RICHMOND, Va. – Three Somali men being prosecuted on U.S. piracy charges say they were held naked, blindfolded and handcuffed for days without an interpreter, while another says an interpreter threatened to toss him overboard, attorneys argued in court papers Monday.

Attorneys representing the Somalis also claim charges against one of the defendants should be dismissed because he is a juvenile.

In the case of two defendants, attorneys said statements the men made shouldn’t be allowed in court because they weren’t advised of their Miranda rights to remain silent and have an attorney.

The motions filed electronically Monday were among several submitted in U.S. District Court in Norfolk, where five Somalis are being prosecuted for the alleged April 1 attack on the USS Nicholas off the coast of Africa.

The Nicholas defendants and six Somali men accused in the April 10 attack on the USS Ashland are scheduled to be arraigned July 28 on a new indictment that adds more charges. All face mandatory life terms if convicted of the piracy charges. Each has pleaded not guilty.

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ADDIS ABABA (AFP) – The African Union has appointed famous politicians, musicians, sportsmen and women as advisors and special envoys to promote its peace efforts across the continent.

Anti-apartheid icon Desmond Tutu, Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai and Mo Ibrahim, whose multi-million-dollar prize honours good governance, were among those designated last week as advisors to support the bloc’s “Year of Peace and Security” initiative.

The AU launched the programme for 2010 during a summit of heads of state in Libya last year.

Senegal’s Grammy-winning singer Youssou N’Dour, Chelsea’s Ghanaian footballer Michael Essien and Salif Keita were also named by AU chief Jean Ping as “peace ambassadors”.

“The advisory council and peace ambassadors will support the (AU) commission in conflict resolution and peace building efforts on the continent,” said a statement sent to AFP.

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MOGADISHU, Somalia – At least 12 people, including two government soldiers, were killed in two days of battle between Islamist militants and government forces backed by African Union peacekeepers, officials said Monday.

Medics found the bodies of five people in homes on Sunday, while another five were found Monday, said Ali Muse, the head of Mogadishu’s ambulance service. Two government soldiers were also killed.

Muse said 43 people were injured in the fighting. Quranic teacher Moalin Ali Mohamud said among the wounded were 10 children hurt when a mortar slammed into their school.

Somali civilians have borne the brunt of nearly two decades of conflict in their country, and human rights groups and aid agencies have repeatedly accused the warring sides of targeting civilians.

Al-Shabab spokesman Abdulaziz Abu Musab said his group launched the attacks on Sunday and captured new territory in the northern parts of the city where most of the fighting took place.

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KAMPALA, Jul 18 (IPS) – The African Union
summit opens in Kampala on July 19 amid heightened security following
twin bomb attacks a week earlier.

The official theme of child
and maternal mortality will likely be overshadowed by discussion of the
AU’s mission in Somalia.

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BAR HARBOR, Maine – President Barack Obama and the first family said goodbye to Maine on Sunday after an energetic weekend vacation along the Atlantic coast.

The president, first lady Michelle Obama and daughters Malia and Sasha boarded a small military jet serving as Air Force One and took off from the Bar Harbor airport, returning to the White House by midday.

The Obamas spent much of their time hiking and biking in Acadia National Park. They also played tennis, went boating and enjoyed the food in the resort town of Bar Harbor. From the moment they arrived on Friday, it was clear they were determined to make the most of their time, much of it spent in the park.

The Obamas set the tone right away, motorcading straight from the airport to a park bike trail for an hour of cycling. What followed was a whirl of outings, as their motorcade crisscrossed Mount Desert Island. They went boating on Frenchman Bay, hiked on a park nature trail, played tennis, hung out at the pool, toured a lighthouse, had lunch and dinner at harborside restaurants and — of course — stopped for ice cream.

Even their dog Bo had fun, playfully wrapping up a Coast Guard lighthouse keeper in the leash Sasha, 9, was holding.

But the high point — literally — was their visit to the summit of Cadillac Mountain, listed by park officials as the tallest peak on the Eastern Seaboard. From the granite mountaintop, as they listened to a park superintendent, the Obamas beheld a spectacular vista of granite hills above an emerald bay.

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