Portuguese smokers face heavy fines if they breach the new ban. Photo / Brett Phibbs
US reporter does not recognize al Qaeda 'kidnapper'
American journalist Jill Carroll, who was kidnapped in Iraq last year, said she did not recognise the photograph of a man killed by the US military as one of her captors, her employer, the Christian Science Monitor reported.
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US military said that it had killed Muharib Abdul Latif al-Jubouri, who it said was a top al Qaeda operative in Iraq involved in the kidnap of Carroll last year.
But in an article posted to the Monitor's website, the paper said Carroll "doesn't recognise the photo released by the military of Jubouri."
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Oliver Stone unveils ad calling for Iraq pull-out
Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone, whose movies voiced the frustration of the Vietnam War generation, unveiled a political ad calling for the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq.
The 30-second television spot, sponsored by the MoveOn.org political action group and VoteVets.org, features a simple but impassioned plea by John Bruhns, a former infantry sergeant who fought in Iraq during the 2003 invasion and its aftermath.
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Iraq's creditors waive $40 billion debt - UN
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said donor countries including Britain, Saudi Arabia and China had pledged to waive US$30 billion ($40.7 billion) in debts owed by the government of war-torn Iraq.
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Portugal bans smoking inside public places
Portugal's parliament approved a law today banning smoking in almost all indoor public places, joining other European countries in an attempt to cut down on tobacco-related deaths.
The ban, approved more than a year after it was proposed by the Socialist government, will carry hefty fines for individuals who smoke in offices, shopping centres and most restaurants.
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- REUTERS
