World briefs 081002

Man cleared of running terrorist-training Web site

LONDON -- A chef who promoted "The Ultimate Jihad Challenge" on an Internet site, inviting people to take weapons training in the United States, was found innocent of terrorism charges Friday.

A jury at London's Old Bailey criminal court found Sulayman Balal Zainulabidin, 44, innocent of violating the Terrorism Act.

Zainulabidin, a convert to Islam, was arrested three weeks after the Sept. 11 attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, and two weeks after going to a London police station to complain that he did not feel safe after a newspaper article published details of his Web site. It has since been dismantled by British authorities.

Prosecutors did not suggest that Zainulabidin was connected to the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States.

Scientists claim foolproof method of finding primes

NEW DELHI, India -- Indian computer scientists said Friday they have solved a mathematical problem that has eluded researchers for 2,200 years -- and could be crucial in modern times in improving computer configurations.

A three-member team of scientists at the Indian Institute of Technolgy in the northern Indian city of Kanpur have devised a method that will make no mistake in quickly determining a prime number -- those that are divisible only by themselves and 1.

Prime numbers hold the key to solving many mathematical problems and play an important a role in cryptography. Scientists have long worked on ways to improve methods to identify a prime number.

"Our algorithm is deterministic; it has no chance of committing any error," said Manindra Agrawal, the principal author of the formula. An algorithm is a set of instructions for solving a specific mathematical problem in a limited number of steps.

Republic of Congo restores democratic rule

BRAZZAVILLE, Republic of Congo -- President Denis Sassou-Nguesso on Friday officially proclaimed the restoration of democratic rule in this central African country after back-to-back civil wars ended in 1999.

In an address to the nation, Sassou-Nguesso said his transitional government had succeeded in its aims to restore peace, promote reconciliation and rebuild the institutions of government.

After a series of votes this year, a new constitution was taking effect at midnight, followed by the inauguration of a new parliament on Saturday.

"I solemnly announce the end of the transition as of today," Sassou-Nguesso said.

Republic of Congo, an oil-rich nation bordering the much larger Congo, was wracked by successive civil wars in the 1990s.

Peace accords were signed at the end of 1999, and the country's rival militias began disarming the following year.

Landslides, floods kill 70 in south-central China

BEIJING -- Massive landslides and flooding have killed 70 people in south-central China's Hunan province and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

The landslides and flooding were caused by heavy rainfall unseen for years in that region of China. It affected the cities of Chenzhou, Hengyang, Yongzhou and Zhuzhou, which have a combined population of 3.5 million, Xinhua said.

Property losses were estimated to be more than $240 million, the news agency said. Officials could not be reached for comment.

--From wire reports