took precedence over
the right of military families to privacy. From Washington, Jonny Dymond reports.
The Westboro Baptist Church is one of the most controversial non-violent groups in the US. For years now, members have demonstrated at the funerals of those who have fallen in Iraq and Afghanistan, loudly
proclaim
ing that the deaths are because the US tolerates homosexuality. The father of a marine who was killed in Iraq in 2006 sued the church, but the Supreme Court has ruled
overwhelmingly
that the activities of the church are protected by the constitution. The ruling will disappoint many Americans disgusted by the church's activities.
The commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, General David Petraeus, has issued a personal apology for the killing of nine young boys in Kunar province on Tuesday. Local Afghan officials say the boys, aged 12 or younger, had been gathering firewood when helicopter gunships attacked them with rockets. Nato says there was a mistake in
relay
ing information about the position of presumed militants who were firing at a Nato base.
French prosecutors say the fashion designer sacked by Christian Dior, John Galliano, is to stand trial for allegedly using racial insults during a confrontation in a Paris bar. He's denied the accusations, saying he was attacked with a chair by someone who didn't like the way he looked. The designer has apologised for causing offence.