The world in brief

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I gave them whistles, water, torchlights. I heard them cry.We can’t leave them behind this way.”

Abul Khayer, a fire official in Savar, Bangladesh, on the dozens trapped under a collapsed garment factory Article, 1A

Moderate nominated for premier in Italy

ROME - President Giorgio Napolitano on Wednesday nominated Enrico Letta, the deputy head of the Democratic Party, as prime minister, responsible for forming a government to lead the country out of weeks of political impasse after inconclusive national elections.

Letta announced that he would consult with the country’s leaders today to discuss its “fragile and unprecedented” political situation, and ask for their support.

Letta listed unemployment and the economic crisis as among the top issues that the new government should address. He also said Italy needed to reduce the number of Parliament members, change its elections law and restore the credibility of its political class.

Letta, 46, is considered a moderate figure capable of reuniting the embattled, center-left Democratic Party with Prime Minister Mario Monti’s Civic Choice group and the center-right.

Hong Kong says no to China quake aid

HONG KONG - Hong Kong lawmakers fiercely opposed a plan Wednesday to donate money to a Chinese provincial government for earthquake victims, underlining widespread public concerns about mainland corruption.

The city’s leader, Leung Chun-ying, proposed donating $13 million to the Sichuan provincial government for relief efforts after an earthquake Saturday that struck Lushan county, killing at least 196 people and injuring more than 11,000.

Lawmakers said they wanted to help the victims but opposed giving money to government officials because of fears about corruption and misuse of funds. They said they would prefer that the money be channeled to aid groups and nongovernmental organizations.

It’s unclear whether another meeting would be held.

Pakistani court denies Musharraf bail

ISLAMABAD - A Pakistani court Wednesday rejected bail for ex-military ruler Pervez Musharraf in a case connected to the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 2007, a government prosecutor said.

It was the latest setback for Musharraf, who returned to Pakistan last month from four years in self-imposed exile to make a political comeback but is currently under house arrest in connection with a different case.

He seized power in a military coup in 1999 when he was army chief. He was serving as president when Bhutto was killed in a gun and bomb attack in December 2007, shortly after she returned from exile to help her party campaign.

Musharraf blamed the Pakistani Taliban for Bhutto’s slaying, but government investigators later said there was evidence of his involvement. A U.N. report faulted Musharraf’s government for failing to provide Bhutto with adequate security.

Musharraf has denied the allegations against him.

On Wednesday, the Islamabad High Court rejected Musharraf’s bail after his lawyer failed to appear to argue for an extension in the Bhutto case, said government prosecutor Zulfikar Chaudhry.

Swiss planning limits on immigration

GENEVA - The Swiss government said Wednesday that it plans to restrict immigration from Western European countries starting next month, citing constant growth in the number of people arriving to work in the prosperous non-European Union country.

Under a “safeguard clause” in Switzerland’s agreements with the EU, the Alpine nation already imposes quotas on long-term residence permits for people from eight eastern European countries. The government said it expects to apply it for a one-year period starting in May to the other western and southern EU countries.

During this period, the country will issue a maximum of 2,180 long-term permits for migrants from the new EU member states and 53,700 for migrants from the “old” EU member states.

A government statement said that in recent years the number of foreigners arriving in Switzerland to work has been up to 80,000 higher each year than the number leaving. Restricting permits “can help to make immigration more acceptable to society,” the statement said.

Front Section, Pages 6 on 04/25/2013

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