World In Brief

Deaths spark heavy crackdown

JAMAICA: Security personnel armed with M16s and machine guns manned roadblocks and detained dozens of young men on Thursday in a Jamaican ghetto.

The crackdown follows the deaths of a 13-year-old girl, two elderly men and three others who were killed during reported shootouts between police and gunmen.

Residents of the Denham Town slum in West Kingston blame officers for Monday’s killings and the area has been under curfew amid an ongoing security operation to seize illegal guns and fugitives.

Human rights groups have accused police of trigger-happy tactics across Jamaica causing 45 deaths in just the first 10 weeks of the year. A total of 21 people were killed by police in the first six days of March.

Bild drops nudes – for one day only

GERMANY: Male staff at Germany’s biggest-selling newspaper Bild decided to scrap its signature front-page photos of nude female models on Thursday for International Women’s Day.

Bosses gave all female employees the day off.

State legislates to curb controllers

CYPRUS: Parliament approved legislation on Thursday limiting air traffic controllers’ right to strike as a pay dispute rumbles on within the state-run industry.

The new law says that air traffic control services can’t drop below 75 per cent of capacity.

Work stoppages are limited to once a week for two hours and cannot affect more than eight flights at a time.

Bangguo calls for new mobilisation

CHINA: Top legislator Wu Bangguo said today that the government would not deviate from its “socialist path of political development with Chinese characteristics” which he credited with building worth and stability.

He called on attendees to “mobilise all the people to dedicate themselves to reform, opening up and socialist modernisation as masters of the country.”