Africa
Somali poet killed by gunmen
Popular Somali poet, playwright and songwriter Warsame Shire Awale has been killed in the country’s capital Mogadishu. He was shot by unknown attackers near his home yesterday evening. Mr Awale had written and performed in radio plays criticising the Islamic extremist group al-Shabab, who he accused of misleading people in the name of Islam. The National Union of Somali Journalists says he had received death threats because of his work, which included songs encouraging people to join the police. Mr Awale is the 18th person to have worked in the media to have been killed this year in Somalia – Al-Shabab has claimed responsibility for killing more than 10 of them, including one by beheading. The group, which is allied with al-Qaeda, was expelled from Mogadishu over a year ago by troops from the African Union and the Somali army, but still launches frequent attacks on the city.
Asia
North Korean leader’s wife reappears in public
The wife of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has made public appearances after being absent from the public eye for 50 days, state-run media report. Ri Sol-ju attended a football match and a concert with her husband on Monday, according to KCNA news agency. Her absence had prompted speculation, with South Korean media suggesting she may have been chastised for failing to wear the required lapel pin bearing the image of the country’s dead leaders, that she was pregnant, or that there was disapproval of her active public role in the military.
Middle East
Two Nato soldiers shot dead in Afghanistan
Two Nato soldiers have been shot dead in Afghanistan by a man wearing a local police uniform, the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) says. The pair were killed in Helmand province earlier today and many details are still unknown, but Isaf are investigating. Some 56 Isaf personnel have been killed so far this year by Afghans wearing police or army uniforms.
Bahraini government bans protests amid violence
Bahrain has banned all protests and public gatherings amid violent clashes between police and anti-government demonstrators. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Al Khalifah said “repeated abuse” of the rights to freedom of speech and expression could no longer be accepted. Demonstrations in the country were last banned during the three-month state of emergency declared by King Hamad in March 2011, prompted by demonstrations the previous month in which protesters called for more democracy and an end to alleged discrimination against the majority Shia Muslim community by the Sunni royal family. At least 35 people, including five police, were killed, with hundreds injured and thousands jailed between February and March 2011. Since then, opposition and human rights activists say another 45 people have been killed – a figure the government disputes.
Europe
Hitachi buys UK nuclear project from E.On and RWE
The UK’s nuclear expansion plans have been boosted after Japan’s Hitachi signed a £700m deal giving it rights to build a new generation of nuclear power stations. Hitachi is to buy Horizon Nuclear Power, which was intending to build reactors on existing sites at Wylfa, Anglesey, and Oldbury near Bristol. Hitachi is buying Horizon from Germany’s E.On and RWE, which are withdrawing from the UK nuclear market. Prime Minister David Cameron described it as “a decades-long, multi-billion pound vote of confidence in the UK, that will contribute vital new infrastructure to power our economy”.
Polish Catholic Church issues Halloween warning
In a statement on its website, Poland’s Catholic Church has warned that modern Halloween rituals risk promoting the occult in possible contradiction of Christianity and Church teachings. Archbishop Andzej Dziega warned that Halloween was behind a “culture of death”, saying “this kind of fun… poses the real possibility of great spiritual damage”.
North America
Obama declares ‘major disaster’ as Sandy strikes
US President Barack Obama has declared a “major disaster” in New York state after “super-storm” Sandy smashed into the east coast of the United States at about 2000 local time, causing flooding and cutting power to millions. A record 4m tidal surge sent seawater cascading into large parts of New York City’s subway system. At least 13 people in the US and over 80 in the Caribbean have been killed during Sandy’s path of destruction last week. Up to a million people across several US states have been ordered to evacuate homes and perhaps 50 million estimated to be affected by the storm in some way, such as losing power. Sandy has been downgraded from a hurricane in terms of intensity, but is described as a “super-storm” in terms of size: various meteorological factors have combined to cause it to grow into the largest storm ever recorded in the Atlantic. It is now heading northward to Canada.
Latin America
Six Colombian police killed by Farc rebels
Six Colombian police officers have been killed while on patrol in the south-west of the country in an ambush blamed on the Farc rebel group, say officials. The killings come as the Colombian government and the Farc prepare for the next stage of historic peace talks, due to begin in Cuba next week. There has been no ceasefire agreement since the talks began in Norway earlier this month. President Juan Manuel Santos said he wants to avoid the mistake of the last such talks in the late 1990s, when the rebels were given control of a large demilitarised zone and used the opportunity to regroup.
Eurasia
Imam shot dead in Russian Caucasus
An imam and two of his male relations have been killed as they drove to a mosque in Derbent, Dagestan, in the Russian North Caucasus. The cleric was named as Kalimulla Ibragimov, who is said to have delivered sermons calling for peace. Islamic extremists have been blamed for attacks on moderate Muslims in the region. Dagestan has been gripped by an Islamist insurgency since 1999, when militants backed by fighters from neighbouring Chechnya launched an offensive against Russian control.
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