Briefly

SWEDEN

Left bloc on course for narrow poll win

Sweden faced political uncertainty on Monday, after an election thriller that saw the center-left opposition holding a slim lead with votes still left to count. Sunday's election also served up a surprise setback to the far-right Sweden Democrats, who lost ground for the first time since entering parliament 16 years ago. The leader of the left-wing opposition, Magdalena Andersson of the Social Democrats, and outgoing conservative Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson have each said they want to explore coalition options to secure power, but both would have to make major concessions to obtain a majority. While the center-left held a slim lead, the bloc was expected to face thorny negotiations to form a government, with the talks expected to drag on for several weeks. Parliament can vote on a new prime minister on Sept 29 at the earliest. With 95 percent of votes counted on Monday, the four opposition parties held a three-seat majority in the 349-seat parliament over Kristersson's right-wing alliance, which includes the anti-immigration far right. But observers warned that those results could still change, with some votes only due to be counted as of Wednesday.

JAPAN

Nuke plant operator chiefs quit over fraud

Japan's scandal-tainted Chubu Electric Power announced on Monday the resignations of President Kingo Hayashi and Chairman Satoru Katsuno over the manipulation of seismic data by the utility during the screening for restarting reactors at the Hamaoka nuclear power plant in central Japan's Shizuoka Prefecture, Kyodo News reported. The company also said it will withdraw its applications for regulatory screening to restart the No 3 and No 4 reactors at the nuclear power plant. Japan is moving to revive nuclear power 15 years after an earthquake and tsunami sent reactors at the Fukushima atomic plant into meltdown in 2011. Chubu Electric Power's Hamaoka Nuclear Plant, located in an area of central Japan at risk of a potential "megaquake", has been undergoing regulatory safety checks, with the aim of restarting two reactors. But in January, the operator said that it had submitted data to regulators that underestimated earthquake risks.

SOUTH AFRICA

21 killed as taxis collide with SUV

At least 21 people were killed when two minibus taxis and an SUV collided on a highway in South Africa's Western Cape Province, the Road Traffic Management Corporation said on Monday. The crash happened between Leeu-Gamka and Prince Albert, about 380 kilometers northeast of Cape Town, it said. Local media reported that the vehicles collided at around 21:30 on Sunday, forcing the closure of the highway. Police told AFP they had opened a culpable homicide investigation following the crash and said "several other occupants" had been hospitalized.

THE PHILIPPINES

3 dead in shooting ahead of elections

Three people were killed and 15 others wounded during a shooting incident before midnight Sunday at a polling center in Cotabato City, Maguindanao del Norte Province in the southern Philippines. The shooting occurred ahead of the parliamentary election in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, which started on Monday to choose its first elected parliament. According to local police, rival political factions struggled for position in the waiting line for polls, leading to shoving, fistfights, and eventually gunfire in the crowded area. According to local media reports, over 2 million voters are eligible to vote for 80 parliamentary seats being contested by 13 parties.

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