WORLD IN BRIEF

Monday, December 3, 2007

SOMALIA

Nearly 6,000 Killed in 2007 In Capital, Group Estimates

Violence in Somalia's war-ravaged capital has killed 5,960 civilians this year, a human rights group said Sunday.

Sudan Ali Ahmed, chairman of Somalia's Elman Human Rights, also said 7,980 people had been wounded and more than 700,000 displaced from their homes as the government has struggled to contain an Islamic insurgency.

An accurate tally is nearly impossible to come by in Mogadishu, one of the world's most violent and lawless cities. Government officials, who have accused Elman of exaggerating death tolls, were not immediately available for comment.

ISRAEL

Olmert: Deadline for Pact Depends on Palestinians

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday that Israel is not bound by a December 2008 target for a peace agreement set at last week's U.S.-hosted Middle East summit, telling his cabinet that progress will depend on the Palestinians' ability to rein in militants.

The comments reflected Olmert's internal political weakness. Hard-liners have threatened to bring down his coalition government if he makes too many concessions in peace talks. Olmert spoke a day before Israel was set to release 429 Palestinian prisoners in a gesture to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

CUBA

Nomination Keeps Castro In Step to Remain in Office

In the first official indication that he could remain Cuba's unchallenged leader, Fidel Castro was formally nominated Sunday as a candidate for the communist island's National Assembly, a requirement for continuing as president.

It remained unclear whether the ailing Castro would seek the post, but the nomination keeps his candidacy in play, providing a rare bit of suspense in a Cuban presidential election, analysts said.

HONG KONG

Pro-Democracy Candidate Wins Seat in Legislature

Pro-democracy candidate Anson Chan, a hugely popular former government official, won a seat in Hong Kong's legislature Monday, a win she hailed as a victory for democracy in the southern Chinese territory.

Chan received 175,874 votes, or about 54.6 percent, of the ballots cast in Sunday's election, according to official results announced early Monday.

Although Chan's victory was not expected to change the balance of power in the legislature, where pro-Beijing voices dominate, the race had been seen as a gauge of the public's desire for democratic reform as the former British colony is experiencing a booming economy.

MEXICO

Giant Skating Rink Opens In Historic Central Square

A group of Mexicans stood in line all night to be first to skate on a giant ice rink in Mexico City's historic Zocalo square, and hundreds more lined up beginning at dawn in a country where natural ice and snow are novelties.

The 34,400-square-foot rink, built to hold 1,200 skaters, who can use it without charge, was inaugurated Saturday night with fireworks, Christmas lights and a musical skating show viewed by thousands.

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40 Insurgents Killed in Fighting

Afghan and NATO-led troops battled with Taliban fighters and called in airstrikes in a series of clashes in the country's south that left 40 insurgents dead, an official said.

Lebanese Nominate Army Chief

Lebanon's anti-Syrian governing coalition nominated Gen. Michel Suleiman for president, opening the way for the army chief to fill the vacant post in a step that could ease a deep political crisis.

From News Services