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8A THE KEY WEST CITIZEN ◆ THURSDAY, APRIL 28, 2011WORLDBUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINAOutsiders’ land buys targetedPresident Cristina Fernandez urgedArgentina’s lawmakers Wednesday toquickly approve a 2,500-acre limit onrural land ownership by foreigners.She said the legislation she is sendingto Congress won’t affect propertiesalready in foreign hands, because shedoesn’t want to change the rules of thegame to harm those who bought land ingood faith.The bill also would create a singleregistry for rural properties so it’s easierto know who owns what. Currently, eachof Argentina’s 23 provinces keeps its ownregistries, which aren’t easily searchable.Fernandez said the proposed law isbased on strong legal limits on foreignland ownership in Brazil, Canada, UnitedStates and France.CARACAS, VENEZUELAWages expected to boost inflationPresident Hugo Chavez’s decision toincrease the minimum wage 25 percent isexpected to elevate Venezuela’s already highinflation, economists and opposition lawmakerssaid Wednesday.Chavez’s decree involves a 15 percentboost in pay at the beginning of May, thena 10 percent rise Sept. 1. The wage hikeannounced Tuesday will benefit more than 6million people, who will earn $360 a monthonce the full increase is phased in. Chavezalso gave public employees a 45 percentraise.Government officials said they hope tokeep inflation in check despite wage hikes.Labor Minister Maria Iglesias suggestedgreedy businessmen are partly responsiblefor Latin America’s worst inflation, accusingthem of unjustifiably inflating prices.BY BEN HUBBARDThe Associated PressHYDERABAD, INDIAMAHESH KUMAR A./The Associated PressAn Indian worker rests on mangoes Wednesday at a fruit marketin Hyderabad. India recognizes the mango as its national fruitand is the world’s largest mango producer with about 13 milliontons each year, far exceeding other countries.LONDONThatcher’s handbag at auctionFormer British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher has donated one of herfamous handbags to a charity auction.Christie’s auction house said Wednesdaythe boxy black leather Aspreybag will be sold on June 27 at an auctionhosted by author Jeffrey Archer.The bag was on Thatcher’s arm duringCold War negotiations with formerU.S. President Ronald Reagan and SovietUnion leader Mikhail Gorbachev.The former Conservative leader wasfamously responsible for originating theterm “handbagging,” which referred toher uncompromising style.The auction house said Thatcher haselected to donate the proceeds of thesale to a British charity working withpeople with a genetic skin condition.NATO jets stop attack on port in LibyaSANG TAN/The Associated PressA police dog searches through the flowers Wednesday brought intoWestminster Abbey in London during preparations for the royal weddingof Kate Middleton and Britain’s Prince William.Royal wedding guests facethorough security sweepsBY PAISLEY DODDSThe Associated PressBY DEBBY WUThe Associated PressTAIPEI, Taiwan — A populartourist train overturned inTaiwan’s southern mountainsWednesday, killing five Chinesevisitors, the island’s Office ofDisaster Management said.President Ma Ying-jeou hadearlier put the death toll atsix.The Government In formation Office said the crashinjured 61 other people, 23seriously. There was no immediateinformation on theirnationalities.Ma said a large tree fell intothe path of the oncomingtrain.“I feel very grieved by theLONDON — It’s not thetype of welcome most weddingguests expect before theyget into church — backgroundchecks, ID verification and asecurity sweep.But then again, PrinceWilliam and Kate Middleton’swedding on Friday is no ordinaryaffair.Britain hasn’t seen a royalwedding of this size sincePrince Charles married Dianain 1981 — there were actually200 more police on dutyfor that wedding, which hada longer procession route anda guest list of some 3,500 people,including foreign royalsand heads of state.Friday’s wedding will offermuch of the same pomp andcircumstance with its 1,900invited guests, but it also presentsa modern security nightmarefor the 5,000 U.K. policeofficers on duty. Police willbe on the look-out for Irishdissident terrorists, Muslimextremists, anti-monarchistsand protesters.Scotland Yard Police CommanderChristine Jones saidWednesday there has been nonew terror threat but considerableInternet chatter.“Our operation has beenmeticulously planned, andwe have thought through andplanned for a huge range ofcontingencies,” she said.Anxious crowds wrappedin Union Jack flags watchedlate Wednesday afternoon asa convoy of cars arrived atWestminster Abbey. Secondsafter, the soon-to-be royalcouple arrived at the cathedralfor a final wedding rehearsal.Middleton’s parents andPrince Harry, the best man,also attended, St. James Palacesaid.The Associated PressNarrow-gauge train carriages lie on their side Wednesday afterbeing struck by a falling tree on the mountainous tourist destinationof Alishan, southern Taiwan.Train overturns, kills visitorsaccident,” he said, adding thatit would be investigated thoroughly.TV footage showed at leastthree carriages overturnedalong a slope and rescuerstending to victims.The Alishan rail line, runningeast from the southern city ofChiayi, corkscrews throughsteep mountains and has longbeen one of Taiwan’s premiertourist attractions. Most of theline has been closed since adevastating typhoon struckTaiwan in August 2009, but asmall portion near the top hasbeen reopened and is wherethe accident occurred.Alishan has been especiallypopular among Chinese tourists.MISRATA, Libya — NATOwarplanes pounded forces loyalto Libyan leader MoammarGadhafi attacking the rebelheldcity of Misrata, blastingfighting vehicles advancingon the port that serves as thebesieged city’s sole lifeline, aNATO spokeswoman said onWednesday.The battle for Misrata hasbecome the focal point of theuprising against Gadhafi’sregime, and the near-constantshelling of the city by governmenttroops over the past twomonths has spurred calls formore forceful internationalintervention to stop the bloodshed.In Brussels, the EU commissionerfor humanitarian aidsaid the shelling of the Misrataport has worsened the alreadybad humanitarian situation inthe city and that the 27-nationgroup has set aside more than100 million euros ($146 million)to address pressing humanitarianneeds.“The port shelling hampersvessel rotation and thereforehinders further evacuations,”said Commissioner KristalinaGeorgieva. “The delivery ofBY DEB RIECHMANNThe Associated PressKABUL, Afghanistan — Aveteran Afghan military pilotsaid to be distressed over hispersonal finances opened fireat Kabul airport after an argumentWednesday, killing eightU.S. troops and an Americancivilian contractor.Those killed were trainersand advisers for the nascentAfghan air force. The shootingwas the deadliest attack by amember of the Afghan securityforces, or an insurgent impersonatingthem, on coalitiontroops or Afghan soldiers orpolicemen. There have beenseven such attacks so far thisyear.Although the individual circumstancesmay differ, theincidents of Afghans turningagainst their coalition partnersseem to reflect growing antiforeignersentiment independentof the Taliban. Afghans areincreasingly tired of the nearlydecade-long war and thinktheir lives have not improveddespite billions of dollars ininternational aid.The Taliban, who are currentlystaging their opening salvosof the spring fighting season,boasted that the gunman inWednesday’s airport attack wasa militant impersonating anarmy officer.This claim did not seemcredible, however.Defense Ministry spokesmanGen. Mohammad ZahirAzimi said the gunman wasan officer who had served asa pilot in the Afghan militaryDARKO BANDIC/The Associated PressIn this photo taken Wednesday on a government-organized tour, students rally in support of Libyan leaderMoammar Gadhafi, at a schoolyard in the Tarhouna district of Libya.food, medical supplies andother relief items has beeninterrupted, and it is close toimpossible for our humanitarianpartners to evacuate thewounded and civilians by sea.”A resident in Misrata said thecity’s food stocks were dwindling,and that relief suppliesbrought by U.N. aid agencieswere not enough to meetfor the past 20 years. The gunman— identified as AhmadGul, 48, of Tarakhail district inKabul province — died in anexchange of fire that followedhis attack.The gunman’s brother insistedhe was not a Taliban sympathizer.“He was under economicpressures and recently he soldhis house. He was not in a normalframe of mind becauseof these pressures,” said thebrother, Dr. Mohammad HassanSahibi. “He was goingthrough a very difficult periodof time in his life.“He served his country foryears,” Sahibi told Tolo, a privatetelevision station in Kabul.“He loved his people and hiscountry. He had no link withTaliban or al-Qaida.”Sahibi said his brother waswounded four or five times duringhis military service — onceseriously when his helicoptercrashed.The shooting took place at10:25 a.m. at Kabul’s airport.The gunman opened fire at ameeting in an operations roomrequirements. The resident,who did not want to be namedbecause he feared retribution,said locals were suffering froma shortage of drinking water.The NATO airstrike, whichtook place Tuesday night andsent giant plumes of smokeinto the air, helped repulsean attack by Gadhafi’s forceson the city’s vital port complex,alliance spokeswomanCarmen Romero said, also inBrussels.“NATO forces moved quicklyto break up a force advancingon Misrata port,” Romero said.“Several NATO aircraft weredirected to the area, and followingcareful assessment ofthe risk to civilians, our pilotsstruck.”Afghan officer opens fire, kills 9 AmericansMUSADEQ SADEQ/The Associated PressAn Afghan soldier holds his rifle Wednesday outside a gateway toKabul’s airport following the shootings.at the Afghan Air Corps followingan argument with foreigners,Afghan defense officialssaid.It was unclear what the argumentwas about.“Suddenly, in the middle ofthe meeting, shooting started,”said Afghan Air Corps spokesmanCol. Bahader, who usesonly one name. “After the shootingstarted, we saw a number ofAfghan army officers and soldiersrunning out of the building.Some were even throwingthemselves out of the windowsto get away.”Five Afghan soldiers wereinjured. At least one Afghansoldier was shot — in the wrist— but most of the soldiers sufferedbroken bones and cuts,Bahader said.338839