MOSCOW: Russia's public enemy No 1, the Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev, has claimed responsibility for the Moscow hostage-taking episode and absolved another Chechen rebel leader, Aslan Maskhadov, of involvement in the operation.
In a statement issued on the rebel Kavzak Centre website, Mr Basayev asked "forgiveness from him and my fellow fighters for the fact that I hid the planning and carrying out of this operation from them".
His comments came after the Kremlin accused Mr Maskhadov, who was elected president of Chechnya in 1997 shortly after the republic gained de-facto independence from Russia, of helping plan last week's Moscow theatre attack. (AFP)
49 inmates die in prison inferno
EL JADIDA: Fire ripped through an overcrowded Moroccan prison yesterday, killing at least 49 inmates and injuring 89 people, authorities said.
The cause of the blaze in Sidi Moussa prison, on the northern outskirts of the town of El Jadida, was not immediately known.
Initial reports by the official MAP news agency that an electrical fault might have started the fire were not confirmed. - (Reuters)
Milosevic trial may not be completed
THE HAGUE: Judges trying Mr Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes have voiced concern that the trial might not be completed, after the former Yugoslav president's poor health again forced a delay in the proceedings.
"In the light of the state of health of the accused, the length and the complexity of the case, the chamber is concerned about the best way to ensure the completion of this trial," the presiding judge, Mr Richard May, said.
Mr Milosevic (61) did not appear in court yesterday, complaining of "extreme fatigue and exhaustion", but the case is scheduled to resume on Monday. - (AFP)
New charges for sniper suspects
BATON ROUGE: Two suspects in the Washington-area sniper shootings that left 10 people dead have been charged with murder in Louisiana after being linked by ballistics tests to a killing in Baton Rouge last month.
Mr John Allen Muhammad and Mr John Lee Malvo, already charged in six murders in Maryland where they remain in federal custody, and one in Virginia, were charged with the murder on September 23rd of Ms Hong Im Ballenger (45), who was robbed of her purse and shot to death as she was about to get into her car after work. - (Reuters)
Women candidates lose out in poll
MANAMA: Bahraini women failed to win seats in the Gulf Arab state's parliament after being allowed to take part for the first time in national elections as part of democratic reforms.
Bahrain is a pro-Western kingdom where women play an active social role, but like most other Gulf Arab states politics in the conservative island state remains the domain of men. - (Reuters)
Suspension of Pakistan upheld
LONDON: Commonwealth foreign ministers have upheld Pakistan's suspension from their organisation, saying last month's elections had not completed the transfer of power from military to civilian rule.
Speaking after a meeting in London, they said it was too soon to judge how much control President Pervez Musharraf, whose 1999 bloodless coup triggered Pakistan's suspension from the group, would hand over to parliament. - (Reuters)
Hunt for Bali bombing suspect
SYDNEY: Indonesia has identified one of three suspects in the Bali bombings and begun a manhunt, the chief investigator, Mr Made Mangku Pastika, told Australian media. He said a reliable informant had come forward after the release of sketches of three suspects in the 2th bombings in Kuta that killed 184 people, most of them foreign tourists. - (Reuters)