A round-up of today's other world news in brief
12 Guantánamo inmates sent to home countries
WASHINGTON – Twelve inmates have been transferred from the US military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, to Afghanistan, Yemen and the breakaway Somali enclave of Somaliland, the US justice department said yesterday.
Six Yemeni and four Afghan detainees were sent over the weekend to their home countries, while two Somalis were transferred to regional authorities in Somaliland, the department said.
The transfers are the latest from the controversial prison which President Barack Obama had pledged to close next month, but this deadline will likely be missed because of diplomatic and political hurdles. – (Reuters)
March against corruption in Macau
MACAU – About a thousand people marched through Macau’s streets yesterday, urging the government to fight corruption and grant them more political freedom, as the territory marked its 10th anniversary under Chinese rule.
The protesters waved banners that called for universal suffrage in 2019 and chanted anti-corruption slogans hours after Chinese president Hu Jintao attended the swearing-in of the territory’s new chief executive, Fernando Chui.
“Now is the time to start again the timetable for democratic development for Macau,” Antonio Ng, a Macau legislator and one of the key organisers of the protest, said. – (Reuters)
Actor Brittany Murphy dies of cardiac arrest
LOS ANGELES – Actor Brittany Murphy, who starred in such films as Just Marriedand Uptown Girlsbut saw her fortunes fade in recent years, died yesterday after going into cardiac arrest, the Los Angeles Timeshas reported. She was aged 32.
The paper said the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to “a medical request” at Murphy’s home in West Hollywood, and took her to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center near Beverly Hills, where she was pronounced dead.
The death was first reported by online gossip site TMZ. – (Reuters)
Berlusconi’s ratings up after attack
ROME – Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s approval rating has risen back above 50 per cent after an attack against him sparked a wave of sympathy even among opposition voters, an opinion poll showed yesterday.
Mr Berlusconi (73) was struck in the face a week ago by a man who broke his nose and teeth after a rally in Milan.
An opinion poll in Corriere della Seranewspaper said that the aggression had boosted Mr Berlusconi's popularity to 55.9 per cent, compared to 48.6 per cent in mid- November.
Pollster Renato Mannheimer said the increase was most evident among young voters and practising Catholics, but improved even among centre- left voters, with 17 per cent giving a positive opinion.– (Reuters)