A round up of today's other stories in brief:
Saddam trial judge is urged to stay
BAGHDAD - Iraqi officials were trying to persuade the chief judge in the trial of Saddam Hussein not to resign yesterday after he announced he would quit in protest at government interference with the court.
"The government has sent a delegation to see him because they are afraid of the damage this will do to the credibility of the tribunal," one of the state prosecutors in the trial, Mumkidh Taklif al-Fatlawi, said. - (Reuters)
Spain in top 5 for cocaine seizures
MADRID - Spanish police captured a record 50 tonnes of cocaine last year, indicating that consumption of the drug across Europe is almost certainly on the increase as traffickers find new routes via Africa into the continent.
Last year's haul confirmed Spain's position among the top five countries in the world in cocaine seizures, with the rest all in the Americas. - (Guardian service)
Iran to question truth of Holocaust
TEHRAN - Iran announced it would stage a conference to question the authenticity of the Holocaust, a move certain to stir international anger.
The statement follows a series of inflammatory remarks by Iran's hawkish president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has described the murder of six million Jews by the Nazis in the second World War as a myth and called for Israel to be "wiped off the map".
He has also suggested an alternative Jewish state should be set up in Europe or Alaska. - (Guardian service)
Death toll in air crashes doubles
LONDON - The number of people killed in airliner crashes worldwide more than doubled last year.
The 34 fatal accidents involving passenger and freight planes in 2005 resulted in 1,050 deaths, statistics from Flight International magazine revealed.
This compared with 28 fatal accidents and 466 deaths in 2004, with the 2005 passenger and crew fatality figure the highest since 2000. - (PA)
Martin in bid to revive campaign
MONTREAL - Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, whose ruling Liberals look set to lose the January 23rd election, yesterday tried to rally flagging support in a traditional stronghold and said he did not believe voters wanted him out.
Polls show the Liberals - hit by a combination of scandals, a poor campaign and voter fatigue - will be ousted after more than 12 years in power and replaced by the opposition Conservatives. - (Reuters)
Bomb attack kills Canadian diplomat
KANDAHAR - A Taliban bomb attack on a Canadian military convoy killed a Canadian diplomat and at least two Afghans in the heart of the southern Afghan city of Kandahar yesterday, officials said.
Canadian officials said it appeared the convoy of armoured vehicles was attacked by a suicide bomber, and that three soldiers were wounded. - (Reuters)
Libya postpones HIV talks
TRIPOLI - Libya postponed talks with Bulgaria on a fund to compensate families of children infected with HIV virus to next week because US representatives failed to show up at the meeting, Libyan officials said yesterday.
The talks were due to take place yesterday in Tripoli, with representatives from the EU and the US attending the meeting to hammer out details of an agreement on a payout to the families of the HIV infected children and health care for the sick children. - (Reuters)