The other world news stories of the day in brief...
Grandson of ex-Iranian leader released
TEHRAN – Iran has released on bail a grandson of former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani after he expressed ‘‘regret’’ for taking part in post-election protests, an Iranian news agency reported yesterday.
Hassan Lahouti was detained by security police on Sunday at Tehran airport.
‘‘After some investigations and after he expressed regret over his actions, he was released from prison on bail,’’ Tehran prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi was quoted as saying by the semi-official Fars news agency.
Lahouti’s grandfather is still a powerful player in the ruling establishment. – (Reuters)
Uganda's LRA kills 10 and kidnaps 50
Fighters from Uganda’s notorious Lord’s Resistance Army have killed 10 people and kidnapped more than 50 others in their latest attack on civilians in the Central African Republic.
The rebels, who have been on the run since their bases were destroyed by the Ugandan army in December 2008, raided three villages in Haut-Mbomou in th4 east over the weekend, according to local officials.
LRA fighters have now abducted at least 120 civilians in the Central African Republic over the last six weeks, according to information collated from wire service reports. They were reported to have killed at least 19 people in the neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo this month. – (Guardian service)
Somali pirates hijack Turkish ship
ISTANBUL – Somali pirates seized a Turkish ship with a crew of 19 Turks and two Ukrainians in the Indian Ocean yesterday morning, Turkish media reported.
The Maltese-flagged MV Frigiawas hijacked 1,000 nautical miles east of the northern coast of Somalia,
the counter-piracy EU Naval Force (Navfor) said in a statement.
It did not identify the hijackers but said the 35,000-tonne ship had been closer to India than Somalia and some 400 nautical miles outside the normal Navfor operation area. – (Reuters)
Guantánamo detainees sent to Georgia
WASHINGTON – Three detainees at the US military prison at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba were sent to the country of Georgia, the US justice department said yesterday.
It said the three detainees, whose identities were not disclosed for security and privacy reasons, were transferred earlier yesterday.
The transfers were carried out under an arrangement between the two countries to ensure it took place under appropriate security measures, the justice department said. The latest departures mean 185 detainees remain at the prison.
US president Barack Obama has encountered legal and political problems that have delayed his plans to close the Guantánamo prison that houses foreign terrorism suspects. – (Reuters)