A round-up of today's other world news in brief.
Dutch MP faces prosecution for anti-Islam film
AMSTERDAM – Right-wing Dutch MP Geert Wilders, who has made a short film accusing the Koran of inciting violence, must be prosecuted for anti-Islam comments, an Amsterdam court said yesterday.
The court overruled the public prosecutor, who had argued that Mr Wilders, whose film Fitna urged Muslims to tear out “hate-filled” verses from the Koran, was protected by the right to free speech. – (Reuters)
London bombing suspect arrested
PESHAWAR – A Saudi national suspected of involvement in the 2005 London bombings and of being an al-Qaeda militant was arrested yesterday.
The man, identified as Zabi-ul-Taifi, was arrested along with six other militants in a pre-dawn raid on the house of an Afghan refugee on the outskirts of Peshawar. – (Reuters)
Kosovo army founded
KOSOVO – Kosovo launched its own army in a move it says will help solidify its year-old state.
Serbia’s foreign minister, Vuk Jeremic, said the new force was a security threat, while Kosovo’s minority Serbs see it as a step towards further division along ethnic lines in a state that declared independence last February. – (Reuters)
Soldiers convicted of embezzling
LAGOS – A Nigerian military court has convicted four army officers and a soldier of embezzling thousands of dollars earmarked for UN peacekeepers.
Brig Gen Emeka Onwuamaegbu said the court also ordered that the men be demoted after they were found guilty on Tuesday of stealing $68,541 from Nigerian troops returning from UN peacekeeping missions in Liberia. – (Reuters)
Swedes unveil gay marriage Bill
STOCKHOLM – Three of the four parties in Sweden’s centre-right coalition government unveiled a Bill paving the way for legalising gay marriage.
Six of the seven parties in Sweden’s parliament have now said they are in favour of gay marriage.
But the fourth member of the coalition, the Christian Democrats, refused to back the Bill, which will need the support of at least one of the opposition parties. – (Reuters)
Castro meets Argentine premier
BUENOS AIRES – Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro (82), whose long seclusion since a 2006 operation has raised concerns about his health, met Argentine president Cristina Fernández yesterday.
“We talked about everything. He looked very good,” she said. – (Reuters)