KABUL – Afghan President Hamid Karzai inched closer to a first-round victory as more results came in from an election last month marred by accusations of fraud.
WASHINGTON – U.S. President Barack Obama’s top aides said yesterday he still wants a government insurance option in healthcare legislation but they left room for a compromise that could disappoint his liberal backers.
URUMQI, China – Nerves remained raw in China’s far western city of Urumqi, in turmoil over a wave of reported syringe attacks, and a small band of protesters again called on the region’s top official to step down.
SEOUL – North Korea’s pursuit of a second path to nuclear weapons by enriching uranium is a problem likely to persist and Pyongyang needs to come clean about its intentions, a U.S. envoy for the reclusive state said yesterday.
LIBREVILLE – Security forces clashed with gangs of protesters in Gabon’s oil hub Port Gentil overnight in a third day of unrest since a disputed election brought the son of the late leader Omar Bongo to power, a resident said.
JERUSALEM – Israel will in the next few days approve construction of some 500 new settler homes in the occupied West Bank before a possible settlement freeze demanded by Washington, a defence ministry official said yesterday.
