World briefs 12/10/02

Canadian, U.S. troops sign cooperation agreement

TORONTO -- Canada and the United States have signed a military cooperation agreement that allows each country's troops to cross the border in an emergency, officials said Monday.

Faced with threats such as the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the North American neighbors expanded their military cooperation beyond their partnership in NATO and Canada's role in the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, in Colorado.

Under the agreement, either country can request military help from the other. Any American troops operating in Canada would be under the command of a Canadian officer, while any Canadian troops operating south of the border would be under U.S. command.

The agreement calls for more joint operations and exercises against terrorism. It also creates a new planning group to study how the two countries would deploy military forces and emergency services in a terrorist attack or other disaster.

Nepal schools, colleges close amid attack fears

KATMANDU, Nepal -- Many private schools and colleges in the capital shut down Monday under pressure from the student wing of Nepal's communist rebel movement.

Students in Katmandu had called for the closure to protest government arrests of rebels, and schools complied because they feared rebel attacks.

About 100 government schools remained open in Katmandu, but few students, teachers and administrative staff attended.

The private schools were closed for one week, said Rajesh Khadka, a spokesman for the Private and Boarding Schools Organization of Nepal.

The government tried to avoid the strike last week by accepting the rebel demand that it drop lessons in ancient Sanskrit. Sanskrit is mostly used in Hindu religious scripts and rituals but is rarely used in Nepal, where the official language is Nepali.

Poland, Malta hold out in EU membership talksBRUSSELS, Belgium -- Poland and Malta held out for better membership conditions from the European Union on Monday, and other candidates were hesitant to accept the EU's welcome package of $40 billion in aid.

The differences threatened to turn this week's European summit from an historical reunification of the continent into a last-ditch haggling session. Of the 10 candidates, only Slovakia and Cyprus accepted the EU's offer.

Despite EU warnings that their planned entry into the bloc in 2004 depended on an agreement this week, Poland and Malta were still demanding more money from the EU.

Hungary, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania were also arguing details of their entry terms, although EU officials were confident they were close to a deal.

At least 34 killed in Brazil mudslides

ANGRA DOS REIS, Brazil -- Mudslides triggered by torrential rains slashed through this southeastern city Monday, burying houses and killing at least 34 people, firefighters said.

Some 1,500 people were driven from their homes by the torrent of water and mud in Angra dos Reis, a city of about 60,000 100 miles west of Rio de Janeiro.

In 24 hours, the city got more than 5 inches of rain -- nearly as much as the average rainfall for two weeks, the National Weather Institute in Rio said.

Two Canadian diplomats ordered to leave Russia

MOSCOW -- Russia has told two Canadian diplomats to leave Russia because of "activities incompatible with their diplomatic status," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday.

The formulation is usually a euphemism for alleged espionage.

Ministry spokesman Vladimir Oshurkov said the move was in response to Canada's earlier demand that two Russian diplomats leave Canada "for no apparent reason."

In Canada, the Foreign Affairs ministry said the two Russian diplomats left Ottawa "by mutual agreement" between the Canadian and Russian governments because of "activity in Canada inconsistent with their official status."

-- From wire reports