Hong Kong activists appear in court
HONG KONG -- The organizers of a vigil commemorating China's bloody 1989 crackdown in Tiananmen Square appeared in a Hong Kong court Monday on charges of inciting others to participate in an unlawful assembly.
A total of 13 people were charged over the June 4 vigil, including Lee Cheuk-Yan, who chairs the Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic and Democratic Movements of China. The alliance organizes the vigil, which is an annual event.
Others charged include Jimmy Lai, founder of the Apple Daily newspaper and a pro-democracy advocate, as well as activists and alliance members Richard Tsoi and Albert Ho.
Police had ruled that this year's vigil could not take place because of restrictions from the coronavirus pandemic, but organizers turned up to sit in the usual vigil venue, Victoria Park. Thousands eventually followed suit.
Days later, the organizers were charged with inciting others to participate in the banned protest.
The group held up posters and banners opposing political prosecution and condemning the government for suppressing the vigil.
Poland's reelected leader calls for unity
WARSAW, Poland -- Polish President Andrzej Duda declared victory Monday in a runoff election in which he narrowly gained a second five-year term, appealing for unity and forgiveness as he acknowledged the campaign he ran was often harsh.
The bitter campaign between Duda and Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski was dominated by cultural issues. The government, state media and the influential Roman Catholic Church all mobilized in support of Duda.
Duda celebrated what was seen as a mandate for him and the right-wing ruling party that backs him, Law and Justice, to continue on a path that has reduced poverty but raised concerns that democracy is under threat.
"It was a very sharp campaign, probably too sharp at times," Duda told supporters in Odrzywol, a town near Warsaw. "If anyone is offended by my words, please forgive me. And give me the chance to improve in the next five years."
Duda received 51.03% of Sunday's vote while Trzaskowski got 48.97%, according to final results Monday from the state electoral commission.
Trzaskowski conceded defeat and congratulated Duda. He thanked his supporters and said his strong showing would be the catalyst in the fight to keep Poland from becoming a one-party state.
Armenia, Azerbaijan clashing at border
YEREVAN, Armenia -- Armenia and Azerbaijan blamed each other Monday for skirmishes on their volatile border that have left five Azerbaijani soldiers dead and several troops wounded on both sides.
The neighbors in the South Caucasus have been locked in conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan that has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a war there ended in 1994. International efforts to settle the conflict have stalled.
Armenian and Azerbaijani forces have frequently engaged in clashes. In 2016, scores were killed in four days of fighting.
The latest incident began Sunday when Armenian and Azerbaijani troops exchanged fire in the northern section of the border. Officials in both countries blamed each other for starting the fighting and said that sporadic shelling continued Monday.
Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said four of its soldiers had been killed in Armenian shelling since Sunday and that another one later died in a hospital. It said five Azerbaijani servicemen were wounded.
Armenian Defense Ministry spokeswoman Shushan Stepanyan said Monday that two Armenian troops were wounded. Hayk Chobanyan, the governor of Armenia's Tavush region where the clashes occurred, later said that three other servicemen were wounded.
Army chief survives attack in Somalia
NAIROBI, Kenya -- Somalia's army chief survived an assassination attempt when a suicide car bomber targeted his convoy in the Somali capital Monday, officials said.
The blast occurred when the bomber tried to ram his vehicle into the convoy escorting Gen. Odowa Yusuf Rage, said Capt. Mohamed Hussein, a senior Somali police officer. In addition to the bomber, a pedestrian standing nearby was killed in the explosion, Hussein said.
Several people were injured, including some of the army chief's bodyguards, Hussein told The Associated Press. The death toll may rise as some of the wounded suffered serious injuries, he said.
Shops and businesses were damaged by the blast, which occurred on a road to a military camp where the army chief was heading, said Col. Ahmed Muse, a police officer.
The Somali extremist rebel group al-Shabab, which is linked to al-Qaida, claimed responsibility for the blast in an announcement on its Andalus radio station. The blast highlights challenges facing the government's efforts to restore security in the long-chaotic nation in the Horn of Africa.
-- Compiled by Democrat-Gazette staff from wire reports