A roundup of today's other stories in brief.
Growing calls for free vote on embryo Bill
LONDON -Britain's government is confident it can push through legislation allowing human-animal embryo research, as calls for a free vote on the sensitive Bill grow, health secretary Alan Johnson told Sky News yesterday.
A number of leading Roman Catholic clergymen, including Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, want British prime minister Gordon Brown to give MPs a free vote on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, as does former trade and industry secretary Stephen Byers.
"I'm convinced the House of Commons will carry this Bill," Mr Johnson told Sky News.
"There will not be a cabinet split, but there will be an accommodation for those who have a particular sensitivity around this, including those whose sensitivity relates to the faith."
There are three Catholics in Mr Brown's cabinet - Welsh secretary Paul Murphy, transport secretary Ruth Kelly and defence secretary Des Browne - with one of them reportedly ready to resign over the proposed law. - (Reuters)
Deluge in Sri Lanka kills eight
COLOMBO -Heavy rains in Sri Lanka have killed eight people and affected more than 340,000 others while restricting military gains over rebels in the country's worsening civil war, the military said yesterday.
Unusually heavy torrential rains have caused widespread flooding and landslides in eastern agricultural and rice-growing areas, as well as in the north, where the military has launched a fresh offensive against Tamil Tiger rebels.
Disaster relief services minister Ameer Ali told local media that food rations would be distributed to tens of thousands of families in the worst affected "food bowl" province of Ampara and other areas.
Flooding and mass displacement of people are common in Sri Lanka, but northeast monsoon rains usually start in May.
Flooding had also hit more than 41,000 people in the conflict-torn northeastern district of Mannar, where fighting is continuing between the Tigers and government forces after a truce in the country's 25-year civil war ended in January .- (Reuters)
Serb PM accuses Nato over riot
BELGRADE -Serbian prime minister Vojislav Kostunica yesterday accused Nato peacekeepers and United Nations police of using "snipers and banned ammunition" to quell a Serb riot against Kosovo's independence.
"It was the international forces," he told the daily Vecernje Novosti in an interview, referring to a riot in the Kosovo Serb stronghold of Mitrovica last Monday in which a Ukrainian UN policeman was killed and a Serb badly wounded in the head.
"Obviously, the situation in Kosovo is very difficult and there are reasonable and unreasonable people.
"The battle is on for the whole of Kosovo," Mr Kostunica said.
The UN and Nato say the violence was instigated by Belgrade. They say Serbs threw grenades and petrol bombs and fired automatic weapons in an attempt to kill. - (Reuters)
Gregorian monks sign record deal
LONDON -A group of Gregorian chanting monks are on the cusp of international fame, after being signed by one of the world's biggest music labels.
The Abbey of the Holy Cross monks, whose heavenly notes are enjoyed by Pope Benedict, have signed with London-based Universal Records, the company said yesterday.
The record giant, home to international artists including Amy Winehouse, Bryan Adams and Eminem, will produce the Austrian-based choir's album, which is due for worldwide distribution later this year.
The company discovered the choir, from the world's second oldest Cistercian monastery and based 15km (10 miles) west of the capital Vienna, after they responded via YouTube to advertisements calling for medieval chanters.
They beat more than 100 other entries that had flooded in from monasteries all over the world. - (Reuters)