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<B>Ban Ki- Moon arrives in Baghdad</B>
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Baghdad yesterday on an unannounced visit to Iraq, Iraqi state television channel said.
Violence rages on in Somalia</B>
Ethiopian tanks guarding a Somali government base in Mogadishu opened fire on unidentified attackers yesterday as clashes broke out in the capital for a second straight day.
Colombian Navy captures six tonnes of cocaine </B>
Colombia’s Navy captured six tonnes of cocaine while on patrol in the Pacific ocean in the Andean country’s largest illegal drug haul so far this year, authorities said recently. Colombia remains the world’s top producer of cocaine despite receiving billions of dollars in US military and counter-narcotics aid to fight left-wing rebels and the illegal drug trade.
Earthquake jolts eastern Japan, felt in Tokyo </B>
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.2 jolted eastern Japan yesterday morning, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. Buildings shook in Tokyo, but there were no reports of damage and no tsunami warning was issued after the quake.
Probe into sailors’ deaths on nuclear submarine </B>
An investigation was underway yesterday into the deaths of two British soldiers who were killed in an accident on a nuclear-powered submarine on exercise in the Arctic, the Ministry of Defence said. Another submariner was also hurt in the accident on board HMS Tireless and he has been airlifted to a US military hospital with his injuries described as not life-threatening. The ministry said the nuclear reactor on board Tireless, a hunter-killer sub which does not carry nuclear weapons, was not affected. The submarine “quickly surfaced and is completely safe”, the MoD said in a statement. Initial investigations indicated that the accident aboard the hunter-killer submarine involved a piece of air purification equipment in its forward section. It caused only superficial damage.
Mexican abortion battle heats up as Christians unify </B>
Mexico’s Christian churches banded together yesterday to fight a law that would legalize abortion in Mexico City, fearing it could spread quickly to the rest of the country. Leaders of the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Greek Orthodox churches railed against leftist politicians in the city’s local assembly who are likely to decriminalize abortion within months. “The leftists’ anti-democratic, intolerant and fascist attitude has tried to shut up a voice that objects to this absurd blood law” said Hugo Valdemar, spokesman for Mexico City’s Roman Catholic archdiocese.
A new leftist majority in the city government has angered religious groups by attempting to swiftly pass liberal reforms. The assembly first clashed with the Catholic Church in December when it legalized homosexual civil unions, a law that took effect recently. Abortion is legal in Mexico City in the case of rape and if a mother’s life is threatened.
US, Britain slam Italy hostage deal with Taliban </B>
The United States and Britain criticised Italy’s hostage deal with the Taliban on Wednesday, saying the release of five guerrillas in exchange for an Italian reporter put NATO troops in danger and encouraged kidnappings.
A senior US administration official said Washington had formally complained to Rome through diplomatic channels for putting pressure on Kabul to release the Taliban, adding the deal “caught the US by surprise”.
A spokeswoman at the British Foreign Office said the deal sent “the wrong signal to prospective hostage-takers”. Italy, which has 1,900 troops under NATO command in Afghanistan, confirmed that five Taliban had been released.
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