Yemeni electoral officials on Feb. 21 hailed a 60% turnout in single-candidate elections that officially ended President Ali Abdullah Saleh's 33-year rule, despite boycott calls in the south where violence marred polling. The separatist Southern Movement announced a day of "civil disobedience" to mark the vote. A leader of the movement, Abdulhamid Shokri, said four civilians—including a child—were killed in Aden during street clashes with security forces. Authorities said two soldiers were also killed in the south. Turnout was significantly lower in Aden and the south. There was no polling at all in southern towns controlled by Islamist militants. In the far north, Shi'ite rebels also boycotted the vote. In the US, where Saleh is receiving treatment for wounds sustained in the bombing of his Sanaa compound last June, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the vote was "another important step forward in their [Yemen's] democratic transition process." The only person on the ballot was Vice President Abdurabu Mansur Hadi, who became acting president in November as the result of a power transfer brokered by the Gulf Cooperation Council after months of protests. (Middle East Online, BBC News, CNN, Feb. 22)

The High Administrative Court of Egypt ruled Feb. 20 that the voting system used in the recent parliamentary election was unconstitutional. The election was held over three stages from late November to January, and its the elaborate voting system apportioned parliamentary seats between political parties and individuals, with two thirds of the seats going to political parties. Judge Magdy el-Agaty determined the ratio to be in violation of the constitution, that half of the seats should have been held for individuals. Additionally, Agaty stated that political parties should not have been permitted to field candidates for the seats reserved for individuals. During the elections the political parties reported haggled over how many candidates they would field for those seats. It is not clear whether the ruling will lead courts to invalidate the results of the elections, widely viewed as Egypt's freest vote in decades. Agaty has referred parts of the election law to the Supreme Constitutional Court for a final judgment.

Hundreds of relatives of inmates who burned or suffocated to death at the Comayagua prison fire in Honduras forced their way into a morgue in Tegucigalpa Feb. 20 to demand the remains of loved ones. The group, mostly women, pushed past security guards, entered the morgue, broke into a refrigerated container and opened at least six body bags. (The Guardian, Feb. 10) Relatives of those who went missing in the conflagration have converged on Tegucigalpa from around the country, and are being housed on the premises of the government aid agency INFOP, as they await word from the Public Security ministry on the fate of their loved ones. They are reportedly facing poor conditions there, with inadequate food, water and shelter. (Red Morazánica de Información, Feb. 21)

The US Supreme Court on Feb. 17 blocked enforcement of a Montana Supreme Court ruling, which upheld a state law limiting the amount of money corporations can spend on campaigns, until it can consider an appeal from the corporations challenging the law. The Montana court ruling in Western Tradition Partnership, Inc. v. Montana appears to conflict with the 2010 US Supreme Court ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission , which struck down a regulation that prohibited corporations and unions from using their general treasury funds for "electioneering communications" aimed at supporting or opposing a political candidate. The 1912 Corrupt Practices Act upheld by the Montana Supreme Court prohibits the same activity. The plaintiffs will now have to apply for a writ of certiorari to have the case heard by the Court. If cert is granted, this case is likely to play out as an attempt to narrow the scope of, or overrule Citizens United.

Officials from the United States and Mexico on Feb. 20 signed an agreement that opens the way for exploration and development of oil and natural gas reservoirs along the two countries' maritime boundary in the Gulf of Mexico. Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Mexican Minister of Foreign Relations Patricia Espinosa, and Mexican Minister of Energy Jordy Herrera joined Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton today in Los Cabos, Baja California Sur, for the signing ceremony. The signing took place on the sidelines of at a ministerial meeting of Group of 20 nations. As a result of the agreement, nearly 1.5 million acres of the US Outer Continental Shelf will now be made more accessible for exploration and production activities. Estimates by the US Interior Department's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) indicate this area contains as much as 172 million barrels of oil and 304 billion cubic feet of natural gas. The agreement establishes a framework for US companies and Mexico's Pemex to enter into agreements to jointly develop transboundary reservoirs.

Indian police detained two members of an Italian navy security team Feb. 19 over the fatal shooting of two fishermen from an Italian oil tanker off the coast of Kerala state four days earlier. Italian officials said the fishing boat behaved aggressively and ignored warning shots. They said they opened fire, assuming they were pirates. India said the fishermen were unarmed. Indian police have opened a murder enquiry into the deaths, while Italy is demanding release of the detained guards. The two have been remanded into judicial custody for 14 days by a local magistrate. The Italian ambassador in Delhi was summoned by the foreign ministry over the shooting. The two countries are at odds on whether the incident took place in waters under India's territorial jurisdiction. Indian Defence Minister AK Antony described the killings as "very serious." The tanker, MV Enrica Lexie, bound for Singapore, is now anchored off the port of Kochi. (The Hindu, Times of India, Feb. 21; BBC News, Feb. 19)

Some 50 black-clad gunmen armed with grenades and bombs stormed the city jail at Kidapawan, North Cotabato province, in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao Feb. 20. They were repulsed by police in a chaotic night battle that killed three—two civilian by-standers and an ambulance driver. Of the 15 wounded, most were civilians caught in the crossfire. As the armed men withdrew, they fired rocket propelled grenades at a nearby Karaoke bar. Military and police officials blamed former members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), attempting to free leader Datukan Sama, AKA Kumander Lastikman, who is charged with kidnapping. A spokesman for the MILF denied the claim. (AP, Xinhua, Feb. 20)

Lest we forget. From Radio Australia, Feb. 21:

Marine species at risk as oceans acidify
British scientists say the current level of carbon dioxide emissions will wipe out about 30 per cent of the world's marine species by the end of the century. Much of the carbon dioxide put into the atmosphere through fossil fuel burning is being absorbed by the world's oceans, causing them to acidify. Scientists at Plymouth University in England have examined underwater volcanoes, where carbon dioxide bubbles naturally, to see how marine life copes in acidic water.