World digest 4/22/03

Coughs gave away game show cheats

LONDON -- Under the lights of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?," Charles Ingram jumped from answer to answer and changed his mind frequently en route to winning $1.58 million.

Each time Ingram was presented with a question and four possible answers, he mentioned the answers one by one. Each time, his convicted conspirator Tecwen Whittock -- waiting at the edge of the stage for his chance to be a contestant -- could be heard coughing at the correct choice.

Britain's Independent Television aired excerpts Monday from the game show episode that led to a real-life trial. Ingram, Whittock and Ingram's wife Diana were convicted April 7 of cheating.

Prosecutors said Whittock, a college teacher, used "coded coughs" to guide Ingram, an Army major, to the correct multiple-choice answers. The three defendants got suspended sentences of a year to 18 months and were ordered to pay thousands of dollars in fines and court costs.

The trio say they are innocent and Whittock said Monday that he planned to appeal his conviction. He accused producers of playing misleading excerpts from the show.

Cabinet deadlock could delay Mideast peace plan

JERUSALEM -- Yasser Arafat and his choice for prime minister sought Monday to settle a dispute over the makeup of a new Palestinian government that officials hoped would help bring about an end to 30 months of fighting. The United States called for a rapid resolution.

Arafat and key members of Fatah, which dominates the 88-member legislature, rejected the Cabinet list Mahmoud Abbas has proposed, especially putting former Gaza strongman Mohammed Dahlan in a key security position. Dahlan would be expected to lead a crackdown on Palestinian militants, a prerequisite in a U.S. backed peace plan.

Abbas, widely known as Abu Mazen, has threatened to resign if his team is not accepted, which could derail efforts to end 30 months of violence with Israel and restart peace talks.

The United States and Israel have been seeking a Palestinian premier who could act independently of Arafat, whom they accused of ties to terrorism. Both countries welcomed Abbas, who has called the violent uprising a mistake, as such a figure.

At least 55 killed after Bangladesh ferry sinks

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- A river ferry carrying more than 300 passengers sank during a tropical storm Monday near the Bangladeshi capital, and at least 55 bodies were recovered.

Rescue workers feared many bodies were trapped inside the hull of the sunken ferry, MV Mitali.

The ferry went down in the Buriganga River near Dhaka, police officer Sharif Shamsul Huq said. The vessel had been traveling from Dhaka to the southern Patuakhali district, 95 miles away.

Fifty-five bodies, including those of women and children, were found floating in the choppy river or trapped inside the ferry.

Officials said the death toll would certainly rise.

-- From wire reports