Women, children killed in stampede

KHARTOUM – Sudanese police say a stampede among crowds of people attending a military graduation ceremony killed 17 people and injured three-dozen others.

Police said most of the dead in Sunday’s stampede were women and children. ICC warrant ‘could ruin peace’ * ADDIS ABABA – The African Union voiced concern yesterday that a request by the International Criminal Court’s top prosecutor for an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir could undermine peace efforts in the country.9 Americans killed in attack in Afghanistan * KABUL – United States troops yesterday reinforced a remote military outpost after well-armed militants got inside and killed nine American soldiers in the deadliest assault on US forces in Afghanistan in three years.Karzai directly blames Pakistan for attacks * KABUL – Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday directly accused Pakistan’s intelligence agency of being behind a recent series of attacks by extremist Islamic militants that have killed scores of people.Man held over consulate attack in Turkey * ISTANBUL – A Turkish court on Sunday ordered a man to be held in custody over an attack on the US consulate in Istanbul in which six people were killed, the state-run Anatolian news agency reported.Giant cross arrives for Pope’s visit * SYDNEY – Pilgrims cheered, sang and wept as a giant wooden cross serving as the symbol of a Roman Catholic youth festival led by Pope Benedict XVI sailed into Sydney Harbour on Monday, the culmination of a yearlong journey through Australia.Researchers flee melting Arctic ice floe * MOSCOW – Russian scientists are evacuating a research station built on an Arctic ice floe because global warming has melted the ice to a fraction of its original size, a spokesman said.Turkey charges 86 over alleged coup plot * ISTANBUL – A senior prosecutor yesterday brought terrorism-related charges against 86 suspects in a long-awaited indictment concerning an alleged plot to overthrow Turkey’s Islamist-rooted government.Israel readies to free Lebanese prisoners * JERUSALEM – Israeli prison authorities moved four Lebanese captives to a new facility yesterday, placing them with a convicted Lebanese killer in preparation for a swap with the Hezbollah guerrilla group later this week.ICC warrant ‘could ruin peace’ * ADDIS ABABA – The African Union voiced concern yesterday that a request by the International Criminal Court’s top prosecutor for an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir could undermine peace efforts in the country.9 Americans killed in attack in Afghanistan * KABUL – United States troops yesterday reinforced a remote military outpost after well-armed militants got inside and killed nine American soldiers in the deadliest assault on US forces in Afghanistan in three years.Karzai directly blames Pakistan for attacks * KABUL – Afghan President Hamid Karzai yesterday directly accused Pakistan’s intelligence agency of being behind a recent series of attacks by extremist Islamic militants that have killed scores of people.Man held over consulate attack in Turkey * ISTANBUL – A Turkish court on Sunday ordered a man to be held in custody over an attack on the US consulate in Istanbul in which six people were killed, the state-run Anatolian news agency reported.Giant cross arrives for Pope’s visit * SYDNEY – Pilgrims cheered, sang and wept as a giant wooden cross serving as the symbol of a Roman Catholic youth festival led by Pope Benedict XVI sailed into Sydney Harbour on Monday, the culmination of a yearlong journey through Australia.Researchers flee melting Arctic ice floe * MOSCOW – Russian scientists are evacuating a research station built on an Arctic ice floe because global warming has melted the ice to a fraction of its original size, a spokesman said.Turkey charges 86 over alleged coup plot * ISTANBUL – A senior prosecutor yesterday brought terrorism-related charges against 86 suspects in a long-awaited indictment concerning an alleged plot to overthrow Turkey’s Islamist-rooted government.Israel readies to free Lebanese prisoners * JERUSALEM – Israeli prison authorities moved four Lebanese captives to a new facility yesterday, placing them with a convicted Lebanese killer in preparation for a swap with the Hezbollah guerrilla group later this week.