A round-up of today's other stories in brief...
At least 70 killed in China train crash
BEIJING - A high-speed passenger train jumped its tracks and collided with another train in eastern China yesterday, killing at least 70 people and injuring more than 400 in China's worst train crash in a decade.
Some passengers were sleeping and others were standing in the aisle waiting to get off in Zibo when their train toppled into a ditch "like a roller coaster" and crashed into the other train.
China reacted swiftly, sending top officials and soldiers to the scene and sacking two railway officials. - (AP)
Vietnam acts on rice prices
HO CHI MINH CITY - Vietnam has taken action to quell panic over rice supplies, banning market speculation after a "chaotic" buying binge highlighted growing global fears about food security.
The move yesterday by the world's second-biggest rice exporter came as protests continued in some states in Africa over soaring costs for food and fuel. - (Reuters)
No extradition for Isabel Peron
MADRID - Spain will not extradite former Argentine president Isabel Peron after a court ruled yesterday that she was not linked to cases of disappearance and torture during her government in the 1970s.
The 77-year-old widow of Juan Peron, who has been under house arrest in a wealthy Madrid suburb since early last year, is wanted in Argentina for the disappearances of two men and the torture of one of them in 1976, months before she was overthrown in a military coup. - (Reuters)
Burundi troops kill 11 rebels
BUJUMBURA - Burundi troops have killed 11 rebels in clashes with the country's last active guerrilla group, the army said, bringing the death toll from renewed fighting to 44 in less than two weeks.
Clashes have continued despite a 2006 peace deal. President Pierre Nkurunziza called last week for regional and international action against the rebels. - (Reuters)
Guantánamo war crimes tribunal
GUANTÁNAMO BAY - The former chief prosecutor for the Guantánamo war crimes tribunals was yesterday expected to appear as a defence witness to testify that the tribunal process was too tainted to provide a fair trial for Osama bin Laden's driver.
Air Force Col Moe Davis quit the war court last year, complaining that political appointees and higher- ranking military officers were illegally influencing what was supposed to be an independent prosecution of suspected terrorists. - (Reuters)
Free Coldplay single download
LONDON - Coldplay will release their new single for free as a download, along with two shows for which fans will pay nothing. Violet Hill is the band's first single from their new album Viva La
Vida or Death And All His Friends.
It is being made available as a free download for one week from their website, www.coldplay.com, from 12.15pm today. - (PA)
Doubts raised on Serbia pact
LUXEMBOURG - EU president Slovenia has cast doubt on the viability of a Dutch-Belgian proposal that makes implementation of a planned pact on closer ties with Serbia subject to Belgrade getting tough on war criminals.
Under the proposal, made last week, the European Union would sign a stabilisation and association agreement with Belgrade on June 16th, after an election in Serbia on May 11th that could decide the country's future relations with the Union. - (Reuters)