A roundup of today's other world stories in brief:
Mexican local police force disarmed
MEXICO CITY- Mexican soldiers have disarmed the entire local police force of a seaside resort near the US border after a failed attempt to kill the police chief raised suspicions it had been infiltrated by drug traffickers.
It is the latest attempt by the federal government to curb organised crime, which has claimed more than 2,500 lives this year.
The guns from the El Rosarito force will be tested to see if they were used in recent crimes, including an incident in which hooded gunmen walked through the local security chief's offices shooting out computers and telephones, and leaving one person dead. The officers will undergo tests expected to include lie-detector sessions and drug screening.
- (Guardian service)
Catholics rally in Spanish capital
MADRID- Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards demonstrated in favour of the traditional family in the centre of Madrid yesterday, in a show of force by Catholics in what is now one of the most liberal countries in Europe.
Organisers said more than 1.5 million people packed Colon Square and surrounding streets for the event, which was addressed by Pope Benedict in a live video link. While they said they had no political motives, the huge demonstration came just over two months before general elections in which a Socialist government, which has legalised gay marriage and made divorce easier, bids for another term in office.
-(Reuters)
Fall in Middle East casualty numbers
JERUSALEM- The number of people killed in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict dropped sharply in 2007, but human rights abuses in the Gaza Strip and occupied West Bank increased, an Israeli human rights watchdog said yesterday.
Israeli troops killed 373 Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank in 2007 up to December 29th, compared to 657 last year, B'Tselem said in its annual report.
Thirty-five per cent of the dead were not involved in hostilities, compared to more than half in 2006.
Palestinians killed seven Israeli civilians - the lowest number since 2000 - and six soldiers, the group said.
- (Reuters)
Iraq PM health results 'reassuring'
BAGHDAD- Iraq prime minister Nuri al-Maliki (57) underwent medical tests in a London hospital yesterday and his office described the results as "reassuring".
Mr Maliki said on Saturday he was going for a routine medical check-up. An official in his office said he was seeking treatment for mild exhaustion.
- (Reuters)
14,000 evacuated after bomb find
BERLIN- More than 14,000 people, including 98 hospital patients, were evacuated yesterday from a 1sq km area in Hanover as munitions experts defused an unexploded second World War bomb dropped by an American war plane.
The 1,000lb bomb, seven metres below a supermarket car park, was discovered in early December by local authorities studying war-time aerial photos.
- (Reuters)
Chad accused of bombing Darfur
KHARTOUM- Sudan has accused Chadian aircraft of bombing its western Darfur region in what it called "repeated aggressions" by its western neighbour, but Chad said its operations against rebels never crossed the border.
"In an unprecedented escalation, Chadian forces have violated the joint border as three Chadian war planes bombed two areas . . . in West Darfur . . . on December 28th," said a Sudanese foreign ministry statement. Chad said its ground and air forces had attacked rebel targets along the border, but had not crossed into Sudan.
- (Reuters)