Slovakia: Rampage
BRATISLAVA — A gunman went on a rampage in Slovakia's capital on Monday, killing seven people and wounding 15, then committed suicide, officials said.
Five of the people killed were members of a Roma family who lived in an apartment where the man began his attack with a machine gun and two pistols, said Interior Minister Daniel Lipsic. Roma, also known as Gypsies, often face discrimination in eastern Europe, but Lipsic and police chief Jaroslav Spisiak said the unidentified gunman's motive was not known.
Iran: First lady derided
TEHRAN — Iranian state media called France's first lady, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, a "prostitute" on Monday in an unusual attack on the wife of a world leader that shows deep anger over her support for an Iranian woman who faced death by stoning on an adultery conviction.
The wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy has condemned the stoning sentence against Sakineh Mohammadi Ashtiani, which Iran temporarily suspended but did not throw out after an international outcry.
Mexico: Officers fired
MEXICO CITY — Mexico's federal police agency has fired nearly 10 percent of its force this year for failing lie detector tests or other checks designed to detect possible corruption, officials said Monday.
Mexico's approximately 35,000 federal police are required to undergo periodic lie detector, psychological and drug examinations, and the government routinely investigates their finances and personal life.
Federal Police Commissioner Facundo Rosas said 3,200 officers have been dismissed this year for failing to meet the agency's standards.
Poland: Disillusioned
WARSAW — Solidarity founder Lech Walesa shunned several of the movement's 30th anniversary sessions Monday, saying he is tired and disillusioned with the Polish trade union's current state.
The events are part of a series marking 30 years since the massive movement led by Walesa forced then-ruling communists to sign concessions to striking shipyard workers in Gdansk. The move eventually led to democratic changes in 1989 and spurred sweeping changes across nations in Eastern Europe, which until then were under Moscow's thumb.
Italy: Gadhafi visit
ROME — Premier Silvio Berlusconi held talks with Moammar Gadhafi on Monday aimed at promoting the two nations' economic ties, but public attention remained focused on the Libyan leader's efforts to persuade Italians to convert to Islam.
Wearing brown robes, Gadhafi smiled broadly as he shook hands with Berlusconi, who looked tense by comparison. A plaque was unveiled paying tribute to the "bridge" forged between the two countries two years ago, when a friendship treaty, heavily promoted by Berlusconi, paved the way to stepped-up significant business deals.
Egypt: Van Gogh gone
CAIRO — Egyptian prosecutors questioned the culture minister for three hours over the theft of a Vincent van Gogh painting that has put him on the defensive over the state of museum security around the country.
Farouk Hosni said he sought in Sunday night's session to dispel accusations he failed to respond adequately to calls for increased security at Egyptian museums, including the one from where the van Gogh was stolen.
No alarms and only seven of 43 security cameras were working at Cairo's Mahmoud Khalil Museum when the $50 million painting, known by the titles of "Poppy Flowers" and "Vase with Flowers," was stolen in the middle of the day on Aug. 21.