The United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says international reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan must continue undeterred by Sunday's Taliban attack on a military parade in Kabul. Mr. Ban condemned what he called the vicious attack which sent Afghan and western dignitaries diving for cover. An Afghan government minister has described how bullets flew past President Hamid Karzai, killing three people. The president was unharmed. The Afghan Defense Minister General Abdul Rahim Wardak said that a number of those involved in the attack had been killed or arrested.
" Three of the people which should be taken have started firing. All of them have been killed by the security forces. And some people have been detained. Investigation had been ordered by the president. It is going on and we have been able to identify some people who might have facilitated this act of terror."
Police in Austria say they've arrested a 73-year-old man suspected of locking his daughter in a cellar for more than 20 years and fathering seven children by her: the woman, who is now in her forties. She told Austrian police she had been held since 1984 after being lured by her father and being drugged. A police spokesman said the children had been taken to a safe location.
"They are all in psychological care in a secure institution and in clinic here in this area. They are being cared for individually: those between 12 and 16 years of age who grew up with their grandparents and two boys who, when they came out yesterday with their mother, saw the daylight for the first time in their lives."
For the first time scientists have used gene-replacement therapy to reverse the declining vision of patients with a rare form of blindness. Until now the disease couldn't be reversed. The most dramatic improvement was shown by 17-year-old Steven Howarth, who spoke to our science correspondent Pallab Ghosh.
"Before his operations, Steven could hardly see at night. In time, he would have lost his sight completely. His condition was due to a faulty gene. That meant that the light-detecting cells at the back of his eye were damaged and slowly degenerating further. But in a delicate operation, surgeons at Morphew's Hopital injected working copies of the gene into the back of Steven's eye. After a few months, Steven noticed a dramatic improvement. There may well be further improvements, but Steven's simply delighted that there is now a chance that he won't lost his sight all together."
The United Nations Human Rights Commissioner Louise Arbour has urged Zimbabwe's political leaders to restrain their supporters and renounce the use of violence in the aftermath of last month's elections. Mrs. Arbour said she was very concerned over reports of political violence and intimidation.
World news from the BBC.
Officials in Somalia have claimed that a $ 1.2 million ransom was paid to pirates who released 26 crew members of a Spanish fishing boat on Saturday. Somalia officials claimed that a speedboat approached the fishing vessel and handed over the ransom money before the hostages were released. Negotiations have taken place in London involving the ship's owner and representatives of the pirates. Spain has not commented on whether or not the ransom was paid. After releasing the hostages, the pirates were reported to have stripped the ship of everything of value.
Officials of the Iraqi National Museum in Baghdad have held a ceremony to welcome home some 700 artifacts looted in the aftermath of the overthrow of Sadam Hussain. The items, ranging from gold necklaces to clay pots, were returned by the Syrian authorities after being seized from traffickers. The head of the General Committee of Antiquities and Heritage Dr Emina Idan was pleased about the recovery.
"Today we witness a recovery of 701 pieces of Iraqi antiquities. The most interesting thing, this collection includes some items contain IM number. That means Iraqi Museum number."
The Cuban president Raul Castro has said he will raise state pensions by up to 20% and increase wages for the judiciary. However, the government said that it did not have the resources to increase salaries for all workers. Since taking over the presidency from his brother Fidel in February, Raul Castro has introduced a series of liberalizing economic measures.
The president of Haiti, Rene Preval, has nominated a new prime minister as part of efforts to prevent further unrest triggered by rises in the price of food and fuel. He named Ericq Pierre, / senior advisor with the Inter-American Development Bank. The former prime minister was dismissed by the Senate two weeks for failing to address the country's problems.
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