Ukrainians vote for leader
KIEV: Ukrainians voted for a president on Sunday in an election crucial to the country’s relations with Russia and its place in Europe but marked by disenchantment with politics and anger over a deep economic crisis. It is the first presidential election in the former Soviet republic of 46 million since the “Orange Revolution” mass street protests in 2004 broke the grip on power of a sleazy post-Soviet leadership and swept President Viktor Yushchenko into office.
Afghan house goes into recess
KABUL: The Afghan Parliament announced Sunday it will recess for several weeks without waiting for President Hamid Karzai to offer a new list of Cabinet nominees after he failed two times to form a full government. Karzai’s spokesman said the president would name caretaker ministers for the vacant posts and conceded it was not likely the president would have a Cabinet in place before a Jan. 28 international conference in London.
Somalis in Kenya fear backlash
NAIROBI: Somalis living in the Nairobi suburb of Eastleigh fear Friday’s violent protest in the capital against the deportation of a jailed Muslim cleric may stoke religious rifts and make them targets. While the protest was organized by Kenyan Muslims, many of the marchers who fought pitched battles with the security forces in the heart of Nairobi for more than eight hours were Somalis.
Chileans vote to elect president
SANTIAGO: A conservative media magnate and an uncharismatic former leftist president were locked in a tight race Sunday for Chile’s presidency in an election to succeed outgoing head of state Michelle Bachelet. Voter intention surveys suggested billionaire Sebastian Pinera, who owns one of Chile’s four television stations and a big stake of the LAN airline, had a slight edge over Eduardo Frei, who was previously president from 1994 to 2000.
— Compiled from agencies
