Briefly

IRAQ

PM coalition leads in parliamentary poll

Preliminary results announced by Iraq's electoral commission on Wednesday showed that the coalition led by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani has emerged as the front-runner in the country's parliamentary elections. The results showed that al-Sudani's Reconstruction and Development Coalition came first in eight provinces, namely Baghdad, Qadisiyah, Najaf, Karbala, Muthanna, Maysan, Dhi Qar and Babil. In a speech made late Wednesday, al-Sudani called for "respecting the will of the voters".

UKRAINE

Ministers resign over corruption scandals

Ukraine's energy and justice ministers resigned on Wednesday over their alleged involvement in a sweeping corruption scandal in the country's energy sector. Investigators alleged a key ally of President Volodymyr Zelensky orchestrated a $100 million kickback program to siphon off funds, triggering public anger at a time of widespread power outages caused by Russian attacks. Ukraine has long been plagued by corruption and cracking down on graft is seen as a key requirement of its bid to join the European Union. Zelensky earlier called for the resignation of his Justice Minister German Galushchenko, who investigators alleged received "personal benefits" in the program, as well as Energy Minister Svitlana Grynchuk. Neither is known to have been charged and Grynchuk has not been mentioned as having profited from the program.

SOUTH KOREA

2 killed, 18 injured as truck hits sidewalk

Two people were killed and 18 others were injured Thursday after a truck crashed into the sidewalk at a market in South Korea, according to Yonhap news agency. The truck, driven by a man in his 60s, plowed into the sidewalk at the market in Bucheon, west of the capital Seoul, at about 10:55 am. The accident left two women in their 70s dead and 18 others wounded, including three classified as critical patients with impaired consciousness and six as emergency patients. The driver, who was arrested at the scene, told police that the brake had failed when he stepped on it, but the police suspected that the driver had mistakenly activated the accelerator instead of the brake. It was believed that the truck reversed 28 meters before driving straight approximately 150 meters inside the market.

Agencies - Xinhua