Today's other stories in brief
Chaldean archbishop kidnapped
MOSUL - Gunmen kidnapped the Chaldean Catholic archbishop of Mosul yesterday from the northern Iraqi city and killed his driver and two companions, police said.
"He was kidnapped in the al-Nour district in eastern Mosul when he left a church. Gunmen opened fire on the car, killed the other three and kidnapped the archbishop," said police spokesman Brig-Gen Khaled Abdul Sattar. Pope Benedict yesterday deplored the kidnapping of the archbishop as "despicable". - (Reuters)
UN to vote on Iran sanctions
UNITED NATIONS - The UN Security Council is expected to vote on Monday on a resolution imposing a third round of sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme, a western diplomat said yesterday. The resolution was due to be put into its final form yesterday "for a vote on Monday morning", the diplomat said. - (Reuters)
Trial over rubbish crisis
NAPLES - A magistrate ordered a regional governor and 27 other people yesterday to stand trial in connection with the rubbish crisis around the southern city of Naples, a judicial source said. Antonio Bassolino, governor of the Campania region, and the others were charged with offences including defrauding the state. - (Reuters)
Eight killed in train fire
SOFIA - A fire swept through two sleeping carriages on a Bulgarian train overnight, killing eight people and injuring nine, officials said yesterday.
The transport ministry said 62 people had been in the two coaches. - (Reuters)
Iran planning $1bn Iraq loan
TEHRAN - Iran has been discussing a $1 billion loan to Iraq for projects to be handled by Iranian firms, an Iranian foreign ministry official said yesterday, two days before President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits Baghdad. - (Reuters)