A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Libya 'will not execute' medics in Aids case
SOFIA -Libya will not execute five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to death last month, the son of Libyan leader Muammar Gadafy said in a newspaper interview, calling their verdicts "unfair".
Speaking to Bulgarian newspaper 24 Chasa, Saif al-Islam said a solution would be found soon to save the medical staff and satisfy families of the infected children, but gave no details. A Libyan court has sentenced the nurses and the doctor for intentionally infecting hundreds of children with the HIV virus.
"There will be no executions," said Mr Gadafy's son and his most influential envoy. "I hope there will be a happy end soon . . . My father is also against the executions." - (Reuters)
Former Tory minister dies
LONDON -Former Tory cabinet minister Lord Kelvedon, previously known as Paul Channon, has died at the aged of 71.
A party spokeswoman said the peer, who served as trade secretary and transport secretary under Margaret Thatcher, passed away on Saturday. "He had been ill for some time," she added. - (Reuters)
US rebukes Israel over cluster bombs
WASHINGTON -The US government delivered a mild but rare rebuke to Israel yesterday when the state department concluded it might have misused American-made cluster bombs during its offensive against Lebanon last summer.
State department spokesman Sean McCormack said that after a US investigation a preliminary classified report had been sent to Congress so it could decide whether to pursue the issue. "There were likely violations," he said. - (Guardian service)
Congo militia leader to be tried
THE HAGUE -The International Criminal Court ruled yesterday there was enough evidence against a Congolese militia leader to launch the new court's first trial.
The decision to confirm charges and pave the way for a trial against Thomas Lubanga, accused of recruiting child soldiers, is a major landmark for the ICC, set up as the first permanent global war crimes court in 2002. - (Reuters)
Ghana takes on leadership of AU
ADDIS ABABA -Sudan lost its bid to assume the rotating leadership of the African Union to Ghana yesterday after regional leaders snubbed Khartoum for a second time because of international outrage over bloodshed in Darfur.
Alpha Oumar Konare, the AU's top diplomat, said Sudan had supported the decision, which avoided a damaging dispute that would have eclipsed the main summit agenda, including raising peacekeeping troops for Somalia. - (Reuters)
Inquiry into 'Big Brother' portrayal
LONDON -Danielle Lloyd's representatives want to speak to police about the possibility she was misrepresented in the Celebrity Big Brother house.
Friends of the former model want to ensure she was not deliberately cast in a bad light by TV bosses and to establish if the programme was edited to escalate the controversy.
They have drafted in top media lawyers to look at Channel 4's footage from the last few weeks. - (Reuters)
'Borat' one of UK's most powerful men
LONDON -Sacha Baron Cohen, creator of the hit comic character Borat, has been named one of Britain's most powerful men on a list that puts him one place behind Prince William.
The 35-year-old comedian took 19th place on GQ magazine's annual list, announced yesterday. - (Reuters)