At least five people died when a residential building collapsed overnight in Majorca's capital Palma, in the Spanish Balearic Islands.
The three-storey structure, said to be at least 50 years old, collapsed at about 0030 (2230 GMT on Sunday).
Rescuers are searching for more people who are unaccounted for, and believed to be in the rubble. Four others were injured in the collapse, two seriously.
The local gas supplier has ruled out a gas leak as a possible cause.
There is nothing to indicate that Britons or other foreigners are among the dead.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Saudi sex TV producer spared lash
The Saudi king has waived a sentence of flogging on a female journalist working for a TV channel which aired graphic accounts of sex in the kingdom.
King Abdullah cancelled the sentence of 60 lashes against Rozanna al-Yami, after being briefed on the case.
The programme broadcast by Saudi-owned Lebanese channel LBC caused a huge scandal in the conservative kingdom.
Three men who bragged about their sexual adventures in the show, as well as the cameraman, have been jailed.
No reason has been given for the king's decision. It is the second time he has intervened in a high-profile flogging sentence in two years.
The original programme was part of a series called Red Lines, examining taboos in the Arab world, including extra-marital sex in Saudi Arabia.
Mazen Abdul Jawad provoked outrage by describing his techniques for meeting and having sex with Saudi women.
He has apologised and claimed LBC tricked him, but he was jailed for five years and sentenced to 1,000 lashes.
Three of his friends who appeared on the show got two years each and the cameraman was jailed for two months.
The station's offices in Saudi Arabia were closed down and two of its producers - both female - put on trial.
LBC has made no comment about the cases.
Turkish PM for joint struggle to stamp out terrorism
Updated at: 1723 PST, Monday, October 26, 2009
ISLAMABAD: Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan Monday stressed the need for putting up a joint struggle against the scourge of terrorism and extremism.
Delivering a historic address to the joint session of Pakistani Parliament, the Turkish PM said Turkey understands the challenges and problems being faced by the people of Pakistan. “Turkey stands with Pakistan in the war against terror,” the Turkish PM said.
The Turkish PM’s speech at the joint session of the Parliament is a first ever address made by any foreign diplomat.
Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani, senior military officials including Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and members of parliament attended today’s session.
The first lady of Turkey was also present along with the Turkish diplomats.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto was not only the great leader of Pakistan but also of the entire world. When Ms Bhutto was assassinated on December 27, 2007, the members of Turkish parliament representing all the political parties of the country expressed grief, he added.
He described the relations shared between Pakistan and Turkey as extraordinary.
“Pakistan holds a special place in the hearts of Turkish people right from the day the former became independent 62 years ago,” the Turkish PM said, adding “the Turkish people still remember the freedom movement spearheaded by Jauhar brothers.”
Zardari-Nawaz meet at Presidency
Updated at: 1956 PST, Monday, October 26, 2009
ISLAMABAD: The meeting between President Asif Ali Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-N Chief Nawaz Sharif has begun here at the Presidency.
Nawaz Sharif is accompanied by Raja Zafar-ul-Haq, Mamnoon Hussain, Javed Hashmi, Ishaq Dar, Ghaus Ali Shah and Iqbal Zafar Jhagra while Farhatullah Babar, Khursheed Shah, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Raza Rabbani, Makhdoom Amin Fahim and Qamar Zaman Kaira are attending the meeting from President’s side.
Both the leaders had last met on July 17 this year in Raiwind.
Afghan crashes kill 14 Americans
At least 14 Americans have been killed in a series of air crashes in Afghanistan, military officials say.
Four US soldiers died and two were hurt when two helicopters collided mid-air in the south, Nato-led forces said.
In a separate helicopter crash, in western Badghis province, seven US soldiers and three US civilians died.
The US said hostile fire was not believed to be to blame for either incident, but the Taliban said it was behind the Badghis crash.
Taliban spokesman Qari Yusuf Ahmedi told the AFP news agency militants had shot down the US helicopter in the Darabam district of the province.
Another 12 Americans and 14 Afghans were also reported to have been injured in that crash.
Col Wayne Shanks, a spokesman for the Nato-led force in Afghanistan, said the authorities were still investigating the incident in Badghis, but "do not believe that enemy action was responsible".
He said the crash happened as troops were carrying out a successful anti-drugs trafficking operation in which 14 "enemy fighters" were killed.
The exact location of the crash in the south of the country has not been confirmed by the US military.
This year has seen the highest death toll of international troops in Afghanistan since the Taliban were overthrown in 2001.
There have been dozens of American soldiers among those killed, making up more than half the total foreign troop deaths in the country.
The worst single loss of US life in Afghanistan occurred in June 2005, when a Chinook helicopter was shot down in eastern Kunar province, killing 16 military personnel.
US issues new policy on medical marijuana
The Obama administration will not seek to arrest medical marijuana users and suppliers as long as they conform to state laws, under new policy guidelines to be sent to federal prosecutors today.
Two Justice Department officials described the new policy to the Associated Press, saying prosecutors will be told it is not a good use of their time to arrest people who use or provide medical marijuana in strict compliance with state laws.
The new policy is a significant departure from the Bush administration, which insisted it would continue to enforce federal antipot laws regardless of state codes.
Fourteen states allow some use of marijuana for medical purposes: Alaska, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington.
California is unique for the presence of dispensaries – businesses that sell marijuana and even advertise their services.
Attorney General Eric Holder said in March that he wanted federal law enforcement officials to pursue those who violate both federal and state law, but it has not been clear how that goal would be put into practice.
A 3-page memo spelling out the policy is expected to be sent today to federal prosecutors in the 14 states, and also to top officials at the FBI and the Drug Enforcement Administration.
The memo, the officials said, emphasizes that prosecutors have wide discretion in choosing which cases to pursue, and says it is not a good use of federal manpower to prosecute those who are without a doubt in compliance with state law.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the legal guidance before it is issued.
At the same time, the officials said, the government will still prosecute those who use medical marijuana as a cover for other illegal activity. The memo particularly warns that some suspects may hide drug dealing or other crimes behind a medical marijuana business.
The memo, officials said, is designed to give a sense of prosecutorial priorities to US attorneys in the states that allow medical marijuana.
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