News in Brief

Spain health minister quits over graft scam
Afp, Madrid

Spanish Health Minister Ana Mato resigned on Wednesday after being linked to a massive corruption scandal involving an alleged kickback scheme at the heart of the Spanish prime minister's conservative Popular Party. Mato has not been named as an official suspect in the corruption probe, but a judge said earlier Wednesday that she had "benefited from" holidays, cash payments and other gifts when she was married to Jesus Sepulveda, a former Popular Party mayor of a Madrid suburb.

Wintry weather sparks travel havoc in US
Afp, New York

More than 9,000 flights were cancelled or delayed in the US northeast as a winter storm snarled travel for Americans eager to celebrate yesterday's Thanksgiving holiday, which kicks off one of the year's biggest travel weekends. For all of Wednesday, 1,469 flights were cancelled and another 7,997 were delayed.

Egypt court sends 78 youths to jail
Bbc Online

A court in Egypt has given 78 youths up to five years in prison for protesting with the Muslim Brotherhood. The boys, from 13 to 17 years old, joined rallies calling for the return of ousted President Mohammed Morsi. On Wednesday, the Egyptian government approved a draft anti-terrorism law giving sweeping powers to curb opposition groups for a range of new offences.

Two civilians killed in east Ukraine
Afp, Kiev

Ukraine's military yesterday said that two civilians were killed in the latest clashes in east Ukraine. A patrol of three monitors from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) were also shot at by a rocket-propelled grenade and an anti-aircraft gun as they were escorted by the Ukrainian military in the conflict zone Wednesday, the OSCE said in a statement.

China coal mine explosion kills 11
Afp, Beijing

Eleven people died yesterday in a coal mine explosion in China, state media reported, in the second deadly accident in two days in the country's notoriously dangerous mining industry. The blast ripped through the Songlin mine in the southwestern province of Guizhou in the morning when 19 miners were working underground. Eight of them managed to survive. The accident came a day after a fire at a coal mine in Liaoning province in the northeast killed 26 people.