NEWS Millions of Kenyans poured into polling stations on Monday to cast their ballots in a crucial, anxiously awaited presidential election, and as the voting proceeded relatively smoothly a real chance emerged that a candidate charged with crimes against humanity could win the race. Jeffrey Gettleman reports from Nairobi.
Wen Jiabao is expressing regrets in his final days as China’s prime minister for falling short of achieving genuine political and economic reforms, but he is also defending his integrity. Andrew Jacobs and Jonathan Ansfield report from Beijing.
More than 40 Syrian soldiers who had sought temporary safety in Iraq from rebelfighters along the border were killed on Monday in an attack by unidentified gunmen as the Iraqi military was transporting the soldiers back to Syria in a bus convoy, the Iraqi government said. The attack threatens to inflame the sectarian tensions that already divide Iraq, where a Sunni minority sympathizes with Syria’s overwhelmingly Sunni opposition. Duraid Adnan reports from Baghdad, and Rick Gladstone from New York.
A South Korean-born American entrepreneur, nominated by President Park Geun-hye to be minister of education, science and technology, withdrew on Monday, blaming political gridlock that delayed his confirmation hearing at the National Assembly. Choe Sang-Hun reports from Seoul.
Roughly 50,000 men persecuted for homosexuality in Germany after World War II have yet to have the convictions stricken from their police records. But that could change in an election year. Chris Cottrell reports from Berlin.
Climate change was a major driving force behind a string of extreme weather events that alternately scorched and soaked large sections of Australia in recent months, according to a report issued Monday by the government’s Climate Commission. Matt Siegel reports from Sydney.
The prospect of natives of Romania and Bulgaria being able to wok freely in Britain beginning next year, in line with European Union regulations, has provoked protests. Stephen Castle reports from London.
The British finance minister, George Osborne, is expected Tuesday to urge his European Union counterparts to water down proposed rules restricting the size of bankers’ bonuses. James Kanter reports from Brussels.
ARTS When construction workers began dismantling a roughly 70-foot section of the Berlin Wall’s longest remaining expanse â€" a nearly mile-long monument to peace that is covered in paintings and is known as the East Side Gallery â€" protesters turned up in droves. Chris Cottrell reports from Berlin.
FASHION The collection that the designer Riccardo Tisci unveiled was as surprising as it was tough and tender. Suzy Menkes reviews from Paris.
SPORTS In Cuba, where the domestic league, or National Series, is strictly amateur and players must defect to play in Major League Baseball, the national team is the pinnacle of the sport. The World Baseball Classic is a rare chance to compete against the world’s best talent, whipping this baseball-mad country into a fervor. Ben Strauss reports from Haana.
