News in Brief

Past decade hottest on record: UN
Afp, Geneva

The first decade of the 21st century was the hottest on record, marked by unprecedented climate and weather extremes that killed more than 370,000 people, the United Nations weather agency said yesterday. The period from 2001 to 2010 was the warmest decade for both hemispheres since records began in 1850, was the second-wettest since 1901 and saw the most tropical cyclones since 1855, the organization said in a new report.

Britain to charge migrants for healthcare
Afp, London

Britain yesterday announced plans to charge migrants hundreds of pounds a year to access its state-run National Health Service (NHS), in a bid to clamp down on so-called health tourism. However, access to accident and emergency care will not be affected by the changes and will remain free.

Cuba removes leaders from key body
BBC Online

Cuban leader Raul Castro yesterday removed several senior Communists from the party's powerful Central Committee.
They include former parliament speaker and foreign minister Ricardo Alarcon, a close ally of ex-leader Fidel Castro. Castro said those leaving had not made any mistakes or committed any crimes. He said the changes marked a normal course of events.

Indonesia quake toll hits 24
Afp, Blang Mancung

Rescuers battled through landslides and blocked roads yesterday to reach survivors from an earthquake in Indonesia's Aceh province that killed at least 24 people, including several children who died when a mosque collapsed.
Almost 250 people were also injured in Aceh's remote, mountainous interior when the strong 6.1-magnitude quake struck the north of Sumatra island on Tuesday.

US blacklists Myanmar general
Afp, Washington

The United States placed a Myanmar general on its sanctions blacklist Tuesday for arms deals with North Korea that violated the UN Security Council embargo on buying weapons from Pyongyang despite his government's support for the Security Council ban.