Foreign

All's well that ends well, says happy Mugabe
BLANTYRE -- Southern African leaders yesterday ended a special summit on conflicts in the region, after about eight hours of closed-door talks on Angola, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Zimbabwe. "We are very happy. All issues were wel...

Bush jokes after pretzel choke
WASHINGTON -- President George W Bush yesterday felt well enough to joke about fainting after choking on a pretzel on Sunday. "I feel great," the president, a scarlet bruise near his left temple, told reporters on the White House lawn, quipping t...

Zim may use 4x4s against opposition
VIENNA -- Austria is supplying military transporters to the "southern African dictatorship of Zimbabwe", the magazine Format reported yesterday. The transporters would be used by an elite unit which President Robert Mugabe planned to deploy again...

CRANK CALL:
Motorola Inc has developed the FreeCharge, a wind-up charger for cellphones. Seen here in Chicago, it provides power for four to five minutes of talk after 45 seconds of winding. It will be in the shops from March and will sell for about $65. (AP...

India-Pakistan war threat remains
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan -- The threat of war between two south Asian nuclear powers remained alive yesterday after Pakistan refused to withdraw hundreds of thousands of army forces assembled on its borders with India unless New Delhi does the same. T...

Palestinian militant dies in bombing
NABLUS, West Bank -- A Palestinian militant wanted by Israel was killed yesterday in an explosion blamed on the Jewish state, in the first such incident since Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's call for a ceasefire nearly a month ago. The decease...

Harry may be charged in drink, dope case
LONDON -- Police in Wiltshire, where Prince Harry has admitted illegally drinking and smoking marijuana, refused yesterday to rule out legal action against the 17-year-old. Superintendent Mandy Evely said Harry would be treated "exactly the same ...

PYROTECHNIC DELIGHT:
Fireworks explode as flames spread over Wakakusayama mountain behind the illuminated tower of the Kofukuji Buddhist temple in Nara, Japan, on Sunday night. The annual Yamayaki (mountain burning) ceremony dates from 1760 when plants on the mountain...

Satellite call thwarts pirates
FALMOUTH, England -- Coast guards alerted international authorities early yesterday after receiving a distress call from a cargo ship attacked by pirates off the east African coast. The 6000-ton Princess Sarah made the call via satellite when it ...

Worldwide study of Earth's health starts today
BANGKOK -- Some 1500 scientists and research institutions from around the world are set to formally begin today the most comprehensive study ever made of the ecological health of planet Earth. The ambitious four-year Millennium Ecosystem Assessme...