French Defense Minister Herve Morin arrived in N'Djamena yesterday in a show of support for President Idriss Deby, who survived a weekend assault on the capital by rebels seeking to topple him. Meanwhile, UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon said the world body had evacuated most of its staff from the country because of worries for their safety. Ban said he was leaving in place a small number of UN peacekeepers and other personnel in the capital and that the UN would do as much as it could to help resolve the crisis.
■ UNITED STATES
Drug lord gets 30 years
A Colombian drugs kingpin described by US authorities as one of the world's most significant international cocaine barons was sentenced to 30 years in jail by a New York court on Tuesday. Manuel Felipe Salazar-Espinosa, 58, also known as "Hoover," was convicted on narcotics and money laundering charges. He was arrested in Colombia in 2005 while planning a cocaine shipment for the US. He was extradited to the US in August 2006 and put on trial and convicted last year. "Today's sentence puts an end to the 20-year criminal career of Hoover Salazar, one of the world's most significant cocaine kingpins," US attorney Michael Garcia said after the sentencing.
■ UNITED STATES
School receives US$5m
The checks to Temple University really were in the mail -- for US$5 million. It was a total surprise for the school to receive the anonymous donations, which were sent via mail from a bank in Arizona, said Stuart Sullivan, Temple's senior vice president for institutional advancement. One envelope contained a US$1 million bank check for the university to use however it chooses, Sullivan said on Tuesday. The second held a US$4 million check to endow a scholarship for women and minorities. The school contacted the bank to try to find out more, but the donors insisted on remaining anonymous, Sullivan said.
■ UNITED KINGDOM
Blind musician wins suit
A blind calypso musician and his band who were thrown off a Ryanair plane as suspected terrorists were awarded a total of £4,000 (US$7,900) in damages on Tuesday. Michael Toussaint and four members of the London-based Caribbean Steel International Orchestra were escorted off the plane at gunpoint by Italian police without warning or explanation and were not allowed back on despite being cleared by authorities within 20 minutes. A judge ruled that Ryainair had not acted reasonably and had failed in its duty of care to the passengers, particularly Toussaint, who was entitled to special care because of his disability.
■ UNITED STATES
No serving fat customers
A lawmaker in Mississippi wants to ban restaurants from serving food to obese customers -- but please, don't be offended. He says he does not expect his plan to become law. "I was trying to shed a little light on the No. 1 problem in Mississippi," said Republican Representative John Read, who said that at 1.8m and 104kg, he would probably have a tough time getting served under his own bill. More than 30 percent of adults in Mississippi are considered obese, a study last year by the Trust for America's Health showed. The state House Public Health Committee chairman, Democrat Steve Holland, said he would "shred" the bill.
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