The world in brief

Thursday, December 6, 2012

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I voted for Morsi to get rid of Hosni Mubarak. I now regret it.”

Nadia el-Shafie,

an opponent of Egyptian leader Mohammed Morsi Article, this page

To negotiate with Congo, rebels say

BUNAGANA, Congo - Congo’s M23 rebels are sending a delegation to Kampala, Uganda, to negotiate with the Congolese government today, the rebels’ president said.

M23 President Jean-Marie Runiga said Wednesday that the talks with representatives of President Joseph Kabila’s Kinshasa government must be wide-ranging negotiations to cover constitutional and governance issues and should include the Congolese opposition and civic organizations.

The prospect of negotiations in neighboring Uganda comes as the strategic eastern Congo city of Goma, with 1 million people, struggles to return to normal life. Goma was held for two weeks by the M23 rebels.

Cargo ship sinks after crash, killing 4

THE HAGUE, Netherlands - Rescuers said four crew members died and seven were still missing in the icy waters of the North Sea, after a cargo ship collided with another vessel and sank off the Dutch coast on Wednesday night.

Dutch coast guard spokesman Marcel Oldenburger said four people were plucked dead from the sea and the search was continuing for those who were missing.

Thirteen sailors were rescued alive after the collision Wednesday night.

The 485-foot Baltic Ace collided with the 440-foot container ship Corvus J near busy shipping lanes some 40 miles off the coast of the southern Netherlands. The Baltic Ace, carrying a cargo of cars, had a crew of 24.

In a statement, the Dutch Defense Ministry said two navy patrol ships were aiding the search.

Coast guard spokesman Peter Verburg said the 12-man crew of the Corvus J was still on board the ship, which was helping in the rescue operation.

5.5-magnitude quake kills 5 in Iran

TEHRAN, Iran - A moderate earthquake shook eastern Iran on Wednesday, killing five people and injuring several others, Iranian TV reported.

State TV said the 5.5-magnitude quake hit South Khorasan province in eastern Iran near the border with Afghanistan at 8:38 p.m. Wednesday.

The broadcast quoted Javad Heravi, who represents the region in the Iranian parliament, as saying that the quake caused damage to rural buildings and cut power lines and telephone communication.

The semiofficial Fars news agency said the quake caused panic and prompted residents in the provincial capital, Birjand, to flee their homes.

State TV said the epicenter of the quake was outside Zohan, a village 65 miles north of Birjand.

The broadcast said rescue teams were dispatched to the area. It said 12 villages were affected by the quake.

Some 26,000 people were killed by a 6.6-magnitude quake that flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam in the same region in 2003.

NATO envoy’s leap to death a mystery

BRUSSELS - Serbia’s ambassador to NATO was chatting and joking with colleagues in a multistory parking garage at Brussels Airport when he suddenly strolled to a barrier, climbed over and flung himself to the ground below, a diplomat said.

By the time his shocked colleagues reached him, Branislav Milinkovic was dead.

His motives are a mystery. Three diplomats who knew Milinkovic, 52, said he did not appear distraught in the hours leading up to his death Tuesday night. He seemed to be going about his regular business, they said, picking up an arriving delegation of six Serbian officials who were to hold talks with NATO, the alliance that went to war with his country just 13 years ago.

Diplomats said they knew of no circumstances - private or professional - that would have prompted him to take his own life.

But Milinkovic had mentioned to colleagues at diplomatic functions that he was unhappy about living apart from his wife, a Serbian diplomat based in Vienna, and their 17-year-old son.

One of the diplomats described his death, saying she had spoken to a member of the delegation who had witnessed the leap from the 26- to 33-foot-high platform.

The diplomats all spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not permitted by foreign service regulations to speak publicly to journalists.

Front Section, Pages 5 on 12/06/2012