A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Mussolini's fascists set for equality status
ITALY: Soldiers of Benito Mussolini's Nazi puppet republic should be accorded the same status as wartime resistance fighters and regular combatants, the Italian government will argue in a bill to be placed before parliament today.
The bill would recognise the 200,000 soldiers of the Italian Social Republic as "military combatants", but would make no difference to the state benefits enjoyed by several thousand of the former members still alive.
But the controversial move by Silvio Berlusconi's government is set to reopen old wounds. - (Guardian Service)
Fujimori election bid is rejected
PERU: Peru's election board yesterday rejected a bid by detained former president Alberto Fujimori to run for president in April.
Mr Fujimori, banned from holding public office until 2011, is accused by the government of corruption and human rights abuses.
In the government's official gazette, the national electoral board cited the ban imposed by congress in 2001 and said Mr Fujimori had two days to appeal the decision. - (Reuters)
Austrian kills self and four children
AUSTRIA - A 50-year-old Austrian man killed four of his five daughters before committing suicide, police said yesterday.
The man, from Vienna, shot the four girls dead after an argument with his wife. He beat his wife, who was taken to a hospital with serious injuries. Police believe the argument was over a family property issue.
The four girls, who were between the ages of four and 10, died at the scene. The fifth daughter, aged 21, was not at home at the time. - (PA)
Bush pledges US to Iraq involvement
US: Facing a mounting US death toll in Iraq, President George Bush yesterday predicted more tough fighting in 2006 but said there would be "more progress toward victory".
Mr Bush, in a speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said progress would come in Iraq's political process, reconstruction and the battle against insurgents during the year.- (Reuters)
Jackson mired in fresh allegations
US: Michael Jackson is facing fresh child sex-abuse allegations in a civil lawsuit.
A 20-year-old has filed complaints claiming the pop star molested him as a child, made him have cosmetic surgery and stole his ideas, melodies and lyrics for songs, the man's lawyer said.
The allegations relate to the period between 1987 and 1999. - (PA)
Man 'mummified' mother's body
ROME: An Italian man "mummified" the body of his mother (71) when she died, stashing it in the wardrobe three years ago and sealing it with silicone gel.
The grisly secret was kept until this week, when the landlord stumbled upon it near the north Italian town of Aqui Terme. - (Reuters)