Harare  - Expectations that decades of violent repression meted out by President Robert Mugabe's henchmen would end with the creation of the new coalition government have been bitterly disappointed, a leading local human-rights body said Thursday.

Instead, "not much has changed yet" to the "almost inherent Zimbabwean culture of political victimization and discrimination," said the Zimbabwe Human Rights NGO forum in its latest report.

Prague  - Czech President Vaclav Klaus said Thursday he preferred to find a quick but lasting solution to the political crisis, rather than keep outgoing Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek in a caretaker role until the end of Prague's stint as president of the European Union.

"I will not allow a lack of a solution ... such as maintaining the current, provisional state ... until the end of our presidency," Klaus said after accepting Topolanek's cabinet resignations earlier in the day.

Tel Aviv - Israel has successfully tested a new rocket defence system, designed to protect its citizens against attacks from the Gaza Strip and Lebanon, media reports said Thursday.

The system, named "Iron Dome," could be operational within a year, a statement from the Defence Ministry said.

The government had budgeted in February 2008 for the rocket defence system, which is to be primarily deployed in the western Negev desert region to protect the town of Sderot bordering on the Gaza Strip.

Mosul, Iraq  - In the second such killing in as many days, police on Thursday said they had found the body of another member of the minority Yezidi sect murdered near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

Police said the man had been shot in the head and in the chest, and that his body was found in the Bashiqa district east of Mosul, where Iraqi and US forces have recently ramped up their campaign to break insurgent groups responsible for deadly, and near-daily, attacks in and near the city.

Washington  - US President Barack Obama's attempts to sell his economic proposals to the public took a 21st century twist on Thursday as he held an online townhall forum from the White House.

Obama has taken to the airwaves with television interviews and press conferences in recent days, but Thursday's format allows the admitted technology buff a chance to interact live with more people.

Jerusalem - Citing lack of evidence, Israeli police said Thursday they were closing a corruption investigation against outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, under which he was alleged to have bought a house at a significant discount in return for extending favours to the contractor.

The premier however faces indictment on three other corruption allegations.