Today's other stories in brief
Yanukovich named president-elect
KIEV – Ukraine's Viktor Yanukovich was declared president-elect by the main election body yesterday, leaving rival Yulia Tymoshenko with only a slender chance to take power through a legal challenge.
Ms Tymoshenko, the fiery 49-year-old prime minister who trailed Mr Yanukovich by only a slim margin in the February 7th vote, renewed charges of election fraud and said her rival would never be a “legitimately elected” president.
But supporters of Mr Yanukovich, who is backed by wealthy industrialists, brushed off any real threat from the expected challenge by Ms Tymoshenko in a high court.
– (Reuters)
Ministers step aside in Kenyan graft scandal
NAIROBI – Kenya’s prime minister suspended two ministers over corruption allegations after the president took the same action against eight officials in moves that will please donors but underline coalition divisions.
Prime minister Raila Odinga said former ally agriculture minister William Ruto and education minister Sam Ongeri should step aside for three months to allow further investigations into scandals in subsidised maize and education programmes.
On Saturday, President Mwai Kibaki suspended eight officials, also for three months, after they were “mentioned adversely” in reports on the work of the maize scheme and Kenya’s free primary education programme. – (Reuters)
Immigrant's death sparks Milan riot
MILAN – Dozens of immigrants from north Africa rioted on Saturday night in a multi-ethnic neighbourhood in Milan, smashing shop windows, and overturning cars to protest at the knifing to death of an Egyptian.
The rioting began in the early evening after a 19-year-old Egyptian man, identified by police as Hamed Mamoud El Fayed Adou, was killed, apparently by a group of immigrants from South America.
Police said the north Africans, most of them Egyptians, went on a rampage and some clashed with police in the neighbourhood where some 70 per cent of shops are owned by immigrants.
– (Reuters)
Abbas suspends aide in sex expose
RAMALLAH – The Palestinian president suspended his chief of staff yesterday after allegations by an ex-security officer that he tried to exploit his influence for sexual favours.
Mahmoud Abbas had ordered an investigation into the case of Rafik al-Husseini.
Last week, Israel’s Channel 10 broadcast a report based on hidden-camera footage and interviews with a former Palestinian intelligence officer who alleged that Mr Husseini had offered a woman employment in exchange for sex. Fahmy Shabaneh, the former intelligence officer, wanted to expose the case but complained nothing had been done as a result. – (Reuters)