Briefly

IRAQ

Voting commences in parliament elections

Iraqis began to vote in parliamentary elections on Tuesday for a new 329-member Council of Representatives. Up to 8,703 polling centers will be open from 7 am to 6 pm for more than 20 million registered voters to cast their ballots, according to the Independent High Electoral Commission. The voting is underway amid a mandatory election silence period imposed for security reasons. Iraq's last parliamentary elections in 2021 sparked violent clashes in the capital Baghdad and resulted in nearly a year of political deadlock before a government was formed. Tuesday's polling marks the sixth parliamentary election held in Iraq since the 2003 United States-led invasion and is considered a test of the country's fragile stability.

BRAZIL

Ethiopia to get nod to host 2027 climate event

Ethiopia is set to be confirmed on Tuesday as host of the COP32 United Nations Climate Conference in 2027, the president of this year's COP30 gathering in Brazil told Reuters. However, the choice of host for next year's COP31 remains a point of contention, with both Australia and Turkiye vying for the event. Australia made its bid in partnership with the Pacific Islands, which are considered to be among the world's most vulnerable places to climate change. Participating countries agreed in principle to hold the 2027 conference in Ethiopia's capital, Addis Ababa, during the first day of COP30 in Belem on Monday, the event's President Andre Correa do Lago said.

UNITED STATES

15 infants affected in botulism outbreak

An outbreak of botulism tied to ByHeart baby formula has made at least 15 infants sick in 12 US states, a California health official said on Monday. Nine cases of infant botulism type A have been confirmed, with results on six others pending, said Erica Pan, a health officer for the California Department of Public Health. That was an increase from 13 cases in 10 states reported on Saturday. Federal and state officials are investigating the outbreak, which began in mid-August. No deaths have been reported. ByHeart, a maker of organic baby formula based in New York, recalled two lots of its Whole Nutrition Infant Formula over the weekend.

Agencies - Xinhua