A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
US to keep pulling troops out of Iraq
WASHINGTON -The Pentagon will keep pulling troops out of Iraq through July despite an increase in violence, but then will halt withdrawals to assess the security situation, according to the top US military officer.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, said yesterday that recent violence in Baghdad and Basra would not change plans to withdraw five combat brigades from the war zone, bringing the number of troops back to the level in Iraq before a "surge" of force last year.
"Right now we're still on track for the fifth brigade to come out, the last of the surge brigades to come out, by the end of July and then the period of consolidation and evaluation will take place," Adm Mullen told reporters at the Pentagon. - (Reuters)
Police 'failed' raped woman
LONDON -Two British police forces failed a young Kurdish woman who was tortured, raped and murdered in an honour killing plotted by her family, the police watchdog has concluded.
Investigations by the police in England's West Midlands and Scotland Yard in London let down Banaz Mahmod after not taking seriously death threats against her, the Independent Police Complaints Commission said. - (Reuters)
Nurse who killed seven released
THE HAGUE -A Dutch nurse sentenced to life in prison for murdering seven people in her care has been released provisionally for at least three months while her case is reviewed.
Lucia de Berk was sentenced in 2006 for killing seven people and attempting to murder three others by giving them lethal doses of drugs while working in hospitals in The Hague between 1997 and 2001. - (Reuters)
BNP backs Tory in London poll
LONDON -London's mayoral election took a twist yesterday when the far-right British National Party offered backing to the frontrunner, who quickly distanced himself from the endorsement.
The British National Party said supporters should vote first for its candidate and then for Boris Johnson as their second choice. "In this race, the Tory clown Johnson is a lesser evil than the Marxist crank Livingstone," the party explained. - (Reuters)
Diana jury weighs up verdict
LONDON -The jury at an inquest into Princess Diana's death has begun deliberating their verdict after spending almost six months listening to more than 250 witnesses.
"There is no pressure of time," Lord Justice Scott Baker, the presiding judge, said yesterday. - (Reuters)
Sex-for-grades professor jailed
HANOVER -A court in Germany has sentenced a law professor to three years in prison for giving students better marks in exchange for sex and money. - (Reuters)