Briefly World

A Swiss ban on minarets could violate liberties,Europes top human-rights watchdog said on Monday indicating the heavily criticised vote could be overturned.

Rights body hints Swiss minaret ban may go

GENEVA: A Swiss ban on minarets could violate liberties,Europes top human-rights watchdog said on Monday indicating the heavily criticised vote could be overturned. The Swiss justice minister said the European Court of Human Rights could strike down the Sunday vote,which incurred worldwide condemnation. The 47-nation Council of Europe said banning new minarets in Switzerland raises concerns as to whether fundamental rights of individuals,protected by international treaties,should be subject to popular votes.

Pirates hijack oil tanker worth over $20 million

NAIROBI: Somali pirates seized a tanker carrying more than $20 million of crude oil from Saudi Arabia to the United States in the dangerous waters off East Africa,an official said on Monday. The Greece-flagged Maran Centaurus was hijacked on Sunday about 1,300 km off the coast of Somalia,said Cmdr. John Harbour,a spokesman for the EU Naval Force. The ship has 28 crew members on board. The shipping intelligence company Lloyds List said the Maran Centaurus is a very large crude carrier,with a capacity of over 300,000 tons.

Philippines files murder charges for massacre

MANILA: Prosecutors filed murder charges on Tuesday against a member of a powerful political family for the massacre of 57 people in a suspected clan feud that has stoked tensions ahead of elections next year. Andal Ampatuan Jr,a mayor in Maguindandao province,and several unidentified suspects will face 25 counts of murder before a regional trial court. They were accused of conspiracy in the execution of the wife,sisters and relatives of a rival politician,two lawyers,dozens of journalists.