Nazi scientists trying to build an atomic bomb set off a test explosion two months before the end of World War II, killing hundreds of people in eastern Germany, a German researcher claims in a book published Monday. “Hitler’s Bomb,” by economic historian Rainer Karlsch, theorizes that the March 1945 device didn’t achieve fission, but did scatter telltale radioactive particles at the Ohrdruf test site. It also claims that Nazi Germany briefly had a working nuclear reactor, something historians generally dispute. Karlsch offers no first-hand proof, saying his account is an interpretation of available evidence.
Israel: Final route for barrier
The final route of Israel’s separation barrier around Jerusalem will encompass large areas claimed by the Palestinians, including their intended capital and the biggest Jewish settlement in the West Bank, Israeli officials confirmed Monday. The route would also place a holy site in the Palestinian town of Bethlehem on the Israeli side of the barrier, while leaving a Palestinian refugee camp in Jerusalem encircled by a separate fence, the officials said. Late Monday, Israeli and Palestinian Cabinet ministers agreed on a Wednesday handover of the West Bank town of Jericho to Palestinian security control.
Philippines: Jail uprising snuffed
Police fired a barrage of tear-gas canisters and bullets today in a major assault on Muslim suspects who took over a maximum-security jail in Manila, following a botched escape attempt that left five people dead Monday. The Manila police chief said authorities had control of all jail floors. At least 22 inmates were said to have died in the assault, authorities said today.
From Herald news services
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