A round-up of other world news in brief
Obama holds talks on Afghan troops
WASHINGTON – US president Barack Obama convened his war council yesterday, the eighth in a series of such meetings, for talks considered critical to his deliberations on boosting troop levels in the Afghanistan war.
Although the White House insists Mr Obama has yet to decide among the four strategy options he is considering, US officials said there was growing support among his top advisers for deploying 30,000 or more additional troops to Afghanistan. – (Reuters)
Guebuza wins Mozambique poll
MAPUTO – Mozambican president Armando Guebuza won a resounding general election victory, officials said yesterday, with his Frelimo party capturing enough parliamentary seats to change the constitution at will.
Frelimo, in power since it led the country in 1975 to independence from Portugal, won 191 parliamentary seats out of 250. Mr Guebuza beat his rivals, opposition leader Afonso Dhlakama, and the head of a new party, Daviz Simango, capturing 75.46 per cent of the presidential vote. – (Reuters)
Greek cargo ship seized by pirates
MOGADISHU – Somali pirates seized a Greek cargo ship and a Yemeni fishing boat in the latest attacks, demonstrating their ability to evade international naval forces, gunmen and officials said yesterday. One of the pirates, Hassan, told Reuters by phone: “There was brief fighting before we captured it. Three of my friends were injured,” he said, adding that its crew were safe. – (Reuters)
First step in Albania’s EU membership
BRUSSELS – EU states agreed yesterday to proceed with Albania’s application for membership of the European Union, a first step in a long process towards possible membership of the bloc, EU diplomats said.
Ambassadors from the 27 EU states decided at a meeting in Brussels to ask the executive European Commission to prepare an assessment of Albania’s readiness to start membership talks, the diplomats said. – (Reuters)
Tyler says he is not leaving Aerosmith
LOS ANGELES – Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler joined Joe Perry on stage in New York to set the record straight about the future of the feuding rock group.
“New York, I want you to know I’m not leaving Aerosmith,” Tyler told fans in a surprise appearance on Tuesday night at a concert by Perry’s solo side project, music website NME.com reported. – (Reuters)