mr. megrahi was found guilty, the world has changed.nd now scotland finds itself on the wrong side of change, with an international policy failing. this parliament has been recalled to late to influence the just a secretary. that is wrong. i asked to allow a vote next week as a demonstration to the world that there is a wider view of scotland, not just the narrow view of i

mr. megrahi was found guilty, the world has changed.nd now scotland finds itself on the wrong side of change, with an international policy failing. this is called too late, i support to allow next week as a demonstration to the world that there is a wider

mr. megrahi, and why make that visit when there was not one but two appeals in progress. what advice did he take from the crown office on that matter? we know now that mr. macaskill need not visit mr. megrahi in prison. how many prisoners can have a justice visit them in their cell. and doesn't this conduct mean that no prisoner no matter the crime, will have a request turned down again? this has caused the split of scotland and next week colonel can breed this discussion. and the fine redeeming four-year term of government will be ruined by many for years to come. >> from this parliament and by the providing officer. and i say to you mr. scott, it's my decision and mine alone. i stand by it and i will live with the consequences. no, i dontspeak to the proud, that would be inappropriate, and it would be wrong for me to approach them and therefore i didn't. and in terms of paper and process, we are looking to release as much as we can. and to make sure that those who have written and cooperated and those who have given evidence, have the courtesy to say if they want their n

mr. megrahi. any or none? and can i ask kenny macaskill confirm that his scottish compassion and bizarre reference of a higher power, whatever rule that may be. that every terminal prisoner, no matter how hainuous their crime, and does kenny macaskill now offer to meet every convicted criminal seeking release on compassionate grounds if they command it? and does he feel that many in this chamber and all of scotland his concerns about his conduct and credibility as justice? >> sorry, cabinet secretary, there should be no applause from the gallery, that's against the rule. >> it will be for each one of us to decide what our compassion is. and i believe when you take the oath, and you may have some consideration, because it's those comments that i scribe to and believe that are supported by the charts of scotland, you may disagree, and that's your right and entitlement. but i stand by my right of compassion and i believe it's supported by many. i am grateful to have the support of the first minister. but @@@@@)@@

mr. megrahi's condition.e recovers or stabilizes, does the scottish court have the right to take him back into custody? >> the release is a provisional, but the fact given he has traveled out of the jurisdiction as we would call it is beyond the perils of the reach of the scottish courts. for those who have any doubts of his condition, the scottish minister's falling upon the decision yesterday issued the public medical records and the reports upon which their decision is based and they are not medical reports from people who are employed by me who you may view as partisan or the libyan government, these are reports entirely independent and to say they doubt of his condition is fanciful. this is someone who basically had to be removed under armed guards to get to the hospital, run several blood tests on him, for this to be a concoction is beyond question as far as i can see. >> mr. kelly thank you for your time this morning. thanks very much. >> thank you. >>> it is now 11 after the hour. here's ann. >> matt,

is abdelbaset ali al megrahi's own lawyer considers mr. bdelbaset ali al megrahi would receive better treatment than in scotland than libia. presiding officer, compassion and justice would have been better served than by convicted terrorists as a hero in libia to a backdrop. [gavel] >> equally disturbing is the prime minister gore can brow his decision was significant implication of policy and trade. so whap jot efforts are now being untaken by gordon brown to limit the damage done to our countries international representation and to our economy. >> of course we have seen that i thk the suggestion that we could have gone to hospice is ludicrous. people go there to obtai the last few moments to suggest that we could have sent to any hospice i scotland where others would have seen turned into that. [applause] >> this was a suggest that he could have gone to the house in newton. we took advice from the our largest police authority. 14 officers to be with him in the house. to hospice, we didn't see a problem for those entitled to die in peace.

mr. m megrahi. >> and what affectid it have on the scots? apparently none. >> he rejected transferring megrahi and kept faithful the scottish judicial system by releasing mr. megrahi on compassionate grounds because he was suffering from cancer. >> these photos of him looking gravely ill hardly makes the politics of his release any clearer. >> and here is something that we take largely for granted 234r this country. riding the bus in a major city. well, in south africa, a public bus system came in just yesterday to johannesburg, the country's commercial center. the buses are considered a step up for many commuters who have had to rely on unregulated van services. beyond commuters, the buses will help people get around more easily next year during soccer's world cup. >>> and finally tonight, that brings us to another story about south africa and soccer and how youngsters are learning something in the playground far more important than how to improve their skills in the game. these are life lessons and how to protect themselves against hiv and

reporter: the justice secretary consulted doctors who say megrahi is not responding to treatment and has less than three months to live. >> mr. al megrahi now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power. >> reporter: after boarding his flight home, megrahi who always maintained he is innocent and was appealing his conviction issued a statement. >>> to those victims' ril tifz who can bear to here me say this -- they continue to have my sincere sympathy. this horrible ordeal is not ended by my return to libya it may never end for me until i die. >> reporter: there are those who support megrahi's release, jim swire lost his daughter flora on the flight. >> i think there should always be a place in any nation's behavior for compassion. >> reporter: innocent dying man or mass murderer set free, megrahi's release leaves many doubts about whether justice has been served. but when he arrived home in tripoli tonight wearing a dark suit, hundreds of cheering supporters were waiting for him. it was expected megrahi would be celebrated on his return to libya. most people there don't think he is guilty, think he was a scapegoat. and few s

mr. brown reiterated the scottish decision to release al megrahi. released for good behavior. >> i don't agree with the perception he was given -- certainly advised but we can't control what the government or the people do. all we can control is what the scottish government and the scottish justice system can do. >> reporter: gadhafi sought for al megrahi's release trying to distance itself from that decision that downing street has now weighed in warning libya that how it handles his release will be looked at by everybody and will influence what countries think. said to the conservative leader wrote to gordon brown criticizing his failure to say what he thought on al ma gray hi's return to libya commenting his own prime minister has not. i believe that public are entitled to know what you think of the decision to release megrahi. one man unlikely to head to libya, the duke of york. his plans to visit tripoli on a trade mission next month are now being reconsider. libya might have its man back, but the uk might have hoped to improve relations and tr

mr. megrahi and the release that has taken place is a decision boon the scottish executor which has taken place on compassionate grounds and those compassionate grounds didn't even exist a few years back. the court is absolutely right. libya's always -- this could be dealt with, screws up proper procedure. >> the deal, $900 million oil and gas deal with the libyans has nothing to do with it? >> how could it? i wasn't in a position to say he should be released. that's not the way the british system work, and the -- the release of mr. megrahi, as i understand it harks been done by the scottish executives, execut executor, not only myself but my successor has no influence over, on compassionate grounds, defining his own rules in the megrahi case. it's confusion of two separate thing. the libyans were always raising this. assess major issue. one other point, however. i actually think it is good, though, we have a situation today in which libya has come back into the cold, into the community of nations. you know when i came to power back in 1997, libya was still a pariah nation and not just sa

mr. megrahi. that was not within the jurisdiction of the u.k. government. it been, we would never have stop that kind of deal. >> 270 people were killed in the pan am bombing over scotland. many students and parents have mixed emotions about returning to school. separation anxiety can be tough to deal with. coming up, a therapist helps guide us through the process. >> we're looking at ocean city and the lower eastern shore, showers. urinetown, it's dry. a chilly start -- in town, it is dry. belinda's ea [captioning made possible by constellation energy group] >> there's a big purchase in the entertainment industry. the disney is going to buy at marvel comics for $4 billion. it would acquire the 5000 characters, including spider-man and x-men. it still needs approval from marvel shareholders. facebook is changing privacy controls over the next year. designed to give users more control over the type of information that goes to applications like games and quizzes. right now users are asked whether there information can be accessed before an application is down

megrahi dropping his appeal. that was not our motivation. we had no interest. and we made it clear we had no interest in dropping the appeal. that was a decision for mr. al- megrahi and his legal representatives. >> dismayed by the release, president obama had lobbied for al-megrahi to be placed under house arrest. the manner of his return at naturally strained burgeoning relations with libya. at the moment, no one knows of this displeasure will result in action, potentially death -- jeopardize and lucrative investment deals with western companies. >> we will have more on this story a little later and of course bbc.com is where you will find the background. let us look at the rest of the ms. they have been quick to claim victory, both president karzai and his main challenger abdullah already are saying they won yesterday's presidential election. preliminary results will be released next week. the counting of ballots is over, according to the election authorities. let us go to the afghan capital and join my colleagues there. >> welcome to kabul on a warm, sunny day. the afghan election continued to take its course. voters have voted. we are still not su

mr. megrahi was given. i think it was insensitive. it was certainly poorly advised but, you know, we can't control what the libyan government, the libyan people do. all we are in control of is what the scottish government and the scottish justice system can do. >> colonel gadhafi's son is flying to britain for his release. despite number 10 trying to distance itself from that decision but downing street has now weighed in warning libya how it handles his release will be looked at by everyone and will influence what countries think. but today, the conservative leader wrote to gordon brown, criticizing his failure to say what he thought of megrahi's return to libya, writing it is curious that, while others have commented, britain's own prime minister has not. i believe that the public are entitled to know what you think of the decision to release megrahi. one man, who's unlikely to be heading to libya, the duke of york. his plan to visit tripoli on a trade mission next months are now being reconsidered. libya might have its man back. th

mr. megrahi will be going home to die. a controversial decision. he said he talked to many of the families, many of the interested parties, the libyan government representatives, the u.s., and he understood that he would never be able to square the circle. he would never be able to satisfy all parties with the decisions that he was going to make. now, we were actually in the town only a few days ago talking to people there about how they felt about megrahi's release. and they said they preferred not to dwell on the past. only one man was ever convicted for the bombing of pan am flight 10320 years ago. megrahi was found guilty on 270 counts of murder. his co-defendant, acquitted by a scottish court in the netherlands. many doubt lockerbie could have been a conspiracy of one. but over the years the conspiracy theorys have been more elaborate, mentioning the involvement of palestinian terror groups, syrian and iranian sponsorship and drug smugglers. believes megrahi and libya were scapegoats for more foul play. >> libya only came into the frame two ye

mr. megrahi home to libya. >> thank you. on the phone with us, senator frank lautenberg, democrat from new jersey. your thoughts? >> well, my thoughts are, first of all, disappointing, because when we talk about compassion for megrahi and think about what he did to 270 families across the world, it's outrageous. these were young people typically. a lot of them had been students abroad, coming home to meet their families. it was christmas. and there was no compassion there and there was no thought of family reunion, and here we want to show pity to this evil individual who brought down that airplane and reunite him with his family? i think it's outrageous. >> what of this? libya, as you likely know, has the largest oil reserves in africa. the united kingdom currently imports, i don't know, 30%, 40% of its oil from the gulf of sidrah or libya. it is believed by 2015 the united kingdom could double that number to 80% of their oil coming from the united kingdom. is that, quite simply, the trade of a terrorist for access to oil fi

mr. megrahi examined. the last prisoner/doctor examination took place on august the 3rd, he said. or reported that megrahi's condition was deteriorating significantly, that he was no longer responding to treatment and that the prognosis, a reasonable estimate was less than three months. now, mr. mccaskill knew this would have a huge effect on those many bereaved families who don't believe that megrahi should be shown any as

mr. megrahi. >> bert aberman lost his brother tom. scotland's justice secretary says he knows the bereaved will never forget let alone forgive. but scottish law allows terminally ill prisoners to be shown compassion and that's what he did with megrahi. >> no compassion was shown by him to them. but that alone is not the reason for us to deny compassion to him. >> reporter: the justice secretarysulted doctors. who said megrahi has less than three months to live. >> reporter: after boarding his flight home, megrahi who always maintained he is innocent and was appealing his conviction issued a statement. to those victims relatives who can bear to here me say this -- >> reporter: there are those who support megrahi's release, jim swire lost his daughter flora on the flight. >> i think there should always be a place in any nation's behavior for compassion. >> reporter: innocent dying man or mass murderer set free, megrahi's release leaves many doubts about whether justice has been served. but when he arrived home in tripoli tonight wearing

mr. megrahi was lowkey. had it been an official welcome there would have been tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of people at the airport. in the "new york times," this morning, from gadhafi's son, do you buy that? >> well, i think that the real kicker in that article is where he says, it is true we didn't mention abdel basset mohamed al-megrahi by name in the discussions. but the issue was always there, on the table. and that is really the way it is done. there is not going to be a documented signed by a brit, or a libyan saying we'll release abdel basset mohamed al-megrahi if you will give us the oil deal. it was done with winks and nods and understandings and i think the surfacing of these two letters in the media in great britain indicates there is more to come here, so i think the story is going to keep rolling right along, right up until moammar gadhafi arrives in new york. >> eric: and we'll be covering that when he is here at the u.n. and i know we'll be calling on you, the star ory is f

mr. megrahi as he planted a bomb on a u.s. airliner reflect on any compassion for the people he was about to blow out of the skies and the people on the ground in lockerbie? i think not. therefore, this terrorist who killed 270 innocent people should never, ever qualify for anything compassionate. >> have you had any contact with this man since the incident? >> we went to the trial every day, either in the netherlands or in new york on closed-circuit tv. so we saw him all the time at the trial. but the evidence was so strong against him, he was guilty. i reviewed the evidence with friends of mine who were u.s. prosecutors and they went down through the evidence and they said, jack, he's guilty and you're going to get him. you're not going to get the other. the other one was released as a result. okay? but i was aware that that could happen. mr. megrahi did it, and he actually carried the bomb and got it on the plane. okay? so, yes, the evidence was very strong. >> what is your sense of why this is even a consideration? obvious

mr. abdelbaset ali mohmed megrahi. >> the release of the terrorist who killed their son. >> terminally ill with prostate cancer be being released on compassionate grounds and allowed to return to libya to die. >> i think it's totally, totally wrong, no matter if he only has three months to live or even a month to live. he should not be released because he killed these people deliberately. >> to take a man who has done this heinous crime and let him go back home to his country to a hero's welcome. and whether he has two weeks, three months, or 20 years to

mr. megrahi was allowed to come home. almost a blackmail situation.er made a decision. compassionate grounds is not a normal reason people are released from prison in the united states during my time in the fbi. >> thanks so much for coming on today. we appreciate it. monica, i think the whole point about, the idea that this guy gets to spend is last three months at home with his family when everybody on that plane did not. >> you think how many of those parents would have loved, we heard from some, how many of them would have loved to have spent those last days with their children. adult children, who they didn't get a chance to say good-bye. very upsetting. >>> let's move on. close up. election day in afghanistan. ballot counting is underway. voting was even extended for one hour. results aren't expected until saturday. violence did appear to hurt voting in the south. a new "washington post" abc news poll finds more americans see the war in afghanistan as one not worth fighting. 51% say it hasn't been worth it. 47% say it has been. msnbc military an

mr. al-megrahi now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power. >> his hero's return for the man convicted of the uk's worst terrorist atrocity praise on the minds of many. this brings up questions of the libyan sensitivity, but it appears colonel gaddafi was not listening. what does he understand how much the decision has angered the majority in scotland -- >> does he understand how much the decision has anchor the majority in scotland? does he seem to be aware of the issues in releasing a convicted bomber? >> questions were also raised about the role of the british government in the release. gordon brown met gaddafi last month, in so far he has not commented on the controversy. >> this is an extraordinary silence on the part of the prime minister, gordon brown. this decision has significant implications for foreign policy and trade. what joint efforts are now being undertaken by gordon brown to limit the damage? >> mr. macaskill repeated that he had fallen due process. he suggested that -- he said that suggestions that al-megrahi could have spent his final days in hospital work the crest

mr. megrahi, and the release that has taken place is a decision by the scottish executive, which has takenon the compassionate grounds and those compassionate grounds didn't even exist a few years back. the court was absolutely right, but we made it clear, the only way this could be dealt with was through the proper procedures. >> and libyan leader muammar khaddafi's support for the release has gained outrage. >>> a terrorist was acquitted of illegally possessing and transporting explosives. the case pitted national security against charges of racial profiling. and john zarrella has more. >> reporter: the federal government tried painting megahi as a terrorist. in a major set back, an immigration judge has dismissed the case, saying prosecutors didn't prove it, no surprise to garry maringer. >> whatever he did, there's no evidence of it, thank god in this country, you have to prove somebody guilty before you can incarcerate them. >> megahed who came to the u.s. from libya in 1988 was charged with transporting explosives. after a three-week trial. they circled not guilty on the form. for me

mr. m megrahi. >> and what affectid it he onhe scots? apparently non >> he rejected transferri meahi and ke faithful the scotsh judicia system by releasing mr. merahi on compassiate grounds becse he wa suffering fm cancer. >> these photos of him looking gravely ill haly makes the politics of his rease any clearer. >> and here is something that we take largel for granted 234r is country. ridinghe bus in a major city. well, in south africa, a public bus system came in just yeerday to ohannesburg, the country's commercial cenr. the buses are condered a step for many commuters who have had to rely on unreguted van services. beyond comters, the buses will help people g around more easily next year during soccer's worlcup. >>> and finally tonight, that brings us to another story about south afri and soccer andow youngsters a learning something in the plyground far more important thanow to improve thei skills in the game. these e life lessonand how to protehemselves against hiv and aids. a disease that kills sever hundred ousand people in south

mr. al-megrahi now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power. >> this hero's return for the man convictedu.k.'s worst terrorist atrocity still played on the minds of many. mr. mccaskill said he had asked the libyans for sensitivity but it appears colonel gadhafi wasn't listening. >> does he understand how much that decision angered the majority in scotland, how ashamed we were to see our flag flying to welcome a convicted bomber home and does he understand how astonished we were when he visited a convicted murderer in prison? >> questions were also raised about the role of the british government in megrahi's release. gordon brown met colonel gadhafi last month but has failed to comment on the controversy. >> equally disturbing is the extraordinary and incomprehensible silence of the prime minister, gordon brown. this government's flawed decision has significant implications for foreign policy and trade, so what joint efforts are now being undertaken by alex sal mond and gordon brown to limit the damage? >> mr. mccaskill reiterated he had followed due process and believed there was also in

mr. megrahi was -- i think it was incensed, certainly poorly advised but we can't control what the libyanovernment, the libyan people do. all we are in control of is what the scottish government and the scottish justice system can do. >> lehrer: british prime minister gordon brown had asked libya to handle the homecoming with sensitivity. today, megrahe was kept out of the spotlight with no official comment on his whereabouts, or coverage on state television. north korean officials sent by kim jong-il arrived in south korea today. they were there to mourn the former south korean president kim day jhung. the group of high-level officials laid a wreath at a memorial for the former president, who died on tuesday. kim brokered the first summit between the two koreas in 2000. the north korean delegation will not stay for kim's funeral on sunday. but they will meet with the south's unification minister. the season's first atlantic hurricane lost steam as it moved closer to bermuda. hurricane bill with winds of 110 miles per hour was on track to move between the atlantic island and the east coas

mr. al-megrahi now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power. it is one that no court in any jurisdiction in any land could revoke or overruled. >> polls have closed in afghanistan after a day of voting for the presidential election. counting has begun. 15 million were eligible to vote, but it looks as though taliban threats kept many away from the polling stations. welcome to "bbc world news," broadcast to our viewers on pbs in america and around the globe. coming up later, the suspected hijackers of the cargo ship bound in west africa on monday are back in moscow. and lightning strikes twice as usain bolt breaks another world record, this time in the 200 meter. hello to you. the man convicted for the lockerbie bombing has arrived in libya, facing death from terminal cancer. for that reason, released early from his life sentence by the scholars -- scottish government. abdelbaset ali al-megrahi issued a statement, including his sympathy for the unimaginable loss of family members and again pleaded his innocence. the white house condemned the dec

mr. al megrahi should be released on compassionate grounds. disagree whatever my decision. however, a decision has to be made. scotland will forever remember the crime that has been perpetrated against our people and those from many other lands. the pain and suffering will remain forever. some hurt can never heal, some scars can never fade. those who have been bereaved, cannot be expected to forget, let alone forgive. their pain runs deep, and the wounds remain. however, mr. al megrahi now faces a sentence imposed by higher power. it is one that no court in any jurisdiction, in any land could revoke or overrule. it is terminal, final, and irrevocable, he is going to die. in scotland, we are a people who pride ourselves on our humanity. it is viewed as a defining characteristic as scotland and the scottish people. the perpetration of an atrocity and outrage cannot and should not be a basis for losing sight of who we are, the values we seek to uphold, and the faith and beliefs by which we seek to live. mr. al megrahi did not show his victims any

mr. al-megrahi. there was a press conference, i understand, that they held earlier in the day, and i will let them speak for themselves. >> the cia and the interrogations. the former cia director michael haden, in his words, he said it would be destructive for it to happen. and also, where are you in determining about the investigation? >> we do have a deadline on monday, and we are working with our colleagues in the cia to release only those things that we think will be consistent with our national security interests, and yet responsive to what our responsibilities are as a result of that lawsuit, so we will not be doing anything that will endanger the american people or in some ways less and our national security. with regard to any ongoing decisions, we will speak to that when a decision is made. >> a question about lockerbie. what are your concerns that this decision by the scottish executive, what is your concern about the message this is sending to people that might consider doing this? that yo

mr. megrahi.he interest of justice was served by the release. 189 americans died as a result of his actions. he did not show compassion when he planned and executed that heinous act. jane: 270 people died when the flight exploded just before christmas in 1998 above the town of lockerbie. jon: the black boxes of flight 447, the air france jet, went down over the atlantic ocean in june on ways to brazil. a submarine and high-tech equipment was used to get the device. a third search may be launched. without the black boxes, you cannot determine what doomed to the jet. all of the people on the jet died. jane: all ice -- all eyes on afghan elections. taliban threats led to concern. what do you know about the numbers for the voter turnout? how did it go? >> we do not have early results, but we do have a sense of the turnout. it is not that great. officials were expecting a 40%, 50% turnout. we went to one busy polling station, and one corner was a very busy, involving women voting. if you remember what

mr. al megrahi now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power. it is one that no court in any jurisdiction in any land could revoke or overrule. it is terminal, final, and irrevocable. he is going to die. >> all 270 people on board pan-am flight 103 were killed when that plane exploded over lockerbie, scotland in december of 1988. >>> today president obama will lobby both liberals and conservatives in his push for an overhaul of the nation's health care system. this afternoon he'll speak with a conservative radio talk show host who will broadcast from the white house. afterwards he'll promote his reform plan in a conference call and online address to liberal activists organizing for america. that's his political organization based at the democratic national committee. the senate finance committee will also resume bipartisan talks today in an attempt to reach a compromise. >>> a physician's assistant is face sexual battery charges after two female patients accuse him of touching them inappropriately. fairfax county police say that jorge sanchez ha

mr. al-megrahi. >> now, shep, that is simply not true.i hate to call british prime minister gordon brown and jack straw lawyers, but they have -- the al-megrahi release is clearly a matter of foreign policy. it is gordon brown and jack straw had wanted to stop the release of al-megrahi, they could have done so -- if they had wanted to, they could have done so, and it could have been that they did not because of its multibillion-dollar oil deal. shepard: if they did that without saying anything to the united states, i am sorry, they will have to do something about that. gecko: right. uh, well maybe how geico's the third-largest car insurance company in america? nice tidbit there. boss: exactly. and i've been thinking, looking a bit more businesslike might help too. gecko: oh my. uhhh, no it's, what's, what's the word... vogeico. 15 minutes could save you 15 percent or more on car insurance. >> hi, i am janice dean pm we are watching a southern california, and the weather is not helping firefighters contain that wildfire just north of los a

mr. megrahi. i have a lot of compassion for my dead daughter whom i loved and grieve for every single day of my life. >> it was a cold-blooded murder and the families have had to live with it for 20-some years. >> reporter: seven u.s. senators, including ted kennedy, wrote to scotland's justice secretary demanding megrahi be kept in jail. even the secretary of state, hillary clinton, spoke out. >> i just think it is absolutely wrong to release someone who has been in prison based on the evidence about his involvement in such a horrendous crime. >> reporter: but megrahi's legal team argues he has less than three months to live. >> his absolute priority is in the little time he has left to spend it with his family. >> reporter: megrahi has always maintained he's innocent and many of the families of british victims believe him, think he was a scapegoat, that the real story of what brought down pan am flight 103 has never emerged. jim swyer's daughter was killed on the flight. >> i'm sure the sooner h

megrahi on compassionate grounds. >> for these reasons and these reasons alone it is my decision that mr. l with prostate cancer, be released on compassionate grounds and allowed to return to libya to die. >> reporter: and those reasons are that under scottish law any prisoner that is suffering from a terminal illness and applies for compassionate -- or to be released on compassion nal grounds has the right for that to be considered. now, we understand that mr. megrahi's health has deteriorated considerably. the justice minister said that he consulted a number of doct doctors, ta

mr. matte -- al-megrahi. it was not in the jurisdiction of the u.k. government.en if it had been, we would not have struck the deal. >> in tonight's medical alert, and new studies suggest that 60% of adults do not have the ability to properly digest milk. lactose intolerance is what is called. it has a lot to do with your ancestors. researchers say genetic mutation developed in europe about 7500 years ago allowed them to continue drinking milk as an adult. on about 5% of asians and one- quarter of african-american and caribbean people can tolerate milk. it is almost nonexistent among native american people curato. a painful condition after surgery, it is kind of a blockage. it is usually from breast cancer patients. it does not hurt women who may have had lymphedema and it may just help them. >> jackie cooper was an exercise fanatic before she was diagnosed with breast cancer for nine years ago. she had a double mastectomy -- 4. five years ago. should a double mastectomy and it started showing early signs of lymphedema accurate >> it looks like a line underneath

mr. abdel sset al megrahi, convicted in 2001 for t lockbie bombing, now terminally ill with proste cancer be released on compassionate grounds and be allowed to returto libya to die. >> reporter: the dtruction of pan am flight 103 remains o of the bloodie terror attacks ever launch at the west and one which was iediately blamed on liby at the timef the lockerbie bombing, the naon was a pariah state, internaonally shunne accused of sponsoring terrorism. its leader a figure of ha in thewest. it was onlafter 15 yea of sanctions that liby finally admitted it carried out the bombinand paidompensation to victims' filies. and thin a year, tonyblair was visiting tripoli to show th relations were bk to rmal, a controversial al enabling prisoners to be trsferred between the nations was also ageed, and at the same time trade deals we being struck the day after the two leaders met, the bp announc it s spending half a billion pounds to search for oil i libya. >> should a killer be freed amst in a obal war on terr? this morning wll talk to outraged family mbers of his viims. >> reporte today's decision

mr. abdel basset al megrahi, convicted in 2001 for the a jddq uq)minally ill with pros cancer be released on compassionate grounds and be allowed to return to libya to die. >> reporter: the destruction of pan am flight 103 remains one of the bloodiest terror attacks ever launched at the west and one which was immediately blamed on libya. at the time of the lockerbie bombing, the nation was a pariah state, internationally shunned, accused of sponsoring terrorism. its leader a figure of hate in the west. it was only after 15 years of sanctions that libya finally admitted it carried out the bombing and paid compensation to victims' families. and within a year, tony blair was visiting tripoli to show that relations were back to normal, a controversial deal enabling prisoners to be transferred between the nations was also agreed, and at the same time trade deals were being struck the day after the two leaders met, the bp announced it was spending half a billion pounds to search for oil in libya. >> set to go free today. should a killer be released amidst in a global war on terror? this morning

mr. megrahi. >> reporter: the paper says an oil exploration deal between libya and british company bp wasn the countries would not exclude al megrahi specifically. britain's justice secretary jack straw admits the government had pushed for al megrahi not to be eligible for transfer under the agreement but libya refused and britain relented. the deal always allowed for the scottish government to veto any transfer. al megrahi's application under the transfer agreement was refused by the scottish government. instead, he was released under scottish law on compassionate grounds because he's dying of cancer. scotland's first minister insists justice was his government's only consideration. >> a difficult, controversial decision, a challenging decision. let's take it for the right reasons and the right reasons were to release a dying man on compassionate grounds. >> reporter: this report is damaging but is not a smoking gun. for the moment the british and scottish government seem to have their stories in line together. but this probably isn't the end of it. opposition politicians here are callin

megrahi a lowell coming. he says it was appropriate to release the prisoner who is dying of prostate cancer. >> mr. al megrahi, as i say, did not show his victims any comfort or compassion. they were not allowed to return to the bosom of theiral families to see out their lives, let alone their dying days. no compassion was shown by him to them. but that alone is not a reason for us to deny compassion to him and his family in his final days. >> al megrahi was convicted of blowing up a panam jetliner over lockerbie, scotland. >>> malaysian model and mother was spared six lashes of the cane. at least for the time being. her crime? drinking beer in public. that's a violation of the strict law which bans muslims from consuming alcohol. now, her caning in malaysia is postponed until the end of the islamic holy month of ramadan. she pleaded guilty in a religious court and she would be the first woman caned for violating malaysia's religious laws. >>> there's more drama in the life of actes lindsey lohan. why police were called to her los angeles home for the second time in four months now. >>> thankfully n

mr. abdel basat al-megrahi, convicted in 2001 for the lockerbie bombing, now terminally ill with prostate, be released on compassionate grounds and allowed to return to libya to die. greta: is anything that our country could have done to keep him behind bars? we are joined by the fbi special agent in charge of the investigation of the lockerbie bombing. compassion, can you believe that? >> it is depressing. that is the only way that i can express this. greta: looking at the tape, he got cheered. i'm speechless as khaled. tell me, what was this man's role in this crime? -- i am speechless at scotland. gretait is believed that he smud the bomb on the the plane. he arranged to have it put on the plane in conjunction with one of his associates on the morning of december 21st. he also had connections to the company that built the timer on the bomb. greta: i've never seen anything like this where a person kills 270 people. did anyone consulted the fbi that had work to this case? >> we have known for a long time that it was possible there would be a prisoner transfer because of an agreement reac

mr. al megrahi should be released.by my decision. >> lawmakers called back as outrage grows over the release of a killer and terrorist who gets a hero's welcome. >>> new video of fiddel castro from death's door to remarkable comeback? what is his story? >>> is nature trying to tell us something? watch the iceberg melt and the waves form as if on cue. a new report on torture. now, will there be prosecutions? it's breaking news and we're on it on

mr. al megrahi kill 270 people?d by a scottish court. >> is it normal procedure in scotland that someone, a convicted mass murderer who gets cancer is free to go home to his wife and family? >> well, frankly, in scotland we don't have many convicted mass murderers. this tragedy devastated our country as it did the lives of people in the united states and elsewhere. >> is there any precedent in scotland where a mass murderer, someone who killed 270 people in cold blood, has been freed to go home to his wife and family because he's suffering from cancer? >> this crime is unprecedented in our small country. it's actually the worst atrocity, terrorist atrocity ever perpetrated anywhere within the united kingdom. so it's a circumstance that has never happened before, and i hope that it's a circumstance that will never reoccur. >> are there precedents where murderers, just regular murderers, someone who killed someone in cold blood and served only a very small portion of his or her sentence has been free to go home and sp

mr. abdel basset ali al megrahi convicted in 2001 for the lockerbie bombing, now terminally ill with prostate cancer, released on passionate grounds. >> reporter: after serving eight years in priso oprison, megrahi back to libya. >> we thought it was a mistake. we are now in contact with the libyan government and want to make sure that he's not welcomed back in some way but instead should be under house arrest. >> the idea of compassionate release whereby he may be free to go home to libya to his family is quite difficult to take if he is, indeed, a guilty man. >> reporter: in tend the scottish government showed mercy where abdel basset ali al megrahi had not. stephanie gosk, nbc news, london. >>housands of libyans greeted abdel basset ali al megrahi on his rival in libya just minutes ago. >>> parents and students in prince william county, virginia, had their back-to-school shopping interrupted today by a police raid. officers and agents seized tens of thousands of counterfeit accessories from one store. julie carey has been following this story for us. she is live at the manassas mall with t

megrahi. >> when he met mr. afi over the summer, i made it absolutely clear to him that we had no role in making the decision about megrahi's future. because it was a quasi judicial matter, because it was a matter legislated for by the scottish parliament and not by us. it was a matter over which we could not interfere and had no control over the final outcome. >> now, the issue with that statement, "the times" of london report that's weeks before al megrahi's release, a british government minister sent a letter to the scotts suggesting they let the convicted terrorist go. according to "the times," peter mendelson, british's minister said he discussed it twice this year in meetings with gadhafi's son, including one talk a week before the announcement, though he denied negotiating any release in exchange for oil deals. yesterday, an emergency session of parliament, the scottish justice secretary who freed al megrahi, blamed the prisoner transfer agreement by former prime minister tony blair as the reason al megrah

mr. al megrahi was received in such an inappropriate manner. >> the libyan leader gaddafi wants to pitchvictims' families. there were plans for him to stay in a tent at a libyan-owned estate. a senior is state department official calls it "awful" but as host as the united nations, the u.s. may not be able to stop it. >>> a lot of seniors are concerned about how changes to health care will impact medicare in thing like access to prescription drugs. as this debate rages on, there's a small but local group of seniors who are opposed to president obama's health care reform plan and they're showing that they're disapproving of it by turning in their aarp cards. after the president said aarp was backing the plan, the group said it lost at least 60,000 members, still a small percentage of the 40 million roster, that's despite the fact that the aarp only supports portions of the proposal. i'm joined by elaine travis, somebody who gave up her membership and the current board chair for aarp bonnie cramer. thanks so both of you for being with us this morning. as we know, there's been a lot of fiery

mr. abdelbaset ali mohmed megrahi. >> the release of the terrorist who killed their son. >> terminally ill with prostate cancer be being released on compassionate grounds and allowed to return to libya to die. >> i think it's totally, totally wrong, no matter if he only has three months to live or even a month to live. he should not be released because he killed these people deliberately. >> to take a man who has done this heinous crime and let him go back home to his country to a hero's welcome. and whether he has two weeks, three months, or 20 years to live is irrelevant. >> reporter: the flynns were part of a group of american families that spoke by video conference with the scottish minister who was deciding whether to free megrahi, they believed that there was no way the prisoner was ever going to see the light of day. >> out of the blue comes this? makes no sense to me. it's very discouraging, and very immoral, really to let this happen. >> reporter: the flynns went to the trial and listened to the evidence. they firmly believe al megrahi is a mass murderer. hours after watching him