BBC News:德国总理安吉拉·默克尔获得第三任期
Kenyan troops continue to lay siege to the Westgateshopping mall in Nairobi where between 10 and 15Islamist militants are holding an unknown numberof hostages. 68 people are known to have been killedand the Kenyan Red Cross said 49 others were unaccounted for. Mike Wooldridge reports.
“To those outside the up market Westgate shopping centre, sporadic gunfire has been theonly clue to what has been happening inside the four-storey complex as the standoff betweenthe Islamist militants and elite units of the Kenyan security forces continues. Though in thelate afternoon, a police helicopter and another with military camouflage swept low over theshopping centre. This was shortly after President Uhuru Kenyatta speaking at state house hadrefused to discuss operational aspects of the ongoing attempt to rescue the hostages, manyunarmed badly-shaken innocent civilians he called them.”
The German Chancellor Angela Merkel has secured a third term in office with her Conservativeparty the CDU predicted to win about 42% of the vote in Sunday's federal elections. Ifconfirmed, the results would have exceeded expectations, but it's still likely to fall short ofgiving Ms Merkel an absolute majority in the Bundesrat. Chris Morris reports from Berlin.
“An amazing result for Angela Merkel, currently Germany's and Europe's preeminent politician.It was clear that she would win this election, but no one really predicted that she could get soclose to an absolute majority. The final results are not yet in but it may still be that she needsa coalition partner. The obvious solution is a grand coalition with the centre-left SocialDemocrats. But there are divisions within the SPD about going into coalition again as a juniorpartner. In 2009 they were punished by the electorate for doing that. Now the same thing hashappened to the liberal Free Democrats.”
Police in Pakistan say at least 75 people have been killed in a double suicide-bombing onhundreds of worshippers leaving a Sunday church service in the city of Peshawar. The deadincluded 34 women and 7 children. A militant group linked to the Pakistani Taliban has said itwas responsible. Shahzeb Jillani reports.
“It's been described as the deadliest attack on Christians in Pakistan. Police say two bomberstargeted Peshawar's historic All Saints Church when hundreds of worshippers were attendingSunday Mass. Angry scenes were witnessed outside the church, where friends and relatives ofthe victims protested against the government's failure to protect their loved ones. The attackhas outraged many Pakistanis. But there's also a sense of helplessness about the government'sapparent inability to prevent such atrocities.”
In Iraq, at least 16 people were killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up inside a tent full ofSunni mourners at a funeral in the capital Baghdad. Reports say more than 30 people werewounded in the attack in the suburb of Doura.
World News from the BBC.
The number of people killed last Tuesday during an attack on a village in northeastern Nigeriahas risen to at least 142. Environmental officers say they have recovered bodies lying on theroad and nearby bushes in the Benisheik area of Borno state. The attack is thought to havebeen carried out by Boko Haram militants.
Israel has further relaxed the six-year economic blockade of GAZA Strip by allowing extradeliveries of building materials for use by the privates sector. Palestinian officials say theyexpected 70 extra truck loads each day, still falls far short of the construction materials GAZAneeds. GAZA run by the Hamas Islamist movement has struggled with an acute shortage ofcements, gravel and steel, because Israel feared they would be used to fortify defenses.
Switzerland has voted overwhelmingly to retain compulsory military service. In thereferendum all 23 cantons chose to keep conscription. Imogen Foulkes reports.
“It's the third time in 25 years that Switzerland has held a referendum on ending conscription.Each time Swiss voters said no. They like their militia army the way it is. Left-wing groups andsome young Swiss men complained it's an expensive waste of time, but the government'sargument that a part-time army, in which everyman must serve, is the best solution for aneutral democratic country clearly carried way to its voters.”
Parts of southern China have been brought to a virtual standstill as Typhoon Usagi, one of themost powerful storms the region has seen in the past 30 years, smashes its way inland, fellingtrees, power lines and even blowing cars off the road. Official reports say at least 3 people areknown to have died after being hit by falling debris. The port of Hong Kong, one of the world'sbusiest, has been shut down and flight schedules across the region have been thrown intodisarray
Those are the latest stories from BBC News.
