Bhutto son in first major speech

27 December 2012 Last updated at 12:56 GMT Benazir Bhutto was campaigning for election when she was assassinated The son of Pakistan's murdered ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is giving his first major speech at a rally marking his mother's death five years ago.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is addressing many thousands of Pakistan People's Party (PPP) supporters gathered near his family's shrine in Sindh province.

Mr Bhutto Zardari, whose father is President Asif Ali Zardari, has so far kept a low profile as PPP chairman.

Ms Bhutto died in a gun and bomb attack during her 2007 election campaign.

In remarks carried by Pakistan state television, Mr Bhutto Zardari said the people were "the source of power".

"Benazir sacrificed her life to uphold democracy," he said. "The beacon of democracy continue to shine."

The 24-year-old Oxford graduate has been PPP chairman since his mother's assassination by Taliban militants. He cannot contest an election until his 25th birthday.

Show of strength

Security was tight as activists carrying portraits of Ms Bhutto and her father, former Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, gathered at the family's shrine in the city of Larkana.

Mr Bhutto Zardari was expected to use the occasion to articulate his vision for the party, says the BBC's Shahzeb Jillani.

With parliamentary elections set to be held in 2013, the governing PPP is keen to use the rally as a show of strength to demonstrate that despite widespread criticism over its performance during the past five years, it still enjoys popular support, our correspondent says.

Oxford graduate Bilawal Bhutto Zadari has so far kept a low profile because of his inexperience

Mr Bhutto Zardari's father, President Zardari, has been at the forefront of the party until now but faces dwindling support over corruption allegations.

Those fed up with President Zardari's politics are looking to his son to help revive the party's mass appeal, our correspondent says.

The Bhutto dynasty has been a major political force since Pakistan gained independence in 1947.

Ms Bhutto, whose father founded the PPP, was prime minister from 1988 to 1990 and from 1993 to 1996.

On both occasions she was dismissed from office for alleged corruption.

No-one has been charged with her assassination.

A UN inquiry in 2010 found that her murder could have been prevented and that the subsequent investigation was bungled.

View the original article here

Assange to make 'balcony speech'

20 December 2012 Last updated at 01:58 GMT Mr Assange wants to avoid extradition to Sweden Julian Assange is due to address his supporters from the Ecuadorean embassy in London, marking six months since he was granted asylum inside the building.

It will be the second time the WikiLeaks founder, who took refuge at the embassy in June, has delivered a message from the balcony.

He faces extradition to Sweden over sexual assault claims, which he denies.

Crowds are expected to gather outside the embassy in the Knightsbridge area to watch the speech.

Australian Mr Assange, 41 - whose Wikileaks website published a mass of leaked diplomatic cables embarrassing a number of countries - fears his extradition could lead to him being sent to the US and punished for releasing top secret documents.

Round-the-clock guard

Mr Assange delivered a message from a balcony in August, calling for an end to the diplomatic impasse that began when Ecuador's government granted him political asylum.

Sweden wants to question him over allegations that he sexually assaulted two female ex-Wikileaks volunteers while he was in Stockholm to give a lecture in 2010.

Mr Assange entered the embassy after the UK's Supreme Court dismissed his bid to reopen his appeal against extradition. It had given him a two-week grace period before extradition proceedings could start.

Mr Assange has been warned he will be arrested when he leaves the embassy for breaking the terms of his bail conditions, and officers from the Metropolitan Police continue to mount a round-the-clock guard on the building.

It is established international protocol that local police and security forces are not permitted to enter an embassy, unless they have the express permission of the ambassador.

In November, Mr Assange told journalists that a move by credit card companies to block the processing of donations to Wikileaks had cost the organisation more than £30m and had resulted in a 40% pay cut for staff.

He said the whistle-blowing website had lost 95% of its revenues and claimed right-wing US politicians were behind the block.

View the original article here