A round-up of today's other world news in brief ...
Turkish air strikes killed 10 militants
ISTANBUL – Turkish air strikes against suspected Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) bases in northern Iraq last week killed 10 suspected militants, the state-run Anatolian news agency said yesterday.
The strikes in Iraq’s Zap and Avasin-Basyan regions also destroyed a number of PKK weapon stores and camps, Anatolian reported.
The air strikes occurred on April 29th after nine Turkish soldiers were killed in a bomb explosion in southeastern Turkey, the deadliest attack since October. –(Reuters)
Russia fury over Nato exercises
TBILISI – Nato started military exercises in Georgia yesterday that have angered neighbouring Russia, which fought a brief war with the former Soviet state last year.
Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili meanwhile accused Russia of trying to foment a coup after a local tank battalion mutinied against his government on Tuesday. –(Reuters)
Lutsenko held on drunk charge
BERLIN – Ukrainian interior minister Yuri Lutsenko was detained by police at Frankfurt airport and prevented from boarding his flight because of drunken and disorderly conduct, police said yesterday.
In Kiev, Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko ordered an investigation into the incident on Monday involving Mr Lutsenko, one of the leading figures in the 2004 “Orange Revolution” that swept pro-Western leaders to power. –(Reuters)
Not guilty plea by Mumbai gunman
MUMBAI – The man accused of being the lone surviving gunman from last November’s Mumbai attack pleaded not guilty yesterday to 86 charges against him, including murder and waging war against India, lawyers said.
Mohammed Ajmal Kasab was charged with being directly involved in seven cases that caused the deaths of 72 people and being a co-conspirator in the deaths of all 166 people killed. –(Reuters)
Starr appointed UN security chief
UNITED NATIONS – UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon yesterday appointed long-serving US diplomatic security official Gregory Starr as head of global security and safety at the United Nations.
Mr Starr replaces Britain’s David Veness, who resigned after a report on a 2007 car bombing that killed 17 UN staff in Algiers cited failures in his department. –(Reuters)
‘Boston Globe’ union forges deal
BOSTON – The Boston Globe’s biggest union forged a tentative deal yesterday with owner New York Times Co, which had threatened to shut the money-losing daily newspaper, the Globes website said. –(Reuters)
