World in brief: ‘Carpet of frogs’ closes highway in Greece

Thessaloniki, Greece – Greek officials said a horde of frogs has forced the closure of a key northern highway for two hours Wednesday.

Thessaloniki traffic police chief Giorgos Thanoglou said “millions” of the amphibians covered the tarmac near the town of Langadas, some 12 miles east of Thessaloniki.

“There was a carpet of frogs,” he said.

Authorities closed the highway after three car drivers skidded off the road trying to dodge the frogs. No human injuries were reported.

Thanoglou said the amphibians probably left a nearby lake to look for food.

Iraq dissolves airline over Kuwait claims

Baghdad – The Iraqi government announced Wednesday that it was dissolving the country’s national airline in a bid to evade claims for compensation by Kuwait dating back to Saddam Hussein’s invasion 20 years ago.

The seemingly drastic move was the latest in a series of bitter recriminations between the two neighbors over the legacy of the 1990-1991 war that have not been tempered by the passage of time or the demise and death of the dictator responsible for starting it.

The decision stems from the fiasco of Iraqi Airways’ much-trumpeted inaugural flight to London last month, which ended with an attempt by the British authorities to impound the plane and the brief detention of the airline’s chief executive, based on court warrants obtained by Kuwait Airways.

The Kuwaiti carrier is seeking up to $1.2 billion compensation for the theft of 10 planes by Iraqi Airways during the pillage of Kuwait.

Model arrested, accused of heading drug gang

Buenos Aires, Argentina – A Colombian model accused of leading a drug-trafficking gang that persuaded pretty young women to smuggle cocaine to Mexico was arrested Wednesday after evading Argentine police for five months.

Angie Sanclemente Valencia had been hiding out in Buenos Aires since December, when airport police caught a 21-year-old Argentine woman with 121 pounds of cocaine in her baggage boarding a flight to Cancun. That led to arrests of six other alleged gang members who allegedly fingered Colombia’s former “coffee queen” as a ringleader.

Police were able to determine Sanclemente’s identity because she had made quite an impression upon her arrival in Argentina, flying first class with a Pomeranian dog, one of the officials said.

The 30-year-old model, her dark hair dyed blonde, was captured Wednesday in a hostel for foreigners.