Iraqi general elections on May 12
BAGHDAD, Jan 22: The Iraqi parliament Monday approved the general elections to be held on May 12, the official television reported. The decision came after Iraq's federal court ruled that it is not possible for the elections to be delayed. "The Council of Representatives (the parliament) has voted unanimously to hold the elections on May 12 as set before by the Council of Ministers (the cabinet) and the electoral commission," the state-run Iraqiya channel quoted Abbas al-Baiyaty, a lawmaker from the Iraqi National Alliance, as saying. Iraq's previous general election was held on April 30, 2014, when the Iraqis elected 328 lawmakers for the parliament. — Xinhua
Weah new president of Liberia
MONROVIA, Jan 22: Former international football star George Weah was sworn in as Liberia's new president on Monday, in the country's first transition between democratically-elected leaders since 1944. Weah, 51, took over from Nobel laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who spent 12 years at the helm, steering the West African nation away from the trauma of a civil war. He was sworn in as president by the chief justice of the Supreme Court, Francis Korkpor. — AFP
Five die as troops, leftist rebels clash in Philippines
DAVAO CITY, the Philippines, Jan 22: Five people were killed after the government troops clashed with leftist rebels in the southern Philippines early on Monday, a military official said. The dead included four New People's Army (NPA) guerrillas and a pro-government militiaman following the fighting in North Cotabato province of the Mindanao, according to Major Ezra Balagtey, the regional military spokesperson. Balagtey said the incident happened as dozens of NPA insurgents surrounded a patrol base manned by soldiers and militiamen in the village named Luayon around 00:15 a.m. local time.—Xinhua
Kim Jong-Nam murder trial resumes
SHAH ALAM, Malaysia, Jan 22: The trial of two women accused of murdering the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un resumed in Malaysia Monday, as a defence lawyer complained of missing evidence like the victim's phone. Indonesian Siti Aisyah and Vietnamese Doan Thi Huong, handcuffed and in bulletproof vests, were brought back to the court under heavy police guard after a seven-week break. The women, in their 20s, are accused of killing Kim Jong-Nam on February 13 last year with the nerve agent VX at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in a hit that stunned the world. —AFP
