In Brief , BT

Venezuela airline suspends operations

CARACAS: Venezuelan national airline Conviasa is suspending all flights for two weeks after a crash in which 17 people were killed, the transport ministry said yesterday. The airline will "undertake a wide-ranging technical audit and evaluate all its protocols and procedures," the ministry said in a statement.

UN Council flays Congo mass rapes

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council yesterday strongly criticised the Democratic Republic of Congo government for mass rapes in the country and demanded swift efforts to catch those behind "gross human rights violations." Hundreds of women and children were raped by militia groups in eastern DR Congo in late July and early August, in acts that drew widespread international condemnation.

Somali PM to face confidence vote

MOGADISHU: Somalia's prime minister will face a new confidence vote in parliament on Saturday as a power-struggle between the leader of the government and President Sheikh Sharif Ahmed comes to a head. Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Sharmarke has come under intense pressure to step down in recent months.

French veil ban won't endanger Nato troops

WASHINGTON: France's plans to ban the full-face veil in public have not placed Nato troops in Afghanistan in greater danger, French Defence Minister Herve Morin said yesterday. French and other forces in the US-led coalition already were under serious threat in the war.

Diagnosis leads to murder-suicide

WASHINGTON: A man distraught and enraged at hearing his mother's diagnosis shot her doctor Thursday at the world-renowned Johns Hopkins Hospital before killing her and taking his own life, police said. Officials would not immediately elaborate on the mystery diagnosis that sparked the tragic shooting.

Japan PM makes key cabinet reshuffle

TOKYO: Japan's Prime Minister Naoto Kan, who survived a bruising leadership challenge this week, named a new cabinet Friday, including a hawkish foreign minister to handle an escalating row with China. The shake-up in ministerial and party posts also aims to shore up Kan's authority on a year-old centre-left government and effectively sidelines his vanquished rival, Ichiro Ozawa, in the ruling Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ).

Japan suspects cyber attacks amid China row

TOKYO: Japan suspects its defence ministry and national police agency websites have come under cyber attack this week, a news report said yesterday, amid a bitter row with China over a territorial dispute. The government is looking into the attacks given that China's largest known hackers' group had warned it would attack Japanese government websites until Saturday in protest over the maritime incident, Kyodo News agency reported.

Key Australian MP upset over reforms row

SYDNEY: A key Australian independent MP yesterday voiced dismay that new parliamentary reforms looked in danger despite a "group hug" designed to show goodwill between the major parties. Rob Oakeshott, the "kingmaker" whose support allowed Prime Minister Julia Gillard to regain power after dead-heat elections, said a row over who will be speaker showed the deal was unravelling.

New Zealand on tornado watch amid storm

WELLINGTON: A storm that meteorologists described as being the size of Australia buffeted New Zealand yesterday, prompting severe weather alerts across most of the country and warnings of localised tornadoes. The official MetService said gale-force winds of up to 130km per hour were lashing some areas, including the capital Wellington, accompanied by heavy rain, lightning and icy temperatures.

Taliban kidnap Afghan vote candidate

KABUL: The Taliban kidnapped an Afghan parliamentary candidate on Friday and were blamed for snatching another 18 election workers, as President Hamid Karzai warned of "irregularities" in the weekend poll. The hardline militia, which has been fighting an insurgency for nine years since being ousted from power, has threatened attacks to disrupt today's poll and called a boycott.