A round-up of today's other world news in brief
Cairo bomb kills one and injures 20
CAIRO – The Egyptian health ministry said yesterday a bomb attack in a tourist area of Cairo had killed one French tourist and wounded 20 other people.
The explosion struck near the historic Khan el-Khalili market in eastern Cairo, where tourists shop for trinkets and sit at outdoor coffee shops. The ministery said 13 French, three Saudis, and four Egyptians were amongl the wounded. – (Reuters)
Islamists kill 11 peacekeepers
MOGADISHU – Islamist insurgents killed 11 African Union peacekeepers, all from Burundi, in Somalia’s capital Mogadishu yesterday in the deadliest attack on the 3,500-strong force.
The African Union said a compound housing troops from Burundi had been targeted by mortar bombs. – (Reuters)
Study links child abuse to suicide
WASHINGTON – Researchers who looked at the brains of suicide victims said yesterday their findings have helped support theories that childhood abuse can alter the genes and cause lifelong damage.
They found clear changes in the brains of people who were abused as children and who committed suicide in comparison to the brains of people who were not abused and who died in accidents or suicide. – (Reuters)
Netanyahu vows to help peace bid
JERUSALEM – Israel’s hawkish Benjamin Netanyahu pledged yesterday to co-operate with the US on Middle East peace.
Mr Netanyahu, leader of the right-wing Likud party, was chosen by President Shimon Peres to try to form a governing coalition. He and Tzipi Livni of the centrist Kadima party met yesterday for the first time since the election to talk about a future government. Mr Netanyahu has vowed to persuade Ms Livni to join a "national unity" government. While Ms Livni did not rule out negotiating a unity government she told party loyalists before the talks that joining 65 rightists who back Mr Netanyahu risked "betraying the confidence of voters". – (Reuters)
Taliban kidnap regional leader
MINGORA, Pakistan – Taliban militants kidnapped the top government administrator and six of his guards in Pakistan’s northwestern Swat valley yesterday, officials said, dealing a blow to efforts to restore peace.
Authorities in North West Frontier Province announced plans to give people weapons for self-defence after a deal with a leading cleric of Swat, Maulana Sufi Mohammad, to restore Islamic laws in the hope that he would persuade the militants to give up fighting. – (Reuters)
Somali pirates seize Greek ship
ATHENS – Pirates seized a Greek-owned cargo ship off the coast of Somalia yesterday, Greece's merchant marine ministry said. "Pirates seized the Maltese-flagged cargo ship Saldanha, with 22 crew, off Somalia," the ministry said. It said the vessel, loaded with coal, was sailing to Slovenia. – (Reuters)
New leader for Italian party
ROME – centre-left opposition elected a new leader to replace Walter Veltroni on Saturday after a regional election defeat to prime minister Silvio Berlusconi’s party prompted him to step down.
Dario Franceschini (50), who had been Mr Veltroni's second-in-command, takes over as head of the Democratic Party at a time when the opposition bloc is in tatters and Mr Berlusconi retains a firm grip on power despite a recession . – (Reuters)