A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Iraqi police to be investigated over massacre
BAGHDAD -Iraq's prime minister, Nuri al-Maliki, ordered an investigation into the behaviour of government security forces in the northwestern city of Tal Afar yesterday, after reports that a gang of Shia gunmen who killed scores of Sunni residents in revenge for two truck bombs in a Shia area had included a number of off-duty police officers.
Officials said as many as 60 people had been killed after the gunmen rampaged through the Sunni district of al-Wihda, shooting at pedestrians and dragging people from their homes.
Hospital officials put the toll at 45 and said many of the victims appeared to have been shot execution style, with bullet wounds in the back of the head.
Philippine bus hostages released
MANILA -Gunmen freed 31 children and two teachers held hostage for over nine hours in a bus in the Philippine capital Manila yesterday and then surrendered.
Onlookers lit candles outside the bus, parked at Manila's city hall, just before 7pm, the time the hostage-takers had said they would surrender. A minute after the deadline, the children were handed over to waiting policemen.
Many onlookers sympathised with the hostage-takers, one of whom wanted to highlight corruption and the lack of education opportunities for poor children. - (Reuters)
Male circumcision urged to fight HIV
NEW YORK -The United Nations yesterday urged all countries with Aids epidemics to launch mass male circumcision programmes following evidence that the procedure can protect against HIV infection.
The World Health Organisation and UNAids, the joint UN programme on HIV/Aids, made the recommendations after three trials in Africa were stopped early when it became clear that men who had been circumcised were up to 60 per cent less likely to become HIV-positive than those who had not. - (Guardian service)
Suspected Eta members arrested
MADRID -Spanish police arrested eight suspected members of separatist group Eta yesterday, interior minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba said.
Spain's government has been criticised for going soft on Eta and Batasuna, a political party banned for its links to the separatists.
"The civil guard has been carrying out a major operation against the infrastructure of the terrorist group Eta. So far, eight people have been arrested," Mr Rubalcaba said. - (Reuters)
Argentina ends Falklands oil deal
LONDON -Britain criticised Argentina yesterday for ending an agreement with London to explore for oil near the Falklands Islands. Argentina said on Tuesday it had ended the 1995 accord, days before Argentines mark the 25th anniversary of the Falklands war. Foreign minister Jorge Taiana said Argentina took the step after "unilateral" British efforts to drill for oil. - (Reuters)