A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Illness could shift Senate balance in US
WASHINGTON -US senator Tim Johnson was critically ill yesterday after brain surgery for a potentially deadly bleeding that could deprive his fellow Democrats of their razor- thin hold on the new Senate.
However, several experts said that the senator had a good chance for a full recovery, and his quick treatment suggests he can return to work without any serious trouble. - (Reuters)
Iranian stance denounced by Ban
UNITED NATIONS -The new UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon told Iran yesterday it was unacceptable to deny the Holocaust or call for Israel to be wiped off the map.
Mr Ban was asked about Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who has caused an outcry by terming the Holocaust a "myth" and calling Israel a "tumour" in the Middle East.
"Denying historical facts especially on such an important subject as the Holocaust is just not acceptable," Mr Ban said. - (Reuters)
ANC expels chief whip from party
JOHANNESBURG -South Africa's ruling ANC expelled its parliamentary chief whip from the party yesterday after an inquiry found him guilty of sexual harassment and other offences.
The ANC suspended Mbulelo Goniwe last month after a female intern employed by the party in parliament accused him of sexual harassment as the party battled to clean up its image after a string of scandals involving its political elite. - (Reuters)
British soldiers cleared of rape
NAIROBI -A three-year investigation yesterday cleared British soldiers of the alleged rape of hundreds of Kenyan women over 30 years. The UK Ministry of Defence said some evidence provided by the Kenyan authorities was fabricated, but a Nairobi human rights group described the investigation as "a joke".
The UK's Royal Military Police interviewed 2,187 mostly Masai and Samburu women, who said they were assaulted by soldiers on training exercises in Kenya, and found more than 200 worthy of further investigation. But the military police said the women's testimony was unreliable. - (Guardian)
Army discharges Pinochet grandson
SANTIAGO -The soldier grandson of Gen Augusto Pinochet has been thrown out of the Chilean army after causing an uproar with a funeral speech denouncing judges who had tried the late dictator. Gen Oscar Izurieta said the announcement that Capt Augusto Pinochet
Molina (34) had been discharged was delayed 24 hours out of "respect to his family". - (PA)