World digest 10/27/05

Dangerous bird flu strain found in Croatia

BRUSSELS, Belgium -- The European Union said Wednesday the dangerous H5N1 strain of bird flu has been found in Croatia, while authorities said a second parrot that died in quarantine in Britain was also infected with the virus. The Croatian case was confirmed by a British lab that tested samples from six swans found dead last week in a nature park. The European Commission on Monday issued a precautionary ban on imports of live poultry, wild birds and feathers from the Balkan country. Croatia also has stopped exporting live poultry. The Chinese government, meanwhile, announced that a bird flu outbreak has killed 545 chickens and ducks in central China -- the country's third case of the disease in two weeks.

Saddam lawyers suspend dealings with tribunal

AMMAN, Jordan -- Iraqi lawyers defending Saddam Hussein said Wednesday they had suspended further dealings with the Special Tribunal trying him until their safety is guaranteed, citing the kidnapping and murder of a lawyer representing one of the former dictator's co-defendants last week. A statement signed by Khalil al-Dulaimi, who leads the former dictator's defense team, said poor security put the lawyers and their families in danger.

British government wins vote on anti-terror bill

LONDON -- Prime Minister Tony Blair's government won a crucial parliamentary vote on sweeping new anti-terrorism legislation Wednesday, but faces a further fight over plans to lock up terror suspects for 90 days without charge. Following a lengthy debate in the House of Commons, lawmakers voted 472-94 to back the Terror Bill. In the wake of July's deadly attacks on London's transit system, the government said it wanted to extend the maximum 14-day detention without charge for terror suspects to three months, outlaw attending terrorist training camps and make it an offense to glorify or encourage terrorism. Before the legislation can become law, it faces further scrutiny by a committee of lawmakers, a further vote in the Commons and votes in the House of Lords.

Iran : Israel should be 'wiped off the map'

TEHRAN, Iran -- President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad declared Wednesday that Israel is a "disgraceful blot" that should be "wiped off the map" -- fiery words that Washington said underscores its concern over Iran's nuclear program. Ahmadinejad's speech to thousands of students at a "World Without Zionism" conference set a hard-line foreign policy course sharply at odds with that of his moderate predecessor, echoing the sentiments of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of Iran's Islamic revolution. The United States said Ahmadinejad's remarks show that Washington's fears about Iran's nuclear program are accurate.

U.N.: Militants in Lebanon still getting weapons

UNITED NATIONS -- Palestinian militants in Lebanon are getting more weapons from Syria, one reason why the Lebanese government has made no significant progress in disbanding and disarming militias that operate with impunity inside its borders, a U.N. report said Wednesday. The report said that Lebanon still has not achieved full "sovereignty and political independence" more than six months after Syria withdrew its troops and intelligence apparatus after 29-year. That conclusion could be a powerful tool for the United States, France and Britain, which have proposed a Security Council resolution that threatens sanctions if Syria doesn't cooperate with a separate probe into the assassination of Lebanon's former prime minister.

-- From wire reports