World in brief: Red Cross: Terror prisons ‘abusive’
Terror detainees once held in the CIA’s secret prisons were kept and questioned under highly abusive conditions, the International Committee of the Red Cross says in a confidential report based on interviews with high-value terror suspects.
The Red Cross said the techniques reported by the 14 prisoners, including sleep deprivation and the use of forced standing and other so-called “stress positions,” were particularly harsh when used together. The prisoners were transferred from CIA custody to a military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in September.
The report is the first independent accounting of the detainees’ allegations against the CIA since its detention and interrogation program began in 2002.
U.S. officials familiar with the report, who spoke only on condition of anonymity because the highly sensitive document has not been released, said it is based entirely on accounts from interviews with detainees and has not been verified. One official cautioned that the claims were made by terror suspects who could be charged in the deaths of innocent civilians.
Nassau, Bahamas
Judge orders DNA test in Smith case
A Bahamian judge ordered a DNA test Tuesday on Anna Nicole Smith’s infant daughter to identify the girl’s father, an attorney for the baby’s grandmother said, in what could signal an end to a bitter custody feud sparked by the death of the former reality TV star last month.
Larry Birkhead, an ex-boyfriend of the Playboy playmate who asked the judge to order the test on 6-month-old Dannielynn, pumped his fists in the air and jumped up and down as he emerged from the private court hearing.
Smith’s most recent companion Howard K. Stern, who is listed as the father on the girl’s birth certificate, left the courthouse in a black sport utility vehicle as Birkhead greeted a crowd of cheering tourists.
Smith, 39, died Feb. 8 after collapsing in a Florida hotel. Authorities have not disclosed the cause.
Tel Aviv, Israel
Hooters franchise to open this year
Hooters, the restaurant chain known for its tasty wings and scantily clad servers, is heading to Israel.
Atlanta-based Hooters of America Inc. said in a statement that it has reached a franchise deal with Ilana and Ofer Ahiraz to open the first Hooters restaurant this year in Tel Aviv.
The franchisees are from Israel. Eventually, other parts of the country may be considered for locations, but there have been no formal decisions about where, Hooters spokesman Mike McNeil said Tuesday.
“For the most part, it will be identical to what you’re going to see in the United States – the same uniform for the girls, chicken wings and burgers,” he said.