A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
68 children killed in Gaza in year - report
JERUSALEM- A prominent Palestinian human rights group says it has found evidence that 68 children were killed in the Gaza Strip in the 12 months to June this year as a result of "disproportionate and excessive lethal force" by the Israeli military.
The deaths are documented, with witness testimony, in a report published by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights.
The rights group said many of the deaths passed without investigation, and those internal Israeli military inquiries that were held did not meet international standards of independence and transparency. - ( Guardian service)
Iraq-US troop deal delayed
BAGHDAD- A pact to allow US troops to stay in Iraq for three more years is unlikely to win approval in Iraq's parliament before the US presidential election on November 4th, according to Iraqi foreign minister Hoshiyar Zebari.
Mr Zebari said Iraq still hoped to enact the pact before the end of this year, when the UN Security Council resolution authorising the US presence expires, but acknowledged difficulties reaching agreement among Iraqi political leaders. - ( Reuters)
Taliban gunmen kill UK aid worker
KABUL- Two Taliban gunmen killed a British woman aid worker in the Afghan capital yesterday, accusing her of spreading Christian propaganda, in an attack that could further restrict humanitarian activities in Afghanistan.
Taliban insurgents have increasingly targeted aid workers this year in their campaign to undermine claims by the Afghan government and its western backers that they are bringing security to the war-ravaged nation. - ( Reuters)
Turkish trial opens in chaos
ISTANBUL- The trial of 86 people accused of conspiring to overthrow Turkey's Islamic-oriented government began in chaos yesterday with defendants and lawyers complaining they could not hear proceedings in the overcrowded courtroom.
Judge Koksal Sengun asked spectators to vacate the room and adjourned the trial. Those on trial include a retired general, the leader of a small leftist and nationalist party, a newspaper editor, a best-selling author and a former university dean. - ( PA)
At least 17 die in Mexican jail riot
MEXICO- At least 17 prisoners died in a jail riot in Mexico near the US border yesterday, some in a fire after a gun battle between rival gangs.
Mexico has seen a surge in prison riots this month, with a drugs war between rival gangs spilling over into jails. - ( Reuters)