Thesun 2009-10-26 Page09 Militants Call For Vote Boycott

theSun

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| MONDAY OCTOBER 26 2009

news without borders

Buffalo causes Egyptian train crash, 18 dead CAIRO: A train collision that killed 18 people in Egypt came after a signalman left work early and failed to warn drivers of delays because of a water buffalo on the track, an initial inquiry found yesterday. The signalman and 17 others were killed and 36 injured on Saturday as a passenger train ploughed at full-speed into the back of another train southwest of Cairo, said the general prosecutor’s office in charge of the official probe. The first train, heading to Fayyum, 100km from the capital, made an unscheduled stop after the driver spotted a water buffalo on the track, it said in a statement. But signalman Sayyed Ali Tehewi left his cabin early to catch a train home, causing a second train to crash into the first. In a tragic twist, Tehewi had left to catch that second train, on a southbound route from Cairo to Assyut, 400km from Cairo, and died in the crash, the prosecutor’s office said. The trains collided near Guerzah, close to the town of Al Ayyat, around 40km from Cairo. The prosecutor’s office said both drivers, one of whom was injured and recovering in hospital, were being questioned by authorities. Egyptian Nile News television showed footage of rescuers removing heaps of tangled metal from the scene of the accident. “The wrongdoer will be prosecuted,” Transport Minister Mohammed Mansour told Nile News. Al Ayyat was the scene of Egypt’s deadliest ever rail accident when the bodies of at least 361 passengers were recovered from a train following a fire in February 2002. – AFP

Militants call for vote boycott Addressing the social impact of the crisis pg 13

KABUL: The Taliban called on Saturday for a boycott of the upcoming run-off in Afghanistan’s fraud-tainted presidential election as US and UN envoys predicted fewer problems with the second round. While Western military chiefs say they can ensure the Nov 7 poll is conducted in a peaceful atmosphere, the warning from the militants threaten to further deflate turnout, which was less than 40% first time round. “The Islamic emirate (of Afghanistan) once again informs all the people that no one should take part in this American process and should

boycott the process,” said a Taliban statement. “The mujahedeen are fully prepared to defeat this process,” it said, adding: “Anyone who participates and gets hurt will be responsible for their own losses.” The run-off sees former foreign minister Abdullah Abdullah take on the incumbent Hamid Karzai, who came to power in late 2001 after the Taliban were toppled by US-led forces. Eight years on, the militants are waging an increasingly virulent insurgency, particularly in their

southern heartland, where attacks and threats helped limit turnout in some provinces such as Kandahar to 10% or less. Almost 200 violent incidents around the first vote were attributed to the militants, including amputations of fingers marked with purple ink as proof of voting, and rocket and grenade attacks on polling stations. Tribal chiefs from across the wartorn country met in Kabul on Saturday to discuss security. “This time it’s believed that more people will participate in the election,” said Mohammad Nasim, an elder from southern Logar province. Meanwhile, two suicide bombs tore through the capital of Iraq yesterday, killing 132 people, wounding more than 500 and leaving mangled bodies and cars on the streets. The blasts in Baghdad shredded buildings and smoke billowed from the area near the Tigris River. The first bomb targeted the justice ministry and the second, minutes later, was aimed at the nearby provincial government building. – Agencies

Bloomberg now biggest US political spender WASHINGTON: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has spent more of his own money in pursuit of public office than any other individual in US history, spending US$85 million (RM290 million) as of Friday on his latest reelection campaign, the New York Times reported on Saturday.

Citing newly released campaign records, the Times said Bloomberg was on pace to spend between US$110 and US$140 million (RM375-478 million) before the Nov 3 mayoral election. That means the self-made billionaire will have spent more than US$250 million (RM853 million) in his three

bids for mayor of America’s most fabled city. In contrast, New Jersey Governor and former Goldman Sachs chairman Jon Corzine spent about US$130 million (RM443 million) in two races for governor and one for the US Senate, the Times reported.

And publisher Steve Forbes poured US$114 million (RM389 million) into two bids for president, it said. Bloomberg’s wealth, much of it from the Bloomberg LP media and information empire, is estimated at US$16 billion (RM56.6 billion). – Reuters