A British military jet shot down by a U.S. missile during the Iraq war was hit after a failure of the system designed to identify it as a friendly aircraft, the government said Friday. A U.S. Patriot missile battery shot down the Tornado GR4A near the Iraqi border on March 23, 2003, killing both crew members. The jet was returning from a mission over Iraq. The defense minister said several factors contributed to the incident, including a failure of the jet’s “identification friend or foe” system.
Abuse photos staged, editor quits
The Daily Mirror newspaper apologized Friday for publishing fake photographs of alleged abuse of Iraqi prisoners by British forces, and the editor stepped down. The move by the newspaper came hours after commanders of the Queen’s Lancashire Regiment bitterly denounced the pictures and said they had proof that the photos had been staged in Britain. The regiment’s commander said Friday it had conclusive evidence that a truck shown in the photos had never been in Iraq.
Italy: Police get fast set of wheels
Drivers who like to use roads as their personal speedways are about to lose the race. Italy’s state police presented a sleek new addition to their fleet Friday: a Lamborghini Gallardo, with a top speed of 192 mph. The car is ready for service, fitted with a siren and painted blue-and-white with the word “police” stenciled on the side. Police showed it off at an anniversary celebration in Rome Friday. The six-speed, two-door luxury vehicle can go from zero to 60 mph in four seconds, and has a list price of $165,000.
U.N.: Warning on N. Korean threat
North Korea poses the world’s No. 1 security problem, and the way the international community responds to its nuclear program will be an important precedent, the U.N.’s nuclear chief said Friday. Mohamed ElBaradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said North Korea’s pursuit of nuclear weapons “sends the worst signal to the would-be proliferators” that if they accelerate weapons, they will be “immune” and powerful countries will negotiate with them.
From Herald news services
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