News in Brief

Sri Lanka heads for snap presidential poll
Afp, Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka will hold a presidential election in January, almost two years ahead of schedule, in which Mahinda Rajapakse will seek a third term, the information minister said yesterday.
An early election had been widely expected. But the remarks by minister Keheliya Rambukwella were the first confirmation that Rajapakse was seeking a fresh mandate after removing the two-term limit on the presidency soon after winning re-election in 2010.
"The presidential election will be held in January," Rambukwella said at a public meeting in the district of Kandy.

Tajikistan to pardon 10,000 prisoners
Afp, Dushanbe

Tajikistan will pardon 10,000 prisoners as the ex-Soviet state marks two decades of its constitution, the presidency said yesterday.
President Emomali Rakhmon has submitted to parliament a draft law on the amnesty plan, proposing to release women, minors and foreigners, as well as those who have served at least three quarters of their jail terms.

India fireworks factory blast kills eight
Afp, New Delhi

An explosion at a firecracker factory in southern India killed at least eight people yesterday, a day before the start of a major festival, reports said.
Fireworks are a major feature of celebrations during the five-day Hindu festival of Diwali, which begins today.
Fatal accidents are common during the period as demand spirals for colourful sparklers, bottle rockets and other fireworks.

Nicaragua flooding leaves 24 dead
Afp, Managua

Driving rain that has swamped most of Nicaragua for days has killed 24 people, authorities said Sunday, sparking fears of a potential health crisis in some areas.
The flooding has left more than 33,000 people homeless and many are cramming into shelters around the Central American nation, government spokeswoman and first lady Rosario Murillo said.
The government has rushed 5,000 emergency food kits to an area on the Caribbean coast near the Honduran border where mostly Miskito indigenous people have been cut off by the overflowing Prinzapolka and Coco rivers.
Local officials are worried the over-soaking could boost mosquito populations, therefore increasing the risk of mosquito-borne illnesses.
And "with the degree of saturation we have, the earth is so wet that any light to moderate rain" could cause more mudslides in this mountainous and largely poor country, Murillo warned.

More bodies pulled from Nepal snow
Afp, Kathmandu

Nepalese teams pulled three more bodies from the snow yesterday, as authorities prepared to end the search for survivors of a snowstorm that struck almost a week ago, leaving at least 40 dead or presumed dead.
More than 500 people have now been airlifted to safety since heavy snow hit Nepal's Annapurna region.