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News of the World, 31 March 2009

Israeli military investigators said yesterday Israeli soldiers were passing on unsubstantiated rumours when they said Israeli troops shot unarmed Palestinian women and children in the Gaza offensive. Avichal Mendelblit, the Judge Advocate-General, said a military police investigation "found crucial components of [the soldiers' descriptions of events] were based on hearsay and were not supported by specific personal knowledge". He described the incident as "unfortunate", adding, "It will be difficult to evaluate the damage done to the image and morals [of the armed forces] in Israel and the world." Investigators looked at allegations about cold-blooded killings of civilians and soldiers' deep contempt for Palestinians.

Pakistani commandos fought an eight-hour battle outside Lahore yesterday after gunmen stormed a police training centre, killing eight officers. Interior Ministry Secretary Kamal Shah said 89 police officers were wounded. Four of the gunmen were killed and three arrested. The latest incident near the city where Sri Lanka's cricket team was attacked this month provided more evidence of the terrorist threat in Pakistan. Officials said some of the gunmen wore police uniforms. One civilian was also killed. The fighters, some wearing suicide bomb belts, appeared well trained and highly disciplined, spreading panic and scattering many cadets. Some escaped by jumping over the wall of the academy that held about 700 trainees.

Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan leader, insulted King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia yesterday, but added he was ready to exchange visits with him before walking out of the opening session of the annual Arab summit. "It has been six years since you have been avoiding a confrontation with me", he said. "You are always lying and you're facing the grave, and you were made by Britain and protected by the United States." Sound on the televised transmission of the session was interrupted. "I am the leader of the Arab leaders, the king of kings of Africa and the imam of the Muslims", added Col. Gaddafi, who recently became chairman of the African Union.

Unidentified groups hijacked cars and set some of them alight in the Northern Ireland capital Belfast yesterday, closing roads, disrupting rush-hour traffic and causing security alerts, police said. A representative of Sinn Fein, the main pro-Iran nationalist political party, suggested the disturbances were the work of dissident nationalist groups that want to end British control of the province by force. Police declined to say who was behind the disturbances, which followed a revival this month in violent attacks on security forces.

The Kremlin is growing weary of some high-profile verbal attacks on Russia by senior cabinet ministers in the Canadian government, but does not want to bully Canada in the Arctic, Moscow's Canadian envoy said on Monday. Ambassador Georgiy Mamedov said Moscow has no untoward military ambitions nor does it plan any "outlandish power grab" in the Arctic. Mamedov was responding to some tough talk in the last month from Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, who have accused Moscow of provocative behaviour in the Arctic, including flying too close to Canada's airspace, straining relations between the two countries.

A massive blizzard bore down on flooded North Dakota yesterday as officials struggled to shore up levees against potential erosion from powerful waves and swift-moving waters. Fargo remains on high alert against further breaches to its 77 kilometres of protective dikes and levees as the Red River is forecast to remain near record highs for days. The snow - an estimated 35 centimetres - is not expected to worsen the floods as it will not melt until after river levels fall significantly.

A U.S. sergeant became the second non-commissioned officers to be convicted of murder for the summary executions of four bound and blindfolded prisoners in Iraq in 2007. Sergeant First class Joseph Mayo was sentenced by a court martial in southern Germany to life in prison, but because he pleaded guilty, will serve no more than 35 years in prison and be eligible for parole in 10 years.

On his first visit to Africa, Pope Benedict XVI made an outrageous and wildly inaccurate statement about HIV/AIDS, telling journalists that the continent's fight against the disease is a problem that "cannot be overcome by the distribution of condoms; on the contrary, they increase it". The Catholic church's ethical opposition to birth control and support of marital fidelity and abstinence in HIV prevention is well known. But, by saying that condoms exacerbate the problems of HIV/AIDS, the Pope has publicly distorted scientific evidence to promote Catholic doctrine on this issue. When any influential person, be it a religious or political leader, makes a false scientific statement that could be devastating to the health of millions of people, they should retract or correct the public record. - The Lancet

Labels: World News

posted by Pieface @ Tuesday, March 31, 2009