A roundup of today's other world stories in brief:
French strike appears near to an end
PARIS- A nine-day transport strike that has crippled the French rail network appeared to be drawing to a close yesterday, as many local union committees voted to suspend their stoppage and give negotiations a chance.
Both the nationwide railways and the Paris local transport network put more trains, metros and buses into service during the day as an increasing number of staff returned to work following a resumption of talks over pension reform.
- (Reuters)
Polls put Putin's party way in front
MOSCOW- President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party will get an overwhelming majority in next month's parliamentary election and three other parties will also win seats, according to poll forecasts released yesterday.
FOM said United Russia would get 62 per cent of the vote, the Communist party would get 12 per cent, nationalist LDPR would get 9 per cent and the pro- Kremlin Fair Russia would get 7 per cent.
- (Reuters)
Chavez mediation with rebels ended
BOGOTA- Colombia abruptly ended President Hugo Chavez's mediation with rebels over releasing top hostages, accusing the outspoken Venezuelan of bypassing President Alvaro Uribe by talking directly to a general. Venezuela expressed disappointment at the move.
The break-off is a blow to Mr Chavez, who had worked for weeks to try and talk to Farc guerrillas over freeing a French-Colombian politician and three US defence contractors held for years in jungle camps.
- (Reuters)
Saudis form 40% of Iraq insurgents
BAGHDAD- More than 40 per cent of the foreign fighters who entered Iraq to join the insurgency in the past year were citizens of Saudi Arabia, America's key partner in the Middle East, according to detailed information seized from a camp used by them.
Documents and computers found by the US army at Sinjar, on the Iraqi- Syrian border, revealed that the other single largest group came from Libya, which is now being rehabilitated as a reliable western ally.
- (Guardian service)
French ballet choreographer dies
GENEVA- French choreographer Maurice Bejart, considered one of the great figures in contemporary ballet, died yesterday in a Swiss hospital at the age of 80, a spokeswoman for Bejart Ballet Lausanne said.
Bejart, a former dancer, had been in and out of hospital in recent months, suffering from exhaustion as well as kidney and heart problems.
- (Reuters)
65 migrants from Somalia drown
ADEN- Sixty-five people, including three children, drowned in the Gulf of Aden while trying to cross from Somalia to Yemen, official Yemeni media said yesterday. About 15 others swam to safety after a vessel carrying the migrants sank close to the southeast coast, said the Saba news agency.
The survivors were Somali nationals.
- (Reuters)