A roundup of today's other world stories in brief:
Branson gives £100,000 to McCann fund
LONDON- British billionaire Sir Richard Branson is to donate £100,000 (€144,533) to create a fund to help the parents of missing girl Madeleine McCann pay their legal bills, his spokeswoman said yesterday.
The Virgin Group boss hopes other wealthy individuals will add to the fund as Gerry and Kate McCann try to clear their names after Portuguese police named them as formal suspects in the disappearance of their daughter.
"In the midst of all of this speculation and rumour, we must remember there is a family in pain and a little four-year-old girl is still missing," Sir Richard said in a statement. "We must not lose sight of this fact. It is the only solid fact we know."
- (Reuters)
Seven held over PKK bomb plot
ISTANBUL- Turkish police have detained seven people thought to be members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) over a bomb plot in Ankara foiled by police last week, state news agency Anatolian reported yesterday.
The seven were detained in the eastern province of Van and a police operation was continuing, the agency said.
- (Reuters)
Fukuda sounds less hawkish note
TOKYO- Tokyo must improve its ties with China, the front-runner to become Japan's next prime minister said yesterday, but urged Beijing to better explain its ballooning military spending.
Yasuo Fukuda, an advocate of a less US-centric foreign policy, is expected to beat hawkish former foreign minister Taro Aso in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership race sparked by Shinzo Abe's decision to resign.
- (Reuters)
Hostage swap talks scrapped
BOGOTA- Efforts at freeing hostages held by Colombian rebels were stalled over the weekend when neighbouring Venezuela scrapped plans for talks to be held in Caracas aimed at clinching prisoner exchange.
Left-wing Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, asked by Colombia to facilitate hostage swap talks, said rebel leader Manuel Marulanda would not attend talks in Caracas.
- (Reuters)
Wildfires rage in southern California
SAN BERNARDINO- Firefighters were today battling two raging wildfires in southern California that forced nearly 2,000 people to evacuate.
The larger blaze burned 15,433 acres of dense, dry bush in the San Bernardino National Forest and was 12 per cent contained. Authorities initially said it had charred 18,000 acres but infrared mapping conducted overnight showed the fire was smaller.
- (Reuters)