Fears that Basra is slipping beyond control were fuelled at the weekend when the governor suspended the city's police chief, who is a strong supporter of British attempts to purge the force of militia elements.As British forces lost two more servicemen a week after five were killed when their helicopter was shot down, the British operation was thrown into further doubt when Governor Mohammed Musabah al-Waili accused the police chief and the respected commander of the Iraqi army's Basra-based 10th Brigade of links to terrorist groups.As well as condemning Maj Gen Hassan Sawadi and Gen Abdul Latif Thaban, Mr Musabah made allegations of corruption against the region's border guards, who are seen as key to stopping weapons being smuggled in from Iran. The governor's allegations were vehemently refuted by British officials yesterday. Robert Collett, the Basra consulate spokesman, stressed that Britain did not "recognise" their validity....
http://www.telegraph.co.uk
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Editor - 23:31:00 05-14-06
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 Defence to begin in Saddam trial |
The trial of the former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein is to resume in Baghdad with the defence due to start presenting its case to the court. Before that happens, the charges against him and his seven co-defendants will be officially read out. The trial has been on a three-week recess following the presentation of prosecution evidence. The defendants face charges relating to their alleged roles in the killings of 148 Shia Muslims in Dujail in 1982. Chief prosecutor Jaafar al-Mussawi told AFP news agency 60 defence witnesses were expected in the new session, but that it would be up to the court to decide how many would be heard. Three days of hearings are expected this week. Khalil al-Dulaimi, Saddam Hussein's leading defence lawyer, submitted the defence witness list at the end of the previous session. ...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4771479.stm
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Editor - 23:27:00 05-14-06
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| Chinese Environmentalist's Trial Begins |
A Chinese man who tried to set up an independent environmental group went on trial Monday on charges of stealing state secrets, an overseas human rights group and court official said. Computer technician Tan Kai has been in custody since police in the eastern city of Hangzhou summoned him on Oct. 19, New York-based Human Rights in China reported. Tan was detained after he opened a bank account as part of efforts to register an environmental group, "Green Watch." His trial at Hangzhou's Xihu District People's Court was closed to the public because it involved state secrets, said a court official reached by telephone. The official refused to give his name because he was not authorized to speak to media. Police officials said they had no information about the case. ...
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1961685
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Editor - 23:24:00 05-14-06
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| U.S. Invites China to Military Exercise |
A top U.S. admiral said Monday he has issued a rare invitation to Chinese commanders to observe a U.S. military exercise next month on Guam in an effort to strengthen ties. Adm. William Fallon, wrapping up a weeklong visit to China, said he hoped such visits would become part of regular exchanges between the two militaries, which have had little interaction since they broke off following the 2001 collision of a U.S. Navy plane and a Chinese fighter jet. ...
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1961508
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Editor - 23:21:00 05-14-06
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| 3 Teens Killed in Minn. Prom Night Crash |
A teenage couple on their way to a high school prom died in a head-on collision that also killed the teen driver of the oncoming vehicle, officials said Sunday. Students attending Fosston High School prom in northwest Minnesota were sent home early when officials learned a 16-year-old junior at the school and his 16-year-old date had died Saturday in the Chevy Corvette they were driving to the dance. A 15-year-old boy from Mahnomen in a Jeep Cherokee also died, according to the Polk County sheriff's office. The three victims, who officials didn't identify, weren't wearing seat belts. The students were told of the fatalities shortly after the Grand March. The prom was then canceled and students were told to call their parents for rides, said Bernadette Sorenson, dean of students. ...
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1961644
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Editor - 23:20:00 05-14-06
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| U.S. marshal dies in shootout with police |
A deputy U.S. marshal was killed in a shootout with police officers who had stopped the agent for driving erratically early Sunday, authorities said.Mary Fisher, 46, refused to stop when officers tried to pull her over and led the officers to her home around 6 a.m., according to Sgt. Vince Higgins, a police spokesman.When the officers told her to get out of the car, she opened her door, pulled out a gun and started shooting at them, Higgins said.Officer Patrick Taylor, 34, was shot in the leg. He was taken to a hospital, where he remains in stable condition.The other officer, whose name has not been released, was unharmed.Both officers have been relieved of duty while the investigation continues.Fisher was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said they could not say how many times she was shot....
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/05/15/marshal.shot.ap/index.html?section=cnn_us
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Editor - 23:19:00 05-14-06
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