■ United Kingdom
UK gun crimes climb
Crime in Britain, which is set to be one of the main battle-grounds of the next general election, has fallen but the number of gun-related and violent offences has increased, official figures showed on Thursday. The Home Office said overall recorded crime had fallen by 5 percent in the three months to June compared to the same quarter last year, with significant falls in vehicle thefts, burglaries and robberies. But gun crime rose 3 percent over the full year to June with a 35 percent rise in the use of replica weapons. There was also an 11 percent increase in recorded incidents of violence.
■ Cuba
Castro undergoes surgery
President Fidel Castro announced late Thursday in an open letter that he underwent surgery after he fell late Wednesday and fractured his left knee and his right arm. Castro's operation took three hours, after which he was put in a plaster cast. He said he refused to undergo general anesthesia because he did not want to abandon his government responsibilities due to a temporary mishap. Castro, 78, tripped and fell as he walked down some steps from a stage after giving an hour-long speech. Castro's 1,183 word letter describes the moment he fell, his ambulance trip to the hospital and details of the operation.
■ Norway
Ghostly threat ignored
A Norwegian's threat to haunt anyone who tampered with his will didn't hold up in -- or send a chill through -- a court. The man, who wasn't identified, died last year and left a will dividing his possessions among a long list of friends because he had no direct heirs, state radio network NRK reported on Thursday. To be sure that no one challenged the document, he threated to haunt any who tampered with it. The judge declared the will void since the two witnesses who signed it testified they didn't know what the document was.
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