The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Ukrainians vote, may elect pro-West govt
First parliamentary poll since overthrow of Yanukovich | Pro-Europe assembly will upset Russia

Kiev, October 26
War-weary Ukrainians voted on Sunday in an election that is likely to install a pro-Western parliament and strengthen President Petro Poroshenko's mandate to end separatist conflict in the east, but could fuel tension with Russia.

People wrapped up warmly on a cold, clear day to vote in the first parliamentary poll since protests in the capital Kiev last winter forced Moscow-backed leader Viktor Yanukovich to flee and ushered in a pro-Europe leadership under Poroshenko.

In eastern regions controlled by the army, soldiers armed with automatic rifles and wearing bulletproof jackets guarded polling stations under the yellow and blue Ukrainian flag.

There was no voting in areas held by pro-Russian rebels who will underline their autonomy with a separate election on November 2.

"There was shelling all yesterday as we were preparing the voter lists," said Nadezhda Danilchenko, a member of the election committee at a polling station in Volnovakha, a town about 50 km (30 miles) south of Donetsk in east Ukraine.

"Either they (the separatists) are practising their shooting or they're trying to intimidate us."

Poroshenko, a 49-year-old billionaire confectionery tycoon, went to a town in the Donetsk region held by the army to show support for the troops after a relatively calm night in the east under a shaky ceasefire in force since Sept. 5.

A loose political grouping that backs Poroshenko is expected to become the leading force in the 450-seat assembly, giving him a mandate to pursue his peace plan for the east and carry out deep reforms sought by Ukraine's European Union partners.

Poroshenko said in a televised address on Saturday he wanted a majority to emerge that would see through laws to support a pro-Europe agenda and break with the country's Soviet past.

"Without such a majority in parliament, the President's programme ... will simply remain on paper," he said.

Poroshenko's forces may not win an outright majority on voting on party lists and individual constituencies, but he should be able to form a coalition with partners such as Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk's People's Front as most big parties are pro-European, anti-Russian and favour a united Ukraine.

"This election is a very important event in our lives. We have a unique opportunity for the first time to get a Ukrainian parliament which would lead Ukraine towards Europe and towards NATO," said Radical Party leader Oleh Lyashko, a populist to whom Poroshenko may have to turn for support. — Reuters

In eastern Ukraine, voters dream only of peace

Voters in eastern Ukraine had one thing on their mind as they voted in Sunday's parliamentary election: an end to months of conflict between pro-Russian separatists and government forces.

“Peace is the only thing people want here,” said a 57-year-old woman, who gave her name only as Yelena, after voting in Volnovakha, in territory held by Kiev’s troops about 50 km south of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk.

Of the Donetsk region's 21 voting districts, voting was expected to take place in at least nine areas held by government forces, a non-governmental vote-monitoring organisation said.

Brazil votes for next leader after bitter campaign

Former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva votes during the presidential run-off in Sao Bernardo do Campo on Sunday. Rio De Janeiro: President Dilma Rousseff is counting on Brazilians' gratefulness for a decade of progress to overcome concerns about a sluggish economy as the Leftist leader seeks re-election on Sunday after a bitter, unpredictable campaign. The choice between Dilma Rousseff and Aecio Neves has split Brazilians into two camps those who think only the president will continue to protect the poor and advance social inclusion versus those who are certain that only the contender's market-friendly economic policies can see Brazil return to growth.

Former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva votes during the presidential run-off in Sao Bernardo do Campo on Sunday. AFPAFP

Tight security for ‘historic’ Tunisia vote

Tunisians show their ink-stained fingers in Tunis on Sunday. Tunis: Tunisians voted on Sunday in an election seen as pivotal to establishing democracy in the cradle of the Arab Spring uprisings, with security forces deploying heavily to avert extremist attacks. When polls opened, dozens of voters were already queueing outside polling stations in central Tunis. Tunisia has been hailed as a beacon of hope compared with other chaos-hit countries like Libya and Egypt where regimes were also toppled.

Tunisians show their ink-stained fingers in Tunis on Sunday. Reuters

UK ends 13-yr war in Afghanistan
US Marines end combat operations, hand over Camp Leatherneck

London, October 26
The UK today handed over its last base in Afghanistan to the Afghan forces, marking an official end to the 13-year-long combat operations that claimed over 450 British lives in the war-torn country. "It is with pride that we announce the end of UK combat operations in Helmand, having given Afghanistan the best possible chance of a stable future," UK Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said.

The Union Jack was lowered at a ceremony in Camp Bastion in Helmand province, bringing an end to the 13-year war in Afghanistan that has claimed 453 British servicemen and women's lives.

All British troops will leave Camp Bastion within days, handing over the huge base to Afghan troops.

Camp Bastion has been the British troops' main Afghan base since 2006.

The last US Marines unit in Afghanistan also ended its combat operations with the handover of nearby Camp Leatherneck. The US has lost 2,349 personnel.

Thousands of soldiers have returned to Britain in recent months, leaving only a few hundred members of the Armed Forces operating in the country. Tonnes of equipment has been repatriated, to meet the deadline of ending combat operations by the end of 2014.

A few dozen British military personnel will remain in Kabul to operate an officer training facility nicknamed 'Sandhurst-in-the-Sand,' as part of the continued support of the Afghan people. Special forces will continue to operate in the region.

Chief of the General Staff Gen Sir Nick Carter told the 'Sunday Telegraph' the handover of Camp Bastion would be significant "not least because of the sacrifice that so many people have made in Helmand".

"They are going to have challenges, but I am absolutely confident that the majority of the population in central Helmand will be secured by Afghan forces," he said. — PTI

Iraqi forces make progress against Islamic State, seize four villages

Baghdad, October 26
The Iraqi government forces retook four villages on Sunday near a mountain ridge overlooking Islamic State supply lines, security officials said, in a campaign which has struggled to make advances against the Sunni Islamist insurgents.

Iraqi security forces backed by Shia militias gained some momentum on Saturday in their bid to loosen the grip of Islamic State, which controls large swathes of territory in the north and west of the country.

After months of fighting they drove Islamic State militants out of Jurf al-Sakhar, just south of Baghdad, while Kurdish fighters regained control over the town of Zumar in the north.

Sunni insurgents have been moving fighters, weapons and supplies from western Iraq through secret desert tunnels to Jurf al-Sakhar, Iraqi officials have said. Now it appears government forces may be able to disrupt that network.

Iraqi security forces backed by Shi'ite militias launched an assault on Saturday on areas around the Himreen mountains, a hotbed of militant activity 100 km (60 miles) south of the oil city of Kirkuk.

On Sunday they seized control of four villages in the area, security officials said, adding that it was very difficult to accelerate efforts to capture more territory because of roadside bombs and booby-trapped houses.

"We have decided to make slow advances. We hold the ground, set up watch towers, clear the explosives and build sand barriers to prevent the armed men from returning," army major Ahmed Nu'aman told Reuters by telephone.

The operation is designed to isolate Islamic State fighters controlling the towns of Jalawla and Saadiya and cut off the areas they seized northeast of the city of Baquba, which is held by Iraqi security forces and Shia militias.

Government forces and Kurdish peshmerga fighters have been trying for months to take over Jalawla and Saadiya, located northeast of Baghdad.aIslamic State swept through northern Iraq in the summer, facing little resistance from US-trained government troops. — Reuters

IS releases another video of UK hostage

London: A new propaganda video featuring a British photojournalist captured almost two years ago by Islamic State group in Syria, reading scripted messages has been released by the dreaded terrorist outfit. John Cantlie, 43, read an apparently scripted message, criticising the approach of the UK and US on hostage negotiations. The journalist also read emails reportedly exchanged between IS and the families of hostages

Protest leaders suspend planned vote in HK

Hong Kong, October 26
Hong Kong pro-democracy activists today suspended a planned vote on the next steps in their month-long protest, hours before it was due to begin, due to differing opinions on how the movement should proceed, organisers said.

A statement from the main groups involved in the protest said the suspension was agreed "because there were many different opinions about the format of the vote" as well as other matters. They were due to hold a press conference shortly.

The vote by mobile phone had been set to take place today and tomorrow evening to gauge opinions on how demonstrators should respond to conciliatory measures offered by the government in a bid to end their mass sit-ins, which have paralysed several major city junctions.

Tens of thousands of Hong Kongers spilled onto the streets in late September in anger at Beijing's refusal to grant free leadership elections to the former British colony. It insists that candidates for the 2017 vote must be vetted by a pro-China committee.

But the crowds have dwindled, with protest leaders struggling to keep up momentum and clashes breaking out with both opponents and the police. — AFP

US envoy in West Africa to fight Ebola
*Worst epidemic has killed nearly 5,000 * UK firm forecasts shortages in beds, staff

Conakry, October 26
The US Ambassador to the United Nations, Samantha Power, arrived in Guinea's capital Conakry on Sunday to see first hand how the global response is failing to stop the deadly spread of Ebola in West Africa.

Power, who will also visit Sierra Leone and Liberia, said she hopes to gain a better understanding of which resources are missing so she can push other countries to offer more help.

The three West African countries are bearing the brunt of the worst outbreak of the haemorrhagic fever on record that the World Health Organization (WHO) says has killed nearly 5,000 people. A small number of cases have also been reported in Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Spain and the United States.

"We are not on track right now to bend the curve," Power told Reuters. "I will take what I know and I learn and obviously provide it to President Obama, who's got world leaders now on speed dial on this issue."

"Hopefully the more specific we can be in terms of what the requirements are and what other countries could usefully do, the more resources we can attract," she said.

The United Nations said last month almost $1 billion was needed to fight Ebola for the next six months. According to the U.N. Financial Tracking Service, nearly $500 million has been committed and a further $280 million in non-binding pledges made.

"As we have seen, along with Spain, it is not a virus that is going to remain contained within these three effected countries if we don't deal with it at its source," Power said. — Reuters

Empty chairs at an Ebola summit in New York on Saturday. Reuters

Teen isolated, tested for virus in Australia

Sydney: Australian authorities said on Sunday a teenager was in isolation in hospital and undergoing tests for Ebola after she developed a fever following her arrival from Guinea. The 18-year-old, who arrived in Australia 11 days ago with eight other family members, had been in home quarantine in Brisbane before she developed a "raised temperature" overnight, Queensland state chief health officer Jeannette Young said today. She was now in isolation at the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, with the results of the first test for Ebola to be known early on Monday.