130 missing in Russian avalanche

　　MOSCOW: Sixteen bodies have been found in the wreckage wrought by an avalanche in southern Russia more than a week ago, and 132 people remain unaccounted for in the disaster, the Emergency Situations Ministry said yesterday.

　　The Sept. 20 avalanche, accompanied by rock and mudslides, was triggered by the fall of a huge chunk of glacier from a Caucasus Mountain peak in the Russian region of North Ossetia.

　　Kostunica wins first round

　　BELGRADE: Vojislav Kostunica won the first round of Serbia's first presidential election since Slobodan Milosevic's stepping down and will face a pro-Western candidate in a runoff, according to results released by the Center for Free Elections and Democracy, an independent watchdog group that had observers at all 8,615 polling stations and monitored the official count.

　　Anti-corruption award

　　BERLIN: A Brazilian businessman who challenged local officials to govern cleanly and a Slovak judge who initiated efforts to wipe out courtroom bribery are among the winners of this year's Integrity Awards, Transparency International said yesterday.

　　The awards, which have been handed out annually since 2000, seek to underline the efforts of people and organizations who have shown bravery or special initiative in combatting corruption, the Berlin-based group, which has monitored corruption among politicians and businesses since 1993, said in a statement.

　　4 dead in Indonesian clash

　　JAKARTA: Indonesian soldiers angry about the arrest of one of their colleagues attacked a police barracks on Indonesia's Sumatra island, leaving four dead and two dozen injured, police said yesterday.

　　The clash started late Sunday night and continued for five hours into yesterday. Police spokesman Amrin Karim said 200 soldiers attacked the police station after an officer arrested a soldier accused of selling drugs.