Early release for Bali cleric
Jakarta Australia has expressed outrage after Abu Bakar Bashir, the radical Indonesian cleric with ties to al-Qaeda, walked out of a Jakarta jail after serving only 26 months for his links to the 2002 Bali bombings that killed more than 200 people.
John Howard, the Prime Minister, said that millions of Australians would be distressed because of the release, while a US Embassy spokesman said that there was cause for concern. (Reuters)
Martial law
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Moscow A Bill is being considered in parliament that would abolish many of the accepted reasons for avoiding military service in an attempt to boost numbers. Less than 10 per cent of eligible Russian men are drafted. Many resort to bribery to avoid it. (AP)
Songs banned
Delhi The Indian state of Madhya Pradesh has removed nursery rhymes such as Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star and Baa Baa, Black Sheep from its primary school syllabus because they are “too Western”, according to the Hindustan Times. (Reuters)
Hitler ‘memorial’
Milwaukee A former SS officer living on a Wisconsin farm has built a memorial to Adolf Hitler in his bunker-like tractor storage shed. A court order was being sought to stop Ted Junker, 87, from opening the concrete building to visitors. (Reuters)
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Smooth image
Amsterdam The city’s retiring fire chief is urging his men to shave because he says moustaches project an outdated macho image of the service. Commander Kees te Boekhorst, who leaves in July, is to be replaced by a woman. (AP)