Wikinews Shorts: August 10, 2009

A compilation of brief news reports for Monday, August 10, 2009 .

English Badminton team withdraw from World Championship because of terror threat

After what has been described as a "specific terrorist threat", the English national badminton team has withdrawn from the Badminton World Championship currently being held in Hyderabad, India.

The threat is believed to be linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Kashmiri group linked to the attack on Mumbai in 2008.

V.K. Verma president of the Badminton Association of India dismissed the "terror threats" as rumors spread by the media. The Welsh and Scottish teams will continue to compete in the tournament, with Anne Smillie chief executive of Badminton Scotland saying that the English team had "perhaps overreacted".

Sources

• "England pull out of badminton tournament after terror threat" — The Guardian, August 9, 2009
• Swaine, Jon. "England badminton team quits world championships over terrorism threat" — The Telegraph, August 9, 2009

Nagasaki holds ceremony on 64th anniversary of atomic bombing

A ceremony was held in Nagasaki, Japan on Sunday to commemorate the 64th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city in World War II.

Speaking to an audience of 5000 the mayor of the city called for worldwide nuclear disarmament. In his speech Prime Minister Taro Aso again reiterated that Japan would never produce, possess or allow nuclear weapons on its soil.

A similar ceremony was attended by 50,000 in Hiroshima on Thursday.

Sources

• Wang Hongjiang. "Japan marks 64th anniversary of Nagasaki atomic bombing" — Xinhua News Agency, August 9, 2009
• "Nagasaki calls on leaders to visit atomic bomb site" — Agence France-Presse, August 9, 2009

British soldier killed in Afghanistan

A British soldier of 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment has been killed by an IED whilst on patrol in Gereshk in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

The death brings the number to five, the number of British soldiers killed in Afghanistan in this month alone and 196 since 2001, when British troops arrived in Afghanistan.

Sources

• "British soldier killed in Afghanistan blast" — Agence France-Presse, August 9, 2009
• "UK soldier killed in Afghanistan" — BBC Online, August 9, 2009

British contractor in Iraq faces death penalty for murder

A British contractor working for a private security company in Iraq has been arrested for the murder of two colleagues in Iraq. ArmorGroup Iraq confirms that two of its employees, a Briton and an Australian, have been killed in a firearms incident.

The gunman is now in the custody of the Iraqi authorities and faces a charge of premeditated murder, a crime for which he may hang.

Sources

• Gamel, Kim. "Briton in Iraqi custody after contractor killings" — Associated Press, August 9, 2009
• Yan. "Iraq arrests Briton for murder charges" — Xinhua News Agency, August 9, 2009

Former British child actor claims to be father of Michael Jackson's daughter

Former child actor Mark Lester, best known for playing the title role in the 1968 film Oliver!, claims to be the father of Michael Jackson's daughter Paris. Talking to British tabloid the News Of The World, Lester claims that Jackson asked him for a donation of sperm in the mid 90s and points to the resemblance between his own daughter and Paris.

Lester claims to be motivated by the desire to remain in contact with Paris, which he fears may be denied him by Katherine Jackson, Paris' guardian. His claim is supported by Uri Geller, a friend of both Jackson and Mark Lester, who said "I am not surprised, I knew it all along simply because Michael told me."

Sources

• "Jackson friend claims paternity" — BBC Online, August 9,2009
• "Oliver! actor claims he fathered Jackson's daughter" — Agence France-Presse, August 9,2009

Three bombs explode in Majorca

Three bombs have exploded on the Spanish holiday island of Majorca on Sunday. Targeted at tourism sites all the devices were small and there have been no injuries. Basque separatist group ETA has claimed responsibility for the attacks which follow a car bomb that killed two Civil Guard officers 10 days ago on the Mediterranean island.

ETA's recent bombing campaign, which has also seen bombings and deaths on the mainland, comes on the 50th anniversary of the founding of the organisation.

Sources

• Tobey, Paul. "Three Bombs Explode in Mallorca; No Injuries Reported" — Bloomberg.com, August 9, 2009
• "Bomb blasts hit Spain's Majorca" — BBC Online, August 9,2009