KHARTOUM, Sudan – Hundreds of rebels from war-ravaged Darfur clashed with Sudanese security forces on the doorstep of the capital yesterday in a dramatic widening of the five-year-old conflict.
It was the first foray into the seat of the Sudanese government by a rebel group once confined to the western region, which is deeply scarred by the struggle between the ethnic African rebels and the Arab-dominated central government.
The country's interior minister said government forces successfully “chased” away the rebels by nightfall, about three hours after the first outbreak of violence, and killed a rebel leader and his aide.
Associated Press
Eastern Sri Lankans free to vote again
BATTICALOA, Sri Lanka – Eastern Sri Lanka residents voted yesterday in their first major election, less than a year after the separatist rebels lost control of the region. The poll was hailed as a democratic milestone but marred by a rebel attacks, one that left 11 people dead.
The government said the election was an important step in restoring normalcy to the Eastern Province, which it freed from 13 years of Tamil Tiger rule last July. The rebels have been fighting since 1983 for an independent homeland for the ethnic Tamil minority in the north and east after decades of marginalization under governments controlled by the Sinhalese majority.
Associated Press
S. Korea to double anti-bird-flu drug
SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea says it will double its stockpile of the antiviral drug Tamiflu as bird flu spreads among poultry across the country.
The office of President Lee Myung-bak said yesterday the government plans to store enough Tamiflu by the end of this year to treat 2.5 million people.
South Korea has enough Tamiflu for only 1.23 million people. The country's population is 48 million.
South Korea has reported no human cases of bird flu, but fears about human infection have risen following the first outbreak of the disease in the capital a few days ago.
Associated Press
2 killed, 8 injured as carousel derails
KIEV, Ukraine – A carousel jumped off its track and slammed into a pole in eastern Ukraine yesterday, killing two people and injuring eight, authorities said.
Channel 5 TV said the carousel slammed into a supporting pole and sent people flying. Local authorities said the carousel was put up in the park in Luhansk without official permission.
Accidents in amusement parks are frequent in Ukraine. Safety rules are often neglected, and many rides are not properly checked.
Associated Press
Israeli airstrikes kill Hamas police officers
JERUSALEM – Five Hamas police officers were killed in Israeli airstrikes on two police posts in southern Gaza late Friday night, Palestinian officials said yesterday.
The strikes occurred hours after an Israeli civilian was killed by a mortar round fired into Israel by militants from Gaza. Yesterday morning, the military wing of Hamas launched 15 rockets at Israel to avenge the deaths of the policemen, the organization said in a statement. Several rockets crashed into Sderot, an Israeli border town. One struck a house and another fell near a religious academy, causing damage but no injury, the Israeli military said. The latest violence happened days before President Bush is scheduled to arrive in Israel as part of celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state. A senior Egyptian envoy is also expected here this week to present the Israelis with a proposal for a temporary cease-fire with Hamas.
New York Times News Service
