Other stories from around the world in brief
Turkish court ruling setback to EU hopes
ANKARA - Turkeys top court has dealt a setback to government efforts to meet EU accession requirements by annulling an ombudsman law designed to hold public authorities to account.
The constitutional court said judges had unanimously cancelled the law on Thursday in a court case brought by former president Ahmet Necdet Sezer in 2006.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn expressed regret that implementation of the ombudsman law had been blocked. - (Reuter)
Serbia arrests guerrilla suspects
BELGRADE - Serbia yesterday arrested 10 former Kosovo Albanian guerrilla fighters suspected of involvement in killings and abductions in the former Serbian province of Kosovo in 1999, authorities said.
Interior minister Ivica Dacic said Serbian police searched 17 locations in the southern town of Presevo and arrested 10 ethnic Albanians. - (Reuter)
At least 14 dead in Iraqi jailbreak
BAGHDAD - Three senior Islamist militants escaped from their cells in clashes overnight at a police station in Iraq's western city of Ramadi, which killed at least seven police and seven militants, officials said.
An Interior Ministry official, who requested anonymity, put the death toll among police at 10. - (Reuter)
Apartment gas blast kills 27
SIMFEROPOL - The death toll in a blast that ripped through a five-storey apartment block in southern Ukraine has risen to 27 people, the emergency ministry said yesterday.
The suspected gas explosion on Wednesday flattened all five floors of the block in the Black Sea resort of Yevpatoria, leaving huge piles of rubble. - (Reuter)
Chinese vessels to tackle piracy
BEIJING/TOKYO - Three Chinese naval vessels left for Somalia yesterday to help tackle piracy in a sign of the countrys rising global clout, and Japan said it may soon follow suit.
The destroyers Haikou and Wuhan, two of China's most sophisticated warships, set sail from the southern resort island of Hainan along with a supply vessel. Now Japan is considering sending its ships, too, which could prove a legal and diplomatic headache for Tokyo. - (Reuter)
Polls warning in Bangladesh
DHAKA - Just days before Bangladesh votes in a landmark election, one major contender has warned against vote rigging and urged supporters to guard the polls, raising fear of violence if she loses.
The impoverished south Asian country of more than 140 million people has been ruled for almost two years by an army-backed interim government under a state of emergency.
"A vested quarter is hatching conspiracy to get to power by manipulating the election results," ex-prime minister Begum Khaleda said on Thursday, in an apparent reference to the rival Awami League and the government.- (Reuters)
Iran president's 'Christmas' talk
London- The British government has criticised Channel 4's decision to broadcast an "Alternative Christmas Message" by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office said the broadcaster's decision would cause international offence. A spokeswoman said: "President Ahmadinejad has during his time in office made a series of appalling anti-Semitic statements."
However, the president used the message to express his wish for a peaceful new year and greater spirituality among governments, leaders and society as a whole. - (PA)