A round-up of the other world news stories in brief...
New Democrat senator named
CHARLESTON – West Virginia governor Joe Manchin has appointed his former general counsel, Carte Goodwin, as interim successor to Senator Robert Byrd, who died last month aged 92 after 57 years in Congress.
Mr Goodwin (36) is to be sworn in on Tuesday, returning the Democrats’ advantage in the Senate to 59-41, one short of the 60 needed to clear possible Republican procedural hurdles.
One of Mr Goodwin’s first votes will likely be to help Democrats to pass stalled legislation to extend jobless benefits to the long-term unemployed, a measure they hope will spur economic growth before the November congressional elections.
“He will join the United States Senate as the youngest senator serving,” Mr Manchin said in announcing the appointment. – (Reuters)
Hottest year on record, figures show
WASHINGTON – The world is enduring the hottest year on record, according to a US national weather analysis.
For the first six months of the year, 2010 has been warmer than the first half of 1998, the previous record holder, by 0.03 degree Fahrenheit, said Jay Lawrimore, chief of climate analysis at the federal National Climatic Data Center.
The El Niño weather pattern is being blamed.
“We had an El Niño episode in the early part of the year that’s now faded, but that has contributed to the warmth not only in equatorial Pacific but also contributed to anomalously warm global temperatures as well,” Mr Lawrimore said.
Abnormally warm temperatures have been registered in large parts of Canada, Africa, tropical oceans and parts of the Middle East. – (Reuters)
Priest suspended over 'soccer' Mass
AMSTERDAM – A Dutch priest has been suspended for dedicating a Mass to the Dutch national soccer team – while wearing an orange cloak – ahead of the World Cup final against Spain.
Fr Paul Vlaar from the town of Obdam prayed last Sunday for team spirit for the national team, while worshippers, also dressed in orange clothes, sang soccer songs in the church. It was decorated with orange flags.
The Haarlem-Amsterdam diocese said in a statement yesterday that Fr Vlaar “failed to do justice to the holiness of the celebration of the Eucharist”. Bishop Jozef Marianus Punt has imposed a period of reflection on the priest with immediate effect.
Fr Vlaars prayers appear to have fallen on deaf ears, however, as the Dutch lost 1-0. – (Reuters)