A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Troops kill 20 Taliban insurgents
KABUL - Canadian troops killed up to 20 Taliban insurgents who were preparing to ambush a military convoy in southern Afghanistan, a Canadian military spokesman said yesterday.
The clash took place in the southern province of Helmand, where British forces yesterday took over security responsibilities from US forces. - (Reuters)
Ex-professor gets five years' prison TAMPA - Former Florida university professor Sami al-Arian was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison yesterday for aiding the Palestinian group Islamic Jihad.
Al-Arian (48) was arrested in February 2003 on charges of giving money and support to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which has been designated a terrorist organisation by the United States. - (Reuters)
Trapped miners fed through tube
SYDNEY - Two Australian miners trapped a kilometre underground for six days were passed food and water through a narrow tube yesterday as rescuers drilled through tonnes of fallen rock to reach them.
The men, trapped in a gold mine in the southern island state of Tasmania, were found on Sunday huddled in a small metal cage. They had survived on mineral-laced water run-off since an earth tremor six days ago caused a rockfall inside the mine. - (Reuters)
Knightley's dress fetches £4,000
LONDON - A silk dress worn by actress Keira Knightley at this year's Oscars ceremony fetched more than £4,000 (€5,800) when it was sold as part of a charity auction yesterday.
An online bidder from Chicago claimed the deep claret off-the-shoulder taffeta gown, with a bid of £4,301. All the proceeds will support a £20 million appeal launched by Oxfam to counter the humanitarian emergency in drought-hit East Africa. - (Reuters)
Police and radicals clash at parade
STOCKHOLM - Dozens of radical Swedish youths smashed shop windows and clashed with police yesterday as they turned a Stockholm May Day parade violent, police and local media said.
A police spokesman told a radio station that 130 youths were arrested after they rampaged through a central shopping street.
Swedish media said the demonstrators were from the Reclaim The City group. - (Reuters)
20 killed as lorry overturns in India
HYDERABAD - Twenty farm labourers were killed when the lorry they were travelling in overturned in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh yesterday, police said.
The accident occurred in Krishna district, 270km (170 miles) southeast of the state capital Hyderabad, when the driver of the lorry, carrying mangoes and 40 labourers, lost control, police said. - (Reuters)
Nine dead after boiler explodes
LUCKNOW - A boiler in a paper mill exploded yesterday, killing nine factory workers and injuring 35 near the north Indian town of Kashipur in the hill state of Uttaranchal, an official said yesterday.
"The cause of the blast is not yet known," said Rakesh Sharma. - (Reuters)
Blaine's new stunt breath-taking
NEW YORK - Magician David Blaine began his latest stunt yesterday, lowering himself into a "human aquarium" where he will live for the next seven days before attempting to break the world record for holding breath under water.
He said for the finale he would be handcuffed into 150lb of metal chains which he would have to escape while holding his breath or drown. - (PA)