At LEAST 90 people were killed and others went missing after a logging boat sank in a lake in western Democratic Republic of Congo, a Red Cross official said yesterday.

The boat sank last week in bad weather and had been transporting logs on Lake Mai Ndombe in Bandundu province with no authorisation to take on passengers.

"We are at 272 survivors and 90 dead. These are bodies that we have found along the shores of the lake," the Red Cross said of Wednesday's tragedy. "There are still people missing. But we don't know how many because there was no ship's manifest."

Roads are almost non-existent outside Congo's main towns. Travel is often limited to aircraft and the boats that ply its huge network of rivers.

African albinos in hiding after killings

The mistaken belief that albino body parts have magical powers has driven thousands of Africa's albinos into hiding, fearful of losing their lives and limbs to unscrupulous dealers who can make up to $75,000 (€50,000) selling a complete dismembered set.

"Wherever I go people start talking about me, saying that my legs and hands can fetch a fortune in Tanzania," said a 36-year-old albino mother of six. "This kind of talk scares me. I am afraid of going out alone."

Since 2007, 44 albinos have been killed in Tanzania and 14 others have been slain in Burundi, sparking widespread fear among albinos in east Africa.

Dozens die in Bangladesh ferry tragedy

A triple-deck ferry packed with hundreds of travellers heading home for an Islamic festival capsized as they disembarked in southern Bangladesh, leaving at least 37 dead and scores missing, authorities said yesterday.

MV Coco, travelling from the capital Dhaka, went down late Friday as it arrived at Nazirhat town in the coastal district of Bhola, 64 miles (104km) to the south.

Some survivors said the boat hit a river shoal as it approached the terminal, breaking the hull open.

Talks protest turn violent in Geneva

POLICE with water cannon fired tear gas and rubber bullets yesterday in Geneva to separate violent demonstrators from a protest opposing a meeting of top world trade officials, but the hooded "black bloc" activists were able to cause damage before 14 were arrested.

The protesters set fire to at least four cars, broke shop windows and committed other acts of vandalism. Officers arrested four looters in addition to the protesters. No injuries to police or protesters were reported.

Much more serious clashes have occurred at previous meetings of trade chiefs.

Iran threatens to pull out of treaty

A conservative Iranian legislator warned yesterday that his country might pull out of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty after a UN resolution censuring Tehran -- a move that could seriously undermine global attempts to prevent Iran from developing atomic weapons.

Iran's official news agency quoted a hardline political analyst who made the same point.

If Iran withdraws from the treaty, its nuclear programme would no longer be subject to oversight by the UN nuclear agency. That, in turn, would be a significant blow to efforts to ensure that no enriched uranium is diverted from use as fuel to warhead development.

Wife's death no longer a moose-tery

Swedish police say they've cleared a man who was arrested for allegedly murdering his wife after deciding the culprit was most likely a moose.

A police spokesman said "the improbable has become probable" in the puzzling death last year of a 63-year-old woman who was found dead after an evening stroll in the forest. The victim's husband was jailed for 10 days but the case against him was dropped in January.

US Afghan presence will rise until 2013

THE US should be able to begin scaling back its troop presence in Afghanistan from a post-surge peak by 2013, according to an assessment by the top US and NATO commander in Afghanistan. US General Stanley McChrystal gave his assessment to US lawmakers who visited Kabul last week.

On Tuesday, US President Obama will spell out a new schedule for US forces, the centrepiece of which is expected to be the gradual deployment of around 30,000 more US troops to Afghanistan to secure population centres and train more of the country's security forces.

Sunday Independent