Other world news in brief
Western forces admit killing 6 Afghan civilians
KABUL – Western forces in Afghanistan acknowledged yesterday they had killed six civilians in an air strike, days after apologising for a similar incident that killed five.
Civilian deaths caused by foreign troops hunting the Taliban have become a major cause of friction between the Afghan government and its western backers, sapping support for the presence of international forces in the country. – (Reuters)
Suicide bomber kills 16 in Iraq
BAGHDAD – A suicide bomber in army uniform detonated a vest packed with explosives at a military base in Iraq’s western Anbar province yesterday, killing 16 people and wounding 50, the army and police said.
A defence ministry statement and Anbar’s military command centre said no one was killed, and only 17 were wounded.
There was no explanation for the discrepancy, although official tolls often fall far short of those from unofficial army and police sources. – (Reuters)
Nicaragua gave Thaksin passport
MANAGUA – Ousted Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra is a “special ambassador” for Nicaragua and holds a diplomatic passport issued by the Central American country.
Mr Thaksin received the passport after a February meeting with Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega, the Nicaraguan government said.
The Thai government stripped Mr Thaksin of his passport this week, accusing him of instigating violent protests. – (Reuters)
‘NY Times’ to cut sections of paper
NEW YORK – New York Times Co’s flagship newspaper plans to eliminate several weekly sections and cut freelance spending to save millions of dollars in annual costs, according to a memo obtained by Reuters.
The moves, also reported through an article on its website yesterday, is the latest effort to cut costs by the struggling publisher.
“Taken together, these moves will save millions of dollars – savings that would otherwise have to come out of payroll,” executive editor Bill Keller wrote to employees yesterday.
The paper is cutting pay for non-unionised employees at the Times and other papers and is seeking similar concessions from unionised staff. It has also threatened to close the money-losing Boston Globe if it does not find ways to cut millions of dollars in costs. – (Reuters)
Czech upper house to vote on Lisbon
PRAGUE – The Czech parliament’s upper house will vote on the EU’s Lisbon Treaty at a May 6th to 7th session, in what is widely seen as a tight vote after the government’s collapse last month.
The treaty must be adopted by all 27 EU member states to take effect. Czech prime minister Mirek Topolanek has said he expects the senate to approve the document despite the fall of his centre- right minority cabinet. – (Reuters)
French fishermen lift ports blockade
LILLE – French fishermen, who are demanding an increase to limits on cod catches, have lifted a blockade on three Channel ports, saying they would turn to other forms of action.
After a meeting yesterday between the three unions involved, fishermen’s representatives said they would open the port of Boulogne, which had remained blocked after nearby Calais and Dunkirk ports were reopened earlier in the day.
Entry to the ports, which serve ferry traffic to Britain, had been blocked by boats since Tuesday. The fishermen say that EU quotas aimed at protecting dwindling fish stocks have been choking their livelihoods. – (Reuters)