A round-up of today's other world stories in brief:
Abbas tells of plan to free Israeli soldier
JERUSALEM- Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah said in an interview yesterday a framework had been agreed with Israel that could secure the release of a captured soldier held by militants in Gaza.
Mr Abbas made the comments ahead of a visit to the region by US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice.
Militant groups, including Hamas, seized Cpl Gilad Shalit last June in a cross-border raid from Gaza into southern Israel. - (Reuters)
Prophet cartoon complaint rejected
PARIS- A French court yesterday ruled in favour of a satirical weekly that had printed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, rejecting accusations by Islamic groups who said the publication incited hatred. Following a recommendation by the public prosecutor, the court said the cartoons published by the weekly Charlie Hebdo fell under the category of freedom of expression and did not constitute an attack on Islam in general. - (Reuters)
Indian servant in serial killing case
NEW DELHI- A servant in India has been charged with the rape and murder of a young woman, and police said he has confessed to killing 16 women and children, eating some of their flesh, in a case that has shocked India.
Surender Koli was charged with killing a 26-year-old prostitute, one of 19 victims whose remains were found in December around the house where he was working in Noida, near New Delhi. - (Reuters)
Mandelson rules out second term
LONDON- European trade chief Peter Mandelson said yesterday he would not seek a second spell at the European Commission when his term expires in 2009.
Mandelson was asked by BBC radio about a newspaper report that he might no longer be welcome as Britain's commissioner in Brussels if British chancellor Gordon Brown becomes prime minister this year, as widely expected. Mr Mandelson, a close ally of prime minister Tony Blair, has long had a tense relationship with Mr Brown. - (Reuters)
Ex-astronaut denies kidnap attempt
MIAMI- A former US astronaut who drove 950 miles (1,530km) to confront the girlfriend of her ex-lover pleaded not guilty yesterday to attempted kidnap and battery charges.
Lisa Nowak (43), is accused of trying to kidnap the woman, whom she viewed as a rival for the affections of navy commander and astronaut William Oefelein, after driving from Houston to Orlando wearing diapers to avoid a bathroom stop. - (Reuters)
Somalia names al-Qaeda leader
MOGADISHU- The Somali government said yesterday that al-Qaeda had made a young militant Islamist commander its leader in Mogadishu as fighting raged for a second day in the coastal capital.
Deputy defence minister Salad Ali Jelle told a news conference that Aden Hashi Ayro - an Afghanistan-trained commander in his 30s who runs the Islamists' feared Shabab, or military wing - was personally directing the growing insurgency. - (Reuters)
Sheridan alleges bug found in car
GLASGOW- Police are investigating a complaint from politician Tommy Sheridan that he has been bugged. The socialist politician's staff called in officers yesterday after they found what they thought was a surveillance device in his car.
He won a high profile libel victory over the News of the World last August after it printed lurid claims about his sex life. - (PA)