A round-up of today's world news stories in brief
Suu Kyi party not to run in election
YANGON – Burma’s (Myanmar) biggest opposition party said yesterday it would not register for this year’s election, meaning Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi’s party will have no role in the military-led process.
The National League for Democracy (NLD) party, which won the last election in 1990 by a landslide but was never allowed to rule, said the entire party leadership had agreed not to run. “After a unanimous vote of the central executive committee, the NLD party has decided not to register as a political party because the election laws . . . are unfair and unjust,” it said. – (Reuters)
Mephedrone to be banned in UK
LONDON – Dance drug mephedrone will be banned within weeks, British home secretary Alan Johnson announced yesterday.
The legal high, which has been linked to up to 25 deaths in England and Scotland, will be banned and made a Class B drug, he said. A ban on importing the drug will come into force today.
The announcement came after Mr Johnson was given a report backing a ban on mephedrone – also known as M-Cat or Plant Food – from Prof Les Iversen, chairman of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. – (PA)
Relatives of Air France crash sue in US
MIAMI – Relatives of passengers killed in an Air France crash off Brazil have filed almost two dozen wrongful death lawsuits in Miami against Airbus, alleging that the aircraft maker’s A330 crashed because of flaws in the aircraft and its US-made components.
Airbus, a unit of the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company, called the lawsuits baseless.
“We don’t believe that they are well stated or well founded,” said spokesman Clay McConnell. “We will be moving to have them dismissed.” – (Reuters)