World News: Gaddafi 'supplies troops with Viagra to rape his opponents'

LIBYA dictator Muammar Gaddafi has told his troops to rape female opponents - with evidence existing of the regime acquiring Viagra-type drugs to assist them.

The allegations come from International Criminal Court investigators who say they have evidence linking the leader to the policy and may bring charges on the issue.

ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo requested arrest warrants on May 16 against Gaddafi, his son Saif al-Islam and the country's spy chief on charges of crimes against humanity committed in their bid to crush the country's rebellion.

The allegation of troops raping female opponents is not new but evidence linking Gaddafi to the policy is.

Mr Moreno-Ocampo previously said the question was whether he could be associated with the rapes "or is it something that happened in the barracks?".

He said that evidence had emerged of Gaddafi authorising the crimes "and this is new".

He went on: "It never was the pattern he used to control the population. The rape is a new aspect of the repression.

"Apparently, he decided to punish using rapes."

'Community seeks to destroy US'

OSAMA bin Laden's deputy has warned that America faces not individual terrorists or groups but an international community of Muslims that seek to destroy it and its allies. Ayman al-Zawahri, al Qaida's No 2, was delivering a 28-minute videotaped eulogy to bin Laden.

Syrian regime condemned

EUROPEAN nations seeking to increase pressure on Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime have presented a revised resolution to the United Nations condemning the country's government for its crackdown on peaceful protesters.

Britain, France, Germany and Portugal introduced the new text as Syrian troops and tanks made their way to the northern part of the country where soldiers have reportedly joined an anti-government uprising.

Cucumbers under suspicion again

Authorities investigating an E.coli outbreak suspect cucumbers as the possible cause of a new case in Eastern Germany.

Investigators blamed cucumbers from Spain for the deadly outbreak before ruling them out. Sprouts were then blamed but none that were tested turned out to be contaminated.

Blair backs Europe leader

EUROPE should have a properly elected president and be ready to unify in a bid to compete with China, according to former Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Mr Blair believes Britain could only benefit and that a president would enjoy a massive mandate to lead the continent.

Gunmen kill nine in attack at wedding

Afghanistan: Gunmen have killed nine people in an attack on a wedding party in eastern Afghanistan. A spokesman for the eastern Nangarhar province said the attack happened in the remote Dur Baba district.

Chile: Scientists say the eruption at Chile's Cordon Caulle volcano has diminished, although they warn that ash is likely to keep spewing out for several more days, grounding some planes and causing problems for cattle farmers.