A round up of today's other stories in brief
Bush tells of foiled plane hijacking
WASHINGTON - President Bush yesterday disclosed new details of a thwarted al-Qaeda plot to use shoe bombs to hijack a plane and fly it into a Los Angeles building, as he sought to justify his tactics in Washington's war on terrorism.
With critics questioning the legality of his authorisation of a domestic spying programme, Mr Bush used newly declassified details of a previously disclosed plot to show that the threat of terrorism has not abated.
Mr Bush said that in early 2002 the US and its allies thwarted a plot to use bombs hidden in shoes to breach the cockpit door of an airplane and fly it into the the tallest building in Los Angeles. - (Reuters)
At least five die in Afghan clashes
KABUL - At least five people were killed and dozens wounded in clashes between members of Afghanistan's Shia Muslim minority and Sunnis yesterday at a gathering to mark the main event in the Shia calendar, a doctor said.
About 80 per cent of Afghans are Sunni Muslim, with most of the remainder Shia, but there has been no serious trouble between members of the different sects in recent years. - (Reuters)
UN says Aids children neglected
LONDON - Children affected by HIV/Aids are being neglected and not receiving the care and support they need, UN health experts said yesterday.
By 2010, about 18 million children in sub-Saharan Africa will be orphaned by the illness but fewer than 10 per cent who have already lost a parent are being helped. Although public health experts are pushing for universal access to life-saving drugs for all who need them, an estimated four million children with HIV/Aids do not have access to treatment. -(Reuters)
Crackdown on internet suicides
TOKYO - A record number of Japanese died in group suicides involving the internet in 2005, but an online crackdown has slowed the pace, Japanese police said yesterday.
Police said a record 91 people died in 34 internet-linked suicide cases last year, up from 55 people in 19 cases in 2004. - (AP)
Conditions for Hamas talks
WASHINGTON - The US wants any government, including Russia, that meets Palestinians to stress international mediators' conditions for dealing with Hamas, a senior US official said yesterday after President Vladimir Putin said he planned to meet the militant group.
The top US diplomat for the Middle East, David Welch, noted that Russia had agreed to demand the group recognise Israel, disarm, renounce violence and keep to previous Palestinian accords with Israel. - (Reuters)
EU put forces on standby for Congo
BRUSSELS - The EU is likely to put forces on standby to help UN peacekeepers in Congo in an emergency during forthcoming elections rather than sending troops, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said yesterday. The UN asked the EU last month to provide a support force to help stabilise the Democratic Republic of Congo ahead of the first free elections since in 1961. - (Reuters)
Prince presses for court secrecy
LONDON - The Prince of Wales is asking a court to hold part of the hearing of his legal battle with a newspaper group over publications of extracts from a private journal in secret. Lawyers acting for the prince had planned to make the application at a hearing scheduled to be held during the week starting on February 21st. - (PA)