The Netherlands
Report Concludes Insufficient Mandate for Dutch Support of Iraq Invasion
A report from a Dutch government committee on the role of the Dutch government in the invasion of Iraq concludes that there was an insufficient mandate in international law for the Netherlands to give political support. The report states that the former Dutch government did not inform the Parliament sufficiently about the contents of the U.S. request for military cooperation in November 2002. Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende has also been criticized for leaving the Iraq issue mostly to former Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaap De Hoop Scheffer.
Australia
Television Can Shorten Life Span
Australian research has concluded that people who watch television more than four hours a day are at greater risk of dying young, reports AP. Scientist studied the television-watching patterns of 8,800 adult Australians, and it was found that those who watched television the most also died quickest. Other factors like smoking, drinking, age, and sports activities were not taken into account. The research states that the average Australian watches television three hours a day. According to figures of Nielsen Media Research, the average American watched 153 hours of TV at home every month in 2009, or about five hours a day.
Iraq
Forces Stop Bomb Plot Against Government Ministries
Iraqi Forces in Baghdad arrested a group of insurgents planning to bomb several government ministry offices on Tuesday as the continuing threat of insurgent suicide bombings increases. The Iraqi government announced that 25 insurgents were taken into custody along with approximately 2,000 pounds of explosives similar to the recent bombings in government buildings. A lockdown was ordered Tuesday morning, causing confusion among Iraqi citizens that a coup had been staged. The announcement by the government calmed suspicions later in the morning, halting the lockdown in what has become a paranoid and fearful environment in Iraq.
Sri Lanka
Attack Kills One Person, Wounds Four
Gunmen shot at a bus in Sri Lanka, leaving four people wounded and one person dead on Tuesday. The bus carried supporters for opposition presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka in the southern town of Tangalle. Nationwide elections are to commence on Jan. 26, which will be the first national democratic election for Sri Lanka in the past 37 years, as civil war between the Tamil Tigers and the government has ravaged the country. According to the BBC, the United States condemned the recent bus attacks and said Sri Lanka needs to hold democratic elections. The Sri Lankan government said they would bolster security after the attack.
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