A roundup of today's other stories in brief.
English fans in clashes with German police
COLOGNE - A number of England fans were involved in skirmishes in Cologne before last night's World Cup match against Sweden.
Disorder broke out in the early hours yesterday when a drunk England fan fell from a statue after trying to remove a German flag.
Police moved in to offer assistance but other England supporters threw bottles and chairs at them. Sixteen officers were injured, including a woman who required treatment for cuts.
Six fans were held, but later released after being barred from the city. - (Guardian service)
Hillary Clinton faces uphill battle
NEW YORK - Almost half of Americans could never bring themselves to vote for Hillary Clinton in a presidential election, according to an opinion poll published yesterday which shows how much of a struggle the former first lady faces.
The CNN poll will alarm the Clinton camp after finding that 47 per cent of those questioned would "definitely not vote for" the New York senator - a negative score that towers over the two Republicans most favoured to oppose her in the 2008 US presidential election. Only 30 per cent of respondents said the same about Rudy Giuliani and 34 per cent about John McCain. -(Guardian service)
Israeli strike kills three children
GAZA - An Israeli air strike targeting a car carrying Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip killed three children and wounded eight other people yesterday, witnesses and medics said.
The dead were aged 16, seven and five. The militants who were being targeted jumped clear of the vehicle before it was struck in Gaza City. - (Reuters)
Former Bush official convicted
WASHINGTON - A former Bush administration official was convicted yesterday of lying about his links to Jack Abramoff, a disgraced lobbyist whose ties to powerful Republicans have embarrassed the party.
A jury found David Safavian - a former chief of staff at the General Services Administration - guilty of four of five counts of lying and obstructing justice in the first trial to be held in connection with Abramoff's influence-peddling scandal. - (Reuters)
US missile system goes operational
WASHINGTON - The US has moved its ground-based interceptor missile defence system from test mode to operational amid concerns over an expected North Korean missile launch, a US official said yesterday.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed a Washington Times report that the Pentagon has activated the system, which has been in the developmental stage for years.
Rather retires after 44 years
NEW YORK - Newsman Dan Rather is leaving the CBS network after 44 years as a presenter and a roving reporter. His career highlights ranged from the 1963 assassination of president John F Kennedy to the Watergate scandal.
"Of all the famous names associated with CBS News, the biggest and brightest on the marquee are [ Edward] Murrow, [ Walter] Cronkite and Rather," CBS news and sports president Sean McManus said. - (Reuters)
Indonesian death toll increases
JAKARTA - Landslides and floods on Indonesia's eastern Sulawesi island have killed 27 people, while another 23 were missing and at least 10 were injured, an official said yesterday.
Two days of rain caused the problems in several areas in South Sulawesi province. Sinjai regency was the worst hit area after major flooding early yesterday, rescuers and police said. - (Reuters)