A round-up of today's other news stories in brief...
Bush supports inquiry into terror tapes
WASHINGTON - US president George Bush said yesterday he strongly supports a justice department investigation into the destruction of CIA videotapes of interrogation of terrorism suspects, and that the White House would co-operate.
"I strongly support it. And we will participate," he said in his first public comment since the department said on Wednesday it had launched a criminal investigation into the CIA's destruction of videotapes showing harsh interrogation of terrorism suspects.
Asked if he had any concerns that the inquiry might raise questions about his counterterrorism policy, the president replied: "See what it says. See what the investigation leads to."
The CIA last month disclosed that in 2005 it destroyed hundreds of hours of tapes from the interrogations of two al- Qaeda suspects. - (Reuters)
Iraq says thanks over veto Bill
BAGHDAD - Iraq thanked President Bush yesterday for vetoing a defence Bill that would have let companies and people win compensation from the new Iraqi government for actions by ousted leader Saddam Hussein.
Mr Bush announced his decision to veto the Bill last week, after concluding that the provision allowing lawsuits against Iraq would pose a "grave financial risk" to the country. - (Reuters)
Cardinal to meet Raul Castro
VATICAN CITY - The most senior official in the Vatican after the pope said he hopes to meet Cuba's acting president Raul Castro during a February visit to the island.
Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone said his trip was at least partly related to commemorations of the 10th anniversary of the late Pope John Paul II's landmark trip to Cuba in 1998. - (Reuters)
Royal may bid to lead Socialists
PARIS - Defeated French presidential candidate Ségolène Royal said yesterday she might try to become the Socialists' next leader this year, raising the possibility of a new presidential bid in 2012.
Since Ms Royal lost to conservative Nicolas Sarkozy in May's election, the Socialists have been deeply divided over their future direction, their leadership and lessons to draw from the double defeat in presidential and legislative polls. Ms Royal has said she wanted to renew the left. - (Reuters)
China to expand lethal injection use
BEIJING - China will expand the use of lethal injections to replace execution by gunshot, state media said yesterday in a country that kills more convicts than anywhere else.
China executes about 10,000 people a year, according to the New York-based group Human Rights Watch. Other estimates of China's annual executions range between 5,000 and 12,000.
Lethal injections were considered "more humane and will eventually be used in all intermediate people's courts", the China Daily quoted Jiang Xingchang, vice-president of the Supreme People's Court, as saying. - (Reuters)
2008 forecast to be slightly cooler
LONDON - British forecasters have predicted that 2008 will be slightly cooler than recent years globally but will still be among the top 10 warmest years on record since 1850 and should not be seen as a sign global warming was on the wane.
The Met Office and experts at the University of East Anglia said yesterday that global average temperatures this year would be 0.37 of a degree Celsius above the long-term 1961-1990 average of 14 degrees and be the coolest since 2000. - (Reuters)