Ad push credited for safer festivities

MANILA - Firecracker and other New Year's-related injuries dropped to their lowest level in eight years after a government scare campaign advertised the long surgical saw and pliers used in amputations on victims, the Philippine health secretary said yesterday. The number of Filipinos injured by firecrackers and celebratory gunfire in end-of-year celebrations dropped by nearly half to 446 compared with 2006, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said. One man died after ingesting a firecracker, officials said. Many Filipinos believe that noisy New Year's celebrations drive away evil. (AP)

ISMAILIA - Israel allowed 121 Palestinians stranded in Egypt for about four months to head home to Gaza yesterday via the Jewish state, but turned away 429 more who had expected to cross the border, Egyptian security sources said. They said the Palestinians had their travel papers processed at the Rafah border crossing and were taken by bus to the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom border point. Security sources said that the Israeli side did not give a reason for the rejections and that it was possible those Palestinians could soon cross. (Reuters)

ACCRA - Two US Navy sailors were found dead yesterday in their hotel room while on shore leave in the West African country of Ghana, the US Navy said. The cause of death was unknown. "Currently there is no suggestion of foul play," said Lieutenant Patrick Foughty, a spokesman for the US Navy Sixth Fleet. The sailors, who were not identified, were stationed on the Fort McHenry, a dock landing ship based in Little Creek, Va. (Reuters)

PORT HARCOURT - Militants attacked targets in Nigeria's main oil industry center of Port Harcourt yesterday, a military spokesman said. Bands of armed men invaded the city in the morning, attacking two police stations and raiding the lobby of a hotel. Four policemen, three civilians, and six attackers were killed, said a military spokesman. The Niger Delta Vigilante Movement claimed responsibility. The group's strongholds in the creeks near Port Harcourt have been bombed in recent days. (AP)

BISHKEK - An earthquake struck southern Kyrgyzstan yesterday, cracking walls in older buildings and prompting residents to flee their homes, witnesses said. There were no immediate reports of casualties. The epicenter of the magnitude-5.7 quake was 15 miles southeast of Osh, the Central Asian nation's second-largest city, the US Geological Survey said. (AP)

Pope Benedict XVI marked the start of 2008 with an appeal yesterday for world peace, calling it a "divine gift" and stressing the role family values play in nurturing peace. The pope celebrated World Day of Peace by leading a midmorning Mass and later appearing before thousands of faithful. (AP)