A round-up of today's other stories in brief.
Nine killed as roof of pool in Urals caves in
MOSCOW - Nine people have been killed and 11 injured when the roof of a swimming pool in the Urals collapsed, according to a statement from the local administration.
"We can't rule out that under the debris there are other casualties," the Perm regional administration said yesterday. "Four of the dead have been sent to the morgue and the other five are being removed from under the rubble."
The emergency ministry said some of the dead were children.
There were conflicting reports of how many people were in the building when the roof caved in at the pool in Chusovoy, about 150 km (93 miles) from the city of Perm. The swimming pool, known as the Dolphin, was built 11 years ago and is owned by the town administration. - (Reuters)
Lebanon seeks longer UN inquiry
BEIRUT - Lebanon has asked UN secretary general Kofi Annan to extend for six months the mandate of an inquiry into the killing of former prime minister Rafik al-Hariri.
Prime minister Fouad Siniora told Mr Annan on Saturday that the Lebanese government wanted the inquiry to continue for six months after its December 15th deadline and to be open to further extensions, his office said. The inquiry is looking into the February 14th truck bombing that killed Mr Hariri and 22 others, but UN diplomats said chief investigator Detlev Mehlis planned to leave his job by the end of the year.- (Reuters)
Funds appeal to help quake victims
ROME - The World Food Programme chief has appealed for urgent funds to keep an airlift flying to quake- ravaged areas in Pakistan through the winter, calling it "the most difficult" logistical task the UN agency has ever faced.
Fearing a second wave of deaths, soldiers and emergency workers are racing to get food and shelter to survivors of the October 8th earthquake that killed 87,000 people in Pakistan and India. The WFP has accepted responsibility for feeding 1.3 million people - (PA)
Annan to fire head of UN election unit
UNITED NATIONS - The secretary general, Kofi Annan, has decided to fire the head of the UN election unit, who has became a star in the world body for supervising polls in dangerous places such as Afghanistan and Iraq, two UN officials said.
The reasons for the dismissal of Carina Perelli (48), a Uruguayan, were harassment of staff and management lapses, the officials said on Saturday. Mr Annan is expected to make the announcement tomorrow or Tuesday.
"A lot of people in the unit were talking about leaving because of the atmosphere she had created due to her behaviour to subordinates," said one senior official.
He said that Ms Perelli, director of the electoral assistance division, had been informed of the decision. - (Reuters)