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World in brief
Compiled from Times wires Bolivian Congress picks presidentLA PAZ, Bolivia -- Bolivia's Congress ended a presidential tie on Sunday, picking U.S.-educated millionaire Gonzalo Sanchez de Lozada to lead the South American nation as it confronts economic malaise and growing social unrest. Sanchez de Lozada, 72, a centrist mining executive who was president from 1993 to 1997, won a congressional vote by a 84-43 margin over Evo Morales, 42, a radical Indian leader of Bolivia's coca growers. The men were the top two vote-getters in a national election in June. Neither won an outright majority, forcing a vote in Congress. Two congressman left their votes blank Sunday, while 26 voted for Manfred Reyes Villa, who came in a close third place in June. Two other legislators were absent. The legislature convened Saturday and debated through the night for more than 24 hours. Sanchez de Lozada will govern South America's poorest country. Bolivia is suffering not only an economic crisis, but also rising crime and social unrest. Koreas agree on topics, participation in gamesSEOUL, South Korea -- North and South Korea agreed Sunday to discuss reunions of families separated by the Korean War, a cross-border rail line and joint economic projects in the impoverished North during Cabinet-level talks next week. The decision to reopen high-level talks after a nine-month hiatus signaled that the inter-Korean reconciliation process was back on track, although more sensitive issues such as North Korea's missile program were not on the agenda. In another sign of thawing relations, the U.S.-led U.N. Command in Seoul said it would meet North Korean officers on Tuesday to discuss a deadly naval clash between the Koreas on June 29. North Korea said it would participate in the 14th Asian Games, to be held in South Korea's southern port city of Busan on Sept. 29-Oct. 14, the joint statement said. The offer is significant because the isolated state until now shunned major international sporting events in South Korea, including this year's soccer World Cup. Haitian activist calls for Aristide's resignationGONAIVES, Haiti -- Families walked to church Sunday as calm settled on the streets of this Haitian port city, two days after gunmen drove a tractor through a prison wall and unleashed 159 inmates, including a local political activist. None of the escaped convicts was reported captured, and no police were on the streets Sunday. Many people blamed President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's government for the chaos. "We don't like disorder, but Aristide is to blame. I'm sorry I voted for him. He's given street thugs a free hand," Smith Auguste, a 21-year-old unemployed man, said Saturday. Many residents in the dusty streets of Gonaives, a west-coast city of 200,000 people, complained they have no electricity, few jobs and little hope. Escaped activist Amiot Metayer accused Aristide of wrongly putting him behind bars and demanded the resignation of the president, a former ally. Elsewhere ...EXPLOSIVES FOUND AT OLYMPIC STADIUM: Antiterrorist police in Greece found a small quantity of explosives Sunday buried near a landmark 19th century marble stadium that is scheduled to be used in the 2004 Olympic Games. One hand grenade, detonators and a small quantity of dynamite were buried in a shallow pit on a hill overlooking the all-marble stadium, site in 1896 of the first modern Olympics. The venue is scheduled to be the finish of the marathon during the 2004 Olympics and could host other events. CAR BOMB KILLS 1 IN COLOMBIA: A car bomb exploded in eastern Colombia on Sunday, killing a bomb technician who was trying to deactivate it. The bombing was one of four reported Saturday and Sunday in a surge of violence believed linked to the upcoming inauguration of President-elect Alvaro Uribe. The technician in the state of Arauca was killed trying to deactivate the bomb in a car that was blocking a highway. No one else was injured. Also Sunday, a small bomb exploded in the doorway of the municipal offices in a trendy Bogota neighborhood, but there were no casualties. Another bomb went off in southern Bogota, killing the man who was setting it, police said. No one claimed responsibility for the blasts.
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From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
