Parliamentary elections begin

Voting began in Parliamentary elections today that could determine if Indonesia’s president will have enough support to stay in office and push through aggressive economic and institutional reforms.

With more than 170 million people registered to vote for the 560-member legislature – and 11,000 candidates in the running from 38 political parties – it’s sure to be a chaotic affair.

The outcome will determine who will qualify to run for president in July. The party or coalition that wins a fifth of the seats – or 25 percent of the popular vote – can nominate a candidate for that race.

For President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s Democrat Party, passing that threshold in today’s polls would mean he would no longer need to form an alliance with other parties.

Guatemala City

Law limits riders on motorcycles

Guatemala is banning more than one person from riding on motorcycles in a policy aimed at stamping out attacks by cycle-mounted hit men.

Guatemala’s assistant police director Rember Larios says more than 60 bus drivers or their assistants have been shot by gunmen so far this year, and most of the attackers rode on the back of a motorcycle.

The new law goes into effect today. Offenders face fines of up to $125.

Islamabad

Missile strike kills rebels, civilian

A suspected U.S. missile struck a car in a lawless northwest Pakistani tribal region Wednesday, intelligence officials said, killing two insurgents and a civilian a day after the country again told visiting U.S. officials it opposes such attacks.

The strike was a less-than-subtle hint that the Obama administration won’t give up a Bush-era tactic that Washington says has killed a string of al-Qaida operatives along Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan, even if it strains already-shaky relations with Islamabad.

The missile strike occurred near Wana, the main town in South Waziristan tribal region, two intelligence officials said. South Waziristan is the main base of Pakistani Taliban chief Baitullah Mehsud, but there was no indication he was the target.

A drone had been flying over the area, and the missile landed after people in the car fired at the aircraft, the officials said, citing informants and agents in the field.

From wire reports