A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Captured British aid worker was 'within seconds' of being rescued
KABUL – American special forces were within “seconds” of rescuing the kidnapped British aid worker Linda Norgrove when she was fatally wounded by a suicidal explosion triggered by one of her captors, Nato said yesterday.
Details of how close the pre-dawn operation came to freeing the 36-year-old from a mud-walled compound in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan emerged during a briefing in the capital, Kabul. US soldiers had fought their way into the stronghold in the village of Dineshgal, in Kunar province, when the blast occurred on Saturday. One of the kidnappers is believed to have been wearing a suicide vest and standing beside Norgrove when it detonated. US medics gave emergency first aid and evacuated her by helicopter. She died shortly afterwards. Seven insurgents were reported to have been killed in the raid.
Her grieving family, gathered on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides, were yesterday waiting to be given a full account of the events. The rescue mission came three weeks after Norgrove was seized by insurgents as she drove from Jalalabad, where she worked for the US aid organisation Development Alternatives Inc (DAI), to inspect an irrigation project she had overseen. – ( Guardianservice)
Iraqis cleared of killing soldiers
BAGHDAD – An Iraqi court yesterday cleared two Iraqis accused of killing six British soldiers who were attacked by a mob during a protest in southern Iraq in 2003, saying there was not enough evidence to convict the men.
Hamza Hutayir Mohammed (33) and Mousa Ismael Haider (39) had been charged with the deaths of six Royal Military Police soldiers in the town of Majjar, where residents stormed a police station during a protest against intrusive weapons searches in homes.
"We didn't find enough evidence," the judge, Baligh Hamdi, said after hearing from witnesses. "Our ruling was built on what we found from the evidence." – (Reuters)
'Red shirts' march in Bangkok
BANGKOK - Thousands of Thai anti-government activists gathered in Bangkok yesterday to demand the release of protesters detained for their role in crippling demonstrations and bloody clashes with the military.
Groups of red shirts marched from the Ratchaprasong intersection to Democracy Monument, sites where a combined 91 people were killed and almost 2,000 were wounded in April and May clashes and rioting that marked the countrys worst political violence in modern history.
It was their second big gathering since September 19th, when at least 10,000 protesters marched. – (Reuters)
TV host resigns after 'mocking' debacle
WELLINGTON – A New Zealand television host whose comments about an Indian official sparked a diplomatic protest of racism from India has resigned from his job.
Paul Henry resigned from state broadcaster Television New Zealand after he caused official complaints over mocking the last name of New Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit.
Giggling uncontrollably, Mr Henry repeatedly mocked the last name of Ms Dikshit on the breakfast show. He also called her name "so appropriate because she's Indian".
Mr Henry, regarded as a provocative "shock jock" said in a statement it is "no longer practical in the current environment for me to do the job I was employed to do". – (Reuters)