Top Story: Viktor Yanukovych has appeared to beat his rival, Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, in Ukraine's run-off presidential election held this weekend. His lead is now just 2.4 points, with 96 percent of votes counted, according to the reports from the Central Election Commission in Kiev. Yanukovych is expected to be declared the winner,and Tymoshenko is expected to challenge the result in court, citing electoral fraud, given the close result. Some international observers described the election as free and fair.
Yanukovych won the presidential election five years ago, but had the result thrown out by Ukraine's supreme court due to fraud and vote tampering.He is considered more pro-Moscow, drawing support in the country's east; Tymoshenko helped lead the 2004 Orange Revolution with outgoing President Viktor Yushchenko.
In other polls: Laura Chinchilla, a centrist and protege of outgoing leader Oscar Arias, became Costa Rica's first female president.
Americas
- After the United States said it had picked an ambassador to Syria, the first since 2005, officials said they expected little from the thaw.
- Nestor Kirchner, former president of Argentina and current first spouse, is due to recover from heart surgery.
- U.S. President Barack Obama announced a bipartisan conference on his troubled health-care reform plan.
Asia
- Afghan President Hamid Karzai said he expects the Afghan military to take over security from international forces this year.
- Taiwan's monthly exports grew 75 percent.
- An avalanche in Kashmir killed 11 Indian soldiers.
Europe
- The Irish National Liberation Army, a Northern Irish republican group, said it has fully disarmed.
- Boris Berezovsky, a Russian oligarch, will start libel proceedings against a Russian man who accused him on television of killing Alexander Litvinenko.
- With debt at 12.7 percent of GDP, Greece prepared emergency economic measures.
Middle East
- Egypt detained several leaders in the Muslim Brotherhood.
- Iran said it would expand its military and build 10 nuclear plants.
- Israel released two foreign pro-Palestinian activists it had arrested in the West Bank.
Africa
- The gubernatorial election in Nigeria's Anambra province, in the delta region, has been condemned as rigged.
- Chad President Idriss Deby visited Sudan for talks on Darfur.
- Al Shabaab, the Somali terrorist group, said it has declared war on Kenya.
- South African President Jacob Zuma delivers his state of the union speech this week.
GENYA SAVILOV/AFP/Getty Images
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