A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
69 killed as ship carrying 250 sinks
DUBAI - A Djibouti-flagged ship carrying more than 250 people sank off the coast of the African country yesterday, al-Jazeera television said.
"A Djibouti ship sank near the port of the capital at noon today. The ship was sailing from . . . the northwest of the country towards the Djibouti capital and was carrying over 300 people," the station said, quoting its Africa-based correspondent.
"Around 70 bodies have been pulled out. Rescue operations are expected to cease at night because of no availability of equipment for searching at night." - (Reuters)
Ukraine debates liberal coalition
KIEV - Ukrainian president Viktor Yushchenko tried yesterday to patch together a coalition of "Orange Revolution" liberals for a new government, bypassing a party more sympathetic to Moscow.
But his estranged ally Yulia Tymoshenko, who did the best of the liberal parties in the March 26th election, held out for better terms, pressing home her case to get back her job as prime minister. - (Reuters)
US shuns seat on human rights body
WASHINGTON - The US has decided not to seek a seat on the new UN Human Rights Council for now, preferring instead to see how the body takes shape, a US official in Washington said yesterday.
So far, 34 countries have declared their candidacy to be members of the new council, including Cuba and Iran. "We're going to take a wait and see attitude," the US official said.
The US was virtually alone in voting against the council when the UN general assembly approved its creation last month. - (PA)
Miller 'murdered' by Israeli soldier
LONDON- An award-winning British cameraman shot dead in the Gaza strip by an Israeli soldier was murdered, a London inquest found yesterday. James Miller was shot by a member of the Israeli defence forces in May 2003 in the Rafah refugee camp while making a documentary about Palestinian children caught up in fighting with Israel.
"Based on the evidence laid before us, we, the jury, unanimously agree that this was an unlawful shooting with the intention of killing James Miller," the jury spokeswoman told St Pancras coroner's court in London. "Therefore, we can come to no other conclusion than that Miller was indeed murdered." - (Reuters)
Court rejects election challenge
KAMPALA - Uganda's supreme court rejected an opposition challenge to president Yoweri Museveni's re-election in February, saying yesterday that isolated irregularities were not enough to change the outcome.
The party of Mr Museveni's former doctor-turned-rival - Kizza Besigye - had brought the case, alleging widespread fraud caused its defeat in the east African nation's February 23rd vote.
"By a majority of four to three, it was not proved to the satisfaction of the court that this non-compliance [ of electoral laws] affected the result of the presidential election in a substantial manner," chief justice Benjamin Odoki said. - (Reuters)
Pope considering visit to Israel
VATICAN - Pope Benedict XVI is considering visiting Israel in the first part of 2007, former Israeli prime minister Shimon Peres said yesterday after meeting with the pontiff at the Vatican.
Mr Peres renewed an invitation, first made last year by prime minister Ariel Sharon, for the pope to visit the country.
"He indicated that he may do it in the first part of next year," Mr Peres said. - (PA)