BELGRADE – Serbia’s election commission has turned down a request by the British and United States embassies to allow some of their staff to monitor the presidential election next weekend, officials said on Friday.

BEIRUT – Lebanon on Friday postponed its presidential election to January 21 from Saturday, the 12th such delay, despite efforts by the Arab League to get rival Lebanese leaders to agree an Arab plan to end the country’s crisis.

ARBIL, Iraq – Turkish artillery shelled northern Iraq on Friday morning, but there were no immediate reports of any casualties or material damage, a Kurdish government official said.