Wikinews:Briefs/April 12, 2007

Continental passenger jet almost shot down
A Continental Airlines Boeing 777 was in danger of being shot down Wednesday, during a New York to Tel Aviv commercial flight. The pilot of the 777 failed to make contact when approaching the Israeli coast, and authorities were afraid the airliner had been taken over by hijackers. Two Israeli F-15s and two F-16s were scrambled to intercept. While the plane was still over the Mediterranean, the captain realised the situation and immediately made contact. The Continental airliner was then escorted to Tel Aviv airport by the fighter jets without incident. Upon landing at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion International Airport, an inquiry into the incident was opened by officials.

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Pakistani army involved in NWFP battles
For the first time President Pervez Musharraf has admitted the Pakistani army has been helping tribal fighters in the NWFP battling foreign militants. Media has in recent days reported on battles between local tribes and al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters, primarily of Uzbek origin.

"The people of South Waziristan now have risen against the foreigners," Musharraf told a conference of defense officials in Islamabad on Thursday. "They have killed about 300 of them. They have support from the Pakistan army. They asked for it."

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Katie Couric unaware of plagiarism
CBS has admitted that the April 4 installment of "Katie Couric's Notebook" was plagiarized. It seems it consisted mainly of passages lifted verbatim from a Wall Street Journal column by Jeffrey Zaslow which was published in March.

Although, attributed to - and read by - Katie Couric, in the video essay "Katie Couric's Notebook," it has been revealed that she did not write them and that they were supplied for her by CBS producers. Couric, herself, has not commented.

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