Wikinews:Briefs/April 29, 2005

April 29, 2005

News Bullets

 * Sgt. Hasan Akbar of the United States army has been sentenced to death for his grenade attack on officers in the days preceding invasion of Iraq. His defense team plans to appeal the case, arguing for life imprisonment. article
 * The new Wynn Las Vegas hotel-casino has opened as the most expensive casino resort development ever. At US$2.7 billion, the development cost more than $1 million per room. article
 * Swedish packaging company Korsnas Packaging opens production lines in Romania. Further international investment is expected as Romania makes its tax system corporate-friendly and accedes to the European Union in 2007. article
 * In the lead-up to May 5th elections, United Kingdom leaders from the three largest political parties were interrogated on the BBC's 'Question Time', with continuing concerns regarding the legality of the Iraq invasion dominating the discussions. article
 * In two separate attacks, four Afghan police and one U.S. soldier were killed in Afghanistan. The police officers were killed in a convoy ambush, while the soldier was killed when a patrol was fired on.
 * A UCLA team has fused deuterium using a pyroelectric crystal to create a strong electric field accelerator. The system does not produce more energy than it uses, but it could make feasible a safer form of fission reactor than current designs. article
 * The United States Central Intelligence Agency ends interrogations and search for Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq, according to an addenda to a report from the Iraq Survey Group. In the addenda, Charles Duelfer reports they have finished interrogating 105 Iraqi scientists. article
 * Italy's Prime Minister has warned the United States Italy will not accept a draft report from the U.S. Military exonerating soldiers involved in the shooting of Italian agent Calipari and journalist Sgrena. article
 * Scientists are unsure as to the cause, but near Hamburg a pond's toad population are bloating up and exploding. article
 * Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's government received a vote of confidence from the Italian Senate Thursday, after it earning the confidence of the House yesterday. article
 * Harvard University planners met with the Agassiz Neighborhood Council to update the community about Harvard's construction and expansion plans, including the Northwest Science Building and expansion of the Harvard Law School. article
 * Ezer Weizman, former President of the State of Israel died at the age of 81. Weizman helped established the Israeli Air Force and went on to a political career first as a hawk and then made a public conversion to a dove. article