SETE - A shooting instructor in southern France, enraged at his neighbours for staging a noisy birthday party, went on a rampage, killing two people and wounding two others. The man, 49, an instructor at a shooting range, went to his downstairs neighbours in the town of Sete, asking them to turn down the music at the party they were hosting. When they declined, he warned: "I am going to go home and I'll be back to kill you," according to a local prosecutor. Later he burst into the neighbours' apartment and opened fire on party goers, according to police. AFP
JERUSALEM - Israel will not transfer tax and tariff funds its collects for the Palestinians this month, in response to their successful bid for upgraded UN status, finance minister Yuval Steinitz said. Israel's Haaretz newspaper said a total of 460 million shekels (HK$933 million) would be withheld from the Palestinians. The move comes after the Palestinians secured non-member-state observer status at the UN General Assembly last week, winning approval in a 138-9 vote over fierce opposition from Israel and the United States. AFP