Iraq gun and bomb attacks kill two, wound 15

2 January 2011 - 12H25

An Iraqi police commando mans a checkpoint in Baghdad. Gun and bomb attacks across Iraq have claimed the lives of a policeman and a woman and wounded 15 other people, security and medical officials said.

AFP - Gun and bomb attacks across Iraq claimed the lives of a policeman and a woman and wounded 15 other people on Sunday, security and medical officials said.

One policeman was killed and four others were wounded when gunmen attacked a checkpoint in Al-Filahat area, 10 kilometres (six miles) west of Fallujah, which is itself west of Baghdad, police Captain Omar al-Filahi said.

In Balad, 70 kilometres north of Baghdad, unknown assailants blew up the home of local prosecutor Hardan Khalifa, killing one woman and wounding eight other people including three women and a child, a hospital official said.

And in Baquba, 60 kilometres northeast of the capital, two improvised explosive devices wounded three people including Mal Allah Abbas Ahmed, who heads the Sunni religious endowment for Diyala province, police and medical officials said.

Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who was approved by parliament for a second term along with a national unity cabinet on December 21 after more than nine months of political deadlock, has cited security as one of his priorities.

'Arms dealer' Bout

02 January 2011 - 12H43

Viktor Bout, the Russian alleged arms dealer, looks on while standing in a cell at the Criminal Court in Bangkok in February. Bout has said in a rare interview that he rejected a US plea bargain offer that would have exposed his alleged contact list.

US Attorney General Eric Holder speaks during a news conference last month. Viktor Bout, the suspected Russian arms dealer known as the "Merchant of Death", has said in a rare interview that he rejected a US plea bargain offer that would have exposed his alleged contact list. Holder recently called Bout "one of the world's most prolific arms traffickers".

AFP - The suspected Russian arms dealer known as the "Merchant of Death" said he rejected a US plea bargain offer that would have exposed his alleged contact list, in a rare interview published on Sunday.

Viktor Bout also accused the US authorities of waging a well-orchestrated smear campaign and said from his New York prison that he did not expect justice in the United States.

"I was offered a softer sentence and a shorter prison term if I told them everything I knew about my contacts in Russia and other countries," Bout told RIA Novosti in comments relayed to the state news agency by Russia's deputy consul in New York.

The 43-year-old former Soviet military translator said the plea bargain offer was extended by US Drug Enforcement Administration agents who transported him from Thailand in November.

But the man who escaped US authorities for nearly a decade said that he declined the offer and has since been left alone.

"There have been no interrogations," he said. "There has been nothing that can be interpreted as pressure."

Bout -- whose story inspired the 2005 Nicolas Cage film "Lord of War" -- was arrested in a sting operation in Bangkok by Thai and US forces in March 2008 and extradited to New York following a tortuous legal battle.

Military analysts in Moscow said the arrest was a particularly sensitive blow for Russia because it threatened to expose potential links between government officials and the illicit arms trade.

Bout is suspected by the United Nations of selling arms to clients ranging from the Taliban to Liberia's former president Charles Taylor.

The formal charges filed against him in a Manhattan federal court include terrorism and conspiracy to posses and use anti-aircraft missiles.

The indictment also accuses Bout of assembling a fleet of cargo planes in the 1990s and transporting weapons to insurgents in violence-wracked countries ranging from Africa and South America to the Middle East.

US Attorney General Eric Holder recently called Bout "one of the world's most prolific arms traffickers".

Russia initially fought Bout's extradition to the United States. But the Kremlin's top foreign policy adviser said following Bout's move to New York that he "should answer the questions that US justice has for him."

Bout has insisted on his innocence and accused the United States of trying to make him a scapegoat for various international problems.

"I think that the court will definitely be biased and not objective. I say this based on the fact that the US government intentionally distorted facts about my life and work in its charge sheet," Bout said.

He added that the politically-charged atmosphere made it impossible for him to get a fair hearing.

"For the past 10 years, the US authorities have been directly and through the media waging war against me and my family. We have been buried under a torrent of lies," Bout said.

"In such conditions, no one here -- including the judge -- can be impartial."

Bout also complained of missing his homeland and described being treated like an "especially dangerous mental patient".

"They have full control over your every move. There is absolutely no sun -- no air or the sky."

Russia's deputy consul Alexander Otchaynov said Bout -- a vegetarian -- was particularly unhappy about the prison diet and the fact that he was only permitted to make one phone call per month.

But Otchaynov said things improved once Bout was given access to a radio.

"News from Russia helps immensely," the deputy consul said. "It is good to have a radio."

S.Korea clamps down on illegal whale-hunting

2 January 2011 - 12H46

South Korea says it will tighten rules on whaling and the processing of whale meat amid international pressure to curb illegal hunting of the endangered giant mammals. The agriculture ministry said the new rules, to take effect on Monday, will require fishermen to report to police immediately discoveries of whales trapped in their nets or washed ashore.

AFP - South Korea said Sunday it will tighten rules on whaling and the processing of whale meat amid international pressure to curb illegal hunting of the endangered giant mammals.

The agriculture ministry said the new rules, to take effect on Monday, will require fishermen to report to police immediately discoveries of whales trapped in their nets or washed ashore.

Those who claim to have caught dead whales will be required by law to process and sell them only at state-designated facilities, and only those with state permits will be allowed to trade whale meat.

DNA samples of dead whales should be submitted to authorities as demanded by the International Whaling Commission (IWC), so that the government can trace origins of the animals, the ministry said.

The new law is aimed at helping to curb a "growing amount of illegal whale hunting" around the country, it said.

South Korea has banned whaling for commercial sale since 1986 but allows trading of those accidentally caught dead in fishing nets on washed up dead onshore.

But the incidence of accidental fishing of whales has surged in recent years, drawing suspicion from IWC member nations, the ministry said.

Some fishermen illegally catch whales and process the meat onboard before arriving at the port in an attempt to dodge government the clampdown, local media have reported.

Iran shops banned from selling Valentine gifts

02 January 2011 - 13H02

An Iranian woman looks at the window display of a gift shop in Tehran on Valentine's Day, February 14, 2008. Shops in Iran have been banned from selling Valentine cards and gifts this year, the ILNA news agency has reported, as the traditional lovers' day gains increasing popularity in the Islamic republic.

AFP - Shops in Iran have been banned from selling Valentine cards and gifts, the ILNA news agency reported on Sunday, as the traditional lovers' day gains increasing popularity in the Islamic republic.

"In the run-up to Valentine's Day on February 14 the printing works owners' union issued a directive banning the printing and distribution of any goods promoting this day," ILNA news agency reported.

"Printing and producing any goods related to this day including posters, boxes and cards emblazoned with hearts or half-hearts, red roses and any activities promoting this day are banned," the union said in the directive.

"Outlets that violate this will be legally dealt with," it warned.

Over the past three decades Iran's conservative Islamic regime has sought to prevent the spread of Western culture among its overwhelmingly young population.

But Valentine's Day has become very popular in Iran over the past decade, with young men and women exchanging chocolate, flowers, perfume, teddy bears and other gifts on February 14.

Every year gift shops in large cities are festooned with Valentine's Day paraphernalia and restaurants in Tehran are packed with young men and women out on a date.

However, the trend has been harshly criticised by conservatives who see no room in Islamic culture for such celebrations.

Some nationalist Iranians have also suggested replacing Valentine's Day with Mehregan -- a pre-Islamic but obsolete festival in early October -- marking the autumn equinox and honouring the ancient Persian angel of love, Mithra.

British government steps in to save Beatle's home

2 January 2011 - 13H15

Former Beatle Ringo Starr is seen ahead of a concert in Liverpool. The British government has stepped in to stop the legend's birthplace from being bulldozed.

AFP - The British government has stepped in to stop Beatles legend Ringo Starr's birthplace from being bulldozed.

Housing Minister Grant Shapps has written to Liverpool City Council urging a temporary reprieve for 9 Madryn Street, in the Dingle district, which is scheduled for demolition.

The childhood homes of bandmates John Lennon and Paul McCartney are popular tourist attractions in the northwest English city, run by the National Trust, which looks after many of Britain's most treasured buildings and beauty spots.

Liverpool City Council says 445 pre-1919 terraced houses in Dingle are "beyond economic repair" and has decided to tear them down.

The decision was taken in August but a planning committee is to discuss the details this month.

Shapps said he wanted viable local proposals to preserve Starr's childhood home to be given full consideration and said the people of Liverpool should have the final decision.

"Any regeneration project will generate strong feelings," he wrote.

"But when what many people consider to be a culturally important building -- such as the birthplace of the drummer in the world's most famous band -- is at risk then feelings are going to be even stronger.

"That is why, before a single bulldozer rumbles along Madryn Street, I want to ensure that every option has been considered."

A council spokesman said local residents had been extensively consulted and were "absolutely sick of the delays and the conditions they have to live in.

"They want the city council to demolish these properties as soon as possible so that they can get on with their lives," he said.

The Beatles -- Starr, rhythm guitarist Lennon, bassist McCartney and lead guitarist George Harrison -- burst out of Liverpool to dominate pop music in the 1960s.

Harrison's childhood home remains a private house, while the home where Starr spent most of his upbringing is still standing.

Starr, now 70, sang lead on Beatles favourites like "With a Little Help from My Friends", "Yellow Submarine" and "Octopus's Garden".

Arabs 'held for plotting Jerusalem stadium attack'

2 January 2011 - 13H30

The ?largest flag in the world?, recognized by Guinness World Records, is unfurled at the Teddy Football Stadium in Jerusalem in 2009. Israeli police and agents of the Shin Bet security service have arrested five Palestinians suspected of plotting a rocket attack on the Jerusalem football stadium, the agency has said.

AFP - Israeli police and agents of the Shin Bet security service have arrested five Palestinians suspected of plotting a rocket attack on a Jerusalem football stadium, the agency said on Sunday.

A Shin Bet statement said that two of the men, Mussa Hamada and Bassem Omari, had for several years been active in the militant Islamic movement Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood in Jerusalem.

It said three other local men were arrested for selling the two men pistols.

The statement said the arrests were made last November and that the suspects had hatched a plan to attack Jerusalem's Teddy Stadium during a football game after Israel's December 2008-January 2009 "Operation Cast Lead" offensive in Gaza.

"From their Shin Bet interrogation it transpires that after Operation Cast Lead the two began to plan a terror operation in Jerusalem, as part of which they examined the possibility of firing a missile at Teddy Stadium while a game was in progress," the statement said.

Israel troops shoot dead West Bank Palestinian

02 January 2011 - 13H42

Israeli soldiers stand guard. A senior Palestinian official has condemned the death of a man shot dead by Israeli troops at a West Bank checkpoint, calling it a "dangerous escalation".

AFP - Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian at a checkpoint near the West Bank city of Nablus on Sunday, less than 48 hours after a female protester died after being tear-gassed.

Palestinian officials condemned the two deaths, calling them part of a "dangerous escalation" by Israel.

The Palestinian Red Crescent said Mohammed Daraghmeh, in his early twenties, was killed at around 8:00 am (0600 GMT) at the Hamra checkpoint northeast of Nablus.

Initial media reports said Daraghmeh had tried to stab soldiers at the checkpoint -- a claim denied by Palestinian sources.

The Israeli military confirmed that Daraghmeh was not armed with a knife, but said he entered an unauthorised lane in the checkpoint and was believed to have been holding a bottle.

"He was holding a glass bottle and the soldiers were probably scared he was going to try to stab them," a military spokeswoman told AFP.

She could not confirm whether the bottle was broken, or if Daraghmeh had explicitly threatened the soldiers.

"He approached them, he was standing a few metres (yards) from them," she said. "They asked him to stop, he didn't answer."

The incident was under investigation, she added, and many details about the incident remained unclear, including how many soldiers opened fire.

Daraghmeh, from Tubas, north of Nablus, died at the checkpoint after sustaining bullet wounds to his chest, hand and leg, sources at the town's hospital where he was taken told AFP.

Palestinian security sources said Daraghmeh was attempting to pass through the checkpoint on his way to work at a West Bank settlement on Sunday morning and got into an altercation with troops when they refused him passage.

No soldiers were wounded in the incident, and the checkpoint was closed afterwards.

Nabil Abu Rudeina, spokesman for Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, condemned Daraghmeh's death, calling the incident a "dangerous escalation."

"The Israeli escalation in the last two days is aimed at demolishing any hope of a peace process, and we ask the US administration and the international community to take necessary steps to stop the dangerous escalation against the area," he told AFP.

Michelle Bubis, a spokeswoman for Israeli human rights group B'tselem, said the details of the incident were still unclear.

"B'tselem demands a military police investigation and is itself checking into the incident," she told AFP.

On Saturday evening, a Palestinian man was arrested by Israeli troops in the Gush Etzion settlement bloc, south of Bethlehem, after reportedly trying to stab two female soldiers.

The Israeli military said no one was wounded in that incident.

Sunday's incident came less than 48 hours after the death of Jawaher Abu Rahma, a 36-year-old Palestinian woman who died after inhaling massive amounts of tear gas fired by the Israeli military at a West Bank demonstration.

Abu Rahma died in hospital overnight on Friday in the West Bank city of Ramallah after collapsing during a protest against the Israeli separation barrier in the nearby village of Bilin, hospital staff said.

The Israeli army said that an "investigation has been opened to determine the exact cause of death," and that it had "unsuccessfully contacted the Palestinian Authority to obtain a medical report."

Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erakat on Saturday condemned Abu Rahma's death as an "Israeli war crime."