US asks for Turkish restraint in Iraq

ISTANBUL - Senior US officials promised yesterday to convey to the Iraq government Turkey's unease over Kurdish rebels crossing the border and killing Turks. But they also expressed concern over the possibility of a Turkish military offensive in the region. Dan Fried, assistant secretary of state for European affairs, and Eric Edelman, undersecretary of defense for policy, met with Turkish officials about the tensions. (AP)

BOGOTA - A landslide at a makeshift mine in southern Colombia killed at least 21 people and injured 18 yesterday after local residents began digging for rumored deposits of gold. Efforts were under way to find about 10 people missing and presumed trapped under dirt and rock in the open pit mine. (AP)

The Vatican said yesterday that it has suspended a monsignor after an Italian TV program using a hidden camera recorded him making advances to a young man and asserting that gay sex was not sinful. Monsignor Tommaso Stenico confirmed that he had been suspended from the Congregation for Clergy, which aims to ensure proper conduct by priests. (AP)

BANGKOK - King Bhumibol Adulyadej, 79, was admitted yesterday to Bangkok's Siriraj Hospital, where tests found a slightly inadequate blood flow to the brain. His condition improved after doctors administered medicine for eight hours, but he was kept in the hospital for monitoring, the royal palace said. (AP)

SPIN BOLDAK - A suicide bomber yesterday killed one police officer and six civilians in southeastern Afghanistan close to the border with Pakistan. Thirty more people were wounded in the attack, for which the Taliban claimed responsibility. (Reuters)