A round-up of today's other world stories in brief ...
51 die as bus plunges into canal in Egypt
CAIRO - At least 51 people were killed in the central Egyptian province of Minya yesterday when the bus they were travelling in plunged into a canal, state news agency Mena said.
The bus had been carrying about 70 passengers, according to Mena, and security sources said they expected the death toll to rise once divers finished extracting bodies.
One source said the driver, who survived, said he had swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle and drove the bus into the Ibrahimiya Canal, one of the largest irrigation canals in the world, but Mena said the driver had lost control of the bus while attempting to overtake another vehicle. - (Reuters)
Attack on north Uganda rebels
KAMPALA - The governments of Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and southern Sudan yesterday launched a joint military offensive against northern Ugandan rebels in Garamba, eastern Congo, an army spokesman said. - (Reuters)
China and Taiwan tighten links
BEIJING - Political rivals China and Taiwan will begin direct air, sea transport and postal services today for the first time since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949.
China has claimed sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan since 1949 and has vowed to bring the island under mainland rule, by force if necessary. However ties have improved since President Ma Ying-jeou took office earlier this year. - (Reuters)
Zimbabwe unity moves still stalled
HARARE - Zimbabwe has published a draft law to create a unity government but the opposition MDC yesterday vowed to block the change until its demand for equitable power-sharing is met.
President Robert Mugabe and MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai agreed to form a unity government in September, but the deal has stalled over disagreements on control of key ministries.
The state-run Sunday Mail reported that the constitutional amendment bill - creating the office of prime minister for Tsvangirai - had been published on Saturday. The MDC immediately rejected the move, saying it was not consulted. - (Reuters)
Election held in Turkmenistan
ASHGABAT - More than two million Turkmens voted yesterday in a snap parliamentary election touted by the government as a step to democracy but condemned by critics as a sham.
From camel-herding nomads on its sandy border with Iran to the vast gas fields in the east, Turkmenistan's 2.5 million eligible voters started queuing up at polling stations from 8am. - (Reuters)