A roundup of today's other world stories in brief:
Tories plan to curb rights of Scottish MPs
LONDON- British Conservative leader David Cameron has been accused of threatening the break-up of the United Kingdom after the Tories unveiled proposals to strip Scottish MPs of the right to vote on English matters at Westminster.
Ministers rounded on the Conservatives yesterday, accusing them of "playing fast and loose" with the constitution amid growing tensions between London and Edinburgh.
Under the Tory proposals, a new English grand committee - open only to English MPs - would be established to deal with legislation, such as schools and hospitals, relating solely to England.
- (PA)
ElBaradei critical of Israeli raid
WASHINGTON- The head of the UN nuclear watchdog has criticised Israel for attacking a suspicious Syrian site last month, saying the "bomb first and then ask questions later" policy undermined global atomic monitoring work.
Mohamed ElBaradei, the chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, called yesterday on the Israelis and other countries to share information with the agency.
- (Reuters)
Museum opens at Belsen camp
BERLIN- Germany has opened a museum at the site of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where tens of thousands died during the Nazi era.
More than 60 years after the camp was liberated, politicians yesterday inaugurated a new building containing Holocaust victims' diaries, drawings, items of clothing, memorabilia and video statements from survivors.
- (Reuters)
US firefighters make progress
ESCONDIDO- Cooler, calmer weather is helping firefighters to gain the upper hand over seven remaining wildfires in Southern California, although state officials have said blazes still threatened 12,000 homes.
A fire in Orange County's Silverado Canyon covering 27,900 acres was about 50 per cent contained yesterday, up from 40 per cent late on Saturday, according to fire captain Phil Rawlings.
- (Reuters)
Forced marriage ban considered
BERLIN- Germany is considering introducing new rules against forced marriages, a sensitive subject in a country which is home to western Europe's second biggest Muslim population.
Chancellor Angela Merkel raised the issue in a speech to a women's conference on Saturday.
"I think the demand to make forced marriage an offence is absolutely right," Dr Merkel said.
- (Reuters)
Fuel supplies to Gaza cut
GAZA- Israel has begun reducing fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip under new sanctions to punish the Hamas-controlled Palestinian enclave for rocket fire on Israeli towns.
"In line with the Israeli government's decision, the Defence Ministry will this week begin cutting fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip by between 5 and 11 per cent," an Israeli security source said yesterday.
- (Reuters)
Hurricane Noel on the way
MIAMI- The 14th named storm of the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season, Noel, has formed in the Caribbean and was yesterday expected to drench the impoverished island of Haiti with potentially deadly rains, US forecasters said.
- (Reuters)
Bosnians agree police reform
MOSTAR- Bosnia's Muslim, Croat and Serb political leaders have reached an agreement to get stalled police reform proposals back on track in order to fulfil a key condition for closer ties with the European Union.
- (Reuters)