Zimmerman held pending arraignment

SANFORD, Fla., April 12 (UPI) — A Florida judge Thursday ordered the neighborhood watch volunteer who killed unarmed Florida teenager Trayvon Martin to remain jailed on murder charges.

Seminole County Circuit Judge mark E. Herr ordered George Zimmerman, 28, held pending a bond hearing and formal arraignment on second-degree murder charges may 29 before Judge Jessica J. Recksiedler.

No plea was entered during Thursday’s brief teleconference hearing. Zimmerman answered, “Yes, sir,” to acknowledge he understood the charges.

Both defense attorney mark O’Mara and special prosecutor Angela Corey agreed records in the case should be sealed.

Zimmerman has admitted shooting and killing Martin, 17, Feb. 26 as the teen walked through a gated Sanford neighborhood. the shooting sparked outrage in the black community and police initially declined to file charges, citing Florida’s Stand Your Ground law.

Zimmerman, who is a white Hispanic, surrendered to police Wednesday.

Earlier Thursday, Martin’s mother said she believes the shooting “was an accident.”

Moscow terrorist group convicted

MOSCOW, April 12 (UPI) — Nine members of a Moscow terrorist group were convicted Thursday of setting off explosives and committing acts of arson.

The defendants, all age 16 to 20 and members of the Autonomous Combat Terrorist Organization, were found guilty in Moscow City Court of setting a kiosk on fire, igniting a cafe and a police station, throwing Molotov cocktails at a house and other similar crimes. the four-month trial was open to the press.

The group is regarded by the government as an extremist organization and was formerly affiliated with a since-banned organization noted for its nationalistic and anti-immigrant leanings, the news service ITAR-Tass reported Thursday.

At the trial, the prosecutor asserted the defendants’ actions were terrorist in nature, and after the conviction recommended leader Ivan Astashin be sentenced to 15 years in prison for crimes including terrorism, illegal explosives and inciting ethnic hate. the defense attorney argued the activities were merely acts of hooliganism.

Amid scandal, China hails corruption fight

BEIJING, April 12 (UPI) — China’s official state-run media is hailing the government’s crackdown on corruption as details of wealth amassed by deposed party official Bo Xilai emerged.

Bo’s family reportedly garnered huge wealth and influence while he was an influential member of the Chinese Communist Party Politburo from Chongqing. the local party boss had ambitions to rise to the nine-member Politburo Standing Committee, which effectively runs China, before his abrupt fall in March, the new York Times said.

Apple Daily, a Hong Kong newspaper, Thursday reported Bo’s older brother, Bo Xiyong, under an assumed name, for nine years was executive director and deputy general manager of a state-owned company that controlled a major Chinese bank and other lucrative businesses.

Chinese media this week began attempting to address the belief that nepotism is common among senior party members with relatives often getting high-paying jobs for family members at state-owned companies, the Times said.

Bo was suspended from the 25-member Politburo and party leaders said his wife was under investigation in the November death of British businessman Neil Heywood, who was found dead in Chongqing — the city-state formally run by Bo’s political machine.

Canadian troops get malaria drug U.S. quit

OTTAWA, April 12 (UPI) — Some Canadian veterans are questioning why troops are still being given an anti-malarial drug the U.S. military abandoned because of potential mental illness.

The drug marketed as Lariam is known generically as mefloquine and was dropped by U.S. forces in 2009 after a U.S. defense memo warned of potentially serious side effects, the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. reported.

“Mefloquine may cause psychiatric symptoms … ranging from anxiety, paranoia and depression to hallucinations and psychotic behavior … long after mefloquine has been stopped,” the memo said.

Regardless, Canada still gives its soldiers the drug in malaria-prone regions around the world based on advice from the Public Health Agency of Canada, which maintains the drug is “generally well tolerated,” the report said.

Retired Cpl. Donald Hookey of Newfoundland told the broadcaster he and his family see differences in him six years after he served in Afghanistan and he’s no longer convinced the nightmares and rage are solely because of post-traumatic stress disorder.

“I don’t think that I can honestly say that I’ve felt normal since I’ve been back,” he said.

Poll: Support for Afghan mission hits low

WASHINGTON, April 12 (UPI) — Only 30 percent of U.S. residents now believe the country should be fighting in Afghanistan, a poll released Thursday indicated.

The ABC News/Washington Post poll found that 66 percent of respondents oppose the war. Support for the effort is at its lowest level ever and has dropped below the lowest point in support for the Iraq war.

While Republicans remain far more supportive of the Afghanistan mission than Democrats and independents, only 44 percent said they now believe the war is worth fighting. That is a low point while support among the other groups is a few points higher than their record lows.

Attitudes toward the mission have often turned sharply because of external events. the Afghanistan mission was almost as unpopular a year ago and then support increased sharply after the killing of Osama bin Laden.

Langer Research Associates interviewed 1,003 adults by telephone last Thursday to Sunday. the margin of error is 4 points for the full sample.