UK-World Summary
Khmer Rouge torturer had broad autonomy, lawyer says
PHNOM PENH - The Khmer Rouge's chief torturer ran a camp "dedicated to death" with broad autonomy, a lawyer said on Monday in closing arguments at the U.N.-backed "Killing Fields" tribunal in Cambodia. Prosecution lawyers said 67-year-old Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch, was given autonomy to carry out certain punishments while running the notorious S-21 prison, where more than 14,000 "enemies" of the ultra-Maoist revolution died.
China families protest mine disaster, toll hits 104
HEGANG, China - Relatives of victims of a gas blast at a northeast Chinese coal mine scuffled with police and demanded answers from the owners on Monday as state media put the toll from the latest in a series of mine disasters at 104. The protest came a day after another 11 miners were killed in a blast at a pit in the southern province of Hunan, Xinhua said. China's stability-obsessed government is nervous about any public protests, and will be keen to keep discontent under control.
Two Afghan ministers suspected of embezzlement
KABUL - Two Afghan cabinet ministers are being investigated under suspicion of embezzlement, a deputy attorney general said on Monday, at a time when President Hamid Karzai faces tough Western pressure to clean up his government. Fazel Ahmad Faqiryar declined to name the two ministers, but told Reuters that other officials were also being targeted by the inquiry.
Gunmen kill 21 in Philippine political war
MANILA - Gunmen abducted and killed at least 21 people in the southern Philippines on Monday, apparently to prevent a woman filing her husband's nomination to run for provincial governor in elections next year, the military said. Lieutenant Colonel Romeo Brawner said the bodies of 13 women and eight men were found in the area where about 30 people were taken hostage.
China quake activist jailed for three years
BEIJING - A Chinese dissident who tried to help victims of last year's Sichuan earthquake was jailed for three years on Monday on charges of illegally possessing state secrets, his wife said, decrying the sentence as "revenge." The court decision is another sign that China is in no mood to ease political controls after last week's visit by U.S. President Barack Obama, who pressed the government on human rights.
Pakistani forces attack Taliban in NW, kill 22
HANGU, Pakistan - Pakistani security forces backed by tanks and artillery attacked Taliban positions in the northwest of the country, killing 22 militants, a senior police official Monday. The attack was part of a broader campaign against militants in Pakistan, a regional ally which Washington sees as key to defeating the Taliban in Afghanistan.
Indonesian ferry sinks; 29 dead, most survive
JAKARTA - An overloaded ferry sank in bad weather off Indonesia's Riau islands on Sunday, killing 29 people, while 245 passengers survived the accident, officials said. Rustam Pakaya, a Health Ministry official, said 17 people were still missing. A total of 291 people were on board, including 13 crew, he said.
Britain urges Turkey to open ports to Cyprus as pledged
NICOSIA - Britain urged Turkey on Monday to honour a pledge to the European Union to open its ports and airports to neighbouring Cyprus, saying it would be an important step in Ankara's talks to join the bloc. Turkey has no diplomatic relations with Cyprus, an EU member since 2004, but is under pressure to make good a promise to open its ports to its southern neighbour under a deal which enabled it to start accession talks in 2005.
Romanian president leads in poll first round
BUCHAREST - President Traian Basescu led by a slim margin in the first round of Romania's presidential election on Monday and was set to face leftist leader Mircea Geoana in a December 6 run-off, official partial results showed. After counting votes from nearly 50 percent of polling stations, the Central Electoral Bureau said Basescu had 33 percent of Sunday's ballot while Geoana was on 29 percent.
Iran launches war games to protect nuclear sites
TEHRAN - Iran's armed forces launched large-scale air defence war games on Sunday to show off the country's deterrence capabilities in the face of pressure from the West over its nuclear programme. The display of military muscle comes at a time of rising tension between Iran and six major powers, which fear Tehran's nuclear programme is aimed at producing nuclear weapons. Tehran denies this is the programme's purpose.