Six In The Morning Friday August 3

My son, Osama: the al-Qaida leader’s mother speaks for the first time

Nearly 17 years since 9/11, Osama bin Laden’s family remains an influential part of Saudi society – as well as a reminder of the darkest moment in the kingdom’s history. Can they escape his legacy?

by Martin Chulov

Fri 3 Aug 2018 00.01 BST

On the corner couch of a spacious room, a woman wearing a brightly patterned robe sits expectantly. The red hijab that covers her hair is reflected in a glass-fronted cabinet; inside, a framed photograph of her firstborn son takes pride of place between family heirlooms and valuables. A smiling, bearded figure wearing a military jacket, he features in photographs around the room: propped against the wall at her feet, resting on a mantlepiece. A supper of Saudi meze and a lemon cheesecake has been spread out on a large wooden dining table.

Alia Ghanem is Osama bin Laden’s mother, and she commands the attention of everyone in the room. On chairs nearby sit two of her surviving sons, Ahmad and Hassan, and her second husband, Mohammed al-Attas, the man who raised all three brothers. Everyone in the family has their own story to tell about the man linked to the rise of global terrorism; but it is Ghanem who holds court today, describing a man who is, to her, still a beloved son who somehow lost his way. “My life was very difficult because he was so far away from me,” she says, speaking confidently. “He was a very good kid and he loved me so much.” Now in her mid-70s and in variable health, Ghanem points at al-Attas – a lean, fit man dressed, like his two sons, in an immaculately pressed white thobe, a gown worn by men across the Arabian peninsula. “He raised Osama from the age of three. He was a good man, and he was good to Osama.”

Zimbabwe election results: Emmerson Mnangagwa declared winner of country’s first post-Mugabe poll as opponent Nelson Chamisa rejects vote

Zimbabwe has its first elected leader of the post-Mugabe era – but faces an uncertain future as bitter divisions still remain

Kim Sengupta Harare

The historic elections in Zimbabwe officially finished in the early hours of Friday morning with Emmerson Mnangagwa, the ally turned enemy of Robert Mugabe, declared the winner by a narrow margin.

But the outcome leaves an already fractured country with bitter divisions and an uncertain future with the fallout from the bitterly disputed polls due to continue.

The opposition immediately refuted the result and warned of widespread protests, raising fears of further violence after troops shot six people dead and injured more than 30 in clashes with protesters on Wednesday.

Andrew Brunson: Turkey 'agrees to resolve issues' over US pastor

The United States and Turkey have agreed to deal with the row over detained US pastor Andrew Brunson diplomatically. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has warned Turkey of serious consequences if the pastor is not released.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, held talks in Singapore on Friday on the sidelines of a regional summit and agreed to continue to try to resolve bilateral issues between the two countries.

Washington imposed sanctions on two of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ministers over the trial of Andrew Brunson, a US pastor who Turkish authorities accuse of espionage and backing terror groups.

'Saudi-led airstrikes' leave 28 dead in Hodeida, Yemeni officials say

Yemeni medical officials said the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Shiite rebels conducted airstrikes in the rebel-held port city of Hodeida on Thursday, killing at least 28 people and wounding 70.

But the coalition denied carrying out any attacks in the city.

The airstrikes took place close to the city’s main public hospital, al-Thawra, and near a popular fish market, the officials said. The wounded, mostly civilians, were hospitalized. The medical officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.

Chinese professor cut off mid-interview after authorities burst into his house

By Ben Westcott and Nanlin Fang, CNN

Updated 0510 GMT (1310 HKT) August 3, 2018

Chinese security forces broke into the home of an academic while he was giving a live phone interview with a US broadcaster Wednesday night, abruptly forcing him off-air.

Speaking with Voice of America from his home in the eastern province of Shandong, retired professor Wenguang Sun was discussing Chinese President Xi Jinping's recent visit to Africa when security forces cut him off.

"It's illegal for you to come into my place. I have my freedom of speech," Sun shouted, before the line went dead.

Nobel laureate Masukawa, others sue gov't over security laws

Today  03:50 pm JST

Nobel prize winner Toshihide Masukawa and over 100 other people are suing the Japanese government, saying the security laws the country enacted in 2015 to expand the role of its Self-Defense Forces overseas were unconstitutional and have violated their right to live in peace.

The 143 plaintiffs filed the suit Thursday at the Nagoya District Court, each seeking 100,000 yen in damages, claiming they have suffered psychologically as the laws have increased the risk of them being caught up in war and terror attacks.