Ukraine votes

Kiev: Ukrainians cast their first presidential ballots since the 2004 Orange Revolution on Sunday, an election that could turn the country from its pro-Western course and renew its historic ties to Russia. A few voters made their way along icy sidewalks in the capital Kiev early in the morning, headed for the polls. Early turnout appeared light. Opinion polls show former prime minister Viktor Yanukovych, a foe of the 2004 Orange-led mass protests, has the support of about a third of voters.

P’pines slum fire

MANILA: Fire raced through a slum near the main port in the Philippine capital, killing a 5-year-old girl, gutting hundreds of shanties and leaving 4,000 people homeless, an official said on Sunday. There were no other reports of deaths or major injuries in the Saturday night blaze at the Baseco Compound, a crowded slum along the rim of Manila Bay, Senior Fire Officer Emmanuel Gaspar said. An AP photographer at the site saw people waiting to be treated for minor injuries, including wounds from glass shards.

‘Chemical Ali’ trial

BAGHDAD: Saddam Hussein’s notorious cousin “Chemical Ali” was on Sunday convicted of crimes against humanity and received his fourth death sentence, this time for involvement in one of the worst poison gas attacks ever against civilians. Ali Hassan al-Majid is among the last of Saddam’s confidants still on trial. The verdict met with jubilation across Iraq, highlighting the hatred many Iraqis feel toward the former regime and to Ali, one of the chief architects of Saddam’s repression.