Lebanon

Anti-Syrian forces suffer election setback

Anti-Syrian candidates apparently suffered major losses in a third round of elections Sunday to fill nearly half the seats in parliament, a senior opposition leader conceded after a campaign that led to some surprising alliances.

Walid Jumblatt said former army commander Michel Aoun, who broke opposition ranks and joined pro-Syrian groups on an anti-corruption slate, was winning in contested constituencies.

Aoun’s success could hurt the opposition’s drive to gain a majority in the 128-seat legislature and leave him a key player in the fight over Syrian control. An empowered Aoun could put the brakes on the opposition’s campaign to remove the pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud.

Preliminary results and campaign estimates showed Aoun and his allies leading in several districts in Mount Lebanon and in the eastern Bekaa Valley. In some areas, his allies were already celebrating with fireworks. Official results were expected today.

Aoun returned from 14 years’ exile in May after Syrian troops pulled out.

Gaza Strip

Palestinian Authority executes four murderers

Palestinian authorities carried out their first executions since 2002 on Sunday, killing four convicted murderers in a campaign meant to halt a growing wave of lawlessness but which drew swift condemnation from human rights groups.

The executions reflected the tough challenge that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas faces as he tries to impose law and order in the Palestinian areas. Abbas has made public order a top priority, but his forces have been severely weakened by internal rivalries, a lack of resources and years of fighting with Israel.

Despite Abbas’ efforts to revamp his security forces, militant groups and armed gangs continue to operate with virtual impunity, often clashing with rival factions or police.

Sunday’s executions appeared to be an attempt to deter criminals and send a message to the public without directly confronting the militants. None of the executed men was believed to be affiliated with any of the major militant groups. Their crimes date to the mid-1990s.

Kuwait

First female appointed as Cabinet minister

The Kuwaiti government has appointed its first female Cabinet minister, a month after lawmakers in this oil-rich nation granted women the right to vote and run for office, state-owned television reported Sunday.

Political science teacher Massouma al-Mubarak, a women’s rights activist and columnist, was given the planning and administrative development portfolios, Prime Minister Sheik Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah was quoted as saying.

The two portfolios previously were held by Sheik Ahmed Abdullah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, who also is the communications minister.

When al-Mubarak takes up her post, she – like other Cabinet ministers – will be able to vote in the legislature in accordance with the 1962 constitution.

Kuwaiti women have reached high positions in the oil industry, education and the diplomatic corps, but they had demanded political rights, which were opposed by fundamentalist Muslims and tribal lawmakers.

Women can now vote in all Middle Eastern nations where elections are held except Saudi Arabia.

Italy

Turnout low in vote on assisted fertility

Turnout was low Sunday in the first day of a contentious referendum vote on whether to scrap some of Europe’s toughest restrictions on assisted fertility, including bans on sperm and egg donation.

Italian cardinals and bishops – endorsed by Pope Benedict XVI – urged citizens to boycott the two-day referendum, hoping the ballot initiatives would fall short of the required quorum to be valid, and the vote was widely seen as a test of the Roman Catholic Church’s influence in this overwhelmingly Catholic nation.

To be valid, the referendums must be voted on by at least 50 percent-plus one of the electorate.

By the end of the first day of voting, turnout was at 18.7 percent, according to the Interior Ministry. Some referendum advocates had earlier estimated that turnout would have to be nearly double on the first day that to succeed by the end of the two-day vote.