Lebanese MPs fail to elect president for eighth time
BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanese lawmakers failed to elect a president on Wednesday, for the eighth time, to succeed Michel Suleiman whose term ended in May, prolonging a political vacuum as the country struggles with violence, economic decline and an influ…
Sunnis, Kurds shun Iraq parliament
BAGHDAD (Reuters) – Sunnis and Kurds walked out of the first session of Iraq’s new parliament on Tuesday after Shi’ites failed to name a prime minister to replace Nuri al-Maliki, dimming any prospect of an early national unity government to save Iraq f…
Myanmar police fire rubber bullets to end sectarian trouble in Mandalay
YANGON (Reuters) – Myanmar police fired rubber bullets on Wednesday to disperse crowds of Buddhists and Muslims facing off in the second-largest city of Mandalay, police said, in the latest outbreak of trouble in two years of sectarian unrest.
Hong Kong protesters lifted kicking and screaming from downtown rally
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Hundreds of Hong Kong police forcibly removed kicking and screaming protesters from the Central business district on Wednesday, holdouts of a mass rally demanding greater democracy from Communist Party rulers in Beijing.
Malaysia to send diplomat back to New Zealand to face charges
KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) – Malaysia will send a diplomat facing sexual assault charges back to New Zealand, where the alleged incident occurred in May, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday, a day after it said he would face an investigation at home.
Afghan election results delayed amid fraud accusations
KABUL (Reuters) – Preliminary results from Afghanistan’s presidential election, due to be announced on Wednesday, have been delayed, an election official said, amid accusations of fraud that threaten to split the fragile country along ethnic lines.
India building collapse death toll rises to 47
CHENNAI India (Reuters) – The death toll in a collapsed building in the south Indian city of Chennai has risen to 47, the latest disaster to highlight poor safety standards in India’s booming construction industry.
Four killed when plane carrying khat crashes in Kenyan capital
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Four crewmen were killed on Wednesday when a plane carrying the stimulant khat crashed into a commercial building in the Kenyan capital Nairobi shortly after taking off, police said.
North Korea fires more short-range rockets ahead of Xi visit to Seoul
SEOUL (Reuters) – Isolated North Korea fired short-range rockets into the sea off its east coast on Wednesday, South Korean media reported, the latest in a flurry of tests ahead of this week’s visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Seoul.
Ally of China’s former domestic security chief expelled from party
BEIJING (Reuters) – A former aide to China’s embattled retired domestic security boss, Zhou Yongkang, has been expelled from the Communist Party after taking “huge bribes” and committing adultery, China’s top anti-corruption body said on Wednesday.
