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World : last updated, April 19, 2003 18:33
Basra rail link to port restored
The first train to Basra since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime arrived in Iraq's second city. Soldiers from 102 Logistic Brigade and local town dignitaries saw off the green train from the port town of Umm Qasr. Military officials said the opening of the 42-mile track, which has been cleared of mines, represents a return to normality in southern Iraq.
Allies should leave Iraq now, say Arabs
US and British "occupation forces" should leave Iraq as soon as possible and the UN should play a "central role" in rebuilding the country, Middle Eastern foreign ministers urged. But after an emergency meeting to discuss "the future of Iraq in the aftermath of the war," the ministers stressed that the "final say" on a new government must rest with Iraqis themselves. "Iraq is full of skilled people that know their own good better than anyone else," the host, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, said .
Looted paintings seized by customs
Jordanian customs officials have seized 42 paintings believed to have been looted from Iraq's national museum. The paintings were taken earlier in the week at al-Karameh border post from unidentified journalists entering Jordan from Iraq and were sent to the main Customs Department in Amman, said the officials, well-informed on the confiscated items. The paintings were being verified for authenticity but that preliminary checks led to them to believe the material had been looted from Iraq, the officials said.
Cameraman killed by Israeli soldier
An Israeli soldier has shot and killed a cameraman with Associated Press Television News who was covering a skirmish between troops and rock-throwing Palestinians in the West Bank city of NablusThe Israeli military had no immediate comment but said it was looking into the shooting. Nazeh Darwazeh, 45, was filming clashes between Israeli troops and Palestinians that began early on Saturday. Doctors said Darwazeh died of a bullet wound to the head.
Ailing Pope to attend Easter vigil
Pope John Paul is leading a solemn candlelight vigil in St Peter's Basilica in the final hours before Easter, pushing forward with his tiring schedule of Holy Week ceremonies. The ailing 82-year-old pontiff, who has trouble walking and suffers from the symptoms of Parkinson's disease, has scaled down his role in some services. But he attends all key ceremonies, including the vigil that marks the final dark hours after Christ's death before his resurrection and the exultation of Easter Sunday.
Massive Sars clean-up in Hong Kong
Thousands of volunteers in Hong Kong have begun a massive cleaning campaign aimed at slowing the spread of Sars. Officials were monitoring all buildings where Sars cases have been reported to try to avoid further outbreaks, said health director Dr Margaret Chan. An outbreak at one apartment complex, Amoy Gardens, has infected at least 326 people.
Violence clouds Nigeria election
President Olusegun Obasanjo seeks a second term in elections that pose the stiffest test for Nigeria's young democracy since his election four years ago ended 15 years of military rule. Soldiers were deployed nationwide after the opposition threatened partisan violence. The country's election commission appealed to voters to accept the results of the ballot for 36 governorships and the presidency "in the name of democracy and peace.""Everything is being done to ensure that hitches do not occur," said Steve Oseneke, spokesman for Nigeria's election commission.
Rescue bid for trapped Chinese miners
Rescue workers in central and northern China are searching for 31 coal miners trapped in two flooded coal mines. Seventeen miners in Lianyuan, a city in central Hunan province, have been missing since Wednesday, said a duty officer at the state-run No. 71 coal mine who gave only his family name, Wang. "We're trying our best to pump out the water," Wang said. "We believe there's still a chance they'll survive."
U.S. fund-raisers aid conjoined twins
Fund-raisers appear to have gathered enough money to offset surgery costs to separate 22-month-old Egyptian twins joined at the crown of their heads. The Children's Medical Center of Dallas has said it would need $125,000 to help offset the cost of surgery to separate Mohamed and Ahmed Ibrahim. Going into a fund-raising event at Dallas Central Mosque in Richardson, World Craniofacial Foundation director Sue Blackwood said about $83,000 in pledges and donations had been received for the twins, who were brought to the United States by the foundation for evaluation last June.
Protesters march on detention centre
Hundreds of protesters have marched on an immigration detention camp in southern Australia demanding the release of its inmates. Several protesters were arrested after they broke through a perimeter fence. About 500 people, chanting, "Free the refugees!" were involved in the demonstration outside the remote Baxter detention centre, which holds 300 illegal immigrants whose applications for refugee status have been rejected and who are awaiting deportation. Police Senior Constable Kate Denman said that some protesters had broken through a fence around the compound and that several arrests had been made, but would not confirm the charges or any other details.
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