Briefs, December 18, 2012
A car bomb killed 17 people including women and children and wounded dozens more when it exploded near a bus queue at a market in northwest Pakistan. The bomb went off in the town of Jamrud, killing or wounding people waiting for buses to take them across the northwest and to other parts of the country. Jamrud is in Khyber district, which is part of Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt on the Afghan border.
JAMRUD - A car bomb killed 17 people including women and children and wounded dozens more when it exploded near a bus queue at a market in northwest Pakistan. The bomb went off in the town of Jamrud, killing or wounding people waiting for buses to take them across the northwest and to other parts of the country. Jamrud is in Khyber district, which is part of Pakistan's semi-autonomous tribal belt on the Afghan border. AFP
KUALA LUMPUR - A pressure group calling for free and fair polling in Malaysia warned the country could see its "dirtiest elections ever" as it pledged to continue its campaign to prevent cheating. Poll reform group Bersih, a civil society movement which has twice led tens of thousands of people to rally for reforms, said shortcomings such as electoral roll errors had been ignored by the government ahead of elections, to be held before the end of June. The group said it would campaign to boost voter turnout and enlist citizen observers. AFP
SHIRVA - Family and friends of the nurse who was found hanged after taking a hoax call to the hospital treating Prince William's wife gathered for her funeral in a town in southwest India. Indian-born Jacintha Saldanha, 46, apparently committed suicide after answering the call from Australian radio DJs to the hospital where the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge was admitted with acute morning sickness. Saldanha's body was flown back from Britain and was buried in Shirva, 50 kilometres from Mangalore city. AFP
TOKYO - A 94-year-old man who used his funeral savings to fund his parliamentary run in Japan's election lost his US$36,000 deposit, he said. Ryokichi Kawashima, fell short of the 10 per cent of votes he needed. Kawashima had put down the deposit required of candidates running for office, but the 2,169 ballots he received were a long way from the tally he required in Saitama, north of Tokyo. AFP
