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R/£ World briefs - October 21, 2009
October 21, 2009 Edition 3
Shock for 'terrorist' Blair
HEBRON: Bodyguards yesterday subdued a Palestinian man carrying a bag as he approached EU Middle East envoy Tony Blair, shouting "You are a terrorist". The former British premier was verbally assailed while visiting an ancient mosque during an official trip to the West Bank city. Blair is hated by many Arabs for supporting the invasion of Iraq and for his Israeli "bias" when he was prime minister.
Sniffer dogs on a roll
FRANKFURT: A pilot project involving two dogs sniffing out products made from endangered species was so successful it should be implemented Europe-wide, the World Wide Fund for Nature said yesterday. Amy and Uno, a German Shepherd and a Labrador, helped customs at Frankfurt airport discover snakeskin handbags, shark fins, a rhino horn, ivory and even a bear skull.
Getting an earful
MADRID: US engineer Martin Cooper holds the Motorola DynaTAC phone - the world's first commercial handheld cellphone - and his current cellphone in Oviedo, Spain, yesterday. Cooper will be awarded the 2009 Prince of Asturias Technical and Scientific Research Award at a traditional ceremony on Friday.
Medvedev sides with Serbia
BELGRADE: Russian President Dmitry Medvedev yesterday backed Serbia's rejection of Kosovo's independence during a landmark visit to strengthen ties between the allies. "Russia will always support Serbia in defending its sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said. Medvedev, on his first official visit to the Balkan state, was also expected to sign a e1 billion(R10.9bn) loan for Serbia.
Honeymoon blues
BARCELONA: A Spanish bride has spent her wedding night in jail after she hit a policeman trying to break up a brawl between her family and relatives of the groom. The fight broke out just as the newlyweds were about to leave the reception in a hotel in Salou, a resort near Barcelona. The hotel owners called the police to separate the feuding families.
Iranian academic jailed
TEHRAN: Iranian-US scholar Kian Tajbakhsh has been sentenced to a jail term of more than 12 years for his alleged role in unrest after the disputed June presidential election. "I cannot reveal the exact term, but I can say it is more than 12 years," lawyer Houshang Azahari said yesterday. Tajbakhsh was among thousands detained in the aftermath of the June poll. About 140 have been put on trial.
Missiles threaten trust
TAIPEI: Taiwan and China could not establish trust between their militaries until Beijing removed more than 1 000 missiles aimed at the island, Taiwan's Defence Ministry said yesterday. China has claimed sovereignty over Taiwan since 1949, when Mao Zedong's forces won the civil war and Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalists fled to the island. Beijing vows to bring Taiwan under its rule, by force if necessary.
US unhappy over Georgia
TBILISI: A senior US defence official says Russia is not complying with the ceasefire that ended last year's war with Georgia, and says Washington wants international observers in Russian-controlled territories. Yesterday's statement by Deputy Defence Secretary Alexander Vershbow underlines one of the touchiest disputes between the US and Russia.
New cholera deaths in Zim
Harare - Five people have died in a fresh outbreak of cholera in Zimbabwe. "Five from Mashonaland West and Midlands provinces have died while 30 more received treatment for the disease since last Tuesday," The Herald newspaper said yesterday, citing Secretary for Health and Child Welfare Dr Gerald Gwinji. Most of the cases were among religious objectors reluctant to seek medical help.
Swiss firm on Polanski
GENEVA: Roman Polanski has lost his appeal to be released from a Swiss jail, as a court rejected multiple offers from the US film director to post bail or go under house arrest to reassure authorities he would stay in the country. The Federal Criminal Court yesterday said the 76-year-old posed too high a flight risk. The US is seeking his extradition for having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl
These put Hess to sleep
LONDON: A prescription for sleeping pills issued to former Nazi deputy leader Rudolf Hess during his brief custody in Britain was auctioned yesterday for £750 (R8 960). The mixture to help insomnia was prescribed while Hess was imprisoned in the Tower of London for three days in May 1941 after his failed attempt to secure peace between Germany and Britain in a solo flight to Scotland.
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