UK denies Megrahi's release linked to trade ties

Britain denies allegations that the release of convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi was linked to any trade deals with Libya.

"No deal has been made between the UK government and Libya in relation to Megrahi and any commercial interests in the country," a Foreign Office spokesman quoting Foreign Secretary David Miliband told AFP on Friday, after the interview by the Libyan leader's son on Thursday night.

"All decisions relating to Megrahi's case have been exclusively for Scottish ministers, the Crown Office in Scotland and the Scottish judicial authorities", he said.

He added that 57-year-old Megrahi was released only on the grounds of illness after doctors treating him for prostate cancer said that he had no more than three months to live.

Seif al-Islam, son of the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi said in an interview broadcast by the Libyan channel al-Mutawassit, that in all of Britain's commercial contracts for oil and gas with Libya, 'Megrahi was on the negotiating table'.

Even Britain's then prime minister Tony Blair raised Megrahi's case each time he visited Libya, he said. Blair visited Libya in May 2007 as prime minister, during which British energy giant BP as well as the BG Group and Shell secured substantial contracts with Libya, with BP alone signing a USD 900 million exploration deal.

Seif al-Islam added, "All British interests were linked to the release of Megrahi."

He called Megrahi's release a 'victory'. "Your liberation is a victory that we offer to all Libyans," he said in his interview.

Megrahi was the only person convicted of the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, which killed 270 people in the air and on the ground in the Scottish town of Lockerbie.

Iran reports high turnout just after polls open

Iran reports high turnout just after polls open
Iranian Interior Ministry has reported a massive turnout in presidential polling stations just hours after voting started on Friday morning.

Interior Minister Sadeq Mahsouli said that some five million Iranians have so far cast their votes before mid-day Friday, which he termed 'unprecedented' in comparison with previous elections.

Mahsouli added that the final turnout for the 10th presidential election is expected to be above 70 percent.

According to the minister, no irregularities have been reported so far.

Head of Iran's Electoral Office Kamran Daneshjou also told reporters that the Interior Ministry has taken necessary measures to allow representatives of hopefuls to supervise the polling procedure.

According to Daneshjou, some thousands of ID cards have been issued for the representatives of the candidates to monitor the polling at ballot boxes.

On Friday morning, the polls opened to more than 46 eligible Iranian voters aged 18 and above to elect the next president of the country.

Iranians can vote in more than 45,000 polling stations nationwide, while 304 polls will receive Iranian expatriates in almost 130 countries including Britain, the UAE, Russia, China, Japan, and Syria. Only in the US, more than 30 polling stations will receive Iranians.

daily news world In addition to incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad who is seeking a second four-year term, former prime minister Mir-Hossein Mousavi, former parliament speaker Mehdi Karroubi and Secretary of the Expediency Council Mohsen Rezaei are vying for the public's votes in the closely contested election.

The winner must collect 50 percent of the votes plus one. If, however, no single candidate wins enough votes, the run-off will be held on June 19.

Record low turnout mars EU elections

Record low turnout mars EU elections. Turnout across Europe for the parliamentary elections fell to a record low as slightly over 40 percent of all eligible voters cast their ballots.

An EU estimate shows that only 43% of 375 million eligible voters exercised their democratic right, down from the previous low of 45.5% in 2004.

Analysts mainly attribute the record low turnout to wide spread voter indifference across the European Union, as well as growing public dissatisfaction with mainstream parties and skepticism towards EU institutions.

"I think the low turnout shows a lack of confidence by too many voters in Europe and that we have not found the right responses for our citizens," Francis Wurtz President of the European United Left told,.

The outcome of the election, meanwhile, shows no significant shift in the composition of the general assembly, as the center-right European People's Party won 267 seats in the 736-seat parliament.

The Socialists -- Europe's second largest political party -- came second, grabbing 159 seats, while the Liberals came third followed by the Green Party.

The results spared leaders of most big EU national governments from embarrassing defeats. However, exit polls show significantly weakened support for the ruling parties in Britain, Ireland, Latvia, Greece, Hungary, Bulgaria and Spain.

The victory of center-right forces is likely to help Jose Manuel Barroso, a conservative, win a new term as president of the EU's executive European Commission -- a post that requires the parliament's approval.