Egyptians back at the polls to pick president

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt resumes its first free presidential election on Thursday after voting passed off mostly calmly on the first day apart from a stone-throwing attack on candidate Ahmed Shafiq, who was premier for a few days before Hosni Mubarak fell. The race broadly pits Islamist candidates against secular ones like Shafiq and Amr Moussa, the former Arab League chief who previously served as Mubarak's foreign minister. Long queues formed at polling stations early on Wednesday, and some were packed late into the evening. ...

Tunisian prosecutor demands death penalty for Ben Ali

TUNIS (Reuters) - A Tunisian military prosecutor demanded on Wednesday that the death penalty be imposed in absentia on ousted president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali over his alleged role in the deaths of protesters in the towns where the Arab Spring began. Ben Ali, who fled to Saudi Arabia as protests swept Tunisa on January 14, 2011, has already been sentenced to decades in jail on charges ranging from corruption to torture. He has not so far been convicted of any charges that carry the death penalty, which is rarely carried out in the North African country. ...

Kuwait cancels parliament session after government no show

KUWAIT (Reuters) - A meeting of Kuwait's parliament was cancelled on Wednesday after the cabinet failed to show up after a row over plans by opposition lawmakers to quiz the embattled finance minister. Local media and analysts say Finance Minister Mustapha al-Shamali may step down rather than face a vote of no confidence or risk triggering a deeper political crisis. The minister was not immediately available for comment on Wednesday when contacted by telephone. Opposition lawmakers want to quiz Shamali over alleged financial irregularities in departments he oversees. ...