Envoys want end to West Bank building

The Middle East Quartet – comprising the United States, the United Nations, the EU and Russia – urged Israel at a meeting in London yesterday to end the construction of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and called on Arab states to keep donation pledges made to the Palestinian Authority, (James Hider writes).

Despite promises of progress that were made last year few improvements have been seen. Palestinian leaders increasingly voice their frustration at the expansion of Jewish settlements, which they say demonstrates a lack of goodwill by Israel.

Hamas militants, who rule the Gaza Strip, and their Islamist allies still launch daily rocket attacks against Israel.

Minister dies in crash

Juba Dominic Dim, the Defence Minister for the southern Sudanese government, and a presidential adviser were killed when the aircraft they were travelling in with 19 other passengers crashed near the town of Rumbek. (Reuters)

War crimes 'retrial'

The Hague UN prosecutors have called for a retrial of Ramush Haradinaj, a former Prime Minister of Kosovo who was acquitted of war crimes last month, claiming that key witnesses had been intimidated against testifying. (AP)

Too heavy for court

Riverhead A suburban New York music shop owner accused of selling fake Gibson Les Paul guitars has been arraigned in a pick-up truck in a courthouse car park after his lawyer said that the 500lb (227kg) defendant could not walk into court. (AP)

Airstrikes hit rebels

Sulaimaniyah Turkish planes bombed Kurdish rebel hideouts in northern Iraq in the latest in a series of cross-border strikes. The airstrikes hit the rebel stronghold in Qandil, a spokesman for the Kurdistan Workers' Party said. (AFP)

Porn in office hours

Tokyo A Japanese official who viewed pornographic websites 780,000 times in nine months at work has been demoted. The deputy head of the land registry in Kinokawa, south of Osaka, was caught after reporting a virus on his computer. (AFP)

Suu Kyi given a vote

Rangoon The pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is under house arrest in Burma, is to be allowed to vote in a referendum on May 10 on a draft constitution that critics have condemned as a sham designed to cement military rule. (AP)

Too big to believe

Fort Worth A 21-year-old Texan arrested for forgery said that he wanted to open a record company with a cheque from his girlfriend's mother that he tried to cash. Staff at the bank became suspicious because it was for $360 billion (£180 billion). (AP)

Too heavy for court

Riverhead A suburban New York music shop owner accused of selling fake Gibson Les Paul guitars has been arraigned in a pickup truck in a courthouse car park after his lawyer said that the 500lb (227kg) defendant could not walk into court. (AP)

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