Briefly World

European court halts extradition of Abu Hamza

Strasbourg: The European Court of Human Rights blocked on Thursday the extradition from Britain to the US of radical Muslim cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri and three other men facing terror charges. The court said the applications of the four alleged international terrorists against their extradition on human rights grounds were partially admissible and needed further examination.

12 Shiite pilgrims killed in Baghdad blasts

BAGHDAD: At least 12 people were killed on Thursday by bombs targeting the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who defied violence to take part in the final day of a Shiite religious holiday,officials said. The deaths came a day after nearly 60 people were killed in attacks in and around the Iraqi capital,most of them by a suicide bomber who targeted pilgrims heading to a mosque in northern Baghdad to mark the anniversary of the death of a revered Shiite figure.

4,300-year-old tombs unveiled in Egypt

SAQQARA: Egyptian archaeologists on Thursday unveiled a newly-unearthed double tomb with vivid wall paintings in the ancient necropolis of Saqqara near Cairo. The tomb includes two false doors with colourful paintings depicting the two people buried there,a father and a son who served as heads of the royal scribes,said Abdel-Hakim Karar,a top archaeologist at Saqqara. The colours of the false door are fresh as if it were painted yesterday, Karar said.

Georgia claims it has worlds oldest person,130

TBILISI: Authorities in Georgia claim a woman from a Sachire village is turning 130,making her the oldest person on Earth. Spokes man for the national register Georgiy Meurnishvili says Antisa Khvichava was born on July 8,1880. She retired from her job as a tea and corn picker in 1965,when she was 85.

Fresh faces add zest to Emmy nominations

LOS ANGELES: Quirky musical comedy Glee and 1960s advertising drama series Mad Men led the nominations on Thursday for primetime Emmy Awards in a cross section of new faces and old TV favorites. Newcomer Glee,which features a group of high school misfits in a show choir,garnered 19 nominations including best comedy series and acting nods for its stars Matthew Morrison,Lea Michele and Jane Lynch and guest performers Neil Patrick Harris and Kristin Chenoweth. Two-time Emmy champion Mad Men claimed 17 nods for the television industrys highest honours. The Emmys will be handed out in Los Angeles on August 29 in a live ceremony hosted by Jimmy Fallon.

Lindsay creates stir with F-word nailpaint in court

NEW YORK: Hollywood star Lindsay Lohan had the four-letter F word clearly written on her nail during the court hearing when she was sentenced to three months in jail for violating the terms of her probation in a 2007 drunk driving case. Images of her brightly coloured nails shows the F word etched on her middle finger. The actor broke down during and after the hearing. But the new revelation has created another controversy for the 24-year-old actress forcing her to react,People online reported. Lohan says her explicit fingernail message was not directed at the judge. Didnt we do our nails as a joke with our friend? Lohan Tweeted to a pal. It had nothing to do w/court8230; its an airbrush design from a stencil, she added.