A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Suicide bomber kills 15 in Iraq
BAGHDAD - A suicide bomber killed 15 people and wounded 10 others yesterday at a funeral near the volatile northern Iraqi oil refinery city of Baiji, security officials said.
It was the latest in a spate of suicide bombings in northern Iraq, where US and Iraqi forces have launched a major operation to drive out al-Qaeda militants. The Sunni Islamist group is seen as responsible for most suicide attacks in Iraq.
The bomber walked into a funeral tent for a local tribal leader and blew himself up among mourners, who included Salahuddin provincial government officials and members of a local US-backed anti-al- Qaeda council. - (Reuters)
Farc rejects Red Cross visit
BOGOTA - Colombia's Farc guerrillas have rejected a proposed Red Cross visit to check the health of rebel hostages held for years in secret jungle camps, a Colombian television channel said.
Two hostages released this month brought with them letters and photographs showing that other captives are suffering from jungle diseases and ill health. - (Reuters)
Turkey to debate free speech law
ANKARA - A long-awaited proposal for amending a law restricting freedom of speech in Turkey will be put to parliament this week by the ruling AK party, a senior party lawmaker said yesterday.
Turkey is under pressure from the European Union to amend article 301 of its penal code, which makes "insulting Turkishness" a crime. - (Reuters)
17 drown in Zambian floods
LUSAKA - Seventeen people drowned in a man-made lake in Zambia when their canoe capsized due to heavy rains in the country swept by floods, an official said yesterday.
Ackimson Banda, junior minister for Zambia's Central Province, said 13 of the victims were members of one family who were canoeing to a village to attend a funeral on Friday night. - (Reuters)
Hindus get life for gang-rape, murder
MUMBAI - An Indian court punished 11 Hindus with life in prison yesterday for gang-raping a pregnant Muslim woman and murdering her family during one of India's worst riots in which hundreds of people, mostly Muslims, were slaughtered.
The court also jailed a policeman for three years for falsifying evidence in a trial seen as testing whether Muslim victims of the 2002 riots in the Gujarat state could get justice. - (Reuters)
Kiefer Sutherland released from jail
SAN FRANCISCO - Actor Kiefer Sutherland was released yesterday from a southern California jail, where he served 48 days for drink driving and violating probation.
The 41-year-old actor left the Glendale City Jail shortly after midnight and was a model inmate, Glendale police officer John Balian said. - (Reuters)