News In Brief

Nepal vote counting begins
Afp, Kathmandu

Nepalese officials began counting votes yesterday, with analysts hailing the high turnout in polls seen as vital in stabilising the country and cementing a peace process seven years after a civil war ended.
Millions of Nepalis cast their ballots on Tuesday for a constituent assembly tasked with writing a new constitution, defying threats of poll violence by a breakaway faction of the Maoist party.
"The vote counting has begun," Election Commission spokesman Bir Bahadur Rai told AFP. Preliminary results are likely to emerge within three days, with full results expected in about ten days.

S Africa mall collapse: Search suspended
Afp, Tongaat

South African emergency workers yesterday said hope was fading of finding survivors under a collapsed half-built mall near Durban as heavy machinery was called in to remove the rubble.
One person has died and 29 people have been rescued after the vast roof of the structure collapsed on Tuesday afternoon in the town of Tongaat. The cause of the roof collapse was not immediately clear.

Vietnam floods toll rises to 42
Afp, Hanoi

Vietnamese authorities yesterday raised the death toll from severe floods that swept central provinces to 42, with five people still missing.
Nearly 430,000 houses have been inundated, damaged or destroyed, the flood and storm control department said in an online report, adding rains have now slackened and water has receded in some areas.

Ten Egyptian troops killed in Sinai
Afp, Cairo

A car bomb struck an army convoy killing at least 10 soldiers in the Sinai yesterday, the army said.
It said in a statement that 35 others were wounded. The bomb struck near the regional capital, an official said, adding that an explosives-laden parked car exploded as the convoy passed.A bus carrying soldiers on leave took the brunt of the blast at around 7:45am, the military said.

Venezuela leader gets special powers
Reuters, Caracas

Venezuelan lawmakers granted President Nicolas Maduro yearlong decree powers on Tuesday that he says are essential to regulate the economy and stamp out corruption but adversaries view as a power grab.
The passage of the decree powers on Tuesday was widely expected and Chavez passed nearly 200 laws by decree during his time in office, including legislation that let him nationalize major oil projects and increase his influence in the Supreme Court.