News In Brief

Australia sends asylum-seekers to PNG
Bbc Online

Australia has transferred the first group 40 of asylum-seekers to Papua New Guinea under its new offshore resettlement policy, officials say.
Under a deal signed on 19 July, asylum-seekers arriving by boat in Australia will be sent to PNG for processing. The asylum-seekers will have no right to settle in Australia.

Qaeda vows to free Gitmo inmates
The Guardian Online

The al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri has denounced US treatment of hunger-striking inmates at Guantánamo Bay, saying his organisation will spare no effort to free them, according to a recording posted online on Wednesday. He did not elaborate on what al-Qaida intended to do, but militants have in the past kidnapped westerners and sought to trade them for jailed comrades.

Australia to hike tobacco taxes
Bbc Online

The Australian government is to increase taxes on tobacco, raising A$5.3bn ($4.7bn; £3.1bn) as it seeks to offset a revenue shortfall.
Prices will rise by 12.5% per year for four years starting from 1 December. The government said the move would also provide funds for treating cancer and providing stroke-related services.

Nato mistakenly kills 4 Afghan troops
Ap, Kabul

Afghan officials say a Nato helicopter mistakenly killed four Afghan troops in the east while a Taliban ambush left an official and three other people dead in the country's south.
A Nato spokesman says the incedent took place on Wednesday night.