A roundup of today's other world news in brief
Japan opposition set to head poll
TOKYO – Japan’s opposition Democratic Party may be headed for a landslide election victory, trouncing the conservative party that has ruled for most of the past half century, a newspaper said yesterday.
The Democrats could win 300 of the 480 seats in parliament’s lower house while the long-ruling Liberal Democrats may be halved to about 150 seats, said the Asahi newspaper, based on a detailed survey of electoral districts ahead of the August 30th poll. –(Reuters)
Karadzic war crimes trial ready to begin
THE HAGUE – The war crimes trial of accused Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic is ready to begin, the judge presiding over pre-trial proceedings of the case said yesterday.
Karadzic, the leader of the Bosnian Serbs during the 1992-95 Bosnia war, faces two charges of genocide over the 43-month siege of Sarajevo and the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Muslims at Srebrenica.
Karadzic, who was brought to the tribunal last year after 11 years on the run, has argued since his arrival that former US peace mediator Richard Holbrooke offered him immunity. – (Reuters)
‘No regrets’ for Suu Kyi swim
CHICAGO – American John Yettaw says he has no regrets about taking a secret swim to the home of Burma’s detained democracy leader, a decision that landed them both in prison. He also indicated that he still believed his bizarre visit somehow saved Aung San Suu Kyi from being assassinated.
“If I had to do it again, I would do it a hundred times, a hundred times, to save her life,” an exhausted-looking Mr Yettaw (53) said after arriving in the US yesterday. – (AP)
Wildfires burn 20km from Athens
ATHENS – A wildfire is raging close to a village near the Greek capital Athens, sending people fleeing yesterday from their homes and workplaces and damaging buildings.
More than 100 firefighters with 25 fire engines and five helicopters battled the flames in an industrial area near Magoula, about 20 km northwest of Athens.
Wildfires are common in Greece during the summer. – (Reuters)
Eta arms find in southern France
PARIS – Police have found a large cache of arms and explosives in southern France that probably belonged to the Basque separatist group Eta, according to the Paris prosecutor’s office.
Yesterday’s discovery and two more finds on Wednesday made up the largest arms find in France since 2002. Police found the arms, detonators and explosives near a village in the Herault department. – (Reuters)