A roundup of today's other stories in brief.
Eight die in Afghanistan 'copter crash
KABUL -Eight US forces personnel were killed and 14 injured when a military helicopter crashed early yesterday in southeastern Afghanistan. Engine failure is thought to be to blame.
Officials immediately ruled out enemy fire as a cause of the crash, which left charred wreckage of the twin-rotor Chinook scattered on a plain in Zabul province. - (Reuters)
St Petersburg bomb injures five
ST PETERSBURG -An explosion caused by a suspected bomb in a McDonald's restaurant in Russia's second city of St Petersburg yesterday injured at least six people, officials said.
A police spokesman said there had been an explosion in the restaurant on Nevsky Prospect, the city's main thoroughfare, and that six people had been wounded. - (Reuters)
Royal still behind in French polls
PARIS -French Socialist presidential candidate Ségolène Royal will reorganise her campaign team this week to gain ground on conservative candidate Nicolas Sarkozy, who leads her in opinion polls, an aide said yesterday. A new poll by the TNS Sofres institute indicated Sarkozy getting 55 per cent in the second round of voting, ahead of Royal with 45 per cent. - (Reuters)
Teargas fired after Zimbabwean riot
HARARE -Zimbabwean riot squads fired teargas and water cannon to drive stone-throwing protesters off the streets of Harare yesterday after preventing the main opposition party from holding a major rally.
The Movement for Democratic Change said police had arrested more than 120 of its members while blocking the rally, which some government officials said was to mark the start of a foreign-backed challenge to its authority at a time of deepening economic crisis. - (Reuters)
Chinese film is Berlin winner
Tuya's Marriage, a Chinese drama set in Inner Mongolia won the golden bear, the top prize, at the Berlin Film Festival on Saturday, writes Derek Scally.
Germany's Nina Hoss won the best actress silver bear award for her role in the film Yella, while best actor was Argentina's Julio Chaves in The Other. A special prize for artistic contribution went to Robert De Niro's CIA drama The Good Shepherd.
Iranians shut down website
TEHRAN -An Iranian website fiercely critical of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been shut down in an apparent fresh crackdown on anti- government dissent on the internet.
Baztab, a fundamentalist site which has previously accused Mr Ahmadinejad of betraying the Islamic revolution by attending a female dance show, has been closed for acting against the constitution and undermin- ing national unity. - (Guardian service)
Germany rebukes US over base
BERLIN -German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier criticised the US yesterday in a rare public rebuke for failing to inform Russia of an offer to build an anti-missile base on Polish soil.
In an interview to appear in today's Handelsblatt daily, Mr Steinmeier said it was vital to keep all partners fully informed due to the sensitive nature of the project. - (Reuters)
Car explodes killing four people
MOGADISHU -A car exploded in Mogadishu yesterday killing its four occupants, and assailants shot dead a Somali government soldier, witnesses said, in the latest violence in the city hit by almost daily attacks. - (Reuters)