World briefs 8/1/08

Canadian bus passenger decapitates seat mate

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Manitoba — A traveler aboard a Greyhound bus repeatedly stabbed and then decapitated his seat mate, pausing during the attack in central Canada to display the head to passengers who had fled in horror, witnesses said Thursday. A 40-year-old man was arrested shortly after the slaying Wednesday night aboard a bus traveling from Edmonton, Alberta, to Winnipeg, Manitoba, Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Steve Colwell said Thursday. Police apprehended the suspect when he broke a bus window and tried to escape, Colwell said. A motive had not been determined. Authorities declined to identify the suspect or the victim, and provided few details about the attack. But passenger Gernet Caton said the victim, who appeared to be about 19, was sleeping with headphones on when his seat mate suddenly began stabbing him repeatedly. Caton said the driver stopped the bus and passengers got off. He said the suspect then began methodically carving up the man's body.

U.S. holds closed session of war crimes court

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba — The U.S. military closed a session of a Guantanamo war crimes trial to journalists and other observers Thursday for the presentation of classified evidence — a first for the tribunal system created to prosecute alleged terrorists. Anyone without a security clearance was forced to leave the courtroom for the testimony of two witnesses for Osama bin Laden's driver, Salim Hamdan. The defendant stayed in the courtroom. The witnesses were U.S. Army special forces officers Col. Morgan Banks, a psychologist, and Lt. Col. G. John Taylor, a lawyer. Officials did not say why their testimony had to be kept secret.

Saudi Arabia bans sale of dogs, cats in capital

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Every single man knows: Walking a dog in the park is a sure babe magnet. Saudi Arabia's Islamic religious police, in their zeal to keep the sexes apart, want to make sure the technique doesn't catch on here. The solution: Ban selling dogs and cats as pets, as well as walking them in public. The prohibition went into effect Wednesday in the capital, Riyadh, and authorities in the city say they will strictly enforce it — unlike previous bans in the cities of Mecca and Jiddah, which have been ignored and failed to stop pet sales. Violators found outside with their pets will have their beloved furry companions confiscated by agents of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the official name of the religious police tasked with enforcing Saudi Arabia's strict Islamic code.

— From wire reports