Saad meets Nasrallah for govt formation

Friday, June 26, 2009 BEIRUT: Saad al-Hariri, the leader of the parliamentary majority, looks set to be Lebanon's next prime minister after gathering the support of many of the members of the 128-seat body, sources have said.Hariri, who led the March 14 coalition to victory in elections earlier this month, met Hassan Nasrallah, the opposition Hezbollah leader, on Friday to discuss the shape of a new unity government."They also agreed on continuing discussion in the current positive calm atmosphere and stressed the logic of dialogue, co-operation and openness," they said in a statement released after the meeting.The meeting was only the second between the two men in the last three years.Michel Suleiman, Lebanon's president, will hold consultations with parliamentarians on Friday and Saturday to decide on the next prime minister.It has become clear that a Syrian-Saudi understanding is crucial for the formation of a consensus government headed by Saad al-Hariri.It is also an indication that Hezbollah remains a major player, even though the opposition coalition lost the elections, the party itself maintained strong support in its areas.Hariri was raised in Saudi Arabia and is seen by some in Lebanon as a symbol of Riyadh's influence in the region, which is rivalled by Damascus.

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India's swine flu death rate is increasing

Friday, August 14, 2009 MUMBAI: A 26-year-old woman died Thursday of H1N1 swine flu in the southern city of Bangalore, raising India's death toll from the virus to 20, authorities said.The death was the first reported in India's information technology capital, the Press Trust of India reported.Meanwhile in Pune, the worst-affected in India, two more victims of the virus died Thursday, raising the death toll in that western city near Mumbai to 12, the report said. The victims were an 11-month-old boy and a 75-year-old old woman.US media reported movie halls, schools and colleges were ordered closed Thursday for three days to a week in Mumbai, the commercial and financial capital of the country, as fear of the pandemic spread.Prajakata Lavangare, a spokeswoman for the government of Maharashtra state of which Mumbai is the capital, said similar orders were issued in Pune, which is also located in the state.The woman who died in Bangalore was identified only as Roopa, a teacher in...

Tennis: Clijsters wins US Open, second time

NEW YORK: Kim Clijsters of Belgium won the US Open on Sunday by defeating Caroline Wozniacki of Denmark 7-5, 6-3 in the final.She is the first mother to win a Grand Slam title since Evonne Goolagong in 1980, the victory coming just five weeks after she returned to the sport following a 27-month retirement. She was the first wildcard, man or woman, to win a US Open title in the history of the tournament.

42 killed in wave of Iraq bombings

BAGHDAD: At least 42 people were killed and nearly 100 wounded in a spate of bomb attacks near the restive northern Iraqi city of Mosul and in the capital Baghdad on Monday, police said. In the deadliest single attack, two booby-trapped lorries exploded before dawn in the village of Khaznah, east of Mosul, leaving 25 people dead and 70 others wounded. Thirty-five houses were destroyed in the village, which is home to members of the tiny Shabak community, a sect of Kurdish origin. In Baghdad, two car bombs went off as day labourers were gathering in the early morning hours looking for jobs.The first bomb exploded at Hay al-Amel, in the west of the capital, killing nine people and injuring 46. The second bomb attack in Shurta Arbaa in the north of the city killed seven people and wounded 35 others.

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