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Supporters prepare for Bhutto's return

By Times Wires
Published October 18, 2007

Karachi, Pakistan

By foot, bus and bicycle, thousands of fervent followers of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto converged Wednesday, preparing to welcome her home today from eight years of exile. Bhutto's expected return adds a complex new dimension to President Pervez Musharraf's monthslong struggle to retain power. She and Musharraf have reached agreement on some elements of a power-sharing alliance, but mistrust persists on both sides. Pakistan Peoples Party leaders said they expected up to 1-million people to line the procession route.

London

Obesity rate rising, report warns

Most British citizens - 60 percent of British men, 50 percent of women and a quarter of children - could be obese by 2050, a government report warned Wednesday. Health Secretary Alan Johnson didn't blame British eating habits, calling obesity "a consequence of abundance, convenience and underlying biology." The analysis by the Foresight program, run by the Office for Science, concludes that excess weight has become the norm and described Britain as an "obesogenic" society.

St. Petersburg, Russia

Despite protests, skyscraper okayed

Lawmakers on Wednesday approved the construction of a skyscraper that will rise near the architectural treasures of Russia's Imperial-era capital, a project that has drawn protests from many residents. The city assembly adopted legislation providing for the construction of a mixed-use complex anchored by a glass-encased tower that is to rise 1,050 feet, more than twice as high as St. Petersburg's current tallest building. Critics cite rules dating back centuries that have limited the height of buildings in the center of the city founded by Czar Peter the Great more than 300 years ago.

Mexico City

Tropical storm re-forms in Pacific

Tropical Storm Kiko re-formed Wednesday and inched toward Mexico's Pacific coastline, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. Forecasters warned coastal villages and resorts to keep a close eye on the storm, although it wasn't expected to threaten land in the coming days. Officials said it would likely strengthen slightly, but was not expected to become a hurricane. It had sustained winds of 40 mph. The storm had been downgraded to a tropical depression late Tuesday.

Elsewhere

San Jose, Costa Rica: The U.S. government and environmental groups will trim $26-million off Costa Rica's debt rolls in exchange for the country spending the same amount on tropical forest conservation, according to an agreement reached Wednesday.

Kabul, Afghanistan: A Taliban ambush on a police patrol in southern Afghanistan left one officer dead and four others wounded, police said Wednesday.

Rio De Janeiro, Brazil: Hundreds of police agents swooped in on drug gangs in two Rio de Janeiro shantytowns, setting off gunbattles that killed 12 people, including an officer and a 4-year-old boy, officials said.

Paris: Public transportation halted Wednesday night as most Metro and suburban trains stopped running, scores of subway stations were closed and buses suspended services at the start of a 24-hour strike that some unions said could be extended.

[Last modified October 18, 2007, 01:19:24]