■ Chechnya
Rebels kill five Russians
Five Russian soldiers were killed and six wounded in a series of attacks on military positions in the republic of Chechnya, an official in the Kremlin-backed Chechen administration said Sunday. Chechnya's separatist rebels open fire daily on Russian military positions in the republic, including checkpoints. In all, positions were fired on 15 times over the past day, the official said on condition of anonymity. In the republic's capital Grozny, a Chechen policeman's corpse was found on Sunday morning, the official said. Chechens who work with the Russian forces or civil administration are often targeted by rebels. Also Sunday, Apti Khakiyev, the deputy interior minister of Ingushetia, which borders Chechnya to the west, was killed when his car came under fire.
■ Mauritania
Former president sentenced
A Mauritanian court on Sunday convicted former president Mohamed Khouna Ould Haidallah of plotting to overthrow the current head of the northwest African state and handed him a five-year suspended jail term. Ould Haidallah, who had vehemently denied planning the ouster of President Maaouiya Ould Taya while running in a controversial election against him last month, was also ordered to pay 400,000 ouguiyas (US$1,550). He said he planned to lodge an appeal with the supreme court.
■ Italy
Smoky bars could go
The smoke-filled bar may soon be a thing of the past in Italy. Since yesterday, more than 200,000 bars and restaurants are subject to a new rule that requires designated smoking areas to be sealed off from the rest of the premises and equipped with powerful ventilators. Owners have 12 months to comply, or face heavy fines and temporary closure. A second rule, starting on New Year's Day, blocks vending machines from operating between 9am and 7pm. In the future, the machines will only accept purchases from customers with an electronic identity card proving they are not
under-age.
■ Guatemala
Berger takes the lead
A pro-business former mayor of Guatemala City had a strong lead over a center-left engineer who billed himself as the candidate of the poor late Sunday in a presidential run-off election marred by low voter turnout. With 71 percent of the votes counted, conservative Oscar Berger had 55.9 percent, compared to 44.02 percent for his opponent, Alvaro Colom. Berger served as mayor of Guatemala City from 1990 until 1999 and garnered 29 percent more votes in the capital than his opponent, according to initial results released by the election commission.
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