A roundup of today's other stories in brief.
Edinburgh on alert after raw sewage spill
LONDON -Environment officials in the UK yesterday launched an emergency operation to protect public safety after more than 170,000 tonnes of raw sewage were discharged into the Firth of Forth when a pump broke down.
Edinburgh city council put up signs urging people not to bathe in the water and to wash their hands thoroughly after visiting the shores of the estuary. - (Guardian service)
Low turnout for Syrian election
DAMASCUS -Syrians voted yesterday in a tightly controlled election certain to maintain the ruling Baath Party's domination of parliament. Turnout was low, candidates said. The government extended voting until today.
The assembly, called the Council of the People, is elected every four years and has little say over policy. Syria has been under emergency law for four decades and no opposition - (Reuters)
Rally in support of Romanian leader
BUCHAREST -Several thousand Romanians rallied in front of parliament in Bucharest yesterday to protest against the suspension of President Traian Basescu. Lawmakers suspended Mr Basescu, Romania's most trusted politician, on Thursday on charges of overstepping his powers. - (Reuters)
Eight Ethiopians freed in Eritrea
ADDIS ABABA -Ethiopia said yesterday that eight of its nationals kidnapped last month with a group of European travellers in a remote northern desert region had been released in neighbouring Eritrea. The eight had been held for 40 days. - (Reuters)
Bombs kill 11 in Afghanistan
KHOST -At least 11 people were killed and 10 wounded in a suicide blast and two separate bomb explosions in Afghanistan yesterday.
The first blast occurred in a mobile telephone shop in a crowded market in the southeastern town of Khost.
An hour later a suicide bomber blew himself up after being chased by police, just metres from the previous explosion. A roadside bomb exploded later in the day in Laghman, killing four officials. - (Reuters)
Spain warns of al-Qaeda threat
MADRID -Spain's security service has warned the government that Spain and France are most in danger of being attacked by a north African wing of al-Qaeda and that the group is active in Spain, El Pais reported yesterday.
Quoting recent reports from intelligence service CNI, the newspaper said members of the newly named al-Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb were working in Spain to raise money and recruit fighters to send to Iraq and training camps in Africa. - (Reuters)
Pesticides linked to Parkinson's
WASHINGTON -Evidence that pesticides can cause Parkinson's disease is stronger than it has ever been, scientists say.
One study shows that farm workers who used the common weedkiller paraquat had two to three times the normal risk of Parkinson's. A second study shows that animals exposed to paraquat have a build-up of a protein that has been linked to Parkinson's in the past. - (Reuters)