A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Barroso admits constitution off the agenda|
BRUSSELS - The president of the European Commission, giving up all hope of an EU constitution for two or three years, yesterday urged the Union's members to make the most of current European laws and treaties.
José Manuel Barroso, emerging from a gathering of the commission to plot the way forward following French and Dutch rejection of the charter, told reporters yesterday: "In all probability, at least for the next two or three years, we will not have a constitution."
He urged member states to stave off institutional apathy and focus on practical progress instead. - (AP)
UN asks Swedish PM to lead reform
STOCKHOLM - Swedish prime minister Goran Persson has said that UN secretary general Kofi Annan has asked him to set up a network of leaders to champion reform of the world body following last week's summit in New York.
Mr Persson told reporters yesterday that he had invited leaders from Argentina, Britain, Canada, Egypt, Gabon, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey and Ukraine to take part. - (Reuters)
Jury visits scene of cockling deaths
LIVERPOOL - The jury trying five people in connection with the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster yesterday visited the scene of the tragedy.
Jurors were taken across the Lancashire sands by hovercraft to the place where at least 21 Chinese cockle pickers drowned in treacherous weather on February 5th last year. - (PA)
Police investigate Moss drug claims
LONDON- British police are to investigate newspaper reports that supermodel Kate Moss (31) took illegal drugs, Scotland Yard has said.The inquiry comes after the Daily Mirror newspaper printed pictures of the model the British tabloid said showed her snorting cocaine. H&M, Burberry and Chanel have all dropped the supermodel. - (PA)
Koizumi reaffirms reform scheme
TOKYO - Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi has vowed to press on with reforms including privatisation of the postal system, as he marked his formal reappointment to the post yesterday.
Mr Koizumi's Liberal Democratic Party won a commanding 296 seats out of 480 in the September 11th lower house election, called after upper house party rebels voted with the opposition to kill his postal reform Bills. - (Reuters)