Other world stories in brief
Lawyers try to block Noriega extradition
MIAMI- Lawyers for former Panamanian strongman Manuel Noriega moved yesterday to block his extradition to face money-laundering charges in France when his long Florida prison sentence ends on Sunday.
In papers filed in a US district court in Miami, the lawyers challenged the extradition approved last week on the ground that it violated the Geneva Conventions and the protections awarded Noriega as a "prisoner of war" following the 1989 US invasion of Panama. - (Reuters)
US plutonium moved to one site
WASHINGTON- The US government will move all surplus nuclear weapons plutonium to one site in South Carolina to save on storage costs and improve security, the US energy department said yesterday.
It said the decision to consolidate the radioactive material in one place was taken partly because of security concerns raised by the September 11th, 2001, attacks. - (Reuters)
Musharraf's rule challenged in court
ISLAMABAD- Pakistan's supreme court began hearing legal challenges to president Pervez Musharraf's rule yesterday, adding to the woes the embattled US ally faces as he prepares to secure another term.
Mr Musharraf, who is also army chief, hopes to get re-elected by the national and provincial assemblies some time between September 15th and October 15th.
A general election is due around the end of the year. - (Reuters)
Official executed for killing mistress
BEIJING- A senior Chinese official was executed yesterday for ordering the murder of his mistress in a car bomb attack, state media reported.
Duan Yihe (61), former head of the municipal council in Jinan, capital of the eastern province of Shandong, was put to death less than two months after Liu Haiping (31) died in a powerful explosion in her car, the Xinhua news agency said. - (Reuters)
UK voices support for Turkey's EU bid
ANKARA- British foreign secretary David Miliband yesterday reaffirmed London's support for Turkey's bid to join the European Union and also urged the Muslim country to play a bigger role in the Middle East.
"It is the absolute determination of the new [ British] government led by Gordon Brown that we will continue to play that role [ of championing Turkey's EU bid]," Mr Miliband told a joint news conference with Turkish foreign minister Ali Babacan. - (Reuters)
N Korea thanks donors for aid
SEOUL- Reclusive North Korea thanked the outside world, including arch enemy the United States, for aid donations received after devastating floods last month that killed hundreds and left hundreds of thousands homeless.
The impoverished North Korea has said the floods caused major damage to its outdated infrastructure and dealt a heavy blow to its already anaemic economy.
A foreign ministry spokesman said the floods had destroyed 241,000 houses. - (Reuters)