World

March 26, 2008

New Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani was sworn in Tuesday by his rival, President Pervez Musharraf, who pledged his cooperation. But after the ceremony, Gilani's partner in the new coalition government, ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, told visiting Bush administration officials that parliament will scrutinize Musharraf's approach to Islamist militancy. He said it was "unacceptable" that Pakistan "make our own country a killing field" to "give peace to the world."

At least two people died in western China in new violence between police and Tibetan protesters, the Xinhua news agency said. It blamed the latter for starting the trouble and said one of the dead was a policeman. In a conflicting account, a Tibetan exile group said the security forces had used live ammunition, killing a monk and critically wounding two others. Analysts said either report, if true, showed that defiance in Tibetan areas is still running strong a week after the government's harsh crackdown on dissent.

With presidential and parliamentary elections looming Saturday, Zimbabwe's government was expected to order a rollback of prices on milk, bread, and other basic foods. Despite economists' warnings that lowering prices would worsen inflation – already the highest in the world – President Robert Mugabe warned, "We are going to read the riot act" to merchants who don't obey. Mugabe, seeking a sixth term in his toughest race yet, was accused by opponents of attempting to buy the election.

Tensions were rising again among Colombia and its neighbors after confirmation that one of the people killed in a March 1 cross-border raid was Ecuadorean. Ecuador's government asked the Organization of American States to condemn what it called "a human rights abuse." After Colombian leaders sought to justify the assault, President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela warned that they were risking a new diplomatic crisis.

US military officials acknowledged that a cargo ship chartered by the Navy was involved in a shooting incident with boatloads of vendors in the Suez Canal Monday night. But they declined to confirm claims that warning shots fired from the vessel had killed at least one person and wounded three others. A Navy spokeswoman said the US was "working cooperatively" with Egyptian authorities in an investigation.

Troops from the African Union hunted fugitive rebel leaders on Anjouan Island in the Comoros Tuesday after seizing its capital in a dawn offensive. The archipelago's umbrella government had accused self-declared Anjouan President Mohamad Bacar of aspiring to secede, although he maintained he was leading a campaign for increased autonomy.

Heavy new snow caused a massive pileup of traffic on a highway linking Vienna and Salzburg, Austria, Tuesday, closing it in both directions. As many as 100 vehicles were involved, and at least one person was killed, police said. Emergency crews struggled to free drivers trapped in the wreckage of their cars and trucks.

One of London's prime attractions, the giant Eye observation wheel, reopened Tuesday after a "technical fault" stranded 400 riders for more than an hour Monday night. Some waited 450 feet above ground while repairs were completed. No one was injured, reports said.

Head-high mounds of rotting trash finally have disappeared from the streets of Naples, Italy, reports said Tuesday, although critics noted that the impact on tourism "has been devastating." Government "trash czar" Gianni De Gennaro ordered the buildup shipped to other areas of Italy or put in temporary storage until new landfills and incinerators are ready. Tourism is the city's No. 1 revenue source.