More news in brief
BAGHDAD - Attacks on mosques after prayers yesterday killed 11 people in Iraq. Meanwhile, 40 people were killed or wounded in a Baghdad raid on Shia fighters that the US military said netted a top militant wanted for kidnap and murder.
In a separate raid, Iraqi and US forces arrested another commander of the Mehdi Army Shia militia south of Baghdad; a man the US military said was responsible for smuggling weapons, including surface-to-air missiles, and spying for Iran.
Shia prime minister Nuri al-Maliki has vowed to disband militias, some of which, like the Mehdi army, are tied to political parties in his coalition. - (Reuters)
Healey rejects nuclear deterrent
LONDON - Labour former defence secretary Denis Healey said yesterday that there was no military justification for keeping Britain's nuclear deterrent.
Lord Healey, who was defence secretary in the 1960s at the height of the Cold War, said the only reason for maintaining the deterrent was "political", to bolster Britain's influence abroad. - (PA)
Backing for Putin anti-terror drive
MOSCOW - Russian lawmakers yesterday unanimously endorsed a Kremlin request that president Vladimir Putin be allowed to send special forces to hunt down terrorists anywhere in the world. Mr Putin demanded the right in response to the murder last month of five Russian diplomats by Iraqi insurgents. - (Reuters)
GI tried to storm airline cockpit
TAMPA - A US soldier recently returned from Iraq tried to force his way into the cockpit of a Delta Air Lines jet bound for Tampa, Florida, and was subdued by other passengers yesterday.
Neftali Alexander Laimendez (24) is undergoing psychiatric tests and the FBI is investigating whether charges should be filed. - (Reuters)
Anger at BBC over bosses' pay
The BBC was facing the threat of strikes last night after the disclosure that its bosses pocketed bumper pay rises last year at a time when thousands of workers faced redundancy.
Director general Mark Thompson saw his pay rise by £160,000 from £459,000 to £619,000, while his fellow executives also enjoyed significant pay rises. - (PA)
Cancer surgery for Pavarotti
LONDON - Luciano Pavarotti (70), regarded by many as the greatest operatic tenor of his generation, has undergone surgery for pancreatic cancer and is recovering in a US hospital. - (Reuters)