A roundup of today's other world stories in brief:
French police accused in riots report
PARIS -A French police report has confirmed that officers chased a group of youths in a poor suburb of Paris last year, leading to the deaths of two of them and sparking weeks of rioting.
The report by the Inspection Génèrale des Services, the police watchdog, was leaked to Le Monde yesterday. It concluded officers chased the youths and had shown "surprising irresponsibility and carelessness".
In October 2005 three teenagers in the suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois fled police before taking refuge in an electricity sub-station, where two of them were electrocuted.
- (Reuters)
Polish opposition offers budget deal
WARSAW- Poland's biggest opposition party will offer to back the government's 2007 budget draft and other key legislation in return for a promise of early elections.
The move by centre-right Civic Platform comes as Poland's conservative-led three-party coalition, which nearly collapsed in September, is dogged by a sex scandal that engulfed one of its parties, the left-wing populist Self-Defence.
- (Reuters)
At least 17 die in Bulgaria bus crash
SOFIA -At least 17 people were killed and 10 hurt yesterday when a bus collided with a truck and plunged into a river in northern Bulgaria.
The city bus was taking passengers to a railway station near Byala, about 300km north of Sofia, in dense fog when the truck slammed into it, officials said.
- (Reuters)
New York City sues gun dealers
NEW YORK -New York City sued 12 more out-of- state gun dealers in federal court yesterday for what officials called a pattern of illegally selling guns that end up used for crimes in the city.
The dealers come from Pennsylvania, Georgia, Ohio, South Carolina and Virginia - the same states that were home to 15 dealers sued by the city in May. More than 300 New Yorkers were killed by illegal guns last year.
- (Reuters)
Rise in number of journalists jailed
NEW YORK -The number of journalists jailed worldwide for their work rose for the second year, with internet bloggers and online reporters now one- third of those incarcerated, a US-based media watchdog said yesterday.
- (Reuters)
'Merry Christmas' not offensive in US
DALLAS -A vast majority of Americans surveyed - 95 per cent - say they are not offended by a "Merry Christmas" greeting in stores, a poll by Zogby International found. However, 32 per cent take offence at "Happy Holidays".
- (Reuters)