■ United Kingdom
March passes off peacefully
A controversial parade by Northern Ireland's Protestant Orange Order through a Catholic area of West Belfast passed off peacefully on Saturday, news reports said. A much-reduced parade of only 50 Orangemen was allowed by the province's Parades Commission to march along a section of the Springfield Road that saw heavy rioting last year, while the main parade was rerouted through the grounds of a disused factory. Local residents staged a peaceful protest to the march, which they have said is unwelcome in their area. The Orange Order holds marches to commemorate the victory by Protestant King William III of Orange over the forces of Catholic King James II in Ireland in 1690.
■ United States
`Drunk' pelicans rounded up
Four pelicans suspected of being drunk on sea algae were being tested at a Southern California wildlife center on Saturday after one of them crashed headlong into a car. Three of the California brown pelicans were found wandering dazed in the streets of Laguna Beach after another pelican struck a vehicle's windshield on a nearby coast road. It suffered internal injuries and a long gash in its pouch and was undergoing toxicology tests. Officials at the Wildlife Care Center said the seabirds may have been under the influence of algae in the ocean that can produce domoic acid poisoning when eaten. The other pelicans were rounded up after assistant wildlife director Lisa Birkle warned the public to be on the lookout for birds acting "drunk," disoriented or being in an unusual place.
■ United Kingdom
Troops warned about phones
British soldiers in Iraq have been warned about the threat of insurgents intercepting their mobile phone calls home and using the numbers to threaten their families, the Sunday Telegraph said. The newspaper said it had seen a document sent to army reservists, detailing how insurgents had obtained the home telephone numbers of British troops by using sophisticated electronic intercept devices. The Ministry of Defence confirmed there has been concern about reports of "nuisance calls" to servicemen's families but it played down suggestions that the calls included death threats.
■ United States
Texan billionaire dies
Billionaire Pierce Marshall, who had waged a fierce legal battle with ex-playmate Anna Nicole Smith over his late father's wealth, died last week, news reports said on Saturday. The 67-year-old son of the late Texas oil tycoon Howard Marshall reportedly died on Tuesday from an aggressive infection, CNN television reported. He had been locked in a legal battle with Smith over a multi-million dollar share of Howard Marshall's estate.
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