Around the World for 03/26/08

CNN denied permission to cover elections in Zimbabwe - CNN has been denied permission to cover this week's parliamentary and presidential elections in Zimbabwe, an official at the Zimbabwean Ministry of Information and Publicity said Tuesday. The official, who did not want to be named, gave no reason for the government's decision to bar CNN from the crucial vote.

Rethinking Is Urged on a Vaccine for AIDS - Researchers must go back to the drawing board before they can develop an effective vaccine against H.I.V., AIDS experts said at a scientific meeting on Tuesday. The reassessment comes after last September’s widely publicized failure of what had been the most promising candidate for an H.I.V. vaccine. Many health officials believe that an effective vaccine would be the most crucial weapon in stopping the H.I.V. pandemic.
Tata buys Jaguar in £1.15bn deal - Car giant Ford has sold its luxury UK-based car brands Jaguar and Land Rover to Indian company Tata. Tata, India's biggest vehicle maker, is paying $2.3bn (£1.15bn) for the British brands after months of negotiations over price and supply relationships. The negotiations started last June when Ford announced its intention to sell the companies as a package.

Holdout Citigroup settles Enron case for $1.66 billion - Citigroup, the biggest U.S. bank by assets, will pay $1.66 billion and give up an estimated $4.25 billion in claims to settle a lawsuit by Enron creditors over the former energy trader's bankruptcy case.

Maliki Gives Shiite Militias 72 Hours to Halt Fighting - A day after launching a huge operation that ignited heavy fighting in two of Iraq’s largest cities, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki gave the Shiite militias controlling the southern oil city of Basra an ultimatum on Wednesday: lay down their weapons within 72 hours or face more severe consequences.