A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Hamas says it will not renew informal truce
GAZA - Hamas, the largest Palestinian militant group, has said it will not renew an informal nine-month truce which expires at the end of the year after Israel killed one of its leading activists in an air strike in Gaza.
The truce was brokered by Egypt, which is expected to invite militant groups, including Hamas, to Cairo in coming weeks to discuss extending the agreement. - (Reuters)
Iran to overhaul diplomatic service
TEHRAN - Iran says it is planning to overhaul its diplomatic corps by replacing dozens of ambassadors, a move critics say is designed to reinforce President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's tougher foreign policy stance. The foreign ministry denied reports that the diplomatic shake-up was politically motivated. - (Reuters)
Clintons at funeral of Rosa Parks
DETROIT - Former US president Bill Clinton and Senator Hillary Clinton and hundreds of other mourners paid their respects yesterday to US civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks at her funeral service in Detroit. - (Reuters)
Car bomb injures 23 in Turkey
DIYARBAKIR - Kurdish rebels detonated a car bomb in front of security headquarters in a town in southeast Turkey, injuring 23 people and damaging dozens of buildings, according to officials and media reports.
The blast ripped through Semdinli on the border with Iraq and Iran on Tuesday night, leaving four soldiers, three police officers and 16 civilians hurt. - (Reuters)
Judge removed from DeLay case
WASHINGTON - Lawyers for Republican congressman Tom DeLay are pushing for a change of venue after successfully arguing to have a judge removed from the case against him. His defence says a new location is necessary for Mr DeLay to get a fair trial on money- laundering and conspiracy charges. - (Reuters)
Woman who killed son spared jail
OXFORD - A woman who killed her adult Down Syndrome son after devoting her life to his care has been spared jail. She was given a two-year prison sentence suspended for 18 months
Wendolyn Markcrow (67) suffocated her son Patrick (36) after his violent and loud behaviour escalated, robbing her of sleep and driving her to despair, Oxford Crown Court heard yesterday. She had pleaded guilty to manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility. - (PA)