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Moscow alarmed

MOSCOW: The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday it was "very alarmed" by the United Nation's pledge to prevent the partition of Kosovska Mitrovica along ethnic lines. The Kosovar town is currently split into a northern mainly Serbian area and a southern Albanian area. Troops from the Nato-led peacekeeping force KFOR are struggling to prevent violence between the two communities following a series of murderous attacks. UN administrator Mario Marcone said that Albanians who were forced to flee the Serbian sector of the town would be encouraged to return to their homes, many of which have been occupied by Serbs.ÑAFP

Volcano eruption

LEGASPI, (Philippines): Mayon Volcano in the eastern Philippines erupted on Thursday, spewing out a vast cloud of superhot ash and molten rocks as authorities evacuated hundreds of residents from an expanded danger zone. No casualties were reported so far following the eruption of the volcano in Albay province east of Manila. First there came a scary rumbling like that of a stampeding herd, said Raymundo Punonbgayan, Director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

A column of ash, extending over 10 kilometres, darkened the skies over the towns of Camalig, Guinobatan and Ligao, forcing drivers to turn on their headlights in the daytime, witnesses quoted on radio said. The towns also experienced ash falls.ÑAFP

3 killed in Aceh

BANDA ACEH: The latest round of fighting between separatist guerrillas and security forces in the strife-torn Aceh province claimed three lives, military officials said on Thursday. Local army chief Lt. col. Suyatno said a soldier and two civilians were killed on Wednesday in separate clashes in northern and central Aceh. The bloodshed brought this year's death toll in Aceh to 191, including 16 soldiers and 13 policemen. Rebels have waged a bloody struggle against Indonesian rule in the oil-rich Aceh province on the northern tip of Sumatra for more than a decade.ÑAP

97 Iraqis held

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian police have detained 97 Iraqis and five Iranians as they tried to leave for Indonesia on forged visas, reports said on Thursday. The foreigners, including women and children were detained in four boats at Port Klang Tuesday night as they prepared to leave for Dumai in Indonesia's Sumatra island. Police said the group arrived in Malaysia on Sunday. They apparently intended to slip into other countries from Indonesia but were being detained for leaving Malaysia without immigration clearance.ÑAFP

Mud slide kills seven

JAKARTA: A flash mud slide inundated a village on Indonesia's Java island as its residents were asleep, leaving at least seven dead and 58 others missing, a newspaper report said on Thursday. Surviving villagers told rescuers, who recovered the seven bodies from Windu Sakti village in Brebes district of Central Java, that they believed 36 of the missing must have died, the Republika newspaper said. They said they were sleeping when the flood of mud poured into the stricken village before dawn on Wednesday, burying many of the residents alive. The massive slide was believed to have been caused by the collapse of two small hills above the village after several days of incessant heavy rains, the paper said.ÑAP

Balloonist's attempt

CHICAGO: An engineer who quit his job in hopes of making the first solo voyage around the world in a hot air balloon was floating over the Atlantic Ocean and nearly two days in his journey. Kevin Uliassi, 36, lifted off in his 160-foot balloon from a stone quarry near Rockford, Illinois, early on Tuesday. He hopes to complete the journey in 14 to 20 days. By Wednesday evening, he was about 140 miles east of Nassau in the Bahamas, cruising about 15,300 feet at 25 mph. It is the second attempt for Uliassi, who lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. In December 1997, the bottom of his balloon ruptured over O'Hare International Airport, forcing Uliassi down in Indians.ÑAP

Chernobyl break down

KIEV: The last operational reactor at the infamous Chernobyl nuclear power plant was operating at half power on Wednesday after one of its turbines broke down, Ukrainian nuclear officials said. One of two turbines attached to reactor number three was shut down on Wednesday, an engineer working at the plant told AFP. Repair work will take until at least March 4, and up to then the reactor will produce only 500 megawatts of power instead of its usual 1,000 megawatts, he said. The Chernobyl plant is nearing the end of its operational life and regularly breaks down.ÑAFP

HK, India sign MoU

HONG KONG: Hong Kong and India on Thursday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on cooperation in information technology and services. The MoU was signed between K.C. Kwong, secretary for information technology and broadcasting, and P.V. Jayakrishnan, secretary of India's Ministry of Information Technology, here on Wednesday, the spokesman said. "The signing of this MoU represents a significant step in the build-up of closer cooperation between India and Hong Kong," Kwong said.ÑAFP