■FRANCE
Two die in rail accident
Two people were killed and 11 injured on Saturday when a commuter train hit them while they were on the rails between the northern Paris suburbs of Aubervilliers and Saint-Denis, firefighters said. The accident took place when a train hit the people who were on the railway overpass crossing a highway, firefighters said. Children were among the victims, and three of the injured were in serious condition, they said.
■UNITED STATES
Never too late to confess
Some New York City Catholic churches are trying to send a message that it’s never too late to come to confession. A few churches stayed open from Friday night through early Saturday morning in hope of boosting participation in one of the faith’s sacraments, the New York Times reported. Several other parishes offered extended hours. Organizers and the Archdiocese of New York say the event was the first of its kind in the city. Organizer Mario Bruschi says at least 855 confessions were made as part of the event.
■UNITED KINGDOM
Crash was an ‘accident’
The government said late on Saturday it believed the automobile crash that injured Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and killed his wife Susan was indeed an accident and not a politically motivated attack as some have alleged. The truck that collided with Tsvangirai’s car belonged to a British-American organization, the foreign ministry said in London. The evidence points to an accident, a spokeswoman said. In a statement released in South Africa on Saturday, Tsvangirai’s party, the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) described the crash as a “perfect organized hit.” In Zimbabwe, leading MDC members stopped short of such a direct accusation, but said they were making their own investigations, and accused the government of failing to provide the protection of a police escort for Tsvangirai. Tsvangirai survived Friday’s crash with minor injuries after his vehicle was hit by an oncoming truck but his wife was killed.
■UNITED KINGDOM
Demo protests PRC rule
More than 1,000 people gathered in London on Saturday for a demonstration against Chinese rule in Tibet ahead of this week’s 50th anniversary of a failed uprising. The crowd held banners with such slogans as “Stop the torture in Tibet” and “China stole my land, my voice, my freedom.” The Tibet Society of the UK said the march set off from the Chinese embassy, where an open letter which it said featured documentary evidence of torture, was delivered by Tibetan monk Palden Gyatso, who was imprisoned for 33 years. “It is a shameful indictment of the Chinese government that 50 years after its brutal crackdown on the Tibetan people, they continue using the same policies today,” said Philippa Carrick, the society’s chief executive.
■IRAN
Karzai to attend summit
Afghan President Hamid Karzai is to visit Tehran to attend an economic summit beginning on Wednesday, Hamshahri newspaper reported yesterday. The newspaper, quoting foreign ministry spokesman Hassan Ghashghavi, said that the presidents of Afghanistan, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, Tajikistan and Turkey will attend the summit. Karzai’s visit to Iran gains significance as the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday that Iran will be invited for an international conference later this month to solve the crisis in Afghanistan.
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