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Iceland votes in crisis elections

Voting was under way Saturday in Iceland in a general election triggered by the country’s financial crisis and the subsequent collapse of the government. Opinion polls suggest the center-left Social Democratic Alliance, which has headed an interim government since February 1, is on course for an election victory which would give Johanna Sigurdardottir a mandate to continue as prime minister. Sigurdardottir, the world’s first openly gay leader and Iceland’s first female premier, has pledged to take the Nordic island into the European Union and to join the euro common currency if elected as a viable way to rescue Iceland’s suffering economy

Probe calls for Bangladesh troop deaths

Human rights groups in Bangladesh and abroad are calling for an investigation after 16 borders guards accused of participating in a bloody revolt in February died in custody in recent days. The Bangladesh military acknowledged the deaths of the Bangladesh Rifles paramilitary troops, or jawans — but insisted they were the result of illness and suicide. “Given the history of abuses by security forces in Bangladesh, there is no reason to take at face value the claim that these detainees have committed suicide,” said Brad Adams, Asia director or the New York-based Human Rights Watch, in a statement

Analysis: Pakistan, Taliban and nuclear arms

Taliban militants made their deepest incursion into Pakistan this week, seizing control of areas that are a short drive from the capital city. A Pakistani government official said the militants fully withdrew from the Buner district on Friday, although other officials cast doubt on the extent of the pullout and how long it would last.

Taliban: We’ll withdraw from district near capital

Taliban fighters will withdraw from the Buner district, just 96 kilometers (60 miles) from the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, a spokesman says. The move came soon after Pakistan’s Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani told the national assembly that the military could stop the Taliban and that the country’s nuclear weapons were safe.

Somali PM: Anti-pirate patrols not working

Somalia’s prime minister told CNN Thursday that the international naval patrols in the Gulf of Aden are not solving the problem of piracy in the region. Prime Minister Omar Abdirashid Ali Sharmarke pointed to the recent increase in pirate attacks as evidence, and called for the U.N. arms embargo on Somalia to be lifted so the government can fight back against the pirates and local militant Islamist groups

Rich face tax rises as UK crisis mounts

Britain’s finance minister on Wednesday said the country’s economy is facing its worst year since World War II as he unveiled measures including higher taxes for top earners in an annual spring budget aimed at countering recession. Laying out his government’s strategy for investment and financial cuts for the coming year, Treasury chief Alistair Darling warned of further tough times ahead, insisting there were “no quick fixes” to the current crisis.

Thai PM: Emergency powers to stay in place

Thailand’s prime minister told CNN Friday he will not lift a state of emergency until he is convinced anti-government protests that flared into deadly clashes this week would not return to the capital.

Thailand revokes former PM Thaksin’s passport

Thailand’s government said Wednesday it has revoked the passport of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, who it accuses of helping stoke anti-government hostility that flared into deadly street protests this week. The state-run Thai News Agency quoted Foreign Ministry spokesman Tharit Charungwat saying Thaksin’s passport was annulled from April 12, when his supporters stormed a venue forcing the cancellation of a major Asian summit

Indians begin voting in epic elections

India begins voting Thursday to choose a new government in a mammoth exercise covering more than three million square kilometers of the planet in scattered polling until next month. India currently has 714 million registered voters, up 43 million from the last vote.

Thai protesters suspend rallies

Thousands of protesters who had amassed for days outside the government headquarters in Bangkok dispersed Tuesday after a top leader called on them to suspend their rallies until after the Thai New Year celebrations. Soon after the leader, Veera Muksikapong, made his announcement, protesters left by foot or on motorcycles from the area around the Government House