World Scene

AFGHANISTAN

Convoy attack kills eight

KANDAHAR — A suicide car bomber attacked a Canadian military convoy yesterday, killing eight civilians and wounding 22 people, among them three Canadian soldiers, authorities said.

There was no claim of responsibility, but the Taliban have vowed to intensify their war to expel foreign troops and bring down the Western-backed government. Intermittent fighting has been picking up recently after a traditional winter lull.

Among those killed in the blast were three children of a roadside vendor, the Interior Ministry said

BRITAIN

Big Ben turns 150

LONDON — One of Britain’s last bell foundries yesterday marked the 150th anniversary of its biggest creation, the massive bell that marks the hour at the Houses of Parliament.

It was made by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, which also made Philadelphia’s Liberty Bell and the Bell of Hope, given to New York by Londoners on the first anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The 15-ton Big Ben was cast on April 10, 1858, at the foundry in East London, although it was another year before it first rang out from Parliament’s clock tower.

GERMANY

Parliament marks Hitler’s ascent

BERLIN — Germany’s parliament yesterday remembered the Nazis’ swift destruction of democracy after Adolf Hitler took power 75 years ago, and paid tribute to lawmakers who held out against the Nazis’ drive to extinguish political opposition.

Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Horst Koehler attended a solemn hour-long session in Berlin’s restored Reichstag building. The burning of the Reichstag in early 1933 was one of the events that let Hitler consolidate his grip on power.

“We bow today before all the victims of the National Socialist dictatorship,” Parliament President Norbert Lammert said in a speech to lawmakers.

BRITAIN

Ending probe is called illegal

LONDON — A decision by Britain’s anti-fraud agency to end an inquiry into a lucrative arms deal between Saudi Arabia and a U.K. defense and aerospace company was illegal, two judges ruled yesterday.

The High Court judges did not immediately order the investigation into BAE Systems PLC to be reopened, but said they would hear further arguments on the issue.

The U.S. Justice Department opened an investigation last year into BAE Systems, one of the world’s largest arms makers, which has been accused of funneling money to a Saudi prince to help win a multibillion-dollar weapons deal.

UGANDA

Rebel delays peace deal signing

RI-KWANGBA — Uganda’s fugitive rebel leader delayed the signing of a peace deal yesterday that seeks to end one of Africa’s longest wars, saying he needs clarification on terms of the deal, a senior Sudanese official said.

Rebels and negotiators had gathered in a jungle clearing waiting for Joseph Kony, leader of the notoriously vicious Lord’s Resistance Army, to emerge from hiding to sign the accord.

Mr. Kony, however, wants clarification on how the government will address charges of atrocities against rebels and army soldiers, said Riek Machar, the vice president of Southern Sudan, who is the chief mediator between the government and the rebels.

From wire dispatches and staff reports