■ Iran
Chavez given medal
Iran awarded Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez its highest state medal on Sunday for supporting Tehran in its nuclear standoff, while the fiery leader urged the world to rise up and defeat the US, state-run television in both countries reported. Chavez said US President George W. Bush is so evil he must talk to the devil, and he condemned Israel for what he called the "terrorism" and "madness" of its attacks in Lebanon, Venezuelan state television reported. Iran awarded the medal to show its gratitude for Chavez's support, "especially its opposition to a resolution by the International Atomic Energy Agency," the Iranian station said.
■ United Kingdom
Bond set goes up in flames
The set of the latest James Bond film, Casino Royale, was destroyed on Sunday in a blaze which left the 007 stage at Pinewood Studios, north of London, a blackened ruin. Firefighters took almost two hours to bring the fire under control, hampered by the presence of gas cylinders, two of which exploded when the fire broke out at around 11am. Both the fictional spy and the actor who plays him were unscathed, as filming for Casino Royale had finished, and Daniel Craig and the other cast were absent. The cause of the fire is still being investigated. Witnesses said smoke from the blaze could be seen 16km away and 60 firefighters were drafted in to tackle the blaze.
■ Iraq
Cleric warns US on Lebanon
Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, has warned that the Muslim world will not forgive countries which stand in the way of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. "The Islamic world and peace loving people will not excuse sides which hinder a ceasefire. It will have harmful consequences in the whole region," he said in a statement issued late on Sunday, in a clear reference to the US. The US has opposed calling for an immediate ceasefire.
■ United Kingdom
Drug system `failing'
The nation's system of classifying drugs is failing and needs to be completely overhauled and replaced by a scale which assesses harm, a critical report by a committee of lawmakers said yesterday. The current system of rating substances in A, B or C categories has "significant anomalies" and is "not fit for purpose," the Science and Technology Select Committee said. It called for a new scientifically-based scale which took into account the harm that each drug caused, rather than one based on historical assumptions and on the penalties incurred for possessing or trafficking a substance. The lawmakers said they had found no convincing evidence that using the system had worked as a deterrent.
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