Doctor-aided suicide upheld
Washington: The US Supreme Court yesterday upheld the right of doctor-assisted suicide in Oregon, a defeat for the White House. John Roberts, President Bush’s new Chief Justice, voted to strike down the law. But it was upheld by six votes to three.
Ukraine price rise
Kiev: Ukraine’s Defence Minister, Anatoli Gritsenko, signalled that Kiev might quadruple the price for Russia to base its Black Sea Fleet in his country. Earlier this month Ukraine agreed to pay nearly double the price for gas imported from Russia. (AP)
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‘Terror’ bank raid
Athens: Greek police were investigating a possible left-wing terrorism link to a bank robbery and shootout that left four people wounded in central Athens. One suspect was arrested but three escaped. The gang is suspected of five other raids. (AP)
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Ankara: Preliminary tests indicated that another Turkish child was infected with the H5N1 strain of bird flu, raising the number of human cases in the country to 21. The child is from Dogubayazit, the hometown of four other children killed by the flu. (AP)
Warning shots
Abidjan: UN peacekeepers fired warning shots and tear gas at protesters trying to break into its headquarters in Ivory Coast. UN-backed mediators had said the West African nation’s parliament should be dissolved as its mandate had expired. (AP)
Speedy recovery
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New York: A sports car stolen 37 years ago will be returned to its owner after US customs found it being loaded on to a container ship to Sweden. The 1968 Corvette was taken from Alan Poster’s garage in New York in 1969, soon after he bought it for $6,000 (£3,400).
Sites in peril
Some of the world’s most precious cultural sites, including Machu Picchu in Peru and the Valley of the Kings in Egypt, are at risk of destruction from landslides, scientists said. Climate change and sites on unstable slopes are blamed in a report by the United Nations University and Kyoto University in Japan.