A round-up of some of today's other world news stories in brief....
Northern Italy rocked by earthquake
An earthquake of 5.1 magnitude struck northern Italy yesterday near the city of Parma, but no damage or injuries were reported, Italy's civil protection agency said.The earthquake was unusually strong for northern Italy and was felt from the financial capital Milan to Florence to Trieste.
Startled Italians jammed telephone lines after the tremor, and train services were briefly interrupted on some lines, local media reported. (Reuters)
Russia plans to expand military
Russia plans a massive increase in its weapons procurement for three years beginning in 2009, with 300 tanks, 14 warships and almost 50 aircraft on the shopping list, a senior government official said yesterday.
Vladislav Putilin, deputy head of the military-industrial commission, told journalists after a cabinet meeting the government planned to allocate 4 trillion roubles ($141.5 billion) in 2009-11 to bankroll new equipment. (Reuters)
Iraq's approval for foreign troops
Iraq's parliament approved a measure yesterday that would facilitate the presence in Iraq of British, Australian and other troops after a United Nations mandate expires at the end of the year, a senior lawmaker said.
"This project got a majority of votes. We authorise the government to take all necessary steps regarding foreign forces other than US forces," said deputy parliamentary speaker Khalid al-Attiya. (Reuters)
French free top Rwandan official
A senior Rwandan official held in France over the 1994 killing of a Rwandan president will be allowed to return home on bail, the government said yesterday.
Rose Kabuye, a close ally of President Paul Kagame, was arrested in Germany last month on an international warrant issued by France. She is accused of involvement in the assassination of former president Juvenal Habyarimana. (Reuters)
Ferris wheel ordeal ends
More than 100 passengers stranded for six hours on the world's largest ferris wheel were being evacuated and given medical treatment in Singapore after the attraction ground to a halt yesterday.
The wheel stopped after a short circuit in one of its motor drivers cut its power, a company spokeswoman said. (Reuters)
Ex-minister on graft charge
Nigeria's anti-corruption police yesterday charged a former aviation minister with the laundering of 230 million naira ($1.65 million) while he was serving in office.
Femi Fani-Kayode was charged with 47 counts of money-laundering, between January 2006 and May 2007. - (Reuters)