Afghanistan
KABUL — Nadia Anjuman, who had been gaining a name for herself as a poet in Afghan literary circles, died over the weekend in the western city of Herat after being beaten by her husband during an argument, police officials said Monday. The death of Anjuman at age 25 was lamented by colleagues and condemned by the United Nations as a tragic example of the violence that so many Afghan women still face, despite their advances four years after Taliban rule. Her husband is in custody, police said.
Azerbaijan
BAKU — Azerbaijan's opposition promised on Monday to overturn results of what it said was a blatantly fraudulent election, and it called on citizens deeply dissatisfied with widespread poverty in the oil-rich nation to rally to its side. A Western-dominated observer group said Sunday's parliamentary election fell short of international standards. It did not, however, endorse the main opposition coalition's call for a rematch in four-fifths of Azerbaijan's electoral districts, saying the government should decide the question. President Ilham Aliev's New Azerbaijan Party won the most seats by far, according to initial results.
Britain
LONDON — British author John Fowles, a loner and middle-class rebel who questioned marriage, domesticity and the very bonds of society in such novels as "The French Lieutenant's Woman" and "The Collector" has died. He was 79.
Chile
SANTIAGO — Former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori was arrested Monday on charges involving corruption and massacres at home as he tried to return to Peru to run for re-election after five years in exile in Japan. Fujimori, target of an international arrest warrant, now faces extradition from Chile to Peru.
Gaza Strip
RAFAH CROSSING — The European Union agreed Monday to monitor a Gaza-Egypt border crossing that serves as the main gate to the world for Palestinians in the coastal strip. The deployment of foreign inspectors at the Rafah terminal is a key element of an emerging Israeli-Palestinian deal on new border arrangements following Israel's September pullout from the Gaza Strip.
Israel
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Ariel Sharon failed to win parliamentary approval for his nomination of three new Cabinet ministers in a vote Monday, reflecting the deep divisions in the ruling Likud Party and raising the likelihood that the country could be headed for early elections. The 60-54 vote dealt an embarrassing blow to Sharon but did not put his government in immediate jeopardy. Several Likud members voted against the nominations.
Italy
ROME — Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said a premature withdrawal of Italian troops from his country would be catastrophic and that the presence of multinational forces in Iraq was vital. Talabani arrived in Rome on Monday for a visit that includes talks with Italy's top officials and a meeting at the Vatican with Pope Benedict XVI.
North Korea
The latest round of six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear issue will last three days, beginning Wednesday, China's official Xinhua News Agency reported Monday, citing a foreign ministry official. Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said the first phase of the fifth round would last three days, with a detailed schedule to be decided by the six parties involved, Xinhua said.
Pakistan
INDIA-PAKISTAN LINE OF CONTROL — Pakistani police fired tear gas to disperse Kashmiri villagers trying to cross into Indian territory illegally, marring an unprecedented frontier ceremony by the South Asian nuclear rivals to exchange earthquake aid. U.N. agencies, meanwhile, announced a shortfall of $42.4 million for relief aid in the month of November, warning the death toll could surge as the onset of the bitter Himalayan winter cuts off communities.
Vatican City
Pope Benedict XVI said Monday that ecumenical talks with Lutherans had run into new challenges and called for greater efforts at dialogue in the years before the 500th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation. Benedict, who has made uniting all Christians a priority of his pontificate, made the comments to Bishop Mark Hanson, president of the Lutheran World Federation, during a Vatican audience.