Military chief says strait to be blocked
TEHRAN — Iran has a plan to block the strategic Strait of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf, the passageway through which a fifth of the world’s oil flows, if its interests are seriously threatened, a senior Iranian military commander said Saturday. The comments by General Hasan Firouzabadi, chairman of Iran’s Joint Chiefs of Staff, were made days after the European Union enforced a total oil embargo against Iran for its refusal to halt its uranium enrichment program. (AP)
Activists detained before anniversaryYANGON — Authorities in Myanmar temporarily detained more than 20 political activists ahead of a planned commemoration Saturday of the 50th anniversary of a military crackdown on students. Although all were freed after about a day, their colleagues said the detentions were proof that the government remains repressive despite the president’s widely praised reforms. (AP)
14 pilgrims dead
as bus overturnsKIEV — A bus carrying Russian religious pilgrims crashed early Saturday, killing 14 of 45 on board. Emergency officials said the crash occurred when the driver apparently lost control. The bus overturned near Chernihiv, about 90 miles northeast of Kiev. Another 29 people were hospitalized with injuries. The pilgrims were headed for a monastery in Pochayev. (AP)
Ancient artifacts seized by policeISLAMABAD — Police seized a large number of Buddhist sculptures that smugglers were attempting to spirit out of the country and sell for millions of dollars on the antiquities market, officials said Saturday. Many sculptures could be more than 2,000 years old. The items were probably illegally excavated in Pakistan’s northwest. (AP)
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