Briefs | Lebanon: First general elections in nine years

Tens of thousands of Lebanese cast their ballots Sunday in the first parliamentary elections in nine years, a vote that is being fiercely contested between rival groups backed by regional powers Iran and Saudi Arabia. The voting is unlikely to change the existing balance of power among the major political factions in Lebanon, but many hope new contenders from civil society groups can challenge the decades-old sectarian political system. Thousands of army and police forces deployed near polling stations and on major intersections across the country to ensure security. Electoral campaigns have been tense as each group has mobilized its supporters, with fist fights and shootings occurring in several areas in recent weeks.

Poland: Rescuers find another missing miner

Polish rescue workers yesterday found the bodies of two miners after an earthquake hit a coal mine in southern Poland. Three other miners remain missing some 900 meters below ground since the quake hit Saturday morning in the mine, located in the town of Jastrzebie-Zdroj, close to Poland’s border with the Czech Republic. The head of the Jastrzebie Coal Company, Daniel Ozon, said a doctor confirmed the two fatalities and identification of the victims was underway.

Spain: 476 migrants rescued at sea

Spain’s maritime rescue service said yesterday that it saved 476 migrants who were attempting the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea from African shores. The migrants were pulled from 15 small boats on Friday and Saturday, officials said. There were no reported casualties. Separately, a Spanish nonprofit dedicated to helping migrants at sea rescued 105 more migrants in waters near Libya during a mission yesterday. The aid group Proactive Open Arms found the migrants drifting at sea in a motor-less boat.