Wikinews:Briefs/September 6, 2006

Wednesday, September 6, 2006

Sport - Materazzi admits Zidane comment

Marco Materazzi has told ‘Gazzetta dello Sport' exactly what comment he made to Zinedine Zidane that caused him to headbutt the player during the 2006 world cup final. Materazzi said "I was tugging his shirt; he said to me 'if you want my shirt so much I'll give it to you afterwards,' I answered that I'd prefer his sister." Zidane, who was sent off for the incident, has previously refused to go into detail over what had been said, referring to it as a personal comment about his mother and sister.

Materazzi has been banned for 2 matches by FIFA (the world football governing body) whilst Zidane, who is now retired from the sport, was given a 3 match ban and fined £3,260.

India - Conservative leader's convoy hits and injures Mumbai woman

Yesterday a convoy carrying the UK Conservative party leader David Cameron (from a slum literacy project in Mumbai to a lunch meeting at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel) hit Prema Naik, a factory worker in the city. Cameron's car was ahead of the minibus that was involved in the accident and he was not aware of the incident till later.

Naik's condition was described as "serious" last night as she underwent treatment at the King Edward Memorial Hospital. Cameron said he was in shocked by the incident and promised that "the High Commission will also do all that it can to assist the victim and her family." The driver of the minibus was pulled out and beaten by a mob after the incident – a common occurrence in India.

Northern Ireland - Omagh bomb suspect goes to trial

Sean Gerard Hoey, a 37 year old electrician, will stand trial in Northern Ireland for the 1998 Omagh bombing. Hoey is accused of killing 29 people in the car bomb explosion on the 15 August 1998. In total he faces 58 charges of (some for separate bombings and conspiracies). Hoey is the only suspect to have been charged in connection with the bombings and has been in custody for 3 years.

The trial, in Belfast, will be seen by Mr Justice Weir and is expected to last 14 weeks. It is likely to be the last non-jury trial in Northern Ireland.

UK - NHS must "cut back" on old treatments

The National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence is to encourage British doctors to stop using older treatments if newer ones are available. It has been reported that unneeded tonsillectomies and hysterectomies (that could be treated with drugs) are costing the health service £21 million year.

Andy Burnham, a government spokesman said that the health authorities would still keep the money just be asked to review its processes; "New drugs and treatments are continuously emerging and trusts have to make difficult decisions about how to invest funding."

Europe - Sony announces launch of PS3 in Europe will be delayed

Sony have announced that they will delay the launch of the Playstation 3 from November 2006 to March 2007. A spokesperson cited supply issues for a key component. The delay, the second this year after Sony earlier moved the date from spring to November, means the PS3 will not be on sale for the Christmas rush (traditionally the best selling time for games consoles).

The delay is due to problems over ther supply of a blue laser used in the PS3's Blu-ray drive. The planned American launch date remains unchanged and Sony say they still aim to sell 6 million units by March.