A round-up of today's other stories in brief
British consul staff allegedly sold arms
LONDON – Two staff members at the British consulate in Jerusalem have been arrested for allegedly selling weapons.
A foreign office spokesman last night confirmed that two local members of staff at the Jerusalem consulate general had been arrested by the Israeli authorities.
He said: “We are aware of reports that they may be charged with the illegal sale of weapons.
“We are urgently seeking confirmation of the charges.”– (PA)
Study finds sharp decline in bees
WASHINGTON – Four previously abundant species of bumblebee are close to disappearing in the United States, researchers reported yesterday in a study confirming that the agriculturally important bees are being affected worldwide.
They documented a 96 per cent decline in the numbers of the four species, and said their range had shrunk by as much as 87 per cent. As with honeybees, a pathogen is partly involved, but the researchers also found evidence of inbreeding caused by habitat loss. “We provide incontrovertible evidence that multiple Bombus species have experienced sharp population declines at national level,” the study said. – (Reuters)
US actor Anne Francis dies at 80
NEW YORK – Actor Anne Francis, who appeared in dozens of television shows and movies including Forbidden Planet,died in California on Sunday aged 80, her daughter told the Los Angeles Times.
Francis died of complications of pancreatic cancer at a retirement home in Santa Barbara, California, after being diagnosed with lung cancer in 2007, her daughter, Jane Uemura, said.
She was best known for Forbidden Planet. – (Reuters)