Foreign

Brandy bought in Braille
LONDON -- A British supermarket chain has introduced Braille on labels of its own-brand liquor bottles, to help the blind. The Co-op chain had already introduced Braille on medicine packaging. So far, only bleach bottles were in Braille. The cha...

Taliban to surrender Kandahar ­ report
ISLAMABAD -- Taliban supreme leader Mullah Mohammad Omar has decided to surrender the stronghold of Kandahar to a local mujahedin commander who controlled the city in the early 1990s, the Afghan Islamic Press (AIP) reported yesterday. "Mullah Moh...

Violence blamed mainly on Zanu(PF)
HARARE -- Thirty-two people have been killed in political violence in Zimbabwe so far this year, and thousands of others have been displaced, a local human rights group has claimed. Most of the violence was committed by supporters of the governin...

Zim accuses US of interfering in its affairs
HARARE -- A US threat to impose sanctions against Zimbabwe to protest against democratic and human rights abuses amounted to unwarranted interference, a Zimbabwean diplomat said yesterday. In the first official response to a bill passed overwhelm...

COOL COLLECTION:
Holly McGuire models the festive look at the opening of an Ann Summers store in Manchester's Trafford Centre yesterday. (AP) Eastern Cape   South Africa   Foreign   Business&...

Fireman finds family killed
PORTLAND, Oregon -- Fireman Steve Roe rushed to the site of a car-train collision on Wednesday only to find that his wife and three children had died in the crash. The only survivor was Roe's 10-year-old son Ethan, said police chief Lee Farrester...

SHEER DROP:
A building wrap features a skier who appears to have drifted off the snow-covered Wasatch mountains and down the side of a bank office tower in Salt Lake City, Utah. Many buildings in the downtown area will be decorated with wraps as part of the ...

Liz Hurley has new man in her life
LONDON -- British model Liz Hurley, currently engaged in a bitter paternity wrangle with US millionaire Steve Bing, said yesterday she had a new boyfriend. Hurley, 36, refused to reveal the identity of her new partner in an interview with US mag...

Hopeful lover duped in Internet romance
TAIPEI -- An Internet romance turned sour when a Taiwanese man went to meet his date in person, only to discover she had set him up to be robbed, local media reported yesterday. The man said he met his date a month earlier chatting on the Interne...

Makeba gets German peace medal
BERLIN -- South African singer Miriam Makeba, acclaimed worldwide as "Mama Africa", was yesterday named as winner of this year's Otto-Hahn golden peace medal for her efforts and commitment to human rights and overcoming of apartheid. Makeba, best...

Moz crime alarms Chissano
MAPUTO -- Violent crime in Mozambique has reached alarming proportions and extraordinary efforts will be needed to restore normality, President Joaquim Chissano said yesterday. Opposition Renamo lawmakers walked out of parliament as the president...

Billy Graham to be knighted
LONDON -- US evangelist Billy Graham is to receive an honorary knighthood, to be bestowed by the British ambassador to Washington on behalf of Queen Elizabeth, the Times reported yesterday. The queen has met Graham, 83, on each of his 10 tours to...

VIPs gather to mark 100 years of Nobel Prize
OSLO -- About 30 Nobel Peace Prize laureates gathered in Oslo yesterday to mark the 100th anniversary of the prestigious award. But the celebration was dampened even as it began by the continuing crisis in the Middle East and an explosive battle ...

Palestinians fight each other
GAZA CITY -- At first glance, it was a typical afternoon of the intifada, or Palestinian uprising, with all the ingredients of the daily violence: charred shells of burning cars, stone-throwing youths, teargas, guns and even a "martyr". But this ...

Police Santas surprise motorists
WARSAW -- Good Polish motorists who observed the rules of the road were pleasantly surprised yesterday when police disguised as Santas handed out treats to them. "Those who followed traffic regulations were given small presents like ice scrapers ...

Pirates kill top yachtsman
RIO DE JANEIRO -- Sir Peter Blake, the manager of Team New Zealand's victorious America's Cup campaign last year, was shot dead by pirates in Brazil on Wednesday, military police said yesterday. Two other members of his team were transferred to a...