'Russian spies' couple stand trial in Germany
STUTTGART - A couple accused of spying for the Russian secret services in Germany for more than 20 years went on trial yesterday in one of the biggest espionage cases since the cold war. The married couple, who were identified only by their code names, posed as Austrian citizens of South American descent, according to federal prosecutors. The pair are accused of having obtained confidential European Union and Nato documents, and were allegedly paid an annual sum equivalent to around €100,000 (HK$1.04 million). AFP
Suicide bomber kills Iraqi MP, five others
FALLUJAH - A suicide bomber killed an Iraqi legislator and five others west of Baghdad, wrapping his arms around the lawmaker before blowing himself up, officials said. Ayfan Saadun al-Essawi, a member of the secular Sunni-backed Iraqiya bloc that is part of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's national unity government, was targeted as he inspected a road being constructed south of Fallujah. AFP
Iran hopeful ahead of nuclear talks with UN
TEHRAN - Iran hopes to reach a "comprehensive agreement" with experts from the UN's nuclear agency during talks in the Islamic republic's capital today over its disputed atomic activities, a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. Ramin Mehmanparast also announced at a regular weekly press conference that Tehran and world powers had agreed on a date but not the venue for the next round of talks, in parallel diplomatic efforts to resolve the crisis over Iran's nuclear ambitions. AFP
Moscow plans first lunar trip in 40 years
MOSCOW - The Russian space agency says it will send an unmanned spacecraft to the moon in 2015. Roscosmos chief General Vladimir Popovkin said the rocket booster would deliver a 500kg space exploration vehicle that would search for water and take soil samples. Russia's previous and only moon mission to date was accomplished in 1973. AP
Stolen train crashes into apartment block
STOCKHOLM - A woman stole an empty commuter train from a depot and drove it to a suburb of the Swedish capital, where it derailed and slammed into an apartment building, officials said. The woman was arrested after being seriously injured in the early morning crash, said police spokesman Lars Bystrom. No one else was hurt. AP
19 die in derailment near Egyptian capital
CAIRO - At least 19 people died and more than 100 were injured when two train carriages derailed just south of Cairo, health officials said. The accident comes less than two weeks after a new transport minister was appointed to overhaul the rail system, and just two months after a train rammed a school bus on a crossing. The state-owned Ahram website reported that the 12-carriage train was carrying 1,328 conscripted Egyptian soldiers to the city. "I saw my colleagues' body parts strewn on the tracks," said survivor Roy Hamad Gaafa. AP
New York pupils stuck as bus drivers strike
NEW YORK - Drivers of New York's yellow school buses plan to go on strike today, leaving 152,000 children looking for a new way to get to class on time. The drivers' union announced the strike on Monday after failing to come to an agreement with the city over job security. Mayor Michael Bloomberg said the union was "abandoning" the tens of thousands of students who rely on school buses on a daily basis. Subway tickets will be given free of charge to students, and parents using cars or taxis for the school run will be reimbursed. AFP
Turkish jets strike Kurd rebels in Iraq: report
ANKARA - Turkish jets struck suspected Kurdish rebel targets in a cross-border raid in northern Iraq, media reported, even as Turkey started peace talks with the rebels' imprisoned leader. The Dogan news agency said four F-16 jets fired at 12 targets of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, on Mount Qandil. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, meanwhile, urged calm for Kurds at the funeral later this week of three Kurdish activists who were shot dead in Paris. Some have speculated that the killings of the three women activists, including a founding member of the PKK, may be an effort to derail the talks with Abdullah Ocalan, the rebels' leader who is serving a life term near Istanbul. AP
BA violated Christian's rights, court rules
STRASBOURG - A British Airways worker suffered discrimination over the wearing of a cross, the European Court of Human Rights ruled. Nadia Eweida, a 60-year-old Christian, took the airline to the Strasbourg-based court after British courts upheld BA's decision to ban her from wearing a crucifix. The court ruled British courts had given "too much weight" to BA's desire to "project a certain corporate image" and her religious rights had been violated. AFP