The U.S. Embassy in Manila closed to the public today after receiving “plausible threat information,” the embassy said in a statement. The statement, posted on its Web site, did not elaborate. It said the embassy would resume all public operations, including visa operations, “when deemed appropriate.”
Austria: Syrians probed in slaying
U.N. investigators began questioning five Syrian officials in Vienna on Monday in connection with the assassination of former Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri, an Arab diplomat said. Syria’s U.N. ambassador, Fayssal Mekdad, declined to discuss details of the interviews. Syria has denied any role in the Feb. 14 truck bombing that killed Hariri and 20 other people in Beirut.
Venezuela: Chavez party celebrates
Supporters of President Hugo Chavez vowed Monday to accelerate Venezuela’s shift to a “new socialism” after claiming victory in elections that were expected to give pro-Chavez politicians all 167 seats in the National Assembly. Several of Venezuela’s major opposition parties boycotted the vote on Sunday, which had an estimated turnout of 25 percent.
Kazakhstan: Election disputed
Opposition leaders on Monday called for Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s election victory to be declared invalid, while Western-led observers said the vote that gave him 91 percent support was flawed. The United States also said that Kazakhstan’s election did not meet international standards, though some improvements were shown over previous votes.
From Herald news services
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