Iraqi bombers continue carnage

BAGHDAD – A suicide bomber blew himself up amid a crowd of Shiite pilgrims south of Baghdad yesterday, killing at least 40 people, police and medical officials told AFP.

Venezuelan rescuers find recorders * MERIDA – Venezuelan rescuers found the flight data recorders from an airplane that crashed into an Andes mountain, but struggled against the elements to recover the bodies of the 46 victims. Vow not to attack Medhi army * BAGHDAD – Senior United States commander promised that US and Iraqi forces will not target Moqtada al-Sadr’s powerful Mehdi Army, a day after the Shi’ite cleric extended his militia’s cease-fire by six months EU pulls staff out of Kosovo * PRISTINA: The European Union has withdrawn staff from a divided Kosovo city following violent protests by the Serb minority, an EU envoy said as Russia warned Kosovo’s independence could increase terrorism.Release for kidnapped politician? * BOGOTA – Six years after Colombian rebels kidnapped Ingrid Betancourt, the anniversary brings glimmer of hope for her family who campaigned from Paris to the Vatican and Caracas to Buenos Aires to help free the French-Colombian politician.German conservatives expect victory * BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives are expected to retain power in a state election in Hamburg, but the big winner may be a new far-left party that has profited from a national tax dodging scandal.Pakistani poll indicates alliance * ISLAMABAD – Opinion poll shows an alliance between two biggest groups opposed to President Pervez Musharraf is the preferred choice of Pakistan’s voters.Vow not to attack Medhi army * BAGHDAD – Senior United States commander promised that US and Iraqi forces will not target Moqtada al-Sadr’s powerful Mehdi Army, a day after the Shi’ite cleric extended his militia’s cease-fire by six months EU pulls staff out of Kosovo * PRISTINA: The European Union has withdrawn staff from a divided Kosovo city following violent protests by the Serb minority, an EU envoy said as Russia warned Kosovo’s independence could increase terrorism.Release for kidnapped politician? * BOGOTA – Six years after Colombian rebels kidnapped Ingrid Betancourt, the anniversary brings glimmer of hope for her family who campaigned from Paris to the Vatican and Caracas to Buenos Aires to help free the French-Colombian politician.German conservatives expect victory * BERLIN – German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives are expected to retain power in a state election in Hamburg, but the big winner may be a new far-left party that has profited from a national tax dodging scandal. Pakistani poll indicates alliance * ISLAMABAD – Opinion poll shows an alliance between two biggest groups opposed to President Pervez Musharraf is the preferred choice of Pakistan’s voters.