A round up of today's other world news in brief
28 Indonesian miners killed in explosion
SAWAHLUNTO – A coal-mine explosion in Indonesia's Sumatra island has killed 28 miners and 12 others are missing, officials said yesterday.
The explosion, which occurred on Tuesday, may have been caused by a build-up of methane gas in the mine in Parambahan, West Sumatra.
The miners had been trapped underground for about 30 hours yesterday.
Rustam Pakaya, the head of the Indonesian health ministry’s disaster centre, wrote in a text message that 28 had been confirmed dead, eight were still in hospital, one had been discharged and 12 were missing. – (Reuters)
Minister sorry for insulting Arabs
JERUSALEM – An Israeli cabinet minister apologised yesterday after being caught by television cameras using a derogatory term for Arabs.
The remark by Israeli internal security minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch of the ultranationalist Yisrael Beitenu Party during a meeting with police officers in Tel Aviv was broadcast by Israeli television and radio stations on Tuesday.
Mr Aharonovitch, responding to an undercover police agent who apologised for his dirty clothes, said with a laugh: “What do you mean dirty? You look like a real Araboosh”, a derogatory term for an Arab in Hebrew slang.
“This remark is too racist, and very, very undesirable and incorrect for the current diplomatic climate,” Afou Agbaria, an Israeli Arab lawmaker, said in response, speaking on Army Radio.
In a statement, Mr Aharonovitch said: “This remark does not reflect my positions or world view and I apologise to anyone who was insulted.” – (Reuters)
Searches made for racial balance
LONDON – Police are selecting people to stop and search under controversial anti-terrorism laws purely to create a racial balance in official figures, according to the UK government’s terrorism laws watchdog.
Lord Carlile said he also had evidence that officers were stopping individuals under the so-called section 44 legislation where there was “not the slightest possibility of him/her being a terrorist”.
Police in the past have been accused of excessively targeting black and Asian people for search under anti-terrorism powers.
Lord Carlile said the search powers should be used far less and their overuse was damaging community relations. – (Reuters)
Fourth Ukrainian minister resigns
KIEV – Ukraine’s transport minister resigned yesterday, the fourth minister to leave the cabinet this year, after accusing Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko of blocking funds for the Euro 2012 football championship.
Yosip Vinsky, who rivals say may challenge Ms Tymoshenko in a presidential election expected early next year, said the government was not doing enough to prepare for Europe’s top international football competition. Ms Tymoshenko denied the accusation and said Mr Vinsky had planned large-scale misuse of public funds. – (Reuters)