News in Brief

Berlusconi's awaits court verdict
Afp, Rome

 
Italy's top court begins crucial hearings for former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi yesterday that could end the billionaire tycoon's parliamentary career and risk upsetting the country's fragile coalition.
The supreme court is set to decide whether or not to confirm a one-year prison sentence and a five-year ban from politics in a long-running tax fraud case involving Berlusconi's media business interests. The Verdict may come today and there is a possibility that the case could be adjourned until September.

Tunisia to hold polls in December
Afp, Tunis

 
Tunisia yesterday mourned eight soldiers slain by militants as Islamist Prime Minister Ali Larayedh announced that a general election would be held in December.The poll is seen as a concession aimed at appeasing a growing mood of rebellion in Tunisia, where emotions have run high since last week's assassination of a prominent opposition MP.

Mandela 'improving'
Afp, Johannesburg

 
Nelson Mandela continues to show signs of improvement after two months of hospital treatment, the South African presidency said yesterday, but gave no details of his condition after reported scares.
The update was issued after US network CBS reported that Mandela underwent a"surgical procedure to unblock a dialysis tube" and had two scares in recent weeks.

Swiss train crash kills 1, injures 35
Afp, Granges-pres-marnand

 
Two trains collided head-on Monday in western Switzerland, killing one of the drivers and injuring 35 passengers, at least five of them seriously, police said.
The accident happened in Granges-pres-Marnand shortly before 7:00pm local time, according to regional police. One train had been bound for Lausanne while the other was travelling north from the same city.

Senate confirms new FBI director
Afp, Washington

 
The US Senate on Monday confirmed President Barack Obama's pick to head the FBI at a time of heightened scrutiny of US intelligence operations.
James Comey, a respected former deputy attorney general, sailed through on a 93-1 vote. Comey follows the nearly 12-year tenure of Robert Mueller, who until Monday had been the only FBI director of the post-9/11 era.