Clashes in Hong Kong have closed government offices and the parliament building. Hundreds of pro-democracy protesters clashed with police officers on Monday. The protesters pushed past police lines in an effort to occupy a major road in Hong Kong’s Admiralty district. Hundreds of police officers pushed back. Several protesters were injured. At least 18 people were arrested.
Hong Kong’s leader, Leung Chun-ying, said police had been patient. But he said they would now take what he called “resolute action.”
“Some people have mistaken the police’s tolerance for weakness,” he said. “I call for students who are planning to go to the occupation sites tonight not to do so.”
The leader of the Hong Kong Federation of Students, Alex Chow, said the protesters had planned to paralyze, or disable, government headquarters. In his words, “The plan was a failure on the whole, given that even if some places were occupied, they were cleared by the police immediately.”
Militants carry out attack in northern Nigeria
Suspected Boko Haram militants have carried out an attack in northern Nigeria. Reports say the attack was directed at police in Damaturu, the capital of Yobe state. Gunmen attacked the town early Monday. People who live there have fled to areas just outside of Damaturu. One man told the French news agency that a police building had been destroyed. Another man said he heard gunshots and explosions from around sunrise, and that the attacks were continuing. Several other people said they saw a Nigerian fighter jet flying over the town.
Some of the most deadly Boko Haram attacks have taken place in Damaturu. The group has been blamed for thousands of deaths during its five-year campaign against Nigeria’s government. It has seized towns in two states for what it hopes will be a state ruled under Islamic law.
Police, civilians killed in Afghan suicide bombing
Officials in Afghanistan say a suicide bomber attacked the funeral of a tribal chief on Monday. Two police officers and seven civilians were reported killed in the bombing in the northern province of Baghlan. At least 18 others people were wounded. A police official told the French news agency the bomber was probably targeting “high-ranking police officials and provincial council members.”
Tabare Vazquez elected president of Uruguay
The ruling party candidate in Uruguay has easily won the country’s presidential election. Tabare Vazquez won over 53 percent of the votes in a special runoff election on Sunday. The 74-year-old cancer doctor defeated Lacalle Pou, who had about 41 percent of the votes. Dr. Vazquez’s victory extends the power of a liberal party coalition in Uruguay. The coalition has helped legalize same-sex marriages and moved to create the world’s first state-operated marketplace for the drug marijuana.
*This report was based on articles from VOANews.com. George Grow wrote this story for VOA Learning English. Jeri Watson was the editor.
Words in This Story
parliament - n. a government lawmaking group
patient - adj. understanding; being able to wait
militants - n. people active in trying to cause political change, often by the use of force or violence
funeral - n. a ceremony held in connection with the burial or burning of the dead
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