Europe
Opposition shut out of parliament after Belarus election
Belarus has elected a parliament filled with supporters of President Alexander Lukashenko, after a boycott by the two main opposition parties. Election officials said the minimum turnout of 50% was reached in all 110 constituencies. The boycott meant that in 16 constituencies there was only one candidate. Western commentators said the election was “not competitive from the start”. Mr Lukashenko has ruled in the ex-Soviet republic since 1994, stifling dissent. He has been described as Europe’s last dictator. The vote came two years after he won a landslide presidential election that was denounced by Western observers. He called the opposition “cowards”.
North America
US condemns Pakistani minister’s bounty for anti-Islam film maker
The US state department has condemned as “inflammatory and inappropriate” a Pakistani minister’s offer of $100,000 for the death of the American maker of an anti-Islam film. Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour made the offer after a wave of protests against the film across Pakistan and the wider Muslim world. Dozens have died in clashes between police and protesters in Pakistan and countries such as Tunisia and Sudan, with fresh protests on Sunday in Pakistan, Nigeria, Greece and Turkey. Riot police and demonstrators clashed in Athens, with six people arrested.
Africa and Middle East
Kenyan troops kill Somali civilians
Seven civilians have been shot dead in Somalia by Kenyan troops advancing towards the terrorist stronghold of Kismayo, a Somali army spokesman has told the BBC. The Kenyans are part of the African Union mission, a joint operation by several of Somalia’s neighbours assisting the Somali government in an ongoing civil conflict with the terrorist group al-Shabab, which has links with al-Qaeda. African Union organisers are investigating the incident. Meanwhile, the Hizbul Islam group has announced it is leaving al-Shabab – a significant setback for the militant group that comes after several recent military defeat.
Mali to host anti-Islamist Ecowas force
The West African state of Mali has agreed to host a regional military deployment intended to dislodge radical Islamists in control in the north of the country. UN backing for the force will be sought this week by the Malian government and the West African regional body, Ecowas. Militant Islamists captured northern Mali in April, prompting fears of instability across the region. Though initially reluctant, Mali has agreed to host the force of 3,000 in the capital, Bamako, and authorities have approved a logistical base on the city outskirts after intense regional diplomatic efforts. Mali’s interim President Dioncounda Traore was known to be unhappy about foreign troops being posted in the capital.
Islamist militants in suicide bomb attack on Nigerian church
A suicide bomber has attacked a church in Bauchi, northern Nigeria, killing at least two people and injuring 48, according to the Red Cross. Doctors have said many injuries are serious and the death toll could rise. Police said the bomber’s car was stopped at the gates of St John’s Church, where he detonated explosives packed inside the vehicle. Bauchi has often been targeted by the Islamist Boko Haram group, which wants to impose Sharia law across Nigeria. Sunday attacks on churches were a regular occurrence earlier this year, with attacks blamed on Boko Haram estimated to have killed around 1,400 people since 2010.
Asia and Russia
Brawl forces closure of north China factory by Taiwanese tech supplier
Taiwan-based Foxconn Technology, a major parts supplier for Apple, has been forced to halt production at a plant in northern China after a massive fight broke out among workers. Foxconn confirmed that a “personal dispute” escalated into an incident involving about 2,000 staff, 40 of which were left injured. Police later dealt with the situation near the facility in Taiyuan, which employs about 79,000 workers. Working conditions for Foxconn staff have previously been criticised.
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