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64% Egyptians say ‘yes’ to pro-Islamic charter
N Korea could have US in
missile range, says Seoul |
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26/11: Defence lawyers appeal
for full or no media coverage
Syria’s chemical weapons secure for now: Israel
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64% Egyptians say ‘yes’ to pro-Islamic charter
Cairo, December 23 With this, the grouping of Islamists and ultra-radical Salafists, who have won every election since the ouster of long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak in February 2011, appeared to have once again out-muscled the largely secular Opposition, which claims abuses in voting. An official of the Brotherhood’s political wing Freedom and Justice Party claimed over 71 per cent of the voters cast a “Yes” ballot for the charter yesterday in second and final round of voting. "According to our calculations, the final result of the second round is 71 per cent voting ‘Yes’. The overall result (of the two rounds) is 63.8 per cent," he said. The “Yes” vote won in the first phase on December 15 by a relatively narrow 56.5 per cent. The draft constitution has caused serious divisions in Egypt as it was drafted by an Islamist-dominated Assembly from which representatives of the church and liberals withdrew. The second round of voting yesterday in 17 governorates, which hold half of Egypt's electorate, was held amid allegations of irregularities. Ten governorates voted during the first phase. The Opposition said violations like polling stations opening late and Islamists seeking to influence voters took place in the second round of the referendum. Egypt's Constituent Assembly on November 30 in a marathon session approved the draft constitution imposing Islamic values, a move opposed by liberals as an attempt to restrict freedom of speech and religion in the country.
— PTI
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N Korea could have US in missile range, says Seoul
Seoul, December 23 North Korea said the December 12 launch put a weather satellite in orbit but critics said it was aimed at nurturing the kind of technology needed to mount a nuclear warhead on a long-range missile. North Korea is banned from testing missile or nuclear technology under UN sanctions imposed after its 2006 and 2009 nuclear weapons tests and the UN Security Council had condemned the launch. South Korea retrieved and analysed parts of the first-stage rocket that dropped in the waters off its west coast. “As a result of analysing the material of Unha-3 (North Korea's rocket), we judged North Korea had secured a range of more than 10,000 km in case the warhead is 500-600 kg,” a South Korean Defence Ministry official told a news briefing. North Korea's previous missile tests had ended in failure. North Korea, which denounces the United States as the mother of all warmongers on an almost a daily basis, has spent decades and scarce resources to try to develop technology capable of striking targets as far away as the United States. It is also working on building a nuclear arsenal. — Reuters
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26/11: Defence lawyers appeal
for full or no media coverage
The in-camera trial will bar reporting on the subject and disallow lawyers from disclosing what happens during the proceedings of the case. In their request, the seven accused men said that leaks of sketchy and biased details to the media were affecting their image and the integrity of the country. Therefore, they argued that either reporting should be completely banned or hearings be made open to the public for complete authentication. Advocate Riaz Akram Cheema, who submitted the request, said that the men facing trial have maintained that the media was continuously reporting on the proceedings and making comments against them that could affect the trial. Special Judge for Anti-Terrorism Court I Chaudhry Habibur Rehman is trying the seven men at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail. He has asked the prosecution and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to respond by January 12 to the request made by the defence lawyers. Cheema said that they had urged the court to either implement the in-camera order or allow the media to attend the proceedings and give the public the details.
Image being hit? The seven accused men have said that leaks of sketchy and biased details to the media were affecting their image and the integrity of the country
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Syria’s chemical weapons secure for now: Israel
Jerusalem, December 23 Amos Gilad told Army Radio that the civil war between Assad and opposition forces fighting to topple him had become deadlocked, but that the Syrian leader showed no signs of heeding international calls to step down. "Suppose he (Assad) does leave, there could be chaos ... in the Middle East. At the moment, chemical weapons are under control,” Gilad said. As Syria’s southern neighbour, Israel has been concerned about chemical weapons falling into the hands of Islamist militants or Lebanese Hezbollah fighters.
— Reuters
Air strike on bakery Beirut: An air strike near a bakery in the rebel-held town of Halfaya in the central Syrian province of Hama on Sunday killed dozens of people, monitoring group Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
— AFP
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China successfully conducts test run of high-speed railway
Arab-Israeli woman dies at ‘124’ Ruling on Mubarak’s term on Jan 13 Plane carrying 9 crashes in Canada
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Some 64 per cent of voters backed the charter over the two rounds of polling, state-run media reported. The final results of the referendum, however, are not expected until tomorrow.
Defence lawyers in the Mumbai attacks case have urged the anti-terrorism court to either implement its earlier order for an in-camera trial or open the proceedings for the media and public.
