A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
France bans TV aimed at babies
PARIS- France has banned TV shows aimed at children under three years old to protect them.
Minister for culture and communication Christine Albanel had already warned parents about channels dedicated 24 hours a day to baby-targeted programming.
She called them "a danger" and urged parents not to use them to help their children get to sleep. She was referring to two foreign cable channels, BabyFirstTV and Baby TV. - ( AP)
Test case for Medvedev
CHITA- Jailed former Russian oil tycoon Mikhail Khodorkovsky's appeal for early release comes before a court today in what his lawyers say will be a test case for president Dmitry Medvedev.
Khodorkovsky, who is serving an eight-year jail term for tax evasion and fraud, says he is the victim of corrupt officials under former president Vladimir Putin who wanted to carve up his business empire and who feared his political ambitions.
His lawyers say the appeal will be a test case for Russia's new president, who has said he wants to improve the rule of law and reform the judicial system. - ( Reuters)
Cleric agrees to be extradited
MILAN- A Muslim cleric arrested in Italy has agreed to be extradited to his native Morocco to defend himself against terrorism charges linked to suicide bombings in Casablanca in 2003, his lawyer said yesterday.
Abdelmajid Zergout, imam of a mosque in Varese in northern Italy, was acquitted by a Milan court last year of raising funds and recruiting for the Moroccan Islamic Combatant Group, which
was blamed for the Casablanca attacks in which 45 people were killed, including 12 suicide bombers. - ( Reuters)
Water pipeline relief for Cyprus
NICOSIA- A water pipeline is being planned to link Turkey with drought-hit northern Cyprus in a bid to ease a critical water shortage on the Mediterranean island, an official said yesterday.
The Turkish Cypriot administration believes the pipeline could carry 75 million cubic metres of water annually. - ( Reuters)
Prisoners freed by Belarus
MINSK- Belarus yesterday released the last two prisoners whom the West says were held for their political beliefs, opening the door to improved ties with the United States and the European Union.
Sergei Parsyukevich, a businessman jailed in April after protesting against new rules on businesses introduced by president Alexander Lukashenko, said he believed western pressure had secured his release. - ( Reuters)
Gay rights champion dies
LONDON- Gay rights champion Leo Abse has died at the age of 91, a family friend said today.
The former Labour MP died at Charing Cross Hospital, west London, last night after a short illness. Mr Abse guided a private member's bill through parliament in 1967 that legalised sex between men. - ( PA)
Five held in Beijing protests
BEIJING- Five American blogger-activists and a foreign artist have been detained in Beijing as the government intensifies a crackdown on pro-Tibetan protests in the home stretch of the Olympics, rights groups said yesterday.
Students for a Free Tibet said authorities detained on Tuesday five self-styled "citizen journalists" who were in Beijing to promote Tibetan freedom. - ( Reuters)