A round-up of today's other stories in brief
Calderon to be named as victor by court
MEXICO CITY- Mexico's electoral court will name ruling party conservative Felipe Calderon president-elect today and reject claims that the fiercely disputed July 2nd presidential vote was unfair, sources said.
They said the court, made up of seven judges, would rule the election was clean and confirm Mr Calderon's narrow victory over leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who alleges fraud. - (Reuters)
Two killed in Egypt train crash
CAIRO - An Egyptian passenger train and a freight train collided north of Cairo yesterday, killing two people and injuring 16 others in the second fatal rail accident in Egypt in two weeks, security sources said. The crash in the town of Shibin al-Qanater, 30km (18 miles) north of the capital, came two weeks after two commuter trains collided in the country's Nile Delta, killing 58 people in Egypt's worst rail disaster in four years. - (Reuters)
Gunman kills tourist in Jordan
AMMAN - A lone gunman opened fire on a group of foreign tourists in the Jordanian capital Amman yesterday, killing a British man and wounding six other people, officials said.
Investigations were under way to establish if the gunman acted on his own or belonged to a radical Islamist group. - (Reuters)
Kidnappers want prisoner exchange
BOGOTA - Colombian rebels holding 62 hostages, including three Americans and former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, yesterday called for "face-to-face" talks with the government on a prisoner exchange.
The move came less than a month into the second term of President Alvaro Uribe, a Washington ally popular for his crackdown on drug-running Marxist guerrillas. - (Reuters)
Compromise on troops for Darfur
KHARTOUM - Sudan said yesterday it would allow African troops to remain in Darfur only under African Union control and accused Washington of attempting "regime change" in Khartoum by trying to bring in a UN force.
Sudan raised fears its turbulent western region could descend into full-blown war after a foreign ministry spokesman said on Sunday AU troops must leave on September 30th. - (Reuters)
Russian forces rescue hostages
MOSCOW - Russian special services yesterday freed all hostages being held by inmates at a Moscow prison, Interfax agency reported.
Three inmates had seized 15 hostages, including a chief warden and his deputy and had demanded a review of their trials for serious crimes including murder. - (Reuters)
Deal on Iraqi army command likely
BAGHDAD - The US and Iraq hope to sign an agreement by next week to hand operational command of Iraq's new army to prime minister Nuri al-Maliki, Iraq said yesterday, after wrangles on wording had held up the accord. - (Reuters)