Hamas to keep out of Palestine presidential poll

The Palestinian Islamic militant group Hamas said today it would boycott a January 9 presidential election for a successor to Yasser Arafat....

The Palestinian Islamic militant group Hamas said today it would boycott a January 9 presidential election for a successor to Yasser Arafat.

‘‘We in the Islamic resistance announce our boycott and our non-participation in the presidential elections for the Palestinian Authority,’’ Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas leader, said in Gaza City.

Hamas had indicated previously it would not take part in the election, calling instead for a share of power in an interim post-Arafat leadership and a parliamentary vote. The favourite to succeed Arafat is Mahmoud Abbas, the candidate of the mainstream Fatah movement.

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Abbas said in comments published on Wednesday in an Egyptian magazine that a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians was possible in 2005 and talks on a settlement should begin straightaway.

Abbas called on Israel to take confidence-building steps including a prisoner release and a halt to settlement construction.

Meanwhile Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s Gaza withdrawal plan looked in peril when he lost a crucial budget vote in Parliament on Wednesday, which could bring down his government and force early elections.

Barghouthi again decides to run

		• GAZA: Jailed popular leader Marwan Barghouthi decided on Wednesday to run in the Palestinian presidential election, two Fatah officials said. Barghouthi told his wife during a visit to his Israeli jail cell to register him as a candidate in the Jan. 9 election. Palestinian officials last Thursday said that Barghouthi had decided to run. But after pressure from Fatah officials worried about a split, he opted the next day to drop his candidacy. —Reuters

Among dead in Vijay rally stampede, young mother, couple set to marry

Cities5 hr ago

A rally by actor-politician Vijay in Velusamypuram ended tragically with 40 deaths in a stampede. Non-political workers gathered to see the superstar, but exhaustion, heat, and poor planning caused chaos. People collapsed, ambulances couldn't reach, and police presence was inadequate. Vijay's team ignored instructions, and the narrow roads and insufficient crowd control added to the tragedy.

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