Malaysian tanker owner to pay ransom for crew: The owner of a

Malaysian tanker owner to pay ransom for crew: The owner of a hijacked Malaysian oil tanker has agreed to pay a 380,000-ringgit (US$100,000) ransom for the release of three Indonesian crew kidnapped by armed pirates in the Malacca Strait, a report said on Thursday. The New Straits Times said the ship owner was negotiating with the pirates, believed to be Indonesians, on conditions for the release of the captain and two crew of the M.T. Penrider. The M.T. Penrider, carrying 1,000 tons of fuel oil from Singapore to Penang, was attacked and robbed on Sunday in the Malacca Strait off Malaysia's Port Klang by gunmen armed with AK47 and M16 rifles. --AFP

Iran orders contracts drawn for 2nd nuclear reactor: Iran has given the nod to a larger scale nuclear program and has ordered contracts drawn up to build a second nuclear reactor, Iran's official news agency IRNA said on Thursday. Despite international concerns that Tehran may be building an atomic bomb, Iran's Supreme Nuclear Energy Council ordered contracts written up for a second 1,000 MW nuclear reactor at the southern port of Bushehr where Russia is helping Iran build its first nuclear power station, IRNA said. The council also ordered suitable sites be studied for the construction of further reactors to generate an extra 5,000 MW from nuclear power. --Reuters

France orders national emergency plan: The French government on Thursday launched a nationwide emergency plan to cope with victims of an 11-day heatwave that Health Minister Jean-Francois Mattei said had caused between 1,500 and 3,000 deaths. The "Plan Blanc" (White Plan) was ordered by Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin, who cut short his vacations to return to Paris to head a crisis meeting of his ministers. The heatwave broke on Wednesday after persistent daytime temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) and above. The measure was initially implemented regionally in and around Paris on Wednesday. --AFP

Greek quake injures more than 20, tourists flee: A major earthquake off the western Greek island of Lefkada injured more than 20 people including foreigners on Thursday, sparking an exodus of holidaymakers at the height of the area's tourist season. The tremor, which cracked roads and damaged buildings, was the biggest to hit Greece for a decade and was felt in the capital Athens, 300 km away, and in southern Italy. A spokesman for the Athens Geodynamic Institute, which monitors earthquake activity, said the quake measured 6.4 on the Richter scale and struck at 8:15 a.m. (12:15 noon in Jakarta).