25 May 2006 Edition

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In Brief

Montenegro, a new state

Montenegro has narrowly voted to secede from its union with Serbia, according to unofficial projections. The Sunday vote would erase the last vestige of the former Yugoslavia. The pro-independence bloc needed to win 55% of the vote to succeed.

Somalia

At least five people have been killed in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, when Islamist gunmen attacked warlord Mohamed Omar Habeb Dheere, breaking a three-day truce. The attack coincided with a rally intended to call for peace, following the death of at least 140 people. Hundreds of demonstrators chanted anti-US slogans, accusing the US of backing the alliance of warlords.

Colombia

Colombia's main port city Buenaventura has been left without electricity after Farc rebels attacked its power installation, police say. The incident, on Friday 19 May, came after at least two days of grenade attacks, which have left at least 24 people injured. The unrest comes a week before Colombia holds a Presidential poll, in which Alvaro Uribe is seeking a second term.

Sri Lanka

A senior figure in the Tamil Tiger rebel movement, named Ramanan, has been shot dead in eastern Sri Lanka. He was a commander in the district of Batticaloa. The latest killing comes amid escalating violence in the north and east of the South Asian island.


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