In the World
U.N. team begins Bhutto probe
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The United Nations began an investigation yesterday into the 2007 slaying of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.The three-member team is led by Chilean U.N. Ambassador Heraldo Munoz, and includes former Indonesian Attorney General Marzuki Darusman and Ireland's former deputy police commissioner, Peter Fitzgerald, who headed the initial U.N. probe of the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
As with other high-profile crimes, Pakistani investigators have made little progress in probing the Bhutto slaying.
The government at the time of the killing, led by President Pervez Musharraf, and the CIA blamed Baitullah Mehsud, a Pakistani Taliban commander with reported links to al-Qaeda. Bhutto's party hinted that Musharraf or his allies were involved and demanded a U.N. probe. - AP
Albania election result disputed
TIRANA, Albania - Albania's governing Democrats claimed yesterday they had won weekend parliamentary elections, but the opposition Socialists accused Prime Minister Sali Berisha's party of attempting to snatch victory.Near-complete results showed the Democrats were ahead by just over one percentage point, but it was unclear whether Berisha had secured enough seats in parliament needed to govern alone.
Berisha said his party received a "vote of confidence," and pledged to focus on shepherding Albania into the European Union.
Democratic Party spokeswoman Majlinda Bregu said Berisha won 71 of the house's 140 seats and could govern without forming a coalition. But the opposition Socialists disputed that, and election officials said it was too early to tell either way. - AP
Greece is curbing public smoking
ATHENS, Greece - Europe's most nicotine-addicted nation adopted new public-smoking curbs yesterday in a bid to stub out the Greek habit of lighting up practically everywhere.The new law prohibits unrestricted indoor smoking in restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and workplaces.
According to the European Union, 37.6 percent of Greeks aged over 15 smoke daily - the highest level in the 27-nation EU.
The government stopped shy of imposing a blanket ban, allowing establishments to set aside smoking areas and exempting casinos, for instance. Critics said this would render the new law as ineffective as two previous ones imposed over the last decade - which were generally ignored. - AP
Elsewhere:
Britain unveiled a new medal - the Elizabeth Cross, named after Queen Elizabeth - that will be offered to families of 8,000 military personnel killed on active duty or in extremist attacks since World War II, including those killed in Northern Ireland.
The Israeli-Egyptian blockade of Gaza is causing severe humanitarian hardship and the situation is getting worse every day, the head of the U.N. aid agency for Palestinian refugees warned.
