Briefs, January 15, 2013
The former Kate Middleton is due to give birth to her first baby in July, and her health is improving after a bout of severe morning sickness, palace officials said.
LONDON - The former Kate Middleton is due to give birth to her first baby in July, and her health is improving after a bout of severe morning sickness, palace officials said. The child of Kate and Prince William will be third in line to the British throne. The 31-year-old Duchess of Cambridge spent several days in the hospital last month being treated for acute morning sickness. The announcement by the couple's St James's Palace office lays to rest speculation that the duchess could be having twins. AP
BERLIN - About 50,000 CDs of Christmas carols sent to households in Germany by a children's charity actually contained the words to pro-Nazi songs sung by the Hitler Youth movement, German public radio NDR reported. The SOS Children's Villages charity said the CDs could have been hacked by a far-right group. The German branch of the charity and the production company that made the CD have lodged a complaint in Munich for incitement to hatred. AFP
KABUL - Afghan elders will decide on the key issue of whether American soldiers remaining in the country after 2014 will be granted immunity from prosecution, President Hamid Karzai said. US President Barack Obama warned last week no American troops would remain behind in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of Nato forces unless they were granted immunity from prosecution in local courts. Karzai said a decision would be made by the end of the year. AFP
SYDNEY - Telescopes at a global astronomy research hub appear to have survived a devastating Australian bushfire that destroyed nearby homes and damaged several buildings on the site. The fire, which raged through the night fuelled by hot, strong winds, damaged parts of the A$100 million (HK$815 million) Siding Spring Observatory, 500 kilometres northwest of Sydney. But the fire service said although 33 homes had been destroyed, aerial surveillance had established the main Anglo-Australian Telescope had survived. AFP
