A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Moussaoui sentencing to go ahead
ALEXANDRIA - A federal judge in Virginia yesterday said sentencing for September 11th conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui could go forward, but without aviation testimony and evidence considered key to the US government's case.
US district judge Leonie Brinkema considered throwing out the death penalty case after discovering a government lawyer had improperly shared information with witnesses. But after a day-long hearing, she decided to continue the trial that will determine if Moussaoui will be executed. - (Reuters)
BBC must 'take fun seriously'
LONDON - The BBC must "take fun seriously" by placing entertainment at the heart of its schedules, the British government said today in its White Paper on the future of the corporation. Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell set out guidelines for the BBC over the next 10 years.
The government had spent the last two years consulting the public on what they wanted from the BBC. The message came back that audiences want entertainment above all else. - (PA)
Protesters urge Thai PM to quit
BANGKOK - Thousands of people massed peacefully outside the office of beleaguered Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra yesterday, with their leaders vowing they would stay until he quit.
Mr Thaksin said he would declare a state of emergency if things got out of hand in the latest phase of a growing campaign to oust him, an act that could bring troops on to the streets of a country with a long and relatively recent history of coups. - (Reuters)
Cannabis linked to memory problems
NEW YORK - People who regularly smoke marijuana may find their memories growing hazy over time, a study published on Monday suggests.
In a study of long-term and shorter-term marijuana users, researchers in Greece found that both groups performed more poorly on tests of memory, attention and other cognitive abilities than a comparison group who only occasionally used the drug.
Long-term users - those who smoked four or more joints a week for at least 10 years - showed the greatest deficits. - (Reuters)
Drug trial patients in intensive care
LONDON - Six men have been admitted to hospital intensive care after taking part in a clinical trial to treat chronic inflammatory conditions and leukaemia, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said yesterday. The men were taking part in the first stages of the trial at an independ- ent research unit in Northwick Park hospital in London. - (PA)
Meningitis A vaccine for tests
LONDON - A vaccine against meningitis A will be tested and if all goes well could be available in the next few years in Africa, where the disease kills thousands of people each year, researchers said yesterday.
The Meningitis Vaccine Project and the privately owned Serum Institute of India Ltd said initial trials of the vaccine have paved the way for tests in Gambia and Mali later this year following approval from authorities. - (Reuters)
Labour hopeful defects to Tories
LONDON - A former Labour parliamentary candidate has defected to the Conservatives, it was announced yesterday.
Rehman Chishti was appointed adviser on diversity and ethnic minorities to the Conservative chairman Francis Maude, against whom he stood in last May's general election. - (PA)