A round up of today's other stories in brief.
Two die as US army copter shot down
MOSUL- Insurgents have shot down a US military helicopter near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, killing its two pilots.
Witnesses reported seeing gunmen armed with heavy machineguns open fire on a two-seat single-engine helicopter, in al-Sukar district north of Mosul, about 390 km (240 miles) north of Baghdad.
"The indicators are that it was due to hostile fire," Lieut-Gen John Vines, the No 2 US commander in Iraq, told reporters at the Pentagon from Baghdad.
It was the second US helicopter to crash in Iraq in less than a week. - (Reuters)
Huhne enters Lib Dem leader's race
LONDON- Liberal Democrat economics spokesman Chris Huhne (51) has become the fourth candidate to join the party leadership race, saying it needed to make a fresh start after the resignation of Charles Kennedy.
Mr Huhne only became an MP in last May's election but was a member of the European Parliament for six years after a career as a financial journalist and City economist. So far the other contenders are Menzies Campbell, Simon Hughes and Mark Oaten. - (Reuters)
2nd school worker on sex register
LONDON- British Education Secretary Ruth Kelly faced renewed pressure last night after a second case emerged in which a man on the sex offenders' register found work in schools.
A key aide to Ms Kelly said the minister was "getting on with her job" despite coming under "considerable pressure" over the ongoing row.
Parents' groups and opposition MPs said the minister was not off the hook. The warnings came as a second case emerged involving a man on the sex offenders' register working in schools. In 1980, William Gibson was convicted for indecent assault on a child but has since worked at two schools in South Tyneside and one in neighbouring Co Durham. - (PA)
17 die in bus crash in Bangladesh
DHAKA- At least 17 people were killed and nearly 40 injured when a bus skidded yesterday off a highway in dense fog in central Bangladesh. The bus with nearly 60 passengers on board was travelling from Dhaka to Manikganj.
Witnesses said the bus plunged into a roadside ditch and ended up partly submerged in about a metre (3 ft) of water. - (Reuters)
Dutch trial witness changes testimony
AMSTERDAM- Dutch prosecutors suffered a setback yesterday when a key witness in the trial of 14 suspected Islamists charged with planning attacks told the court he had fabricated his testimony to stop police harassing him.
Jamal Bakour said he had lied when he told police the suspects knew in advance of plans to kill Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh. - (Reuters)
Filmmaker shot dead in Kenya
NAIROBI- Armed intruders shot and killed a British wildlife filmmaker and naturalist near the Kenyan lakeside town of Naivasha yesterday. Joan Root (69) was shot in her bed by intruders who broke the bedroom window and fired an assault rifle at close range. The assailants left without taking anything. - (AP)
Olive oil now most popular
LONDON- Olive oil is becoming ever more popular in British kitchens, with more money spent on it than on all other types of cooking oils for the first time, a survey has shown.
Sales of olive oil have risen by almost 40 per cent since 2000 to hit £104 million (€152 million), according to research by market analyst Mintel. It has a market share of 51 per cent compared to 43 per cent in 2000. - (Reuters)