Other world stories in brief
POLAND- Poland is blocking a move by all other EU countries to inaugurate a continent-wide day of protest against the death penalty, with the conservative and staunchly Roman Catholic government in Warsaw arguing for parallel European condemnation of abortion and euthanasia.
Frantic efforts were under way behind the scenes yesterday to try to persuade the government of prime minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski to end its opposition to making October 10th Europe's day against the death penalty.
Capital punishment is outlawed everywhere in the EU. All 26 EU countries, except Poland, support the proposal which was scheduled for agreement next week at a meeting of EU ministers.
The decision may need to be scrapped because of Poland's opposition, which has exasperated many EU governments. - (Guardian service)
Migrating Africans die 'horrifically'
SOMALIA- A dozen African would-be migrants died in "horrific circumstances" while attempting to cross the Gulf of Aden from Somalia to Yemen over the past week, the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said yesterday.
Four boats carrying more than 300 Ethiopian and Somali migrants have landed on Yemen's coast over the past eight days at the start of the annual smuggling season, UNHCR spokesman Ron Redmond told a news briefing.
Passengers reported being beaten with clubs and stabbed by the smugglers arranging their voyage.
At least five migrants were abused and thrown overboard, and another six died of suffocation and dehydration in the crowded, unhygienic hold of the boat they travelled in, Mr Redmond said. Another person drowned. - (Reuters)
Two more airlines banned from EU
EU- The European Commission confirmed yesterday it had banned Iran's Mahan Air and Ukraine's Ukrainian-Mediterranean Airlines from flying to the EU because of safety concerns.
The commission added the airlines to the EU blacklist ahead of its regular quarterly update after several EU nations reported safety concerns about the carriers. - (Reuters)
Indian floods leave 3.5m homeless
INDIA- Soldiers in motor boats rescued thousands of marooned people and helicopters air-dropped food as the number of people made homeless after some of the worst flooding in years in India's northeast rose to 3.5 million.
About 10 million people out of the 27 million population of Assam state have been affected by flooding after rains in the past few days. More than 2,000 villages have been completely submerged. - (Reuters)
Davidson kicked off 'Hell's Kitchen'
UK- Comic Jim Davidson has left the reality show Hell's Kitchen after making "unacceptable remarks" about homosexuals, ITV said yesterday.
Producers asked the comedian to go after he used the phrase "shirt-lifter" in an exchange with Brian Dowling, a TV presenter and former Big Brother winner. - (Reuters)
Mountain deaths up in Switzerland
SWITZERLAND- Switzerland is headed toward a record year for mountain casualties, with 77 deaths so far this year, a study showed yesterday.
Swiss newspaper Blick said this year's figure was rapidly approaching the record 88 fatal mountain casualties seen in 2003.
The newspaper said the latest spike in deaths was due to lack of fitness among hikers and to growing numbers of visitors from eastern Europe who did not speak local languages and who were not familiar with the conditions. - (PA)