Saddam Hussein’s genocide trial resumed on Monday after chaos reigned at the last session, when he was repeatedly ejected from the courtroom and his lawyers walked out over the sacking of the chief judge. Hussein, who was kicked out of court three times during previous hearings, took his seat at the start of the trial on Monday, along with his six co-defendants.
France, the country that produced iconic chain-smokers from Jean-Paul Sartre to Jean-Paul Belmondo, will ban smoking in public places from early next year. Cigarettes will be banned from places such as offices, universities and railway stations starting in February, but cafes, bars, restaurants and nightclubs could be given an extra year to prepare.
Millions of pints of blood are pumped through underground pipelines from a big developing country to wealthy consumers in the United States and elsewhere. The blood trade has produced the most spectacular boom in human history. In just five years, the formerly dirt-poor state at the heart of the haemo-business has become the richest nation on earth.
The United Nations Security Council will almost certainly go into emergency session to discuss a resolution imposing severe sanctions against North Korea, after the country announced on Monday it had conducted its first nuclear weapons test.
Banned Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq will not be able to play in the Champions Trophy final if his team qualifies, the International Cricket Council (ICC) ruled on Monday. Inzamam was banned for four one-day internationals last month after being found guilty of bringing the game into disrepute.
Excluded from the World Cup, Cameroon, Nigeria and Egypt seem intent on making amends in the African Cup of Nations. Cameroon and Nigeria won their second in as many matches and African Cup champion Egypt drew away from home this weekend as all three took control of their respective groups.
Davis Love won his first PGA title since 2003, firing a six-under par 66 on Sunday on a course he redesigned to take the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro by two strokes. Sparked by three birdies in a row starting at the 13th hole, the 42-year-old US veteran collected his 19th career PGA triumph by finishing 72 holes at the ,6-million event on 16-under par 272.
The Wallabies went into heavy training Monday at a six-day camp ahead of next month’s four-Test rugby tour to Europe. A 37-man squad was announced last week and the players began their training at Coffs Harbour on the New South Wales mid-north coast before their departure on October 27.
Stuart Appleby and Robert Allenby will tee off in next month’s Australian Open along with Greg Norman, Adam Scott, Geoff Ogilvy and Aaron Baddeley. Organisers, reluctant to go after big-name overseas stars because of the cost of appearance fees, have settled for a strong home field for the national open championship at the Royal Sydney from November 13-19.
North Korea said on Monday it had safely and successfully carried out an underground nuclear test, flying in the face of a warning from the United Nations Security Council and opening its crippled economy to the risk of fresh sanctions. Pyongyang’s move, which came as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived for a visit to Seoul, could heighten regional tensions.