"Jemaah Islamiah, the al-Qaeda linked terror network operating in Southeast Asia, conducted self-defence training and survival lessons ahead of the Sydney Olympics in 2000, a newspaper reported yesterday. The Weekend Australian said a Malaysian, Azman Hashim, spent nearly 12 months here ahead of the Games leading the training exercises in the Blue Mountains west of the city," reported the AP news agency.
"The Pentagon has mobilised two US Army National Guard brigades for deployment to Iraq and put a third on standby as US calls for international troop contributions go unheeded," reported the AFP news service.
"Three missiles or rocket-propelled grenades slammed into the al-Rashid Hotel yesterday, home to US military officers and civilian support staff, in central Baghdad just hours after American soldiers killed at least two Iraqis at a checkpoint in Fallujah west of the capital. The attack came as residents in Fallujah, a hotspot of anti-US resistance west of here, reported that US troops fired on two vehicles at a checkpoint on Friday night, killing four Iraqis and wounding at least three others, including a child," reported the AP news agency.
"Army investigators believe that at least 37 tribeswomen have been raped by British soldiers training in northern Kenya, The Times newspaper reported yesterday. Military police were believed to be considering charges against two serving soldiers, one for rape and one, a senior officer, for allegedly failing to report rape by his subordinates, the London-based daily said. It added that a dozen other officers faced investigation for covering up reports of sexual assaults by their men," reported the AFP news service.
"The 19-year-old Harry, third in line to the British throne, was removed from the 16,000ha Tooloombilla Station in Queensland state by a police convoy, Australian Associated Press (AAP) reported. It did not say where Harry was taken. On Thursday, Prince Charles' press secretary said Prince Harry wanted to enjoy his Australian Outback experience without the world's cameras focused on him and issued a plea to the media to leave him in peace," reported the AP news agency.
"George W. Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Iran and North Korea to abandon their suspected nuclear weapons ambitions and pledged yesterday to work together on Iraq's reconstruction despite differences over the US-led war. The leaders, standing by each other at a news conference after two days of talks, declared themselves allies in the fight against terrorism. Yet the Russian president did not make any commitment of money or peacekeeping troops for Iraq's reconstruction," reported the AP news agency.
"Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean called on Friday for Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign, citing a pattern of deception in his statements on Iraq and a failure to plan for the post-war period," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Massachusetts Senator John Kerry called on Thursday for Rumsfeld to step down, saying he proceeded in Iraq in an arrogant, inappropriate way that has frankly put America at jeopardy," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A US anti-war group took out a full-page advertisement in the New York Times on Friday calling on Rumsfeld to resign, accusing him of leading the United States into a quagmire in Iraq," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Half the British public believe Tony Blair should resign, according to a poll published yesterday, as the prime minister prepared for a difficult annual conference of his ruling Labour party," reported the AFP news service.
"Tokyo stocks opened mixed Monday as losses following Wall Street's decline last week were offset by gains among select blue-chip issues. The U.S. dollar was down against the Japanese yen," reported the AP news agency.
"A collection of previously unpublished letters from the late Queen Mother Elizabeth, published Sunday in a British newspaper, gave a personal insight into the turmoil surrounding the 1936 abdication crisis. The Queen Mother felt the abdication of her brother-in-law King Edward VIII in December 1936 as a heavy blow to the head, and described how miserable she felt when he resigned the throne and left Britain to marry an American divorcee, Wallis Simpson," reported the AP news agency.
"Egypt has released a leader of the militant group responsible for the assassination of former President Anwar Sadat after nearly 22 years in jail. Interior Minister Habib el-Adly decided to release Zohdy because he served his sentence, and because he is suffering from heart problems and diabetes. According to Egyptian law, a life sentence normally means 25 years behind bars. The prison year, however, is calculated as nine months, meaning that Zohdy was more than four years overdue for a release," reported the AP news agency.
"One defendant is an ex-CEO whose alleged greed came to symbolise the scandals that have wracked Wall Street. The other is a former banking star accused of ordering key documents destroyed," reported the AP news agency.
"A remote-controlled motorcycle bomb killed 10 people and injured 48 others early Sunday in the southwestern city of Florencia. Gen. Luis Alberto Ardilla, an army commander in Florencia, 380 kilometers (235 miles) southwest of the capital, Bogota, blamed the attack on suspected members of Colombia's largest rebel group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which has been battling to overthrow the government for nearly four decades," reported the AP news agency.
"Iraq’s diplomatic mission here says that the establishment of the Interim Governing Council representing all ethnic groups in Iraq warranted the country an invite to the coming Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) meet. Charge d’ affaires Sabah Latif Ahmed said with the governing council already functioning and taking its seat in the United Nations General Assembly, Iraq should not be denied an opportunity to be present and heard at the OIC," reported the Malaysian Star newspaper.
"Italy was plunged into darkness early yesterday after a mammoth power outage, which caused havoc on public transport nationwide, with only the island of Sardinia unaffected. The blackout came as up to a million people celebrated Rome's first White Night, an extravaganza of all-night cultural events," reported the AFP news service.
"A Christian group in Fiji yesterday called for a month-long boycott of the biggest national daily newspaper, The Fiji Times, over its coverage of a faith healer and alleged discrepancies in church accounts," reported the AFP news service.
"Europe's first mission to the moon has blasted off aboard a European Ariane rocket from French Guiana," reported the Reuters news agency.
"POPE John Paul II yesterday appointed 31 new cardinals, the elite princes of the Roman Catholic Church, putting perhaps his last stamp on the group that will one day choose his successor. All but a handful of the new cardinals, who were from various continents, were under 80 years old and therefore eligible to enter the conclave to elect a successor after the death of the current pontiff," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Former world snooker champion Ronnie O'Sullivan has ditched Roman Catholicism to become a Muslim, the player's mother told a British newspaper published yesterday, explaining that Ronnie is a lot better in himself since he converted and hoping that it will steady him. O'Sullivan's mother said British boxer Prince Naseem Hamed, a born Muslim, helped her son convert," reported the AFP news service.
"Tens of thousands of anti-war protesters staged demonstrations around the world on Saturday venting their anger at the US-led invasion of Iraq and calling for an end to the occupation. Co-ordinated protests were held across western Europe and in Turkey and South Korea, but were only a faint shadow of huge pre-war peace rallies. In Britain, Washington's main ally in the war, police said some 20,000 people marched in London in the first major protest there since the war ended in April. Organisers of Saturday's protest plan more rallies when US President George W. Bush visits Britain in November," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A large majority of Americans, 72%, want US President George W. Bush to pass some of the authority for rebuilding war-ravaged Iraq to the United Nations, according to a Newsweek poll out on Saturday. The poll found that nearly three-quarters of all those surveyed would support the United States handing some authority on Iraq over to the United Nations as a way to garner foreign money and troops towards the rebuilding efforts," reported the AFP news service.
"British Prime Minister Tony Blair yesterday insisted he had no regrets at all about taking Britain into the war against Iraq, despite increasing public dissatisfaction about the conflict. Speaking shortly before the start of what is set to be a hugely difficult annual conference of his ruling Labour Party, Blair insisted he had done nothing wrong in backing the US-led campaign to remove Saddam Hussein," reported the AFP news service.
"Australia held its biggest counter-terrorism drill since the 2000 Olympics yesterday, preparing for next week's Rugby World Cup which will attract the largest concentration of people to the country since security was stepped up in the wake of the Bali bombings. Hundreds of thousands of rugby fans are expected to attend games during the tournament which starts on Oct 10 and runs through to Nov 22, with 48 matches at venues around Australia. Some security analysts have also said Australia's involvement in the war in Iraq has heightened the security risk to Australia and its nationals," reported the AFP news service.
"Even before the first Santa is in the stores and the first Xmas card in the post, corporate watchdogs in Australia were up and about warning of the myriad dangers of the office Christmas party. Employers were urged yesterday to ditch tradition, embrace political correctness and label their do an end-of-year-function to avoid giving offence to non-Christian staff. National Safety Council chief executive Eric Curtis told the Sun-Herald newspaper that the party is where careers can be ended and reputations ruined," reported the dpa news agency.
"An increasing number of girls as young as 12 are going under the knife in their quest for beauty. In Singapore, the most popular requests are double eyelids, nose jobs and surgery to tuck back protruding ears," reported the Singaporean Straits Times.
"Beijing Financial Street, which aims to be China’s Wall Street, should be finally completed by 2008, the development company said recently. Liu Shichun, general manager of the Financial Street Holding Company, said a total of 10bil yuan would be invested in construction in the next three years. The project would be basically completed by 2005, he said, noting the street would become a key link between Chinese and international economies," reported the People’s Daily.
"North Korea has blasted US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, calling him a “stupid” proponent of neo-conservatism for tarnishing the image of the communist country and predicting its collapse. Rumsfeld whose political faith is to establish the US-style world order by strength is known to be a typical stupid man for professing neo-conservatism censured and mocked at worldwide, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said late Saturday. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency said Rumsfeld was obsessed with wantonly harassing peace and security in different parts of the world and igniting wars. It said the remarks proved he was just an old man (and) politically illiterate who could not face the reality that all countries are promoting peaceful co-existence, reconciliation and co-operation irrespective of ideologies and beliefs," reported the AFP news service.
"The meteorite crashed on Saturday in a remote village near the Bay of Bengal in the state of Orissa, local media said, adding five people were sent to hospital with injuries," reported the AFP news service.
"Iran's foreign ministry said yesterday Teheran would not give up its nuclear programme, including uranium enrichment, despite international pressure to prove it is not developing atomic weapons. If doubts remain in November about Iran's nuclear ambitions – which Teheran insists are limited to generating electricity – it may be reported to the UN Security Council for possible sanctions," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Abiomed Inc. Monday said its artificial heart has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval as a Humanitarian Use Device, a first step in bringing the hearts into commercial distribution. Danvers-based Abiomed has gained worldwide attention for its trial of the Abiocor, a self-contained, implantable replacement heart," reported the AP news agency.
"The government said Tuesday booming company profits had delivered a 7.5 billion Australian dollars (US$5.1 billion) budget surplus in its last fiscal year, that ended June 30. The surplus was well above the A$3.9 billion (US$2.65 billion) originally forecast by Prime Minister John Howard's conservative coalition earlier this year," reported the AP news agency.
"The government of Japan said Tuesday amid emerging signs that the economy may be headed toward a turnaround on the back of improved exports. The world's second-largest economy has struggled to get out of a slowdown that has dragged on for more than a decade," reported the AP news agency.
"Myanmar's foreign minister insisted Monday that his country is committed to democracy, even though the government continues to keep opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi under house arrest. Addressing the annual U.N. General Assembly ministerial meeting, Foreign Minister Win Aung also criticized the international community for imposing punishing sanctions over the Asian country's human rights record. Win Aung did not mention Suu Kyi in his address, but said the country is firmly committed to bringing about a systematic transformation to democracy," reported the AP news agency.
"An earthquake of 4.9 magnitude woke people in central South Island just after dawn Tuesday, rattling houses and delivering a short, sharp jolt. There were no immediate reports of injury from the quake which caused only minor damage," reported the AP news agency.
"Independent oil producing nations must contribute to possible upcoming production cuts if they expect robust oil prices to last through next year, OPEC Secretary-General Alvaro Silva said Monday. Reciprocal cuts from major independent producers would be fundamental and necessary if the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries decided to trim its own production at its Dec. 4 meeting," reported the AP news agency.
"Italy got its power back fully yesterday after a collapse of the electricity grid plunged millions into darkness, the latest blackout to hit a big Western economy," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Australian Prime Minister John Howard promoted his hardline immigration minister Philip Ruddock to the post of attorney-general yesterday as part of a major Cabinet reshuffle. A total of 14 portfolios changed hands in the shake-up widely viewed as preparation for general elections expected within the next year," reported the AFP news service.
"A team of Jordanian medics would have examined Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat yesterday after he was reported to be suffering from a slight illness," reported the AFP news service.
"Chechnya's acting president said yesterday he was recovering from a bout of food poisoning and officials dismissed earlier suggestions that he had been the object of an attack before an election in the turbulent region," reported the Reuters news agency.
"US first lady Laura Bush said the United States would be a full, active and enthusiastic participant in Unesco when it formally rejoins the UN cultural body tomorrow after a 19-year absence. In 1984 under President Ronald Reagan, the United States withdrew from Unesco, citing bad management and anti-Western bias," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Two people were dead and 80,000 without power in Nova Scotia yesterday morning after Hurricane Juan barrelled into the eastern Canadian province from the Atlantic Ocean overnight," reported the Reuters news agency.
"As of today, 78 countries participate in the so-called I-24/7, a high-security, Internet-based system of encrypted data and by year's end Interpol hopes all members will be connected, International Criminal Police Organisation chief Ronald Noble told a press conference at the start of the agency's annual assembly. But the new system will allow them to access Interpol data directly, said Noble, a New Yorker and former US Treasury Department undersecretary for enforcement who leads Interpol, headquartered in Lyon, France," reported the AP news agency.
"Qantas admitted yesterday that its cabin staff delayed a flight because they thought four Arabs travelling as guests of Australia's national air force might be terrorists. The four men were from the United Arab Emirates. They apparently attracted suspicion because of their looks and the fact they were speaking a foreign language. The incident occurred earlier this month," reported the AFP news service.
"US troops backed by tanks and helicopters battled Iraqi resistance fighters yesterday near this Sunni Muslim town, and the US military announced the arrest of 92 people in a series of raids aimed at those responsible for attacks against Americans north of the capital," reported the AP news agency.
"Iraq's stubborn guerilla war, electrical blackouts, looting and chaos were born in Washington – as US officials missed cues and battled over ideology, said a report published on Sunday. What do we mean by regime change anyway? military commander Tommy Franks asked Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld – in the midst of the war, according to the issue of Newsweek that went on sale yesterday," reported the AFP news service.
"The United States, struggling to get more countries to send troops to help to stabilise Iraq, said on Sunday it had given up hope that India might contribute soldiers. The Turks are looking at it, Bangladesh is looking at it, Pakistan is looking at it, other nations are looking at the possibility of contributing troops. But none has made a firm commitment, Powell said," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The White House yesterday emphatically denied that President George W. Bush's chief political strategist was involved in revealing the identity of a CIA operative, in possible violation of US law. A Democratic senator has asked Justice Department to appoint a special investigator to probe the matter. The naming of the intelligence officer's identity by syndicated columnist Robert Novak came shortly after her husband, former ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, undermined Bush's claim that Iraq had tried to buy uranium in Africa," reported the AP news agency.
"U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan urged the United Nations and the international community to work together to bring about a transition to democracy in Myanmar by 2006," reported the AP news agency.
"The FBI began a full-scale criminal investigation Tuesday into whether White House officials illegally leaked the identity of an undercover CIA officer, and President George W. Bush ordered his staff to cooperate with the first major probe of his administration. Democrats demanded the appointment of a special outside counsel but Bush resisted," reported the AP news agency.
"With the job market still sluggish, consumers' confidence in the economy fell more than expected in September, a private research group said Tuesday. The sour report on consumer confidence and a disappointing report on business activity in the Midwest helped send stock prices lower on Wall Street," reported the AP news agency.
"Disappointing reports on consumer confidence and business activity sent stocks back into a downward slide Tuesday, leaving Wall Street with a loss for the month of September," reported the AP news agency.
"Iraqis are unlikely to be able to adopt a new constitution within six months as proposed by Secretary of State Colin Powell, the spokesman of the current president Iraqi Governing Council said Tuesday. Powell laid down the proposed six-month timetable last week amid mounting international pressure for a handover of power in Iraq. Powell said the United States will not relinquish power until a democratically elected Iraqi government is in place," reported the AP news agency.
"Israeli troops on Tuesday blew up the home of an Islamic Jihad gunman who killed two people, including a 7-month-old baby, in an attack on a West Bank settlement on the eve of the Jewish New Year. Soldiers laid explosive charges and blew up the home of Mahmoud Hamdan, 22, before sunrise in a village near Hebron," reported the AP news agency.
"Tunisian crashed his car into the outside wall of the US Embassy in Tunis yesterday and set fire to it in an apparent suicide attempt, officials said. US and Tunisian authorities appeared to rule out terrorism as a motive. The man was apparently in despair after failing to obtain a visa for the United States to be with his American wife. The man confessed to having tried to kill himself in desperation over his failure to be reunited with his wife, identified as Denise Aikens-Young," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Arab nations accused some countries of ignoring Israel's alleged possession of weapons of mass destruction while pressuring others to give up nuclear programmes. Israel has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. It has never confirmed being a nuclear power, but it is widely believed to have nuclear weapons," reported the AP news agency.
"Saudi Arabia, Syria and Egypt joined at the UN General Assembly on Monday in charging that the UN nuclear watchdog agency was holding back from criticising Israel," reported the AP news agency.
"A rock group said on Monday it will go ahead with an onstage suicide during a concert in Florida this weekend, in defiance of a new city law designed to scuttle the plan. The hard-rock band Hell on Earth has said a suicide by a terminally ill person would take place during a concert on Saturday in the city of St Petersburg to raise awareness of right-to-die issues," reported the AP news agency.
"A London court passed a life sentence on a Kurdish refugee on Monday after he admitted killing his own daughter by cutting her throat to preserve the family's honour. Abdalla Yones, 48, pleaded guilty to killing his daughter Heshu, 16, for planning to run away with an 18-year-old Lebanese Christian. He asked the court at the Old Bailey to pass the death sentence for his appalling crime," reported the dpa news agency.
"Australia has bought back more than 50,000 sheep stranded at sea since Saudi Arabia rejected them on health grounds more than a month ago and will bring them home if last-ditch talks to unload them fail," reported the Reuters news agency.
"In an airless room at the back of a Baghdad ministry yesterday, 29 Iraqis who became the first female state security guards in the post-war country, were handed official badges and licences to carry weapons. The women, in a variety of ages, are the first to join the Facilities Protection Service (FPS) – a force which guards anything from ministries to dams – as fully fledged and armed officials," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The political leader who last year outraged most Australians by urging the army to use illegal immigrants for firing practice has offered his thoughts on combating drug addiction. Peter Davies, mayor of the South Australian town of Port Lincoln, yesterday recommended that drug addicts be given a lethal injection. Davis claimed that there had been a big increase in heroin use since the introduction of a needle exchange programme in Port Lincoln. His views were condemned by the Drug and Alcohol Council of South Australia," reported the dpa news agency.
"Ugandan women are not buying the female condom because women have complained it is too expensive, too bulky and too noisy during sex. A package of three female condoms – manufactured by Female Health Company of Britain and sold under the brand name Femidom – costs 25 US cents (88 sen) in Uganda, about 10 times the price of the male version. Uganda had one of the world's highest rates of HIV infection in the early 1990s but aggressive promotion of safe sex by the government has made it an AIDS-prevention success story," reported the dpa news agency.
"Ten men, believed to be Algerians, were being held yesterday under Britain's anti-terrorism laws following dawn raids here and in Manchester. Six of the men were arrested at residences in north, east and south-east London, while the others were taken into custody in north-western Manchester," reported the AFP news seravice.
"Moroccans were yesterday waiting for a court to decide the fate of three 14-year-old girls charged with plotting a suicide bombing and other Islamic terrorist attacks. A Rabat court on Monday postponed the verdict which was expected for yesterday," reported the dpa news agency.
"A former Tunisian footballer was jailed for 10 years yesterday in the trial of 23 militants allegedly linked to al-Qaeda for a foiled attack on a military base housing US troops, around the time of the Sept 11 attacks. Nizar Trabelsi, the chief suspect among the defendants who were tried in May and June this year, was convicted of plotting an attack on the Kleine Brogel army base in north-east Belgium," reported the AFP news service.
"A prominent US Muslim political activist, who was instrumental in setting up the Pentagon's Islamic chaplain programme, has been arrested and charged with illegally accepting money from Libya and travelling to that country, according to newly released court documents. Abdurahman Alamoudi made a brief appearance at the US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, on Monday, one day after he was arrested at Dulles International Airport upon his return from an extended overseas trip. Because Alamoudi was a visible player on the Washington political scene, the case is certain to deal a serious blow to the US Muslim community," reported the AFP news service.
"Hopes rose yesterday a new UN resolution rallying broad support for the rebuilding of Iraq will soon be passed, but the country increasingly resembles a war zone as US forces resort to tanks and fighter jets to tame ferocious attacks," reported the AFP news service.
"British Prime Minister Tony Blair acknowledged yesterday that his support for war in Iraq had divided the nation and the world, but told his ruling Labour Party he had no regrets and would battle on. Blair, who has seen his personal ratings tumble since the war, came out punching in a crucial speech to his party's annual conference, reminding his followers that he gave them power and promising more to come," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A United Nations envoy met with the leader of Myanmar's military government on the last day of a mission to secure the release of the detained pro-democrat Aung San Suu Kyi and revive a national reconciliation process," reported the AP news agency.
"A top organiser of last year's deadly nightclub attacks on Indonesia's Bali island was sentenced Thursday to death by firing squad for carrying out the bombings. The verdict is the lastest sign that Indonesia is serious about confronting the threat of Islamic militancy, and that its legal system is capable of punishing them. In contrast to neighboring Malaysia and Singapore, which have used draconian internal security laws to lock up hundreds of suspects, Indonesia has insisted on bringing them to trial," reported the AP news agency.
"South Korea's government said Thursday it will double the fines imposed on illegal workers and their employers in an effort to reduce the growing problem of foreigners overstaying their visas," reported the AP news agency.
"In Sacramento, California, a young man with a shotgun took an administrator hostage at a high school and was shot by police who found the two struggling over the weapon," reported the AP news agency.
"On Wednesday, China eliminated a much-resented requirement for couples to obtain their bosses' approval before tying the knot, prompting thousands of couples to wed in what, for some, was also a celebration of the retreat of outside interference in their private lives," reported the AP news agency.
"In Hamshpire, Illinois, a tractor-trailer plowed into the back of a tour bus, setting off a chain reaction crash that killed eight members of an international women's group," reported the AP news agency.
"A genetic susceptibility may explain why Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) raged last year in south-east Asia and nowhere else in the world outside of Toronto, Taiwanese researchers reported this week. The gene variant is common in people of southern Chinese descent, the team at Mackay Memorial Hospital in Taipei reported. Their finding, published in an online journal, BMC Medical Genetics, must be confirmed by independent researchers. But the Taiwanese team said the genetics could explain the puzzling distribution of SARS last year," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Australian police said yesterday the car bomb that ripped through Bali's nightclub strip last October apparently misfired and the toll would have been much worse had it exploded with full force. The bomb outside the Sari Club killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, and damaged buildings in a radius of hundreds of metres," reported the AFP news service.
"In Rabat, prison sentences of four to 16 years were handed down yesterday to 20 Islamists charged with plotting extremist attacks along with teenage twins sentenced the previous day. Suicide bombings have led to the arrests of more than 900 people but the country's leading human rights group said on Tuesday trials held so far had been seriouslyflawed. Lawyers questioned the way the authorities dealt with the defendants," reported the AFP news service.
"Natallie Evans, 31, and Lorraine Hadley, 38, had challenged the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act which requires the destruction of embryos unless both parties consent to storage and use. Both women had stored embryos following in vitro fertilisation treatment. The couples have now separated and the partners had withdrawn consent for the use of the embryos," reported the AP news agency.
"Thousands of postal workers here staged a one-day strike yesterday, causing widespread disruption to mail services across the British capital," reported the AFP news service.
"British Prime Minister Tony Blair renewed his vow yesterday that there can be no going back on his domestic reform agenda, as he pursued his campaign to win back public support. Speaking a day after an impassioned speech to the annual conference of his Labour Party, Blair said big policy shifts could only succeed if Britons were first given a proper understanding of why they were necessary," reported the AFP news service.
"The Romanian government announced on Tuesday that it had opened an inquiry into the illegal wedding of Ana-Maria, a Gypsy princess aged 12 who married a 15-year-old Rom in a lavish ceremony at Sibiu in central Romania. Saturday's wedding “is not recognised by Romanian authorities," reported the AFP news service.
"Health experts on nutrition and diet on Tuesday called on the government to overhaul its public dietary guidelines, charging that heavy reliance on carbohydrates and fear of all fats has left the nation seriously overweight. Americans continue to grow obese and overweight but even the government's eating recommendations, as laid out in the so-called food pyramid, are faulty, said several experts at a hearing of the Senate's Consumer Affairs and Product Safety Subcommittee," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Mexico's first lady, a staunch defender of family values, got an eyeful when steamy pictures popped up on a slide screen by mistake during a charity presentation. The first lady, the wife of President Vicente Fox, clearly saw the images as did dozens of middle-aged women attending the event," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Agriculture officials investigating a pig farm where a third of young piglets have died said Friday that it may be New Zealand's first outbreak of an untreatable pig disease. It would be two weeks before officials could confirm the presence of the suspected disease, known as post-weaning multisystemic wasting syndrome, which usually kills affected pigs aged six to 12 weeks," reported the AP news agency.
"The government on Thursday imposed the second-biggest fine ever for an indecent broadcast: $357,000 for a radio segment in which a couple was said to be having sex in New York's St. Patrick's Cathedral. Four commissioners voted for the fine. The fifth commissioner, Michael Copps, dissented and said Infinity should lose its broadcasting license, arguing that Infinity/Viacom could pay this entire fine by tacking just one more commercial onto one of its prime-time TV shows and probably pocket a profit to boot," reported the AP news agency.
"Chief U.S. weapons searcher David Kay reported he has found no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, a finding that brought fresh congressional complaints about the Bush administration's prewar assertions of an imminent threat from Saddam Hussein," reported the AP news agency.
"Iraq's Governing Council on Thursday made its first formal appearance at the U.N. General Assembly, promising the world a new democratic country based on justice and fairness and at peace with its neighbours. Ahmad Chalabi, a member of the U.S.-appointed council, speaking last in the two-week ministerial debate, praised U.S. President George W. Bush for liberating Iraq and criticized those who opposed the war to remove Saddam Hussein and those who accuse Washington of occupying Iraq," reported the AP news agency.
"Philip Morris USA has agreed to pay more than $2 million in the case of a toddler severely burned in a fire blamed on a cigarette left in a car - the first time America's No. 1 tobacco company has ever settled a personal injury suit. The settlement was reached in May and was first reported this week by the Los Angeles Times. Shannon Moore, now 13, was 21 months old at the time of the blaze 11 years ago," reported the AP news agency.
"Hostility towards the US has reached shocking levels among Arabs and Muslims around the world and left the country vulnerable to lethal threats unless it improves its image, according to a White House panel. The bipartisan group of Arab-American scholars, former diplomats and opinion formers concluded that America's efforts to promote itself positively to Muslims and Arabs was in need of an urgent overhaul, suggesting what is required is not merely tactical adaptation but strategic, and radical, transformation," reported the Guardian.
"The panel recognised that the problems were most likely rooted in US foreign policy, but that Washington could do far more to present its side and rebut misinformation. The report called for more resources and the establishment of a White House coordinator for public relations efforts abroad. Other suggestions were for libraries and information centres in the Muslim world," reported the Guardian.
"US officials believe they have identified a young former bodyguard of Osama bin Laden as al-Qaeda's new chief of terror operations in the Gulf. Abu Hazim al-Sha'ir, a 29-year-old Yemeni now believed to be living in Saudi Arabia, is one of a new crop of al-Qaeda operatives who are trying fill the roles of senior Osama lieutenants who have been captured or killed since Sept 11, according to US officials," reported the AP news agency.
"The US Justice Department has opened an investigation of FBI agents suspected of involvement in unauthorised business ventures in China and the Middle East while working on espionage and terrorism cases linked to these regions. The conflict-of-interest probe conducted by the department's inspector-general was focused on two individuals at the Federal Bureau of Investigation's office in Phoenix, Arizona, said the official, who declined to provide any further details," reported the AFP news service.
"Guerillas killed three American soldiers in a wave of attacks in Iraq, the US Army said yesterday, adding urgency to efforts by Washington to garner international help in stabilising the volatile nation. A military spokesman said a soldier from the Fourth Infantry Division was killed on Wednesday evening in a rocket-propelled grenade attack on a convoy driving through the hostile town of Samarra, in the heart of the restive Sunni triangle region," reported the Reuters news agency.
"UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan questioned yesterday whether the new US-draft resolution on Iraq was enough to change attitudes towards the United Nations and other international bodies in the country. Trying to win over sceptics, the United States revised a UN Security Council resolution that emphasises a step-by-step transfer of power to Iraqis but gives no timetable for the end of the occupation. The new US draft strengthens duties of the United Nations but does not give the world body an independent role in overseeing the transition to sovereignty as many wanted," reported the Reuters news agency.
"The criminal investigation into alleged Bush administration leaks has increased the vulnerability of a president already weakened by the public's doubts about his Iraq policies and the economy. President George W. Bush's opinion poll standing was slipping before the Justice Department launched its investigation into whether administration officials disclosed the identity of a CIA operative, whose husband challenged Bush's claims about Iraq's weapons threat," reported the Reuters news agency.
"A high school student has the right to wear a T-shirt to school with the face of President George W. Bush and the words International Terrorist, a federal judge ruled. There is no evidence that the T-shirt created any disturbance or disruption, US District Judge Patrick Duggan said in the ruling released on Wednesday," reported the AP news agency.
"US first lady Laura Bush, on a two-stop European tour that ended yesterday, has used a soft touch to promote foreign policy goals that her husband has sparred over with foreign leaders. On a high-profile trip, she defended US policy in Iraq and subtly prodded Russia on press freedoms. But she scored points internationally by pledging an enthusiastic US return to Unesco after a 19-year absence – a warm nod to the United Nations where Washington is struggling to win new backing on Iraq," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Gunfire and explosions erupted in Liberia's capital even as a new UN peace mission took control, with insurgents and government forces opening fire as the top rebel leader tried to make his way into the city. Journalists saw three bodies – two civilians shot in the crossfire, and a rebel killed by civilians outraged at the return to fighting. Defence Minister Daniel Chea put the death toll at five," reported the AP news agency.
"Human rights activists have encouraged Kenyan prostitutes to submit fake rape claims against British soldiers, according to allegations made to The Daily Telegraph. They were allegedly promised a share in any compensation. At least three witnesses claim that representatives of Impact, a Kenyan organisation working with a British lawyer to prepare the lawsuit against the Defence Ministry, have approached impoverished prostitutes in this town in central Kenya, with a tantalising proposal," reported the Daily Telegraph
"A 14-year-old boy is accused of plotting a Columbine-style bloodbath at his high school, drawing up detailed plans to block the fire exits and then pull the alarm and shoot people as they tried to leave. Other students at Lovejoy High told authorities that the boy was trying to recruit them and had diagrams and notes. The plan was to make history by turning Lovejoy into another Columbine," reported the AP news agency.
"J.M. Coetzee, who won the Nobel Literature Prize yesterday, is considered one of South Africa's finest writers whose works give voice to the anguish of his home country. John Maxwell Coetzee, who now lives permanently in Australia, followed in the footsteps of South African Nadine Gordimer who won the coveted award in 1991 and four other South Africans who have been awarded Nobels," reported the AFP news service.
"Six women who met Arnold Schwarzenegger on movie sets and other places over the last three decades say he groped them, the Los Angeles Times said yesterday. The Times said Schwarzenegger's attitudes about women have been an issue during the campaign, with critics accusing him of being misogynistic, based on past statements he has made to various publications. Schwarzenegger has said he respects women and that many of his comments were made in jest or simply meant to be provocative," reported the Reuters news agency.
"Israel risked a confrontation with the United States and angered Palestinians by approving a security barrier that cuts deep into the West Bank to shield key settlements – as well as Israel – from suicide bombers. The barrier has outraged Palestinians who consider it a major land grab. The Cabinet decision on Wednesday was crafted to deflect US criticism that the barrier could disrupt Palestinian lives and might pre-empt peace talks by creating a de facto border," reported the AP news agency.
"North Korea said yesterday it has completed reprocessing its 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods and is using plutonium extracted from them to make nuclear weapons. The claim came as some US intelligence analysts were becoming increasingly concerned that the communist regime may have three, four or even six nuclear weapons instead of the one or two the CIA now estimates," reported the AP news agency.
