A former Russian spy fighting for his life in a British hospital may have been given poison laced with a radioactive substance to render it more lethal, the toxicologist treating him said on Tuesday. Russia has dismissed as "nonsense" claims its agents poisoned former spy Alexander Litvinenko, 41, a persistent critic of President Vladimir Putin. Friends say they believe he is the victim of a Kremlin-backed plot.He is now in intensive care in a London hospital, suffering from poisoning with thallium, a chemical element which can cause a slow, painful death over weeks, even with treatment.Britain's anti-terrorism police are investigating the case, which could have far-reaching diplomatic consequences. If Moscow were found to have had a hand in the poisoning it would be the first incident of its kind in the West since the Cold War.... http://news.yahoo.com censor News |
Editor - 07:52:00 11-21-06 |
Briton tortured into confessing bomb plot: lawyer |
A British Muslim falsely confessed to planning to bomb several high-profile English landmarks after being tortured and subjected to degrading conditions in Pakistan, his defense lawyer said on Tuesday. Salahuddin Amin, 31, was subjected to "inhumane" treatmentby the Pakistani Intelligence Service (ISI) during 10 months of incarceration, Patrick O'Connor told a London court.The torture took place with the knowledge of British intelligence agencies although no British agents were actually involved or witnessed it, he said.Amin is one of seven British Muslims accused of planning to make explosives out of ammonium nitrate fertilizer to bomb pubs, clubs, trains, a shopping centre and synagogues.O'Connor said Amin, who also holds Pakistani nationality, had been deprived of all "basic human rights" while in custody in Pakistan in 2004... http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061121/ts_nm/security_britain_trial_dc
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Editor - 07:50:00 11-21-06 |
Israeli high court orders gay marriage recognition |
In a landmark ruling, Israel's Supreme Court ordered the government Tuesday to recognize same-sex marriages performed abroad. The lone dissenter on the seven-judge panel was an observant Jew, highlighting the controversy the decision immediately touched off among ultra-Orthodox Jews and other conservative groups in Israel.Efforts by Israel's gay community to win approval for same-sex marriage, a key issue in the U.S. and Europe, face a major obstacle because Israel's religious authorities have a monopoly over marriage and divorce.Yossi Ben-Ari and Laurent Schuman were married in Canada after that country legalized same-sex marriage in 2003. Determined after a 21-year partnership to enjoy all the privileges of a married couple in Israel, they were among five couples who petitioned the Supreme Court to have their marriage registered here, too."We're delighted, but the struggle is not over," Ben-Ari said.... http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-11-21-israel-gay-marriage_x.htm?csp=34
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Editor - 07:49:00 11-21-06 |
Iraq, Syria resume diplomatic ties |
After nearly a quarter-century of severed ties, Iraq on Tuesday resumed diplomatic relations with neighboring Syria -- a move seen as a possible step toward stemming some of the unrelenting violence in Iraq.The Iraqi and Syrian presidents also received invitations from Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to weekend meetings in Tehran to tackle the chaos in Iraq, Iraqi lawmakers said.Iraqi President Jalal Talabani's spokesman said his boss would attend but that Syrian President Bashar Assad would not. (Full story)The invitation was thought to be an attempt by Iran to upstage expected U.S. moves to include Syria and Iran in a wider regional effort to clamp off violence in Iraq.The announcement of restored Iraqi-Syrian ties came during a groundbreaking visit to Baghdad by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem.... http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/11/21/iraq.syria.ap/index.html?eref=rss_world
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Editor - 07:47:00 11-21-06 |
Police Probe Claim That Ex-Indiana Women's Basketball Coach's Wife Hid 2 Self-Aborted Fetuses |
A district attorney must decide whether to prosecute a former Indiana women's basketball coach's widow, who is accused of self-aborting two fetuses and keeping them in a storage shed. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has finished examining the bodies, and all information gathered by law enforcement has been sent to the district attorney, who will decide how to proceed. The bizarre case began in March when authorities in Bay County, Fla., received a tip that Sarah Jo Warner Izard had told friends that she kept the remains of two fetuses in a storage shed in Rome. Izard is the wife of the late Jim Izard, who shot himself to death on Feb. 28. The Izards lived in Rome for two years when Jim Izard coached the Berry College women's basketball team. He resigned in January 2005 and moved to Florida, where he committed suicide. ... http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/11/21/national/main2202267.shtml?source=RSSattr=U.S._2202267
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Editor - 07:46:00 11-21-06 |
Lebanese Christian politician killed |
Lebanese Cabinet minister Pierre Gemayel has been shot dead in Beirut, senior Lebanese government officials said. Industry minister Gemayel, who was in his 30s, was a member of the Christian Phalange party and supporter of the anti-Syrian parliamentary majority.Tuesday's killing is set to deepen the political crisis: the Lebanese government is currently locked in a power struggle with pro-Syrian factions led by Hezbollah. Saad Hariri, the majority leader in parliament, blamed Syria for the killing, saying Damascus wanted to stop the Lebanese government from backing a U.N. international tribunal into alleged Syrian participation in the 2005 assassination of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.... http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/11/21/lebanon.shooting/index.html?eref=rss_world
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Editor - 07:43:00 11-21-06 |
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