Lebanon army attacks gunmen in historic Tripoli market | ||
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Tripoli (Lebanon) (AFP) - Lebanese troops attacked Islamist gunmen holed up in the historic market of the northern city of Tripoli Saturday, after deadly clashes rocked the longtime tourist attraction, an AFP correspondent reported. A gunman was killed, and nine soldiers and eight civilian bystanders wounded, in the fighting that erupted in the city's souks late on Friday, a security official told AFP on condition of anonymity. It was the first time since the civil war in neighbouring Syria erupted in 2011 that violence in Tripoli had spread to the market, which is listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site. The AFP correspondent heard shelling and heavy gunfire as the army launched its assault on the gunmen's positions. Troops attempted to evacuate families trapped inside the market, where many of the shops have been burned down in the fighting. Among the wounded civilians was a Lebanese newspaper journalist. Tripoli has seen repeated clashes between Sunni militants sympathetic to the rebels in neighbouring Syria and Alawites who back the Damascus regime. Islamist gunmen in the city have also carried out multiple attacks against the Lebanese army, accusing it of cooperating with Shiite militant group Hezbollah, which has sent thousands of fighters to Syria to support President Bashar al-Assad's forces. But the clashes that erupted on Friday marked the first time that the violence has spread to the souks, which once drew many foreign tourists. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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Botswana ruling party leads in early election results | ||
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Gaborone (Botswana) (AFP) - Botswana's ruling party was leading in most local council constituencies as general election results trickled in Saturday, but opposition parties made a strong showing in the capital, the electoral commission said. There had been delays in the counting of parliamentary ballots and no results had been received so far, the Independent Electoral Commission spokesman Osupile Maroba told AFP. "We are hoping to start receiving parliamentary results from 57 poling districts by mid-morning," he said. Parliamentary results will also determine who will be president for the next five years, with incumbent Ian Khama of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP) expected to win a second term. "We are still on track for the release of final results by the end of the day," said Maroba. The IEC had verified results from 200 of the 490 local council voting districts, with the BDP winning six of the capital Gaborone's 13 wards. The newly formed Umbrella for Democratic Change (UDC), a coalition of parties contesting the elections for the first time, took four wards while the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) won three. The election was seen as the most competitive for the BDP, which has ruled Botswana since independence from Britain in 1966, after a split in the party in 2010. The landlocked, diamond-rich southern African country of two million people is seen as one of the continent's strongest democracies, and electoral authorities said the Friday vote saw a high turnout of the 800,000 registered voters.
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Marquez grabs pole for Malaysian MotoGP | ||
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Sepang (Malaysia) (AFP) - Recently crowned world champion Marc Marquez will start on pole position for Sunday's Malaysian MotoGP, surpassing the record for the most poles in a single season. The Spanish Repsol Honda rider clocked a record lap time of one minute 59.791 seconds in Saturday qualifying at Sepang, 0.182 seconds ahead of his team-mate and compatriot Dani Pedrosa. It was Marquez's 13th pole of the year, breaking the previous record of 12 front-row starts in a season jointly held by Australians Mick Doohan and Casey Stoner. Pedrosa, who topped all three practice sessions and has won the last two Malaysian Grands Prix, was the only other rider to finish below the two-minute mark, clocking 1 minute 59.973. In third place was Yamaha's two-time world champion Jorge Lorenzo in 2 minutes 0.203, while Germany's Stefan Bradl and Italy's Andrea Dovizioso qualified fourth and fifth respectively. Crowd favourite Italian Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi, who is current runner-up in the overall championship standings, could only manage sixth place. Spain's Pol Espargaro missed qualifying after he came off his bike in the third practice session held earlier Saturday. The Monster Yamaha rider's machine was engulfed in flames moments after he hit the asphalt, causing him to break a bone in his left foot. His fitness to race will be assessed on Sunday morning. Join the conversation about this story »  | ||
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