Today's other stories in brief
Police fire at survivors of cyclone
SIBI - Pakistani police fired tear gas yesterday to break up a protest by angry cyclone survivors as rescuers struggled to reach communities cut off by floods affecting 900,000 people. In India, tens of thousands of people fled an approaching storm. The onset of the rainy season has brought severe weather to much of south Asia, killing more than 500 people in storms and floods in Afghanistan, India and Pakistan over the past week.
- (Reuters)
Israeli troops kill Fatah militant
NABLUS - Israeli troops killed a Palestinian militant from President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah movement yesterday on the second day of a large-scale military raid targeting armed loyalists of the Western-backed leader. Meanwhile, Lebanese troops fired at a protest by Palestinians demanding to return to a besieged refugee camp in north Lebanon yesterday, killing two protesters. - (Reuters)
Surprise visit to Kabul by UN chief
KABUL - UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon made a surprise visit to Kabul yesterday to hold talks with its president, Hamid Karzai, ahead of a conference in Rome next week that will seek ways to improve law and order in Afghanistan. The meeting took place amid heavy security at the presidential palace. -
(Reuters)
Norway moves to stop circumcision
OSLO - Norway took steps yesterday to crack down on circumcision of girls by barring families from travelling abroad if officials suspect they plan to have the procedure done. The move followed reports that at least 185 girls - daughter of immigrants - had their genitals cut in one village in Somalia. - (Reuters)