Other stories from around the world in brief
Blair call for front against Iran 'hostile'
TEHRAN- Iran yesterday denounced British prime minister Tony Blair's call for an alliance of Muslim countries against Tehran as "hostile", accusing him of fuelling tensions in the region.
Mr Blair wrapped up a Middle East tour with a stark speech in Dubai, warning that "there is a monumental struggle going on worldwide between those who believe in democracy and moderation, and forces of reaction and extremism."
He said the chief foe in the region was the government of Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, accusing it of "openly supporting terrorism in Iraq" and trying to stop democracy there and in Lebanon.
Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said Blair's speech was "hostile" and "obvious intervention" in the region's affairs. - (Reuters)
Somalians set to attend peace talks
NAIROBI- Somalia's interim government and rival Islamists have pledged to attend a fourth round of peace talks, an EU envoy said yesterday after two days of clashes that have raised fears of war.
"Both parties have reiterated their commitment to the Khartoum process and to a political solution to the Somalia crisis," European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid Louis Michel told a news conference. - ( Reuters)
Rebel leader seeks airtime for call
KAMPALA- The elusive leader of Uganda's northern rebel group said yesterday he wants direct talks with President Yoweri Museveni but needed the government to provide him with enough airtime on his satellite phone so he can afford to make the call, a mediator said. - (AP)
Last FBI files on Lennon released
LOS ANGELES- The FBI has released the last 10 documents from its secret files on slain Beatle John Lennon that had been withheld for 25 years on the ground they could prompt "military retaliation" against the US.
The files turn out to contain only well-known information about Lennon's ties to left-wing leaders and antiwar groups in London in 1970 and 1971, said Jon Wiener, a history professor at the University of California. - (Reuters)
BP says oily water leaked from tank
ANCHORAGE- BP said yesterday that oily water leaked from a storage tank at its giant Prudhoe Bay oil field in Alaska but production from the field was not affected.
It was unclear how much production water leaked or how the leak occurred, BP and state environmental regulators said. - (Reuters)
'Whiter Shade' earnings split
LONDON- The former keyboard player from rock band Procol Harum yesterday won a share of future earnings from seminal 1967 hit A Whiter Shade of Pale, which has sold around 10 million copies worldwide.
In London's High Court, Judge William Blackburne said Matthew Fisher should get 40 per cent of the copyright of the song. Fisher argued that he wrote the organ music to the song and so was entitled to joint authorship of the track alongside lead singer Gary Brooker. - (Reuters)