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Sammy Wanjiru, the Olympic marathon champion killed in fall from balcony

Kenya mourns ‘running phenomenon’ amid mystery surrounding final moments and rumours of domestic dispute Kenyans are coming to terms with the loss of the country’s “running phenomenon”, Sammy Wanjiru, who fell to his death from a balcony at his home, as police attempt to piece together the mystery of his final moments and reports of an argument with his wife. One police official said the 24-year-old killed himself, while another said he jumped to stop his wife from leaving the house after she caught him with another woman. Wanjiru’s agent said he was “100% certain” the athlete, one of Africa’s brightest sporting talents, did not kill himself. Wanjiru became the first Kenyan to win an Olympic marathon in Beijing in 2008, finishing in a Games record of 2hr 6min 32sec. Local media reports said relatives found Wanjiru lying on the concrete floor of his home in Nyahururu in Kenya’s Rift Valley and bleeding through the mouth and ears. Police said he suffered internal injuries and was confirmed dead by doctors at a nearby hospital. Eric Kiraithe, Kenya’s national police spokesman, said: “The fact of the matter is that Wanjiru committed suicide.” The police commissioner Mathew Iteere also said initial reports indicated Wanjiru killed himself, but a local official offered a different account. Jasper Ombati, the regional police chief, said Wanjiru returned home with the woman at 11.30pm after a drinking spree. “When his wife came home and found them she inquired who the lady was. They got into an argument. His wife locked them in the bedroom and ran off,” he said. “He then jumped from the bedroom balcony. He is not here to tell us what he was thinking when he jumped. “We do not suspect foul play. In our estimation we think he wanted to stop his wife from leaving the compound.” In response to questions about how a fit young man could be killed by a fall from a first-floor balcony, Ombati said the balcony was between 4 metres and 6 metres high and Wanjiru landed on a hard surface. “His head was intact but there may have been internal injuries which only a postmortem can reveal,” he said. Wanjiru’s agent, Federico Rosa, told CNN World Sport he was “100% certain” it was not suicide. “I talked to him yesterday, he seemed very relaxed, happy and everything was cool. They said it looks like he might have jumped in a certain way but it was because he had slipped and hit his head.” Wanjiru’s wife, Triza Njeri, and another female recorded police statements in Nyahururu and were later released. Wanjiru’s death is being seen in Africa as a parable of how sudden wealth can become a curse for the ill-prepared. Last December, he was charged with wounding his security guard with an AK-47 assault rifle and threatening to kill his wife and maid. Njeri later withdrew her accusation of attempted murder in court, saying the couple had been reconciled. But Wanjiru was due to appear in court on 23 May on the charge of illegal possession of a firearm. Residents of Nyahururu said Wanjiru had recently started to drink heavily, was stressed by personal problems and rumoured to be seeing other women. Capital FM Kenya reported that a 25-year-old claiming to be Wanjiru’s second wife was five months pregnant. Wanjiru was from modest origins and seemed unable to handle the financial rewards of success. Jos Hermens, a respected manager of long distance athletes said: “It is incredibly sad. An Olympic champion at 21, he was poised to become the world-record holder in the marathon. He could not deal with all the luxury. It all went too fast, too much money. “You could not say anything bad about him. He just could not deal with it all. He was a lion of a man, and he departed us in much the same way.” Wanjiru moved to Japan aged 15 and marked himself out as a major talent, breaking the world half-marathon record in Rotterdam in 2005 aged only 18. In 2009 he set a then course record at the London Marathon and became the fastest marathon runner ever on American soil in Chicago that October. Kenya’s prime minister, Raila Odinga, said Wanjiru was “steadily developing into our country’s running phenomenon.” He called the death “a big blow to our dreams.” The Ethiopian marathon veteran Haile Gebrselassie, a two-time Olympic champion and world record holder, said he was “totally shocked” by the news. “My thoughts are with his family and all his friends and colleagues,” he said. “Of course one wonders if we as an athletics family could have avoided this tragedy.” Sammy Wanjiru Kenya Africa David Smith guardian.co.uk

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Sammy Wanjiru, the Olympic marathon champion killed in fall from balcony

Kenya mourns ‘running phenomenon’ amid mystery surrounding final moments and rumours of domestic dispute Kenyans are coming to terms with the loss of the country’s “running phenomenon”, Sammy Wanjiru, who fell to his death from a balcony at his home, as police attempt to piece together the mystery of his final moments and reports of an argument with his wife. One police official said the 24-year-old killed himself, while another said he jumped to stop his wife from leaving the house after she caught him with another woman. Wanjiru’s agent said he was “100% certain” the athlete, one of Africa’s brightest sporting talents, did not kill himself. Wanjiru became the first Kenyan to win an Olympic marathon in Beijing in 2008, finishing in a Games record of 2hr 6min 32sec. Local media reports said relatives found Wanjiru lying on the concrete floor of his home in Nyahururu in Kenya’s Rift Valley and bleeding through the mouth and ears. Police said he suffered internal injuries and was confirmed dead by doctors at a nearby hospital. Eric Kiraithe, Kenya’s national police spokesman, said: “The fact of the matter is that Wanjiru committed suicide.” The police commissioner Mathew Iteere also said initial reports indicated Wanjiru killed himself, but a local official offered a different account. Jasper Ombati, the regional police chief, said Wanjiru returned home with the woman at 11.30pm after a drinking spree. “When his wife came home and found them she inquired who the lady was. They got into an argument. His wife locked them in the bedroom and ran off,” he said. “He then jumped from the bedroom balcony. He is not here to tell us what he was thinking when he jumped. “We do not suspect foul play. In our estimation we think he wanted to stop his wife from leaving the compound.” In response to questions about how a fit young man could be killed by a fall from a first-floor balcony, Ombati said the balcony was between 4 metres and 6 metres high and Wanjiru landed on a hard surface. “His head was intact but there may have been internal injuries which only a postmortem can reveal,” he said. Wanjiru’s agent, Federico Rosa, told CNN World Sport he was “100% certain” it was not suicide. “I talked to him yesterday, he seemed very relaxed, happy and everything was cool. They said it looks like he might have jumped in a certain way but it was because he had slipped and hit his head.” Wanjiru’s wife, Triza Njeri, and another female recorded police statements in Nyahururu and were later released. Wanjiru’s death is being seen in Africa as a parable of how sudden wealth can become a curse for the ill-prepared. Last December, he was charged with wounding his security guard with an AK-47 assault rifle and threatening to kill his wife and maid. Njeri later withdrew her accusation of attempted murder in court, saying the couple had been reconciled. But Wanjiru was due to appear in court on 23 May on the charge of illegal possession of a firearm. Residents of Nyahururu said Wanjiru had recently started to drink heavily, was stressed by personal problems and rumoured to be seeing other women. Capital FM Kenya reported that a 25-year-old claiming to be Wanjiru’s second wife was five months pregnant. Wanjiru was from modest origins and seemed unable to handle the financial rewards of success. Jos Hermens, a respected manager of long distance athletes said: “It is incredibly sad. An Olympic champion at 21, he was poised to become the world-record holder in the marathon. He could not deal with all the luxury. It all went too fast, too much money. “You could not say anything bad about him. He just could not deal with it all. He was a lion of a man, and he departed us in much the same way.” Wanjiru moved to Japan aged 15 and marked himself out as a major talent, breaking the world half-marathon record in Rotterdam in 2005 aged only 18. In 2009 he set a then course record at the London Marathon and became the fastest marathon runner ever on American soil in Chicago that October. Kenya’s prime minister, Raila Odinga, said Wanjiru was “steadily developing into our country’s running phenomenon.” He called the death “a big blow to our dreams.” The Ethiopian marathon veteran Haile Gebrselassie, a two-time Olympic champion and world record holder, said he was “totally shocked” by the news. “My thoughts are with his family and all his friends and colleagues,” he said. “Of course one wonders if we as an athletics family could have avoided this tragedy.” Sammy Wanjiru Kenya Africa David Smith guardian.co.uk

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Sammy Wanjiru, the Olympic marathon champion killed in fall from balcony

Kenya mourns ‘running phenomenon’ amid mystery surrounding final moments and rumours of domestic dispute Kenyans are coming to terms with the loss of the country’s “running phenomenon”, Sammy Wanjiru, who fell to his death from a balcony at his home, as police attempt to piece together the mystery of his final moments and reports of an argument with his wife. One police official said the 24-year-old killed himself, while another said he jumped to stop his wife from leaving the house after she caught him with another woman. Wanjiru’s agent said he was “100% certain” the athlete, one of Africa’s brightest sporting talents, did not kill himself. Wanjiru became the first Kenyan to win an Olympic marathon in Beijing in 2008, finishing in a Games record of 2hr 6min 32sec. Local media reports said relatives found Wanjiru lying on the concrete floor of his home in Nyahururu in Kenya’s Rift Valley and bleeding through the mouth and ears. Police said he suffered internal injuries and was confirmed dead by doctors at a nearby hospital. Eric Kiraithe, Kenya’s national police spokesman, said: “The fact of the matter is that Wanjiru committed suicide.” The police commissioner Mathew Iteere also said initial reports indicated Wanjiru killed himself, but a local official offered a different account. Jasper Ombati, the regional police chief, said Wanjiru returned home with the woman at 11.30pm after a drinking spree. “When his wife came home and found them she inquired who the lady was. They got into an argument. His wife locked them in the bedroom and ran off,” he said. “He then jumped from the bedroom balcony. He is not here to tell us what he was thinking when he jumped. “We do not suspect foul play. In our estimation we think he wanted to stop his wife from leaving the compound.” In response to questions about how a fit young man could be killed by a fall from a first-floor balcony, Ombati said the balcony was between 4 metres and 6 metres high and Wanjiru landed on a hard surface. “His head was intact but there may have been internal injuries which only a postmortem can reveal,” he said. Wanjiru’s agent, Federico Rosa, told CNN World Sport he was “100% certain” it was not suicide. “I talked to him yesterday, he seemed very relaxed, happy and everything was cool. They said it looks like he might have jumped in a certain way but it was because he had slipped and hit his head.” Wanjiru’s wife, Triza Njeri, and another female recorded police statements in Nyahururu and were later released. Wanjiru’s death is being seen in Africa as a parable of how sudden wealth can become a curse for the ill-prepared. Last December, he was charged with wounding his security guard with an AK-47 assault rifle and threatening to kill his wife and maid. Njeri later withdrew her accusation of attempted murder in court, saying the couple had been reconciled. But Wanjiru was due to appear in court on 23 May on the charge of illegal possession of a firearm. Residents of Nyahururu said Wanjiru had recently started to drink heavily, was stressed by personal problems and rumoured to be seeing other women. Capital FM Kenya reported that a 25-year-old claiming to be Wanjiru’s second wife was five months pregnant. Wanjiru was from modest origins and seemed unable to handle the financial rewards of success. Jos Hermens, a respected manager of long distance athletes said: “It is incredibly sad. An Olympic champion at 21, he was poised to become the world-record holder in the marathon. He could not deal with all the luxury. It all went too fast, too much money. “You could not say anything bad about him. He just could not deal with it all. He was a lion of a man, and he departed us in much the same way.” Wanjiru moved to Japan aged 15 and marked himself out as a major talent, breaking the world half-marathon record in Rotterdam in 2005 aged only 18. In 2009 he set a then course record at the London Marathon and became the fastest marathon runner ever on American soil in Chicago that October. Kenya’s prime minister, Raila Odinga, said Wanjiru was “steadily developing into our country’s running phenomenon.” He called the death “a big blow to our dreams.” The Ethiopian marathon veteran Haile Gebrselassie, a two-time Olympic champion and world record holder, said he was “totally shocked” by the news. “My thoughts are with his family and all his friends and colleagues,” he said. “Of course one wonders if we as an athletics family could have avoided this tragedy.” Sammy Wanjiru Kenya Africa David Smith guardian.co.uk

Continue reading …
Sammy Wanjiru, the Olympic marathon champion killed in fall from balcony

Kenya mourns ‘running phenomenon’ amid mystery surrounding final moments and rumours of domestic dispute Kenyans are coming to terms with the loss of the country’s “running phenomenon”, Sammy Wanjiru, who fell to his death from a balcony at his home, as police attempt to piece together the mystery of his final moments and reports of an argument with his wife. One police official said the 24-year-old killed himself, while another said he jumped to stop his wife from leaving the house after she caught him with another woman. Wanjiru’s agent said he was “100% certain” the athlete, one of Africa’s brightest sporting talents, did not kill himself. Wanjiru became the first Kenyan to win an Olympic marathon in Beijing in 2008, finishing in a Games record of 2hr 6min 32sec. Local media reports said relatives found Wanjiru lying on the concrete floor of his home in Nyahururu in Kenya’s Rift Valley and bleeding through the mouth and ears. Police said he suffered internal injuries and was confirmed dead by doctors at a nearby hospital. Eric Kiraithe, Kenya’s national police spokesman, said: “The fact of the matter is that Wanjiru committed suicide.” The police commissioner Mathew Iteere also said initial reports indicated Wanjiru killed himself, but a local official offered a different account. Jasper Ombati, the regional police chief, said Wanjiru returned home with the woman at 11.30pm after a drinking spree. “When his wife came home and found them she inquired who the lady was. They got into an argument. His wife locked them in the bedroom and ran off,” he said. “He then jumped from the bedroom balcony. He is not here to tell us what he was thinking when he jumped. “We do not suspect foul play. In our estimation we think he wanted to stop his wife from leaving the compound.” In response to questions about how a fit young man could be killed by a fall from a first-floor balcony, Ombati said the balcony was between 4 metres and 6 metres high and Wanjiru landed on a hard surface. “His head was intact but there may have been internal injuries which only a postmortem can reveal,” he said. Wanjiru’s agent, Federico Rosa, told CNN World Sport he was “100% certain” it was not suicide. “I talked to him yesterday, he seemed very relaxed, happy and everything was cool. They said it looks like he might have jumped in a certain way but it was because he had slipped and hit his head.” Wanjiru’s wife, Triza Njeri, and another female recorded police statements in Nyahururu and were later released. Wanjiru’s death is being seen in Africa as a parable of how sudden wealth can become a curse for the ill-prepared. Last December, he was charged with wounding his security guard with an AK-47 assault rifle and threatening to kill his wife and maid. Njeri later withdrew her accusation of attempted murder in court, saying the couple had been reconciled. But Wanjiru was due to appear in court on 23 May on the charge of illegal possession of a firearm. Residents of Nyahururu said Wanjiru had recently started to drink heavily, was stressed by personal problems and rumoured to be seeing other women. Capital FM Kenya reported that a 25-year-old claiming to be Wanjiru’s second wife was five months pregnant. Wanjiru was from modest origins and seemed unable to handle the financial rewards of success. Jos Hermens, a respected manager of long distance athletes said: “It is incredibly sad. An Olympic champion at 21, he was poised to become the world-record holder in the marathon. He could not deal with all the luxury. It all went too fast, too much money. “You could not say anything bad about him. He just could not deal with it all. He was a lion of a man, and he departed us in much the same way.” Wanjiru moved to Japan aged 15 and marked himself out as a major talent, breaking the world half-marathon record in Rotterdam in 2005 aged only 18. In 2009 he set a then course record at the London Marathon and became the fastest marathon runner ever on American soil in Chicago that October. Kenya’s prime minister, Raila Odinga, said Wanjiru was “steadily developing into our country’s running phenomenon.” He called the death “a big blow to our dreams.” The Ethiopian marathon veteran Haile Gebrselassie, a two-time Olympic champion and world record holder, said he was “totally shocked” by the news. “My thoughts are with his family and all his friends and colleagues,” he said. “Of course one wonders if we as an athletics family could have avoided this tragedy.” Sammy Wanjiru Kenya Africa David Smith guardian.co.uk

Continue reading …
Sammy Wanjiru, the Olympic marathon champion killed in fall from balcony

Kenya mourns ‘running phenomenon’ amid mystery surrounding final moments and rumours of domestic dispute Kenyans are coming to terms with the loss of the country’s “running phenomenon”, Sammy Wanjiru, who fell to his death from a balcony at his home, as police attempt to piece together the mystery of his final moments and reports of an argument with his wife. One police official said the 24-year-old killed himself, while another said he jumped to stop his wife from leaving the house after she caught him with another woman. Wanjiru’s agent said he was “100% certain” the athlete, one of Africa’s brightest sporting talents, did not kill himself. Wanjiru became the first Kenyan to win an Olympic marathon in Beijing in 2008, finishing in a Games record of 2hr 6min 32sec. Local media reports said relatives found Wanjiru lying on the concrete floor of his home in Nyahururu in Kenya’s Rift Valley and bleeding through the mouth and ears. Police said he suffered internal injuries and was confirmed dead by doctors at a nearby hospital. Eric Kiraithe, Kenya’s national police spokesman, said: “The fact of the matter is that Wanjiru committed suicide.” The police commissioner Mathew Iteere also said initial reports indicated Wanjiru killed himself, but a local official offered a different account. Jasper Ombati, the regional police chief, said Wanjiru returned home with the woman at 11.30pm after a drinking spree. “When his wife came home and found them she inquired who the lady was. They got into an argument. His wife locked them in the bedroom and ran off,” he said. “He then jumped from the bedroom balcony. He is not here to tell us what he was thinking when he jumped. “We do not suspect foul play. In our estimation we think he wanted to stop his wife from leaving the compound.” In response to questions about how a fit young man could be killed by a fall from a first-floor balcony, Ombati said the balcony was between 4 metres and 6 metres high and Wanjiru landed on a hard surface. “His head was intact but there may have been internal injuries which only a postmortem can reveal,” he said. Wanjiru’s agent, Federico Rosa, told CNN World Sport he was “100% certain” it was not suicide. “I talked to him yesterday, he seemed very relaxed, happy and everything was cool. They said it looks like he might have jumped in a certain way but it was because he had slipped and hit his head.” Wanjiru’s wife, Triza Njeri, and another female recorded police statements in Nyahururu and were later released. Wanjiru’s death is being seen in Africa as a parable of how sudden wealth can become a curse for the ill-prepared. Last December, he was charged with wounding his security guard with an AK-47 assault rifle and threatening to kill his wife and maid. Njeri later withdrew her accusation of attempted murder in court, saying the couple had been reconciled. But Wanjiru was due to appear in court on 23 May on the charge of illegal possession of a firearm. Residents of Nyahururu said Wanjiru had recently started to drink heavily, was stressed by personal problems and rumoured to be seeing other women. Capital FM Kenya reported that a 25-year-old claiming to be Wanjiru’s second wife was five months pregnant. Wanjiru was from modest origins and seemed unable to handle the financial rewards of success. Jos Hermens, a respected manager of long distance athletes said: “It is incredibly sad. An Olympic champion at 21, he was poised to become the world-record holder in the marathon. He could not deal with all the luxury. It all went too fast, too much money. “You could not say anything bad about him. He just could not deal with it all. He was a lion of a man, and he departed us in much the same way.” Wanjiru moved to Japan aged 15 and marked himself out as a major talent, breaking the world half-marathon record in Rotterdam in 2005 aged only 18. In 2009 he set a then course record at the London Marathon and became the fastest marathon runner ever on American soil in Chicago that October. Kenya’s prime minister, Raila Odinga, said Wanjiru was “steadily developing into our country’s running phenomenon.” He called the death “a big blow to our dreams.” The Ethiopian marathon veteran Haile Gebrselassie, a two-time Olympic champion and world record holder, said he was “totally shocked” by the news. “My thoughts are with his family and all his friends and colleagues,” he said. “Of course one wonders if we as an athletics family could have avoided this tragedy.” Sammy Wanjiru Kenya Africa David Smith guardian.co.uk

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Milly Dowler’s father tells court he was early murder suspect

Extreme fetish pornography in family attic led to questions from police and were ‘complete betrayal of fatherhood’ The father of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler yesterday admitted he was a suspect in her disappearance after police found “extreme fetishist latex and bondage pornography” at the family home. In an emotional testimony before an Old

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US hits $14.3tn debt ceiling

• Treasury secretary Tim Geithner urges Congress to raise limit • Federal pension fund payments suspended to avoid default The US government hit its $14.3 trillion debt ceiling on Monday, triggering a series of “extraordinary measures” to stave off a default while politicians argue over raising the borrowing limit . Treasury secretary Tim Geithner announced that he was suspending payments into two federal pension funds, after the government reached its maximum legal borrowing limit. Geithner said the suspension should allow the US to avoid a default before 2 August and urged Congress to agree to raise the debt ceiling before this 11-week deadline expires. “I have written to Congress on previous occasions regarding the importance of timely action to increase the debt limit in order to protect the full faith and credit of the United States and avoid catastrophic economic consequences for citizens,” said Geithner in a letter to Congress. “I again urge Congress to act to increase the statutory debt limit as soon as possible.” Under Geithner’s plan, the US government will temporarily stop payments into the civil service retirement and disability fund and liquidate certain CSRDF assets to fund government business. It will also cut payments into the federal employees retirement system. Both funds provide retirement benefits to federal employees. The CSRDF funds a defined-benefit scheme that was superseded by the FERS in 1987. Geithner pledged to repay the lost funds once Congress has approved a higher debt ceiling. But there has been little progress in recent weeks over this issue. The US administration has insisted it needs to be able to push national debt above $14.3bn as it navigates the financial crisis. President Barack Obama said last week that without a higher limit, investors would lose faith in the country’s ability to service its debts. This, he warned, might “unravel the entire financial system”, while Geithner has predicted that the US would fall back into recession. Obama’s opponents have demanded major budget cuts in return for permission to borrow more. House speaker John Boehner, the Republican congressman for Ohio, has argued that “everything should be on the table except raising taxes”, as this would hamper the US recovery. The debt limit was created in 1917, when Congress allowed the treasury to borrow up to $11.315bn to fund US participation in the first world war. Before that, Congress would authorise certain loans for particular projects. The rules were relaxed further in 1939. Since 1962, Congress has raised the debt ceiling on 74 separate occasions. The extent of US borrowing was under fresh scrutiny last month when Standard & Poor’s cut its outlook on the country’s AAA-rating from “stable” to “negative” . There is still a strong appetite for US debt in the bond markets. The yield or interest rate demanded by traders on 10-year government debt remained low at around 3.165%, only slightly above Germany. UK 10-year bonds were trading at a yield around 3.38%. Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, who also supports raising the debt ceiling, said the US should try to boost growth through increased government spending on research and development. US Government borrowing Timothy Geithner US economy Economics US Congress Obama administration US politics United States Graeme Wearden guardian.co.uk

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Sen. John Kerry arrived in Pakistan last night, intending to send a strong message following the death of Osama bin Laden: Cooperate more when it comes to rooting out terrorists, or face “profound” changes in the US-Pakistan relationship—which could include kissing billions in aid goodbye. “This is not a…

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Donald Trump bows out of 2012 US presidential election race

US mogul formally announces he will not seek the Republican nomination, claiming he is ‘not ready to leave the private sector’ Faced with the choice of hosting The Apprentice or taking on Barack Obama in next year’s election, Donald Trump opted to stick with his television programme. The multimillionaire has formally announced he will not be joining the small band of candidates seeking the Republican nomination for the White House race. Few US political commentators took his campaign seriously and many suggested he was only in it for the publicity. In a statement, he said: “After considerable deliberation and reflection, I have decided not to pursue the office of the presidency. This decision does not come easily or without regret, especially when my potential candidacy continues to be validated by ranking at the top of the Republican contenders in polls across the country.” Modesty is not a Trump characteristic and this is reflected in his statement. “I maintain the strong conviction that if I were to run, I would be able to win the primary and, ultimately, the general election.” He added: “I have spent the past several months unofficially campaigning and recognise that running for public office cannot be done half-heartedly. Ultimately, however, business is my greatest passion and I am not ready to leave the private sector.” The decision comes after the businessman was repeatedly trounced by Obama last month over the “birther” issue. Trump took doubts about Obama’s birthplace from the fringes of American politics to the mainstream, but the president undercut him by publishing the long form of his birth certificate, proving he had been born in the US. Obama humiliated Trump a few days later with a series of jokes at his expense at the White House correspondents’ dinner, with the businessman present. In spite of Trump’s claims about being frontrunner in the polls, one published on Monday by the Politico website and George Washington University showed 71% of those surveyed thought he had no chance of becoming president. Trump went through the motions of being a Republican contender, making speeches in key early states such as New Hampshire, and for a short time seemed in tune with the public mood. But he offered little in the way of policies and senior Republicans viewed his candidacy, with its emphasis on issues such as Obama’s birthplace, as an irritating distraction. The field of declared Republicans so far is small and has failed to generate much excitement. Mike Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, who had a good run in 2008 in spite of a lack of funds, announced on Saturday that he would not be standing next year. Some Republicans see Obama as too tough a candidate and prefer to wait until 2016. Sarah Palin, who would bring excitement to the race, has not yet said whether she will seek the Republican nomination. After a quiet few weeks, she re-ignited interest on Monday when she sent out a fundraising mail shot in South Carolina, one of the key states in the battle for the Republican nomination. Donald Trump US elections 2012 Republicans Democrats Barack Obama United States US politics Ewen MacAskill guardian.co.uk

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With thousands of lives reportedly lost in the Libyan conflict, the International Criminal Court in The Hague will call today for Moammar Gadhafi’s arrest. The ICC is set to issue warrants against Gadhafi, son Seif al-Islam, and spy chief Abdullah al-Senussi over the killing of unarmed demonstrators and the displacement…

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