Around the world: Dozens dead in horror train crash at Indonesian station

The accident happened at a station in Petarukan, a city on the northern coast of Central Java province, at around 3am local time.

A train from the capital Jakarta, slammed into a train sitting idle near at the platform, causing severe damage to both.

Cendana Banandi, a government life insurance official, said the total number of dead at three hospitals stood at 43.

He said another 50 people were injured, many of them seriously.

Meanwhile, another passenger train crashed in the town of Solo at around 4am, said Transportation Ministry spokesman Bambang Ervan.

He said information was still being collected about casualties from the crash. Indonesia - with a reputation for poor safety standards and maintenance - has been hit by a series of plane, train and ferry accidents in recent years that have left hundreds of people dead.

Mr Ervan said it was not yet clear what caused the first, more deadly crash.

"We're still investigating to see if it was due to negligence of the driver."

FATHER Adonis Mamuyac sprinkles holy water on to a chihuahua as pets are blessed in Manila to celebrate St Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals.

Demos put pressure on Sarkozy

Unions were set to ratchet up pressure on French president Nicolas Sarkozy's conservatives in nationwide marches today to protest against plans to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62. The protests will be the third of their kind over the last month, but the first on a weekend.

Storm death toll on rise

Rescue crews in Jamaica dredged rivers and dug through debris and thick mud to look for bodies as the number of dead continued to rise after Tropical Storm Nicole unleashed floods and mudslides.

Six people were confirmed dead and that another 15 were missing, a spokesman said.

Squatters and police clash

More than 100 people protesting against the outlawing of squatting at unused buildings in the Netherlands clashed with police in Amsterdamlate last night, throwing stones, setting fires and erecting barricades.

Police said 11 protesters were arrested, and two police, three police horses and an unknown number of demonstrators suffered minor injuries. A local TV station screened footage of police with batons battling squatters

US balloonists feared dead

Two missing US balloonists are feared dead after their craft suffered "a sudden failure" over the Adriatic. Gordon Bennett Gas Balloon Race chiefs said Richard Abruzzo and Carol Rymer Davis were likely to have died off the Italian coast after vanishing on Wednesday.

Hunger strike ends after charges deal

Chile: Almost 30 hunger-striking Mapuche Indian prisoners have agreed to end their 82-day protest against their anti-terrorism charges.

Archbishop of Concepcion Ricardo Ezzati said that, of the 38 hunger strikers, only ten had not accepted the deal.

Mexico: A policeman has been gunned down in the border city of Ciudad Juarez. The death raises the number of officers killed in the drug violence-plagued city this year to 102.