A roundup of today's other world stories in brief:
Chinese alarm over warming plateau
BEIJING -Chinese scientists have warned that rising temperatures on the Qinghai- Tibet plateau will melt glaciers, dry up major Chinese rivers and trigger droughts, sandstorms and desertification, according to state media reports.
Last month temperatures across China were an average 1.4°warmer than usual, while the temperature on the plateau was 2.7° higher than normal years, Xinhua news agency said.
- (Reuters)
UK 'green' air tax introduced
LONDON -The cost of flying from UK airports has risen after the chancellor, Gordon Brown, imposed controversially imposed increases in "green" air passenger duty.
Mr Brown in December said it was designed to combat global warming, but airlines describe it as just another way of raising government revenue.
Castro studying climate change
HAVANA -Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, on a one-day visit to the Cuban capital yesterday, said the health of ailing leader Fidel Castro had visibly improved and he was walking around and studying. He said Dr Castro has taken to studying climate change and he sent him a book on the topic.
"He is doing a master's degree on climate change, I think he knows more than all the scientists."
- (PA)
Gore proposed for Nobel Peace Prize
OSLO -Two Norwegian parliamentarians have nominated former US vice- president Al Gore for the Nobel Peace Prize for raising awareness of climate change.
Mr Gore last year starred in his own documentary film An Inconvenient Truth to argue for immediate action on the problem.
- (Reuters)
US passes arms, trucks to Afghan army
KABUL -The United States has handed over thousands of weapons and hundreds of vehicles to Afghanistan's fledgling national army as part of its strategy to boost local security forces in the fight against the Taliban.
Afghan president Hamid Karzai attended yesterday's handover in Kabul of 800 multipurpose vehicles and trucks, and 12,000 heavy and light arms.
- (Reuters)
Doctor cleared over assisted death
ROME -An Italian doctor who switched off the life support of a paralysed man at the centre of a battle over euthanasia has been cleared of wrongdoing on Thursday by a medical panel, in what he called a victory for patients' rights.
Anaesthetist Mario Riccio granted Piergiorgio Welby his wish to die in December, after a battle with muscular dystrophy that Mr Welby had described as torture.
- (Reuters)
Rockets fired on Somali capital
MOGADISHU -Mortar bombs and rockets struck parts of Somalia's capital Mogadishu yesterday, killing at least three people, witnesses said.
"They [mortar bombs and rockets] are being fired towards the sea port," one witness said.
- (Reuters)
Two charged over Boston scare
BOSTON -Authorities have charged two men with planting battery-powered advertising signs for an animated cartoon that were mistaken for bombs and caused Boston's biggest security scare since the September 11th attacks.
Investigators were yesterday also looking into the role of US media group Turner Broadcasting, which has apologised for Wednesday's day-long security scare triggered by a "guerrilla" marketing campaign for one of its cartoon shows.
- (Reuters)
Geldof to launch peace channel
LONDON -Bob Geldof is launching a channel aimed at promoting world peace.
The anti-poverty campaigner is getting involved in the development of the online channel, said Broadcastmagazine.
- (PA)
Woman kept her swans indoors
STOCKHOLM -An elderly Swedish woman has taken animal protection too far by sheltering 11 full-grown swans in her small, city centre apartment.
"It is a real feat to be able to transport 11 large swans, which are not known to be the most serene of animals," a police department official said.
- (Reuters)
Eighth charged over Dink murder
ISTANBUL -Turkey has charged an eighth man over the murder of Turkish- Armenian editor Hrant Dink, the state Anatolian news agency said.
- (Reuters)