A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Italian president to step down
ROME - Italian president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi said yesterday he would not serve a second term, setting the scene for a parliamentary showdown over the election of a new president.
Parties across Italy's political spectrum had called on the respected 85-year-old to serve another seven-year term.
His decision to quit could heighten political tensions as Italy licks its wounds after the most closely contested and divisive election campaign in decades. It also risks delaying the formation of a new government. - (Reuters)
Truce offered to Nepal rebels
KATHMANDU - Nepal's new government announced yesterday an indefinite truce to match a ceasefire declared by Maoist insurgents and will seek the withdrawal of Interpol arrest warrants against rebel leaders. - (Reuters)
Toxic alcohol kills 15 Iranians
TEHRAN - Illicit toxic alcohol killed 15 Iranians and blinded another in the southern province of Kerman, Kayhan newspaper said yesterday.
Alcohol has been outlawed since the 1979 Islamic revolution but home-made and smuggled alcohol are widely available on Iran's black market. - (Reuters)
Move to ban 'Popetown' fails
MUNICH - A Munich court has thrown out an application to ban the cartoon series Popetown, calling it "too stupid to be insulting", writes Derek Scally.
The diocese of Munich had applied for an injunction to stop MTV Germany showing the series, saying it breached German blasphemy laws.
SA conspiracy accused escape
JOHANNESBURG - Two men accused of being part of a white extremist plot to topple South Africa's government escaped from custody yesterday, sparking a massive police search.
A police spokeswoman said Herman van Rooyen (33) and Rudi Gouws (28) escaped during a routine appearance at the Pretoria High Court. - (Reuters)
Villa raided in art theft inquiry
ATHENS - Greek police carried out a second raid on an island villa owned by a former Getty museum curator now on trial in Italy on charges of trafficking stolen antiquities. They said they discovered ancient artefacts, including two marble sarcophagi, during the latest raid on the Paros island residence of Marion True, the former antiquities curator at the J Paul Getty Trust. - (Reuters)
'Plagiarism' novel taken off market
BOSTON - The publisher of a Harvard University student's debut novel took the book off the market yesterday and cancelled the contract on a second amid mounting allegations that she copied other authors' work. The announcement comes less than one week after Little Brown and Company asked booksellers to begin returning How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life to the publisher so that Kaavya Viswanathan could rework certain passages. - (Reuters)
Drive to promote tolerant Islam
RABAT - Morocco appointed 50 women as state preachers yesterday as part of the government's drive to promote a tolerant version of Islam in the face of radical fundamentalism.
Morocco is on alert against the influence of radical Islamists since 2003 when suicide bombings killed 45 people. Many in the government blamed radical preachers for the attacks. - (Reuters)