A round-up of other stories in brief
Aide to president of Brazil quits
BRASILIA – President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s chief of staff quit yesterday over an ethics scandal, in a bid to stave off possible damage to Mr Lula’s front-running candidate in Brazil’s presidential election next month.
Erenice Guerra, whose role as cabinet chief is an influential post in the Lula government, had come under growing pressure to step down over allegations that she was involved in a kickback scheme.
Trailing badly in opinion polls, main opposition candidate José Serra has sought to link the scandal to ruling party contender Dilma Rousseff. – (Reuters)
Poverty numbers in US rise to 14.3%
WASHINGTON – The number of Americans living in poverty jumped to 14.3 per cent in 2009, with the ranks of working age poor reaching the highest since at least 1965. About 43.6 million people, or one in seven, were in poverty. – (Reuters)
Man shoots doctor then kills himself
BALTIMORE – A man shot and wounded a doctor at a Baltimore hospital then killed himself and a relative in a two-hour stand-off inside the complex. A police spokesman said the gunman and his relative died in a hospital room. – (Reuters)
Research finds most Americans do little vigorous daily exercise
NEW YORK – Only five per cent of Americans take vigorous exercise on a given day and preparing meals is the most common moderate physical activity, according to a study. Researchers found that most people favoured sedentary tasks such as making phone calls and grabbing a snack over activities that require them to actually get up and move. – (Reuters)
Roadside bomb kills 10 in Turkey
DIYARBAKIR – A roadside bomb killed 10 people and wounded three when it exploded under their minibus in a region of southeast Turkey where Kurdish militants are active, security officials have said. The blast occurred near the village of Gecitli in Hakkari province, near the borders with Iraq and Iran. A 15-month-old baby was among the injured, Turkish media said.
Roadside bombs have become a favoured mode of attack for separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants.
However, they usually target security forces and have denied involvement. – (Reuters)