Briefs, February 12, 2013

British patient is latest case of Sars-like virus

LONDON - A new virus from the same family as Sars that sparked a global alert last September has been found in another patient in Britain. This latest infection with the new virus known as a coronavirus brings the total number of confirmed cases globally to 10, of which five have died. The British patient, who had recently travelled to the Middle East and Pakistan, is receiving intensive care treatment in hospital in Manchester. Reuters

Rebels take dam amid calls for Assad to go

AMMAN/BEIRUT - Rebels have captured Syria's biggest hydro-electric dam and battled army tank units near the centre of Damascus, activists said as the opposition renewed an offer to negotiate the departure of President Bashar al-Assad. On the Turkish border, nine people were killed when a car arriving from rebel-held territory in northwestern Syria blew up at the Reyhanli crossing. Reuters

Blast in Russian coal mine kills 18

MOSCOW - An underground explosion killed 18 people in a Russian coal mine. "According to preliminary information ... 18 people died, 10 of whom have been brought to the surface," Interfax quoted an official at the interior ministry as saying. Yesterday's blast occurred after a build-up of methane, emergency ministry officials said. A ministry spokesman for the northern region of Komi said 23 men were in the mine during the blast. Reuters

Iran detains daughters of opposition leader

DUBAI - Iranian authorities detained two daughters of leading opposition figure Mir-Hossein Mousavi, a former presidential candidate held under house arrest for nearly two years, an opposition-linked website reported. Mousavi stood in presidential elections in 2009 and was a figurehead of the big street protests over allegations of vote rigging that followed. He is held under house arrest with his wife, Zahra Rahnavard. Reuters

Suspects arrested in Acapulco rape case

ACAPULCO - Mexican authorities detained several people in connection with last week's rape of six Spanish tourists in Acapulco, a crime that further blemished the resort's reputation. Guerrero state officials declined to say how many suspects were in custody. Governor Angel Aguirre said two of those detained were being investigated in connection with another rape case. He said the two had been identified by victims in that case. AP

Fox mauls baby in London home

LONDON A four-week-old baby boy was recovering at a hospital after being attacked by a fox in his home in London. Local media reported Denny Dolan's mother, Hayley Cawley, found the fox mauling her son during the attack in their home in Bromley, southeast London. Denny had his finger reattached and needed stitches to his cheek, as well as treatment for injuries to his face and head. AP

Discovery Channel crew killed in crash

LOS ANGELES - Three people were killed in a pre-dawn helicopter crash in a rural area of northern Los Angeles County while filming for a new reality TV show for the Discovery Channel. The show, listed on a filming permit as an untitled military-themed TV programme, had not yet been aired or announced, a channel spokeswoman said. AP