have been jailed for up to 15 years – including former government spokesman Abdullah Ramezanzadeh, former vice-president Mohammad Ali Abtahi and former deputy economy minister Mohsen Safaie Farahani. Some 200 activists remain in detention.

Last month, two alleged members of a banned monarchist group were executed. Human rights groups condemned the hangings, accusing Iran of staging show trials and of seeking to intimidate the opposition.</p

This article is from the BBC News website. © British Broadcasting Corporation, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.