Iran, Iraq exchange soldiers' remains

Baghdad

Iran, Iraq exchange soldiers' remains

Iraq and Iran on Sunday exchanged the remains of 241 soldiers killed during an eight-year war between the two countries — the latest sign of increased cooperation between the neighboring nations that were fierce rivals under Saddam Hussein.

It was the first such handover since the two sides agreed in October to work together in tracing tens of thousands still missing.

The remains of 200 Iraqis and 41 Iranians were returned to their native countries at the Shalamcha border crossing near the southern Iraqi city of Basra. Only 23 of the Iraqi and 10 of the Iranian remains have been identified, according to the Red Cross. More than 1 million people from both sides were killed or vanished during the 1980-1988 war.

Bucharest, Romania

Leftist party ahead in Romanian vote

Leftist Social Democrats who promised to soften the impact of the global economic crisis won the most votes in Romania's parliamentary elections Sunday but did not get enough support to take power outright, projections showed.

Two exit polls, both of which have been reliable in past elections, gave the bloc roughly 36 percent of the vote. The party, which includes former communist-era leaders, could still wind up in opposition.

The exit polls projected President Traian Basescu's centrist Democratic Liberal Party in second place, with just under 31 percent, and Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu's center-right Liberals running a distant third with 20 percent.

Moscow

Somali pirates agree on ransom

Somali pirates have agreed on a ransom for a Ukrainian freighter carrying tanks and other heavy arms, and it could be released within days, a spokesman said.

Mikhail Voitenko said the Faina could be freed with its crew if agreement is reached on how to get the ransom money to the pirates, who seized the ship off the coast of Somalia in late September.

Pirate attacks off Somalia have surged more than 75 percent this year, and the seizure of the Faina raised particular concern because of its cargo of 33 tanks and other weapons and ammunition. The ship and its 20-member crew are still being held off Somalia.

Voitenko would not give the amount of the agreed ransom but suggested it was far lower than the pirates' initial $20 million demand.

Jos, Nigeria

Calm returns after deadly clashes

After two days of mob violence that killed hundreds, an uneasy calm returned Sunday to this central Nigerian town. Women ventured out in search of water, and many of the dead were buried.

Soldiers wrested control of the streets from armed Christian and Muslim gangs that had roamed Jos, slaughtering people with guns and machetes and torching houses, churches, shops and cars, according to residents. The violence was the worst Nigeria has seen in at least four years.

Religious and health officials gave varying accounts of the death toll but agreed at least 400 bodies already had been recovered and more probably remained in the charred churches, homes, cars and alleyways that had been no-go zones until Sunday. The Red Cross said 7,000 people had fled the most violent neighborhoods and were living in shelters.

Tijuana, Mexico

9 headless bodies found in empty lot

The bodies of nine decapitated men have been found in a vacant lot in Tijuana, part of a wave of violence that has claimed at least 23 lives in less than 24 hours in this border city.

A Baja California state police statement says the bodies were found Sunday in a poor Tijuana neighborhood, across from San Diego. The heads were discovered in plastic bags near the bodies. Three police identification cards also were found in the bags.

Five other people were shot to death in four attacks in Tijuana on Sunday.

Drug turf battles have fueled a wave of violence that has swept through Tijuana and other Mexican cities.

Seoul, South Korea

N. Korea cuts restrict workers

North Korea ordered a sharp cut in the number of South Koreans permitted to stay in a joint industrial complex in its border city of Kaesong amid worsening relations between the two Koreas, Seoul's Unification Ministry said today.

The North demanded the number of South Koreans allowed to stay without restriction in the sprawling factory park be limited to 880 — a fifth of the 4,200 people with permits to travel to or stay in the enclave.

The cutback is one of a series of measures the communist nation is taking in anger over Seoul's hard-line stance.

The decision is expected to affect 88 South Korean companies that run factories in Kaesong using North Korean labor. Some 35,000 North Koreans work at the complex.

Also

Cholera toll: Zimbabwe health authorities say 425 people have died in a cholera outbreak and they are concerned it will worsen with the onset of the rainy season. More than 11,000 people have been sickened since August.

Heroin vote: The world's most comprehensive legalized heroin program became permanent Sunday with overwhelming approval from Swiss voters who simultaneously rejected the decriminalization of marijuana.

Seattle Times news services