W O R L D

Egyptians vote on divisive Constitution
Cairo/Alexandria, Dec 15
Egyptians queued to vote today on a Constitution promoted by its Islamist backers as the way out of a prolonged political crisis and rejected by opponents as a recipe for further divisions in the Arab world's biggest nation.

(L) Women queue up outside a polling station in Alexandria on Saturday; and President Muhamed Mursi casts his vote on a new Constitution in Cairo. — AFP

‘Mum, we’ll miss your smiles, laughter...’
London, December 15
A memorial mass in memory of Jacintha Saldanha, the Indian-origin nurse found dead following a hoax call to a London hospital treating the Duchess of Cambridge, has taken place at Bristol.

Have to make allowances for friends: Suu Kyi
Yangon, December 15
Pro-Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, who had expressed her disappointment with India for engaging with Myanmar's military junta, today said "you have to make allowances for friends" even if they go "astray" at times.

4 die in Peshawar airport attack
Peshawar, December 15
At least four persons were killed when militants attacked the airport in the northwestern city of Peshawar today and traded gunfire with soldiers, military and health officials said. Pakistan's military rushed reinforcements to the scene of the attack, one of the most audacious raids by militants since an attack on an air base in August.

Mandela on road to recovery
Johannesburg, December 15
Nelson Mandela, the 94-year-old former South African President and Nobel Peace laureate hospitalised with a lung infection, has successfully undergone a procedure to have gall stones removed, the government said on toay. "Mandela is recovering," President Jacob Zuma's office said. — Reuters

Egyptians vote on divisive Constitution

Cairo/Alexandria, Dec 15
Egyptians queued to vote today on a Constitution promoted by its Islamist backers as the way out of a prolonged political crisis and rejected by opponents as a recipe for further divisions in the Arab world's biggest nation.

Soldiers joined the police to secure the referendum after deadly protests during the build-up. Street brawls erupted again on Friday in Alexandria, Egypt's second city, but voting proceeded quietly there, with no reports of violence elsewhere.

President Muhamed Mursi provoked angry demonstrations when he issued a decree last month expanding his powers and then fast-tracked the draft Constitution through an assembly dominated by his Muslim Brotherhood group and its allies.

The liberal, secular and Christian opposition says the Constitution is too Islamist and tramples on minority rights. Mursi's supporters say the charter is needed if progress is to be made towards democracy nearly two years after the fall of military-backed strongman Hosni Mubarak.

"The sheikhs told us to say 'yes' and I have read the Constitution and I liked it," said Adel Imam, a 53-year-old queuing to vote in a Cairo suburb. "The President's authorities are less than before. He can't be a dictator," he said.

Opposition politician and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei wrote on Twitter: "Adoption of (a) divisive draft Constitution that violates universal values and freedoms is a sure way to institutionalise instability and turmoil."

Official results will not be announced until after a second round of voting next Saturday. But partial results and unofficial tallies are likely to emerge soon after the first round, giving an idea of the overall trend. In order to pass, the Constitution must be approved by more than 50 per cent of voters. A little more than half of Egypt's electorate of 51 million are eligible to vote in the first round in Cairo and other cities. — Reuters

‘Mum, we’ll miss your smiles, laughter...’

Jacintha Saldanha's husband Ben Barboza (C) wipes a tear as their children Lisha and Junal (L) stand outside the Westminster Cathedral in London on Saturday. — REUTERS

London, December 15
A memorial mass in memory of Jacintha Saldanha, the Indian-origin nurse found dead following a hoax call to a London hospital treating the Duchess of Cambridge, has taken place at Bristol.

Jacintha's friends and family attended St Teresa's Church in Bristol last evening to honour her memory. Her husband Benedict Barboza held the hands of his children Lisha (14) and Junal (16) as they entered the church.

They had earlier been greeted by Father Tom Finnegan, who gave a comforting hug to Junal. A picture of Jacintha was placed at the foot of the altar, surrounded by flowers.

Jacintha was a keen member of the church, and regularly attended two different churches in Bristol with her family. Fr. Tom spoke only briefly about the King Edward VII nurse, whose hanged body was discovered a week ago in London.

He then invited members of the congregation to light a candle in the memory of Jacintha. The priest read out messages from her two children and husband.

Through Fr Tom, Junal and Lisha said: "We will miss your laughter and loving smile and memories we had together. The house is empty. We are shattered and there is a void in our lives. We love you mum." Benedict, through the priest, said: "I love you and I will miss you forever." The family did not speak after the hour-long service. — PTI

Nurse’s body to reach Mangalore today

Bangalore: The body of Jacintha Saldanha is expected to arrive in Mangalore on Sunday and her burial would be held at Shirva on Monday. “We know the body is coming, but we do not yet know exactly when. The funeral service and the burial will take place at Shirva on Monday,” Ronaldo, a relation of Jacintha’s husband Benedict Barboza said. — TNS

Have to make allowances for friends: Suu Kyi

Yangon, December 15
Pro-Democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi, who had expressed her disappointment with India for engaging with Myanmar's military junta, today said "you have to make allowances for friends" even if they go "astray" at times.

After a 40-minute meeting with External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, who is here on his first official bilateral visit, the opposition leader said she would want India to look at the situation in Myanmar, which is in transition from one form of governance to another "in a very practical way".

She also expressed her concern about right sequencing, saying, “It is not just about speed that is everything. No. I never had misgivings with India. I have said there were times when I felt sad but you have to make allowances for friends. If you are fond of your friends, you have to accept that sometimes they go astray and sometimes we do and that's no reason for us to suffer," she said. Suu Kyi was replying to a query if she had any misgivings with India and if yes whether she had forgotten it. — PTI

Khurshid adopts religious diplomacy

Yangon: It was a day of religious diplomacy by India as External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Saturday inaugurated a three-day international conference on Buddhism followed by the unveiling of a 15-foot statue of Gautam Buddha. Eyeing deeper ties, India had on Friday extended a grant of $1 million for development of Myanmar.

4 die in Peshawar airport attack

Peshawar, December 15
At least four persons were killed when militants attacked the airport in the northwestern city of Peshawar today and traded gunfire with soldiers, military and health officials said.

Pakistan's military rushed reinforcements to the scene of the attack, one of the most audacious raids by militants since an attack on an air base in August.

A health official said at least 26 persons had been wounded, and that at least three of the dead were militants.

"An emergency has been declared in the hospital and all the surgeons have been called," said Umar Ayub, chief executive of the Khyber Teaching Hospital Peshawar. "All of them suffered bullet injuries and some of the injured are in critical condition." — Reuters

BRIEFLY

French combat troops leave
Kabul: France flew its last combat troops out of Afghanistan on Saturday, two years before allied nations in the 1,00,000-strong NATO mission led by the United States are due to recall their fighting forces. — AFP