Other world stories in brief
Sunnis about to rejoin Iraqi government
BAGHDAD -Iraq's main Sunni Arab bloc is on the verge of rejoining the Shia-led government after many of its key demands were met, a party spokesman said yesterday.
The Accordance Front pulled out of prime minister Nuri al-Maliki's government last August, demanding the release of mainly Sunni Arab detainees in Iraq's jails and calling for a greater say in security matters.
"Many of our demands have been executed . . . sharing of responsibility, the issuance of the amnesty law," said Accordance Front spokesman Salim al-Jubouri, referring to a law passed in February that freed many prisoners. - ( Reuters)
Nigeria arrests two ex-ministers
ABUJA - Nigeria's anti-corruption police arrested two former ministers late on Monday as part of an investigation into how former president Olusegun Obasanjo's government spent $165 million (€104 million) meant to improve airline safety. Mr Obasanjo's administration set up the emergency fund to upgrade Nigeria's aviation infrastructure after a string of air disasters in 2005 and 2006 which killed hundreds.
Experts say many airports in the country are still without effective navigational, surveillance or communication equipment, while the emergency services lack proper search and rescue facilities, raising questions about where the money went.
Nigeria's senate launched an investigation into the spending last month, the latest in a series of investigations into Mr Obasanjo's governance since his successor, Umaru Yar'Adua, took office just over a year ago. - ( Reuters)
New charges for Khodorkovsky
MOSCOW- Russian prosecutors confirmed yesterday they had brought new money laundering and embezzlement charges against Mikhail Khodorkovsky, a jailed oil tycoon who supporters say is the victim of a Kremlin plot.
Many observers view the next steps in the case as a test of new president Dmitry Medvedev's commitment to boosting investor confidence after a legal onslaught on Mr Khodorkovsky and his Yukos oil firm. - (Reuters)
Soldier fired live bullets at show
PARIS- French army chief of staff General Bruno Cuche resigned yesterday after a soldier fired live ammunition instead of blanks at a weekend military show and injured 17 people, the presidential office said.
The incident occurred during a military show by the Third Marine Parachute regiment, which was open to the public in the southern French town of Carcassonne. The soldier has been questioned by police.
The wounded were mostly members of the public who had been watching the soldiers simulate an attack and included a 3-year-old boy who was hit in the heart and in the arm. The condition of the boy had stabilised after doctors performed an operation. - (Reuters)
Lightning kills 3 soccer players
PHNOM PENH- A lightning bolt killed three Cambodian soccer players and put three others in hospital at a match played during a monsoon season thunder-storm, officials said yesterday.
The victims, all in their 20s, were taking part in a tournament organised by the government to introduce the game to youngsters and ultimately to improve the strength of the national side, said Cambodia Soccer Federation president Sao Sokha.
Monday's freak incident prompted a warning to players and coaches not to take to the field with thunderclouds overhead - an almost daily occurrence in the May-October rainy season. - (Reuters)