Kenya's Raila Odinga Will Challenge Election Results
LU STOUT: In India, it was a crime that set off protests across the country, now one of the suspects in the gang rape and fatal beating of a woman on a New Delhi bus is dead. Now police say Ram Singh killed himself on Monday apparently using his clothes to hang himself in his cell. He was one of five men on trial for the December attack. A sixth suspect is being tried separately in juvenile court. Now Singh was being held at New Delhi's Tihar Prison. And his parents are claiming that he was murdered. And his lawyers says Singh had no reason to commit suicide and that there was foul play. Now Sumnima Udas is following developments for us from New Delhi and she joins us now live. And Sumnima, was it suicide or was it murder? What do we know?</s>SUMNIMA UDAS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Kristie, the home minister of this country has said that preliminary reports suggest that Ram Singh, who is of course the driver of that bus in which that gang rape took place back in December committed suicide, but that an inquiry has been launched and that they will not jump into any conclusions at the moment. And he also said that in the other inmates in that prison are also being questioned at the moment and also that security has been stepped up for the other accused as well. Now as you mention, Ram Singh's lawyer and his family have claimed that this is foul play, did not believe that he, in fact, committed suicide. And they believe it's murder. And a lot of the -- a lot of questions are being raised at the moment on how something like this could happen in what is otherwise known as high security prison. This is no ordinary prison, Kristie. Tihar Jail is one of the largest jail complexes in the world. It's certainly India's largest. It has a lot of security there. And so there are a lot of questions are being raised as to how this could have happened in such a high security place, Kristie.</s>LU STOUT: And also what next, what impact will the suspect's death have on the trial?</s>UDAS: That's right, that's the other question that's being raised here. Remember, Ram Singl is, of course, one of the main accused. It was through his statements that the police were able to identify and eventually capture the five other suspects. So a lot of people are saying -- or analysts here, at least, are saying that this will certainly have some sort of impact on the case itself. The prosecution has said in the past that they have all the evidence against all five of the accused and that the case will continue in the same manner, but the defense lawyer has said that he will approach the supreme court here to see if the case can be moved outside of Delhi.</s>LU STOUT: And is the reaction in India to this latest development? I mean, officials there are already under so much pressure over the gang rape case. Is the death of a suspect in jail seen as an embarrassment for the government?</s>UDAS: Well, it's certainly being seen as a lapse in surveillance. Again, this is no ordinary jail. Tihar Jail was one of the most notorious jails in this country back in the 80s, but over the years it's gone through many reforms. And it's often seen -- often seen as a model jail here. They have even programs like meditation for all the inmates. They have cooking classes. So these inmates -- the products are actually sold all over the country. So it's often been lauded for the reforms that have taken place. A lot of people are wondering how this could have happened in such a jail - - Kristie.</s>LU STOUT: Sumnima Udas joining us live from New Delhi, thank you very much indeed for that update. Now the Kenyan prime minister Raila Odinga says he will contest the results of the presidential election. Now he is set to file a complaint in court later this week. On Saturday, Kenya's election commission announced deputy prime minister Uhuru Kenyatta won outright with 50.07 percent of the vote. Mr. Odinga came in second with just over 43 percent. Now Kenyatta's victory is further complicated by the fact that both he and his runningmate have been facing trial at the International Criminal Court. Now Nima Elbagir is following developments. She joins us now live from Nairobi. And Nima, first, breaking news from the ICC, what can you tell us?</s>NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kristie, the ICC prosecutor has said that within her responsibility to only send cases to trial that she believes she has a good chance of getting a conviction on, she is dropping the charges against Mr. Kenyatta's alleged co-conspirator, the former head of the Kenyan civil service, Francis Muthaura. Now the prosecutor has said that this will have no bearing on the trial against Mr. Kenyatta, a statement that's being met with some surprise here in Kenya, especially as he and Mr. Kenyatta were being charged as co- conspirators. Prosecutors said that this case is being dropped for a number of reasons. One, she says she's been disappointed in what she calls the Kenyan government's failure to assist her with access to witnesses. Two, she says many of those whose testimony was key to Mr. Muthaura's case has either died or have been too scared to come forward with their testimony. And three, she's having to admit that a key eyewitness to an alleged meeting between Mr. Muthaura and Mr. Kenyatta and militiamen accused of agitating and being responsible for the violence that marred that post election period in 2007, that that witness has recanted part of his testimony and now admits to being bribed, Kristie.</s>LU STOUT: Now, the charges have been dropped by the ICC. That decision aside, Kenyatta has a checkered past. What does his victory mean for Kenya's relationships and diplomatic ties with the west?</s>ELBAGIR: Well, what we should say is that Mr. Kenyatta has an indictment against him for crimes against humanity at the ICC for that 2007 election - - post-election period, a charge that obviously he clearly denies. But in terms of the international community, both the U.S. and UK have gone on record that it is their stated principle to have nothing but essential contact with ICC indictees anywhere in the world. And we are all -- based on that statement, many both in Kenya and abroad have taken that to mean that they will not have anything, but nonessential contact with Mr. Kenyatta. Obviously, Mr. Kenyatta's case is further complicated by the fact that the deputy vice -- the deputy president-elect William Ruto, his runningmate, is also up at the ICC on charges against humanity. So many have been asking, given how crucial Kenya is to both regional economic, and security stability, who are the international community going to be dealing with if they can't speak to either the deputy president or the president? But this is a very fast moving situation now, Kristie. And I'm sure that Mr. Kenyatta's legal team will be trying, will be seeking to press home the advantage of Francis Muthaura's case being dropped.</s>LU STOUT: That's right, they have promised a legal challenge to the vote result. What is the likelihood that the result could be overturned?</s>ELBAGIR: Well, Mr. Odinga, Kenyatta's rival, is certainly it will be. But we're waiting to hear from the Supreme Court. We had heard some time this week, perhaps even Wednesday, Mr. Odinga will be taking his case to court. Once that case arrives in front of the Supreme Court, that automatically puts a 14 day block on any presidential inauguration or swearing in while that case is looked at, Kristie. So we're -- at the moment there's just an incredible amount of scrutiny both domestically and internationally and we're waiting to see how this develops.</s>LU STOUT: Nima Elbagir on the story for us live in Nairobi. Thank you. Now in Afghanistan, the commander of the NATO led forces there says the U.S. and its allies are not colluding with the Taliban. He made the remarks after Afghan President Hamid Karzai said the U.S. and the Taliban were holding daily talks. Mr. Karzai's statement followed a weekend bombing in Kabul that killed at least nine people. Mr. Karzai also said the Taliban would prefer that foreign troops remain in the country. Now General Joseph Dunford later called Mr. Karzai's comments, quote, "categorically false," saying the alliance has fought too hard to ever think that instability would be to our advantage. You're watching News Stream. And a world sport update is straight ahead as Tiger Woods turns back the clock with a dominant performance. Amanda DAvies will have all the highlights.