Former rebel chief leads Kosovo vote
Pristina, Serbia
The party of a former rebel leader who has promised to declare Kosovo’s independence if mediation efforts fail led a parliamentary election Saturday, according to an unofficial tally by independent observers.
With roughly two-thirds of the votes counted, opposition leader Hashim Thaci’s Democratic Party of Kosovo was leading with 35 percent, according to monitoring groups. The League of Democratic Kosovo, traditionally the province’s largest political bloc, was trailing with 22 percent. Official results were expected Monday.
Thaci, who had been favored in recent polls, told The Associated Press shortly after he cast his vote that if he becomes Kosovo’s prime minister he would declare independence from Serbia after Dec. 10.
The date is when international envoys must report back to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on efforts to resolve the dispute over Kosovo’s future status.
Ethnic Albanians, who make up 90 percent of Kosovo’s 2 million people, insist on independence, but Serbia has said it would never recognize a Kosovar state.
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Waterborne disease follows storm’s toll
Standing water left over from Tropical Storm Noel last month is contributing to an outbreak of the waterborne disease leptospirosis, killing 19 people and sickening more than 130 others, the Dominican health minister said Saturday.
Bautista Rojas Gomez said dozens of people remain in hospitals with symptoms related to leptospirosis, which spreads through exposure to water contaminated with the urine of infected animals.
Health officials fear an increase in cases because rains keep pounding the country after Noel killed 87 people and displaced about 70,000 here in late October.
Santiago, Chile
Another earthquake; no damage reported
A 6.0 magnitude earthquake struck northern Chile on Saturday, the latest in a series of aftershocks to hit the mineral-rich Andean country since a powerful temblor Wednesday.
The epicenter was 41 miles north-northwest of Antofagasta, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The quake, near the coast and Chile’s border with Peru, struck just 4.3 miles below the surface, but Chilean and Peruvian media did not report any damage or injuries.
Wednesday, a 7.7 magnitude quake near Antofagasta collapsed homes and large buildings, killing two people and injuring 115 others. Thursday, two aftershocks with magnitudes of 6.2 and 6.8 hit northern Chile.
At least 15,000 people were left homeless by Wednesday’s quake.
Also
A sea rescue center in Astrakhan, in southern Russia, has launched a search-and-rescue operation to answer a distress call from a Russian vessel that has disappeared in the Caspian Sea, the Transportation Ministry said Saturday. There are 12 crew members on board the ship carrying 2,200 metric tons of raw steel.
Seattle Times news services