Genocide charge

KHARTOUM: Khartoum accused the International Criminal Court on Wednesday of trying to affect peace talks with Darfur rebels and reform in Sudan after an appeals chamber ordered a review of the dropping of genocide charges against President Omar al-Beshir. “The ICC wants to impact the political process in

Sudan and the ongoing negotiations in Doha,” Kamal Obeid, state

minister for information, told AFP, referring to consultations with Darfur rebels in Qatar.

Prison break

LA PAZ: Bolivian police were on Wednesday hunting 17 convicts

who broke out of a prison in southwestern Bolivia, officials said. The prisoners smashed through an outer wall in the facility in the town of Uncia last Saturday, the head of citizen security for the region, Ruslan Lacoa, told Erbol radio. The prison held a total of 45 inmates. An investigation has been launched to find out how the group managed to break through the wall without being discovered by guards.

Ireland blast

LONDON: Talks aimed at defusing a political crisis in Northern Ireland are “on the edge,” a British minister said on Wednesday, hours after a minor explosion underlined tension in the long-troubled province. The pro-London Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein, which wants a united Ireland, are battling to end a long-running row over when control over law and order should be devolved from London to Belfast. “Considerable progress has been made. With good political will, we believe the

parties should be able to reach a

reasonable agreement,” Northern Ireland Secretary Shaun Woodward said in London.