Top stories from DAWNS Digest
Vietnam: Dozens Killed in Worst Flooding in Decades
Taiphoon Haiyan saturated the country before even more rains this week. “Devastating floods have killed at least 34 people and left 11 others missing in central Vietnam, local authorities said Sunday, describing the deluge as the worst for over a decade. Television footage on Sunday showed inundated houses and streets in the town of Hoi An and the former imperial City of Hue, both classed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, where hundreds of tourists have been evacuated over recent days. At least 34 people have been killed over several days of flooding which were the most destructive since 1999, a regional official told AFP.” (AFP http://bit.ly/IaO5u4)
Maldives Selects New President with Fraught Elections
The island nation has narrowly elected the half brother of a long time autocrat and supporter of the coup that displaced as its new president. “New Maldives President Abdulla Yameen pledged on Sunday to end two years of political turmoil that have brought violent protests to the holiday paradise, as he was sworn in after defeating the favorite Mohamed Nasheed in a run-off. The win was a victory for the political old guard, who rallied around Yameen to defeat Nasheed, the Maldives’ first democratically elected leader who was forced to resign last year in what he said was a coup. The election was the fourth attempt to choose a new president after three earlier ballots were either cancelled or delayed, adding to tension between the rival political groups and drawing international condemnation.” (Reutershttp://reut.rs/IaPa51)