A roundup of today's other world news in brief:
French aid workers freed in Darfur
KHARTOUM– Two French aid workers kidnapped in the Central African Republic last year have been freed in Darfur in Sudan, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross and the French foreign minister.
The two were seized on the border with Chad and Sudan in November while working for French aid organisation Triangle. A group calling itself the African Free Eagles threatened to kill them unless French authorities began negotiations. A third aid worker was released last month.
– (Reuters)
Avalanche hits snowmobile rally
VANCOUVER– Two people have been killed, 30 injured and others feared buried in the snow after an avalanche struck a snowmobile rally near Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canadian police have said.
Unstable snow conditions hampered efforts to get to search crews on to Boulder Mountain, where up to 200 people were believed to be at the annual event when the snow slide hit on Saturday.
Police were canvassing hotels in Revelstoke, 300km west of Calgary, Alberta, to determine if tourists might be missing.
– (Reuters)
Couple face jail for kissing in public
DUBAI– A British pair who kissed in public in Dubai face up to a month in jail for indecency after an Emirati mother complained her child had seen their indiscretion.
The British man living in Dubai and a female friend were arrested in November on accusations of kissing and touching each other intimately in public and taking alcohol, their lawyer said. They were ordered jailed for a month.
The case is the third time in under two years in which Britons have fallen foul of decency laws in Dubai.
– (Reuters)