A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
Somali pirates kill sailor after hijack
MOGADISHU – A man was shot dead yesterday after he refused to disembark from a yacht in the Indian Ocean that was hijacked by Somali pirates last week, pirates and residents have said.
The man was killed in Barawe town by pirates who had taken him hostage and wanted him to go onshore from his yacht in which he was sailing with others, including a woman and a boy. – (Reuters)
Ruling Greek party ahead in elections
ATHENS – Greece’s ruling Pasok socialist party was ahead in most regions in crucial local elections yesterday, an official estimate showed, in a boost for prime minister George Papandreou as he seeks support for austerity plans.
Mr Papandreou had threatened to dissolve parliament if the first round of the regional elections failed to give him a clear mandate to pursue budget cuts and reforms. – (Reuters)
Search for Qantas jet part continues
SYDNEY – Investigators of last week’s engine explosion on a Qantas superjumbo flying over Indonesia said they are looking for a missing piece of the plane’s engine.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau that is leading the investigation yesterday released a photograph of part of the engine’s turbine and said it was looking for a similar piece. – (AP)
China to back Portugal’s fiscal crisis plan
LISBON – President Hu Jintao said yesterday China will back Portugal’s efforts to deal with fallout from the world financial crisis, but stopped short of promising to buy Portuguese bonds as the debt-ridden country had hoped.
Last month, premier Wen Jiabao promised to buy Greek government bonds when Athens returns to markets, in a show of support for the country whose debt burden pushed the euro zone into crisis.
Portugal, which unlike Greece still sells bonds on financial markets although at high cost, had hoped for a similar promise as it is trying to soothe investors’ concerns about its ability to slash a high budget deficit and rein in ballooning debt. – (Reuters)