A round-up of today's other world news stories in brief
'Deplorable' violence erupts at mosque
CORDOBA – A confrontation between Muslim tourists and guards employed by the Catholic bishop at the famous Cordoba mosque saw two people arrested and two guards injured on Wednesday night.
Trouble broke out when the visitors knelt to pray in the building, a former mosque turned into a Christian cathedral in the 13th century.
Half a dozen members of a group of more than 100 Muslims from Austria had started praying when security guards ordered them to stop.
“They provoked in a pre-planned fashion what was a deplorable episode of violence,” the bishop’s office said. – (Guardian service)
Rail strike stopped after court ruling
LONDON – A British judge blocked a stoppage planned for next week by railway signallers yesterday, effectively halting Britain’s first national rail strike in 16 years.
The strike, over job cuts and changes to working conditions, had been expected to cause widespread disruption on the rail network as millions of commuters returned to work after the holidays. – (Reuters)
Guinea Bissau PM held by military
BISSAU – Soldiers briefly held Guinea Bissau’s prime minister yesterday and ousted the army chief in the latest bout of disorder to hit a country that is a major drugs trafficking hub to Europe.
President Malam Bacai Sanha declared the situation under control but questions over Guinea Bissau’s leadership remained after the same group of soldiers teamed up with the chief suspect in a failed 2008 coup against Mr Sanha’s late predecessor. – (Reuters)
Merkel ratings hit four-year low
BERLIN – Chancellor Angela Merkel’s popularity plunged to a four-year low, despite her widely applauded resistance to a Greek bailout, as infighting eroded support for her government, a poll found yesterday.
The voter survey for ARD television showed her personal popularity down seven percentage points in the last month to 55 per cent, the German leader’s lowest level since November 2006. – (Reuters)