World briefs 11/17/06

Brazil probe: Warning systems failed in crash

BRASILIA, Brazil -- Warning systems failed on both an executive jet and a commercial airliner before the two planes collided in September and the larger plane crashed, killing 154 people in Brazil's worst air disaster, an Air Force investigator said Thursday. The executive jet also was flying 1,000 feet off its original flight plan, putting it on a collision course with the airliner, Col. Rufino Antonio da Silva Ferreira said at a news conference. In the Sept. 29 crash, the Gol Airlines Boeing 737-800 plunged into Brazil's dense jungle, killing all 154 people aboard. The Legacy landed safely with all seven people aboard unharmed, and its two American pilots have been barred from leaving Brazil. They deny wrongdoing.

Police, army impose curfew in Tongan capital

NUKU'ALOFA, Tonga -- Firefighters on Friday found six charred bodies in the scorched rubble of a building set ablaze a day earlier by a rampaging mob, as authorities restricted movement in the aftermath of violence in the South Pacific kingdom. The six dead were believed to be looters or rioters, as staff of the power company were all accounted for after the building was torched on Thursday, said Tonga's Lord Chamberlain, Hon. Fielakepa, who acts as spokesman for the king and like many Tongan nobles uses just one name. The violence erupted after crowds gathered in the capital, demanding that parliament pass democratic reforms before it ended its annual session Thursday. A crowd of young people set fires, overturned cars and looted shops.

Law recognizes gay civil unions in Mexico City

MEXICO CITY -- Legislation recognizing gay civil unions in the Mexican capital was published in the official gazette on Thursday, making it the first such law in the history of the conservative, predominantly Roman Catholic country. The law does not legalize gay marriage but allows same-sex couples living in Mexico City to register civil unions with authorities, granting them inheritance rights and other benefits. City legislature passed the law last week and it was signed on Monday by Mexico City Mayor Alejandro Encinas. It will take effect in 120 days.

-- From wire reports

Senate endorses landmark U.S.-India nuclear cooperation deal

WASHINGTON -- The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly endorsed a plan allowing the United States to ship civilian nuclear fuel and technology to India, handing President Bush an important victory on one of his top foreign policy initiatives. Senior lawmakers from both political parties championed the proposal, which reverses decades of U.S. anti-proliferation policy, saying it strengthens a key relationship with a friendly Asian power that has long maintained what the United States considers a responsible nuclear program. The vote was 85-12.

Royal wins Socialist Party nomination for presidential race in first round

PARIS -- Segolene Royal got a running start Thursday to her campaign to become France's first female president, decisively beating two rivals to wrap up the nomination for the main opposition Socialist Party in a single round of voting. The win, which party officials announced with about 40 percent of votes counted, spared Royal a second round against her two rivals from the party's old guard -- Former Prime Minister Laurent Fabius and former Finance Minister Dominique Strauss-Kahn. It also meant she can head into the April vote claiming the oft-divided opposition party is fully behind her.

-- From wire reports