Headlines

CHRISTCHURCH—New Zealand extended a state of emergency in earthquake-hit Christchurch Monday as the army enforced a no-go zone amid reports of looting in the rubble-strewn heart of the city.

NEW YORK—Spanish tennis goes from strength to strength with a record six players from the country qualified for the last 16 at the US Open.

KARACHI—Pakistani authorities were Monday racing to protect two southern towns and their 360,000 residents from surging floods, as the nation struggles to cope with its worst natural disaster in living memory.

KABUL—A prominent Afghan television news journalist and political activist has been murdered near his Kabul home, police and media rights groups said Monday, describing the killing as a "brutal beheading".

AP - Lebanon's Western-backed prime minister made a startling reversal Monday and said it was a mistake to accuse Syria of the massive 2005 truck bombing that killed his father, claiming the charge was politically motivated.

AFP - Mozambican police Monday deployed across poor neighbourhoods in the capital Maputo to prevent fresh protests over food prices, as the death toll from three days of rioting last week rose to 13.

Reuters - Taliban threats, shuttered polling centers and warnings of widespread fraud are clouding hopes for Afghanistan's September 18 parliamentary election, a key test of an already fragile democracy, observers have warned.

Reuters - German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she was confident a law extending the lives of nuclear power reactors could be passed without backing from the upper house of parliament, setting up a clash with opposition parties.

AP - Police in Ecuador say 15 people were killed and at least seven injured when a drunken man drove an SUV into a crowded bus stop in the coastal city of Guayaquil.

Time.com - As the scandal surrounding the L'OrÉal billions further entwines Eric Woerth, French President Nicolas Sarkozy's support for his labor minister could cost him the next election

AP - Mexican authorities opened shelters and warned people to watch out for mudslides Monday as Tropical Storm Hermine approached the northeastern border with Texas, the second major storm to hit the area this season.

Except for Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay and Philippine National Police Director General Jesus Verzosa, none of the officials implicated in the August 23 hostage fiasco at the Quirino Grandstand had accepted responsibility, President Aquino's spokesman Edwin Lacierda said on Monday.

Amid government's plans to extend basic education by two years, the country's premier public science high school is planning a parallel move in hopes of enhancing its already advanced science program and better prepare students for specialized studies in college.

A team of probers from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) left for Hong Kong at 4:50 p.m. on Monday to get the statements of two of the survivors of the August 23 hostage-taking incident in Manila.

Beleaguered housing developer Globe Asiatique Realty Holdings Corp. has withdrawn its P3.4-billion initial public offering (IPO) after its underwriter resigned on the heels of reports about the former's questionable loan transactions with state-run Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-Ibig Fund).

Cebu Pacific on Sunday mounted its first flights to Beijing, China, making the budget carrier the second Philippine company to serve the route.

LONDON, United Kingdom- World oil prices diverged on Monday, the end of the traditional peak demand season for motor fuel in the United States.

The Lopez-led First Gen Corp. signed on Monday a $142-million loan, which would be used largely to fund investments and finance capital requirements for the various growth initiatives of the company.

SYDNEY, Australia - An Australian plane bound for the Philippines returned to Sydney for safety reasons on Monday after an indicator light came on in the cockpit, an airline spokeswoman said.

Police said on Monday the three explosions that rocked Cotabato City and an adjacent town over the weekend and early Monday had nothing to do with the deaths of a ranking Abu Sayyaf leader in Sulu and two suspected Abu Sayyaf members.