News Briefs

February 15, 1996
Web posted at: 1:15 a.m. EST (0615 GMT)

Deadly violence precedes Bangladesh voting

DHAKA, Bangladesh (CNN) -- Voting began in Bangladesh's general election on Thursday amid violence, tight security and a boycott by major opposition parties. Voting closes at 4 p.m. local time(1000 GMT) and official results will be available by Friday evening.

In widespread pre-election violence Wednesday, bomb blasts killed four people and injured nearly 150. Opposition parties also called a general strike that has virtually paralyzed the country.

Thursday's election is a test of strength between two women -- Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia, the country's first woman prime minister, and opposition Awami League head Sheikh Hasina.

Main opposition parties allege the election will be rigged to ensure victory for Khaleda's Bangladesh Nationalist Party. They demand that Khaleda transfer power to a neutral caretaker administration to ensure fair voting.

Mexican government and rebels sign indigenous rights agreement

SAN CRISTOBAL, Mexico (CNN) -- Zapatista rebels who've carried on a two year uprising in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas said Wednesday that they have signed an indigenous rights accords with the Mexican government.

The agreement, reached after 10 months of negotiations, covers autonomy for Mexico's indigenous Indian population.

Other disputes, including land reform, are still under negotiation but the Mexican government says it will not make political reforms sought by the Zapatistas, who have demanded improved rights and living conditions for the region's impoverished peasants.

The Zapatistas shocked the Mexican government with their armed uprising in January of 1994. Nearly 200 people died during the first days of that revolt.

Zapatista National Liberation Army

Turkey moves toward coalition government

ANKARA, Turkey (CNN) -- Turkey may soon have a coalition government after weeks of political uncertainty. Islamist Welfare Party leader, Necmettin Erbakan, held talks Wednesday with the head of the center-right Motherland Party, Mesut Yilmaz.

Welfare won the most support in December's general election but not enough to govern.

Neither the True Path Party nor Motherland would agree, before now, to form a coalition with the Islamists.

The coalition talks focus on a rotating premiership and those close to the negotiations say that nothing concrete has emerged so far. Talks will resume Thursday.

Unmanned Chinese rocket crashes

XICHANG, China (CNN) -- In a major setback for China's space program, an unmanned rocket crashed just after liftoff early Thursday.

The rocket, carrying a Western communications satellite was launched from China's space center in south western Xichang. But soon after take-off, the rocket began to list badly. It quickly fell back towards the Earth and exploded.

Chinese television stopped its coverage soon after the explosion and did not show the crash.

The rocket was carrying the Intelsat 708 satellite, which was designed to provide voice, data, and video services across the Americas, Africa and Europe.

Socialist supporter killed as Spain's elections draw near

NEAR MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- The former head of Spain's Constitutional Court was shot to death Wednesday and police suspect that the Basque separatist group ETA is responsible.

Francisco Tomas y Valiente was shot three times at a Madrid university.

It is the second killing of a prominent Socialist supporter as national elections draw near.

Spanish officials have issued warnings that ETA could step up its violent campaign for Basque independence in advance of the vote.

Italian minister-designate quits

ROME (CNN) -- Prime Minister-designate Antonio Maccanico has resigned, leaving an effort to form a broad-based government in shambles.

Italian President Oscar Luigi Scalfaro must now decide whether to call for an early general election or name someone else to help form a new government, Italy's 55th since World War II.

Maccanico, 71, a longtime political operative, was picked by Scalfaro after the resignation of Lamberto Dini in January.

Maccanico told Scalfaro that two weeks of intense negotiations with Italy's feuding right-wing and left-wing blocs had come to nothing.

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