A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Report to say Iran ignoring nuclear rules
VIENNA -Atomic inspectors are expected to report today that Iran has not only ignored an imminent UN deadline to stop enriching uranium but markedly expanded the programme, exposing Tehran to broader sanctions.
But the UN nuclear watchdog chief says western powers' strategy of making a halt to enrichment a precondition of talks is out of date. He says they should focus on limiting the programme to a level that would pose little risk of yielding atom bombs. - (Reuters)
Toothpaste sales are banned
SANTO DOMINGO -The Dominican Republic has banned the sale of two brands of Chinese toothpaste because they may contain a lethal chemical responsible for mass poisoning deaths in Panama last year.
Nearly 90,000 units of the toothpaste, imported from Panama and sold under the brand names Excel and Mr Cool, have been confiscated by authorities since late last week, the health secretary said yesterday. - (Reuters)
'Active' hurricane season forecast
WASHINGTON -The 2007 Atlantic hurricane season will be more active than normal with 13 to 17 tropical storms, and as many as 10 of them could become hurricanes, the US government's top climate agency predicted yesterday.
Of the seven to 10 hurricanes forecast, three to five will be major ones of category 3 or higher with winds over 110mph (177kmh), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said in its annual forecast. - (Reuters)
Kenya slaughter blamed on sect
NAIROBI -Villagers in central Kenya found heads placed on poles and body parts scattered in bushes in a multiple murder that media blamed yesterday on an outlawed sect linked to extortion.
The sect, called Mungiki, has fought weeks of battles with minibus operators who are resisting demands for protection money from their business, which it is estimated nets more than 90 million Kenya shillings ($1.35 million) a day nationwide. - (Reuters)
Big yellow taxis to go green
NEW YORK -New York City's yellow taxi cabs will go green within five years under a plan that could serve as a model for other large cities, mayor Michael Bloomberg announced yesterday.
He said 1,000 hybrid taxis would be introduced by October 2008, and that hybrids would gradually replace the rest of the city's 13,000 taxi cabs by 2012.
Hybrid vehicles are powered by petrol and electricity, and they emit less exhaust and have better petrol mileage - (Reuters)