Another Week in the World

Sri Lankan president wins reelection

Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa defeated Sarath Fonseka, the military general who laid claim to the army’s recent victory over the Tamil Tigers, by an 18-point advantage. General Fonseka rejected the official results of the Jan. 27 election, claiming that violence and irregular vote counting distorted the electoral process. Independent monitors, however, said there was no sign of major fraud.

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Iraqi hotel bombings kill 41

Iraqi insurgent group Islamic State for Iraq claimed responsibility for three bombings at Baghdad’s landmark hotels, which killed 41 people this week. The insurgents said the hotels were legitimate targets because they catered toward “infidels, lawmakers, foreign intelligence agents and security companies, and poisonous and hostile media outlets.”

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Honduran president sworn in

Honduras swore in newly elected President Porfirio Lobo Sosa Jan. 27, officially ending the political crisis that began in June. Ousted leader Manual Zelaya, who sneaked back into the country in September, has been seeking refuge in the Brazilian embassy. Lobo said that his first action as president would be to ensure the safe exit of his political rival.

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Former Sudan prime minister to run for president

Prime Minister Sadeq al-Mahdi, Sudan’s last elected prime minister, said he would run for president in the upcoming April elections. Current President Omar Hassan al-Bashir overthrew al-Mahdi’s civilian government in 1989. A 2005 peace deal that ended two decades of civil war set the 2010 election date. Al-Mahdi said he is running to settle the Darfur conflict and “dismantle totalitarianism.”

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Mudslides hit southern Peru

Mudslides by Machu Picchu ruins in Peru killed up to ten people, devastated homes, and destroyed a railroad that transports tourists to Aguas Calientes, an access point to the historic site. Peruvian helicopters and six U.S. helicopters airlifted about 1,200 of the 2,000 people stranded in the area yesterday.