World briefs 3/3/06

British court OKs Dubai company's port takeover

LONDON -- Britain's High Court on Thursday approved a Dubai state-owned port operator's takeover of British shipping company P&O, a deal that has caused an uproar in the U.S. among lawmakers concerned about port security. Justice Nicholas Warren dismissed a last-minute appeal by U.S.-based Eller & Co. as he gave the required go-ahead for DP World's 3.9 billion pound ($6.8 billion) acquisition of the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. "The objections of Eller do not persuade me that I should not sanction the scheme," Warren said. The judge agreed to place a stay on his ruling until 3 p.m. today to allow the U.S. company time to take its case to the Court of Appeal.

Three charged in bank theft appear in court

LONDON -- Three Britons made their first court appearances Thursday on charges stemming from last month's elaborate heist of $92 million from a cash depot in southeast London -- one of the world's largest bank thefts. A fourth person also has been charged in connection with the robbery, police said Thursday. Police also announced their 14th arrest in the case. They did not release the suspect's name or other details. The two men and a woman who appeared at Maidstone Magistrates Court were the first charged with involvement in the robbery of the Securitas Cash Management Ltd. warehouse in Tonbridge, 30 miles southeast of London. Thieves took 53 million pounds, the equivalent of $92 million, during the night of Feb. 21-22.

Algeria pardon, reduce sentences for militants

ALGIERS, Algeria -- Algeria will pardon or reduce the sentences of more than 2,000 convicted or suspected Islamic militants, the Justice Ministry said Thursday, forging ahead with a government effort to turn the page on a brutal insurgency. Some 2,100 suspects will benefit from pardons or an end to legal proceedings they faced, Abdelkader Sahraoui, the ministry's chief of staff, said on state radio. Another 100 militants, convicted for severe crimes, will have their sentences reduced, he said. The measures, which stem from a national reconciliation plan overwhelmingly approved in a September referendum, take effect immediately, Sahraoui said.

McCartneys spotlight Canada's yearly seal hunt

ON THE ICE FLOES IN THE GULF OF ST. LAWRENCE -- Paul McCartney and his wife took to the frigid ice floes off the Atlantic Ocean on Thursday in a bid to halt Canada's annual slaughter of weeks-old seal pups. Animal rights activists contend the killing of the doe-eyed baby seals, who are often clubbed to death, pierced with boat hooks or skinned alive, is cruel and unnecessary, but fishermen say they badly need the income. The McCartneys, dressed in orange thermal jumpsuits, traveled in helicopters with a dozen journalists, and members of the Humane Society of the United States and the British-based Respect for Animals.

-- From wire reports