A round-up of today's other news stories in brief...
Fire forces evacuation of top hospital
LONDON - A fire tore through a leading cancer hospital in London yesterday, forcing a complete evacuation, including of some patients undergoing operations.
The top floor of the Royal Marsden Hospital in southwest London was gutted, and 79 inpatients and dozens more outpatients were taken to neighbouring hospitals and churches.
Three patients had been in theatre and the recovery area from theatre when the
fire broke out but they had been safely transferred and were said to be stable
More than 800 staff, some still dressed in surgical scrubs, were also evacuated. - (Reuters)
13 executed by hanging in Iran
TEHRAN - Iran hanged 13 convicted murderers and drug smugglers yesterday, Iranian media reported, the latest in a series of executions since authorities began a crackdown on "immoral behaviour".
The reports detail that eight people convicted of murder, including one woman, were hanged in Tehran's Evin prison. - (Reuters)
O'Flynn wins first novel award
LONDON - A former postwoman whose book about loss and relationships was rejected by 15 publishers won the 2007 Costa First Novel Award yesterday.
What Was Lost, by Catherine O'Flynn, which had already been on the Orange and Man Booker long lists and featured on radio, was one of five category winners announced from among 553 entries.
The five, each of whom gets £5,000 (€6,724), will now be entered in the 2007 Costa Book of the Year, the winner of which will be announced on January 22nd. - (Reuters)
Poland to increase Afghan forces
WARSAW - Poland is ready to send 400 additional soldiers to Afghanistan in April or May and is considering taking command of troops in an eastern province, the defence minister said yesterday.
Bogdan Klich said Poland had started talks with Nato to regroup Polish forces and would hold talks in Washington in January about taking control in Paktika. - (Reuters)
Car bomb kills four in Algeria
ALGIERS - A car bomb hit a police station in Algeria yesterday in an attack that state radio said killed four policemen and injured 20 people.
It was the first major attack in Algeria since a double bombing in the capital Algiers killed at least 37 people on December 11th. - (Reuters)