NEWS OF THE DAY
Malaysia elections: Malaysia’s scandal-tainted prime minister announced Friday that Parliament will be dissolved to pave the way for general elections, expected to be held next month that will pit his long-ruling coalition with a revived opposition led by former strongman Mahathir Mohamad. The polls are seen as a test of survival for Prime Minister Najib Razak, who is widely expected to win but under pressure to improve the performance of his National Front coalition after support eroded in the past two elections. Mahathir, Asia’s longest-serving premier for 22 years before he retired in 2003, turned against his protege two years ago over a corruption scandal that involved hundreds of millions of dollars passing through Najib’s bank accounts believed linked to a state fund.
Lebanon aid: International donors pledged $11 billion in loans and grants Friday to help debt-ridden Lebanon at a conference in Paris that also sought to ensure the money is well spent in a country hit hard by the Syrian war next door. Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri outlined his country’s grim situation, saying his nation’s stability is at stake. Fears of economic collapse in Lebanon are mounting ahead of next month’s parliamentary election, the first in nine years. Hariri, pointing out the impact of seven years of war in Syria, said that growth in Lebanon has dived from 8 percent to barely 1 percent. Lebanon is also hosting 1.2 million refugees — accounting for nearly a quarter of the country’s population.
Somalia bombings: Three people are dead after a pair of suicide car bombings in Somalia’s capital, police said Friday. The first explosion occurred at an army checkpoint on the airport road in Mogadishu, injuring one soldier. The bomber apparently was heading to Mogadishu’s international airport but was stopped by soldiers. The heavily fortified airport houses embassies and is a major target for al-Shabab extremists. The second car bomb detonated after soldiers stopped the vehicle, firing on it as it tried to speed through a checkpoint. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the two explosions. The al Qaeda-linked al-Shabab often targets high-profile areas of the capital and holds large parts of southern and central Somalia.
Measles outbreak: Romanian health authorities say a 9-month-old baby has died of measles, the 46th fatality from an epidemic that has struck the country over the past year. The National Center for the Supervision and Control of Transmissible Diseases said Friday that the infant, from the Black Sea port of Constanta, had not been vaccinated. It said 204 new cases of measles were reported this week in Romania, taking the confirmed total to nearly 12,000 since the disease’s outbreak last year. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control said the number of measles cases across the continent tripled last year, with Romania and Italy the worst affected.
Separatist leader: Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont walked out of a German prison Friday after posting $92,000 bail, demanding that Spanish authorities release fellow Catalan separatists and open a dialogue on his region’s future. Puigdemont was detained by police in northern Germany on March 25 after crossing the border from Denmark. Spain is seeking his extradition for rebellion and misuse of public funds in organizing an unauthorized referendum last year on Catalonia’s independence from Spain.