Czech PM survives no-confidence vote
AFP, Prague
Embattled Czech billionaire Prime Minister Andrej Babis survived a no-confidence vote on Friday called by opposition parties over allegations that he had tried to hinder a fraud probe into his past business dealings.
An agro-chemicals mogul who is pegged by Forbes as the second-wealthiest Czech, Babis is facing criminal charges over alleged EU subsidy fraud dating back a decade ago.
A US soldier, 2 Afghan troops killed in Afghanistan
AP, Kabul
The U.S. military said Saturday that a service member has been killed in Afghanistan, while in a separate incident two Afghan soldiers died when their helicopter went down. The brief U.S. military statement did not provide further details on the soldier’s identity or the time or place of death.
The two Afghan soldiers died Saturday when their helicopter made an “emergency landing” in the southern Kandahar province due to a technical problem, Defense Ministry spokesman Ghafor Ahmad Jawad said. He said two other soldiers were wounded when the helicopter caught fire after landing. The Taliban claim to have shot the helicopter down.
Bahrain heads to polls amid boycott calls
AFP, Dubai
Bahrainis headed to the polls Saturday amid calls to boycott the parliamentary election in which dissolved opposition groups have been banned from taking part.
The country’s two main opposition groups, the Shiite Al-Wefaq and secular Waad, were barred from fielding candidates, prompting renewed calls for a boycott.
The polls opened at 8am local time (0500 GMT) and are set to close at 8pm.
China factory blast kills two
Reuters, Beijing
Two people were killed and 24 others injured in an explosion at a machinery plant in the northern Chinese province of Jilin, the local government said on Saturday.
At least 41 houses were damaged in the blast and a subsequent fire which began shortly before midnight on Friday, it said. The cause of the explosion was not released, but officials said they have ruled out terrorism.
