■ United States
Charles Bronson dies
Coal miner turned tough-guy actor Charles Bronson, a star of more than 60 films including the popular Death Wish series in which he played a one-man army, has died at the age of 81, a spokeswoman said on Sunday. Bronson died of pneumonia on Saturday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, publicist Lori Jonas said. Bronson, called a gentle person by friends, also starred as an Israeli general in television's Raid on Entebbe (1977) and appeared in the films Borderline (1980), Death Hunt (1981) and From Ten to Midnight (1982).
■ United kingdom
Vicar preaches on Internet
Church attendances may be in decline, but a vicar from Bath in western England yesterday managed to attract a global audience when his service was broadcast live on the Internet on Sunday. An estimated 1,000 worshippers from as far afield as Japan, Uganda and Palestine watched the Reverend Alan Bain lead the morning service at St Philip and St James church. The virtual congregation was also able to vote for one of the hymns to be sung by the 300 churchgoers who attended in the flesh.
■ Italy
Left feels the heat
Pressure was growing on leaders of the left on Sunday over allegations that they took massive kickbacks when Telecom Italia bought a chunk of Telekom Serbia during Slobodan Milosevic's rule. A key financial adviser has accused European commissioner Romano Prodi, a former foreign minister, Lamberto Dini, the leader of the Democrats of the Left party, Piero Fassino, and Rome's mayor, Walter Veltroni, of taking millions of pounds in backhanders when the deal was done in 1997.
■ Mexico
Police track protesters
A "watch list" drawn up by Mexican security forces of 80 anti-globalization activists who are believed to be headed for Cancun for the World Trade Organization gathering next month has provoked an angry response -- from those whose names are missing. The Mexican daily La Reforma ran a story the week before last on a "watch list" that has been compiled by the security forces concerned about possible trouble at the September 10 to 14 event. The list named 60 international and 20 Mexican anti-globalization activists.
■ United kingdom
Arms expert felt `betrayed'
British weapons expert David Kelly, who killed himself after being exposed as the source for a claim the government exaggerated the case for war against Iraq, had felt betrayed, his widow said yesterday. "He said he felt totally let down and betrayed," Janice Kelly told an inquiry into her husband's death. Asked by whom he had felt betrayed, she added: "I believed he meant the MoD [Ministry of Defense] because they were the ones who had effectively let his name be known in the public domain." Kelly had been working for the ministry at the time his name was revealed to journalists following the story of the row between the government and the BBC state broadcaster over the war claim.
■ Australia
Prison pays compensation
A prisoner who fell out of his bunk bed at an Australian jail has been awarded six-figure compensation for his injuries, news reports yesterday said. Craig Ballard, who was serving time for an assault conviction, alleged that his 1999 tumble happened because the prison failed in its duty of care. He suffered head injuries and has not worked since completing his sentence. Crown solicitor Ali Nasseri said that the New South Wales state government opted to pay up rather than fight in court.
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