November 10, 2007 in Nation/World

World in brief: Opposition leader upbeat on solution

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Associated Press photo

In this photo released by Myanma News Agency, detained pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi, left, shakes hands with Minister for Relations Aung Kyi on Friday. Associated Press
(Full-size photo)

Pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi met leaders of her opposition party for the first time in three years Friday and told them she was optimistic that a two-decade-long stalemate with the Myanmar government might be thawing, her spokesman said.

Suu Kyi and three colleagues from the National League for Democracy also met with a government official, Aung Kyi, to prepare for talks with senior leaders of Myanmar’s military regime.

Party spokesman Nyan Win, who attended the talks, quoted Suu Kyi as saying she believed “the ruling authorities have the will for national reconciliation,” according to news reports from the capital Yangon.

The meetings are a small but significant change in the military government’s dealings with Suu Kyi, who has been in detention for 12 of the last 18 years and not been allowed to meet with her party since 2004.

After international criticism of its crackdown on peaceful demonstrations in September, the government relented and allowed Suu Kyi to meet with government official Aung Kyi in October, and again with him and her colleagues on Friday.

Great Yarmouth, England

Storm’s damage not as bad as predicted

A powerful storm unleashed tidal surges and ferocious winds that prompted hundreds to evacuate in Britain, but left countries along the North Sea coast largely unscathed.

Early Friday, waves up to 20 feet high rolled up against sea defenses in Lowestoft, the most easterly point in Britain, about 120 miles northeast of London on the North Sea coast. But the peak of the predicted surge passed without causing major damage.

“It didn’t turn out as bad as we thought,” said Jill Bird, 47, a hotel cook from Great Yarmouth, about 135 miles northeast of London. “We were very worried because this was the biggest surge since 1953, when several hundred people died. So we feel very, very lucky this morning.”

London

Lewd caller caught after 12 years

The underwear-obsessed telephone stalker’s undoing proved to be the opening of a gym opposite the apartment that the 40-year-old shared with his mother.

Detectives caught Paul Kavanagh on film, leaning over the balcony of the West London apartment, just as he was peppering the gym’s female receptionists with calls.

Jailed for 2 1/2 years Friday, Kavanagh admitted making some 15,000 such harassing calls to women, asking them questions about their underwear. He posed as a clothing researcher and claimed to be gathering marketing data for a retailer.

He had been making the calls for 12 years, usually starting off his conversations with seemingly innocuous questions about the women’s socks and cardigans. Then he would move on to their underwear, making lewd suggestions to his victims.

Using unregistered pay-as-you go phones, Kavanagh was finally caught targeting the gym’s female staff, commenting on their clothes and the way they wore their hair.

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