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In the World

Two candidates rise in Haiti vote

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - Former first lady Mirlande Manigat and government-backed candidate Jude Celestin have advanced to a second-round vote in the race for Haitian president, the provisional electoral council announced Tuesday.

But the matter might not be settled. The preliminary results have popular carnival singer Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly trailing Celestin by about 6,800 votes, less than 1 percent.

The head of the joint Organization of American States-Caribbean Community mission said officials could consider putting a third candidate in the runoff if the vote is close.

The election was held Nov. 28 amid an outbreak of cholera and charges of vote fraud and disorganization. But U.N. peacekeepers and the OAS-Caricom observer mission said the problems did not invalidate the vote. An appeals period now opens with final results to be posted Dec. 20. The runoff is set for Jan. 16. - AP

Assassination bid fails in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The chief minister of Pakistan's southwestern Baluchistan province escaped assassination Tuesday in the provincial capital Quetta, when a blast set off by a suicide bomber rocked his convoy, police said.

Mohammad Aslam Khan Raisani, a member of the nationally ruling Pakistan People's Party, was unhurt, but his security officer and several policemen were wounded.

Baluchistan, bordering Iran and Afghanistan, makes up a third of Pakistan. Many Baluchis feel marginalized and demand greater autonomy.

The Pakistani army has been trying to quell a rebellion by Baluchi nationalists. The Taliban is present in areas bordering Afghanistan.

- N.Y. Times News Service

World of Kabuki rocked by scandal

TOKYO - A star of traditional Japanese theater who called in sick, then went out drinking and ended up brawling in a bar apologized Tuesday for the scandal that has embarrassed the rarefied world of Kabuki.

Ebizo Ichikawa, 33, known as the "prince" of Kabuki, gave a televised news conference hours after leaving a Tokyo hospital where he was treated for a facial injury sustained in the fracas that has riveted the nation. The ancient, all-male theater tradition is noted for its elaborate costumes and facial makeup.

Ichikawa, from a highly respected Kabuki family, has won fans with his telegenic looks and powerful performances. He was suspended from performing by theater operator Shochiku Co., and sponsors dropped his lucrative TV commercials after the incident at a bar in a ritzy Tokyo neighborhood Nov. 25.

"I'm very sorry for causing tremendous trouble and concerns," Ichikawa, appearing with his left eye bloodshot, told reporters. - AP

Elsewhere:

The divorced wife of Jonathan Pollard, an American imprisoned 25 years ago for spying for Israel, has moved to Israel with the Israeli government's help, officials said.