Foreign news in brief 29/03/2012

Romney secures Bush endorsement

Former US president George Bush senior plans to endorse Mitt Romney, further urging the Republican Party to coalesce around the front-runner’s presidential campaign.

Gail Gitcho, a spokeswoman for Mr Romney, said the two will meet today in Houston. Mr Bush has offered encouraging words to Mr Romney during the primary season.

Suspected poachers shot dead in Kenya

Kenya Wildlife Service rangers have killed three suspected poachers in a national park.

Rangers shot the three on Tuesday in Tsavo East National Park. Last week rangers shot and killed another three suspected poachers near Mount Kenya.

KWS spokesman Paul Udoto yesterday said the organisation has “re-energised” its efforts to stop the poaching of wildlife.

Saudi diplomat held by Yemeni gunmen

Gunmen have kidnapped a Saudi diplomat in the southern Yemeni port city of Aden, the Saudi foreign ministry said.

Abductions are frequent in Yemen, an impoverished nation where armed tribesmen and al-Qaeda-linked militants take hostages in an effort to swap them for prisoners or cash.

It is the second recent such kidnapping.

Opposition leaders arrested in Belarus

Belarus yesterday arrested three top opposition figures on their way to Brussels to meet with European Union officials, a move certain to further fuel tensions with the EU.

Those arrested were politicians Anatoly Lebedko and Sergei Kalyakin and activist Alexander Otroshchenkov.

EU centre to tackle cyber crime planned

The European Commission yesterday laid out plans for a centre to combat illegal online activity and shield the EU against cyber crime, which now costs global business an estimated $380 billion a year.

The centre, to be based in the Netherlands, is expected to be running by January 2013.

Scientific mission for North Korea rocket

North Korea has said it aims to estimate crop production and analyse natural resources when it launches a satellite on a long-range rocket next month.

An official said that foreign experts and journalists have been invited to show that the satellite has peaceful and scientific purposes.