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Hong Kong legislative election, 2012

Voice of America says official results for the 35 "geographical" seats in Hong Kong's legislative elections show 18 seats for the "pan-democracy" camp, 16 seats for the "pro-Beijing" camp and one seat for an independent candidate. The "super" seats show a 3 to 2 win for the pan-democrats. Voter turnout was 53 %, up from 45 % at the previous election in 2008. Reuters says support is "steady" for pro-Beijing chief executive Leung Chun-ying. "The New York Times" says that, despite winning more votes, the pro-democracy camp has fewer seats than expected.

Tariq al-Hashimi

Tariq al-Hashimi rejects the charges leading to his death sentence in Baghdad on Sunday. He, being a Sunni, claims to be a "target" of Shiite prime minister Nouri al-Maliki. He refuses to return to Iraq for an appeal as long as, according to him, the judicial system is "corrupt". He claims to put the verdict "on his chest as a medal". Al-Qaeda says "black days" are ahead. The reaction of Iraqi people on the street generally welcomes a fair rule of law but is wary of political influencing and sectarianism.