Politics

  MOGADISHU / AP Somalia’s electoral commission says the presidential election will be Feb. 8, after four delays and amid allegations of bribery, fraud and voter intimidation. Opposition candidates have accused the government of monopolizing the electoral process. The electoral commission said late Wednesday that registration of presidential candidates starts Thursday. The development comes shortly after this Horn of Africa ...

  WASHINGTON / AP President Donald Trump declared on Wednesday that he is ordering a “major investigation” into widespread voter fraud, raising the prospect of a federal government probe into a widely debunked claim and sparking alarm among experts and Democrats. Trump announced in a pair of tweets early Wednesday that the investigation will look at those registered to vote ...

  BEIJING / AP China has released a new list of items banned for export to North Korea, ranging from wind tunnels to plutonium, following a new round of United Nations sanctions and complaints from U.S. President Donald Trump that Beijing was not doing enough to pressure its communist neighbor. The step was seen by one leading expert on North ...

  Yangon / AP Twenty-two humanitarian and development groups have called for a halt to fighting between Myanmar’s government and ethnic rebels in the country’s north and for the protection of civilians affected by the conflict. The groups signing the statement, circulated Thursday, include the International Rescue Committee, Oxfam, Plan International and Save the Children. “We are alarmed about incidents ...

  Bloomberg President Donald Trump plans to unveil actions on national security starting on Wednesday that are expected to include steps towards building a wall on the Mexican border and limiting refugee inflows to the US, moving to fulfill key promises he made during his election campaign. “Big day planned on national security. Among many other things, we will build ...

  BANJUL / AP Gambia’s new President Adama Barrow will arrive in the country on Thursday, a week after he was sworn into office in neighboring Senegal, an official with the new government confirmed on Wednesday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the press about the matter. Gambians eagerly await Barrow, who ...

  ISTANBUL / AP Turkey’s prime minister says an agreement between Russia, Turkey and Iran on how to monitor a cease-fire between warring parties in Syria marks a “serious diplomatic success.” Binali Yildirim said on Wednesday that the agreement could pave the way for a political solution in the war-torn nation. The deal was announced by the three countries the previous ...

  BRUSSELS / AP The European Commission is urging European leaders to endorse sweeping measures to help stop tens of thousands of desperate people from leaving Libya in search of better lives in Europe. The commission said in documents published on Tuesday that the leaders should “deploy the full range of EU missions and projects” to help Libyans manage their borders ...

  Bloomberg UK Prime Minister Theresa May said she will publish her plan for negotiations to leave the European Union after lawmakers demanded greater scrutiny in Parliament. May said a so-called white paper will be published to allow proper debate of the strategy she outlined in a speech last week. “I have been clear, as have senior ministers, that we’ll ...

  HONG KONG / AP Hong Kong’s customs chief on Wednesday denied suggestions that Beijing was involved in the investigation into nine armored personnel carriers belonging to Singapore that were seized in the Chinese-controlled territory. Commissioner Roy Tang said his department was acting only under Hong Kong law when it impounded the nine SAF Terrex infantry carriers and other equipment. He ...