A round-up of the rest of the world news in brief
Pakistan bomb kills 22 border guards
JAMRUD – A suicide bomber killed 22 Pakistani border guards yesterday in an attack at the main crossing point into Afghanistan, officials said.
It was the first big attack in Pakistan since Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud was killed in a US missile strike on August 5th and will raise fears that the militants, who officials say have been in disarray, are hitting back.
The bomber struck as the guards were sitting down at sunset to break their daily fast for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. “The guards were about to break their fast when a teenaged boy carrying a bottle of Pepsi walked towards them and blew himself up,” said witness Wakil Khan.
– (Reuters)
Karzai widens lead in poll result
KABUL – Afghan president Hamid Karzai held a roughly 10-point lead over his main challenger Abdullah Abdullah yesterday after last week’s election, with a second round run-off likely.
With counting from 17.2 per cent of polling stations complete, Mr Karzai leads with 44.8 per cent of votes compared with Mr Abdullah’s 35.1 per cent.
The partial count is based on ballots received from 29 of Afghanistan’s 34 provinces, according to the Independent Election Commission.
With no votes counted so far in five provinces and relatively few returns tallied from major urban centres, the partial count is not a balanced reflection of the overall poll. – (Reuters)
World sailing record for teen
LONDON – A 17-year-old Briton yesterday became the youngest person to sail round the globe single-handed after nine months at sea.
Mike Perham suffered knockdowns and damage to his yacht during the 38,700km (24,000-mile) trip and the teenager from Hertfordshire, southern England, said he was now looking forward to a “good meal and a very good night’s sleep”.
Fewer than 250 people have sailed solo around the globe, but Perham’s record could already be in jeopardy if a 13-year-old Dutch girl persuades a court to allow her to set sail. Perham was the youngest person to sail across the Atlantic Ocean, aged 14, in 2007. – (Reuters)