A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Iran says it shot down two spy drones
TEHRAN – Iran has shot down two unmanned western reconnaissance drone aircraft in the Gulf, a senior Revolutionary Guards commander told the semi-official Fars news agency yesterday.
“Many spy planes and advanced planes of our enemies have been shot down ... We have also shot down two spy planes in the Persian Gulf,” said commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh. “But it is the first time we are announcing it.” He did not say when the aircraft had been shot down.
Iran is at odds with major powers over its nuclear activities, which the US and its allies suspect are intended to enable Iran to produce nuclear bombs.
Over 1,000 birds fall dead from sky
LITTLE ROCK – Officials are investigating why more than 1,000 birds – most of them dead – fell out of the sky in the US state of Arkansas on New Year’s Eve.
The Arkansas Fish and Game Commission said it began receiving reports of the falling birds at about 11.30pm. By midnight, more than 1,000 red-winged blackbirds had fallen in one area of the city of Beebe.
The birds could have been hit by lightning or high-altitude hail, said commission ornithologist Karen Rowe. About 65 dead birds have been sent off for scientific analysis to determine the cause of death.
It does not appear that the birds were poisoned, Ms Rowe said.
Death of Chinese activist Szeto
HONG KONG – Hong Kong democracy activist Szeto Waha, a long-time thorn in the side of Beijing’s Communist leaders, died yesterday from lung cancer.
Szeto (79) helped organise an annual memorial and candlelight vigil in Hong Kong for victims of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, drawing tens of thousands each time.
Hong Kong, a former British colony that reverted to Chinese rule in 1997 amid promises of a high degree of autonomy, has served as an important base for civil liberties and democratic reforms in mainland China, with Szeto playing a key role.
Exiled Chinese dissident Wang Dan said Szeto had been a leading light in preserving the spirit of the Chinese democratic movement. – (Reuters)
Swedish actor (83) feared dead in fire
STOCKHOLM – Fears are growing for award-winning Swedish actor Per Oscarsson and his wife after human remains were found in his house, which burnt down on Friday.
The remains of one person found in the ashes are likely to be either that of the 83-year-old star or his 67-year-old wife, Kia Ostling, police said.
Both have been missing since the fire in southwestern Sweden.
Oscarsson won best actor at Cannes in 1966 and has appeared in films based on Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy.