McCain Wins South Carolina Republican Primary

US POLITICS: Arizona Senator John McCain has won the Republican U.S. presidential primary in (the southeastern state of) South Carolina. McCain won by a slim margin Saturday (33- to 30-percent of the vote) over former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. In his victory speech, McCain looked ahead to later contests and reminded his supporters that since 1980 the eventual Republican presidential nominee has won in South Carolina. Meanwhile, Senator Hillary Clinton of New York won the (western state of) Nevada's Democratic contest with 51 percent of the vote. Illinois Senator Barack Obama came in second with 45 percent but appeared to have narrowly won the delegate count to the Democrat's national nominating convention. The final delegate totals for Nevada will not be decided until April.

SERBIA ELECTION: S

erbian voters are casting ballots today (Sunday) in a presidential election that could decide whether Belgrade will continue on a pro-Western path or take a hardline stance over Kosovo province's demands for independence. The latest opinion polls predict a close race between pro-Western incumbent Boris Tadic and ultranationalist Tomislav Nikolic, with both men finishing well ahead of the other seven candidates. Since no one is expected to win a majority, a run-off vote is likely on February 3rd.

GEORGIA POL: Georgia's Mikheil Saakashvili has been sworn in to his second presidential term at an elaborate inauguration ceremony in Tbilisi. Mr. Saakashvili took the oath of office outside the parliament building and told the large crowd that he wanted to improve his country's relations with Russia, even as he moves to bring Georgia into NATO and the European Union. U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Matthew Bryza met with government and opposition representatives on the eve of the inauguration. He reinforced U.S. support for Georgia as a strategic ally and urged both sides to work toward free and fair parliamentary elections later this spring.

KENYA: Tribal fighting has broken out in Kenya's capital again today (Sunday) in the latest flare-up of violence following President Mwai Kibaki's disputed re-election last month. Witnesses say at least two people were killed in today's ethnic clash in a Nairobi slum. At least 25 people have died since opposition leader Raila Odinga called for nationwide demonstrations several days ago, provoking a violent police crackdown. Kenya's opposition has called for another demonstration, following days of bloody protests against last month's national election that critics say was fraudulent.

CHINA-BRITAIN: British Prime Minister Gordon Brown heads to India today (Sunday) to boost economic and trade ties following a similar visit to China. While in New Delhi, he is to meet with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and sign a number of business deals. In China Saturday, Mr. Brown toured the gas-powered Taiyang Gong Power Station, partly financed by Britain under the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism.

Audio in Lao.