Briefly

FRANCE

Masses rally to honor beheaded teacher

Tens of thousands of French people joined in marches throughout the country on Sunday to pay tribute to Samuel Paty, a teacher who was decapitated in a terrorist attack on Friday. In an exceptional way, a ban on gatherings of more than 10 people in public spaces due to the pandemic situation was lifted to allow people to attend Sunday's commemoration and show their solidarity. People flooded into the Place de La Republique in central Paris, as well in Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Lille, Nantes and Strasbourg. Prime Minister Jean Castex headed the rally in Paris to say "Stop to barbarism" as read in many banners. Government officials, politicians from the country's political spectrum, teachers' unions and citizens joined the march.

BOLIVIA

Socialist set to win presidential election

Bolivia's socialist candidate Luis Arce looks set to win the country's presidential election without the need for a runoff, an unofficial count indicated on Monday, putting the party of Evo Morales on the brink of a return to power. The quick-count from pollster Ciesmori, released by Bolivian TV channel Unitel, showed Arce had 52.4 percent of valid votes, more than 20 percentage points above the second-placed centrist rival Carlos Mesa, who had 31.5 percent. The official count could take days. The election came after last year's October election, which saw Evo Morales reelected for another term, sparking protests. Morales was forced to resign in November after security forces, including the army and police, sided with protesters. An interim government took charge and organized a new election.

AFGHANISTAN

Car bomb kills 13, wounds nearly 120

A suicide car bombing on Sunday killed at least 13 people and wounded around 120 others in Afghanistan's western Ghor Province, officials said. Interior Ministry spokesman Tariq Aran said the bomb attack struck near the entrance of the provincial police chief's office and other nearby government buildings in the area. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres later strongly condemned the attack. No one immediately claimed responsibility. It came amid an uptick in attacks by the Taliban as representatives of the group and Afghan government officials hold their first face-to-face talks in Qatar. The negotiations are meant to end decades of war in Afghanistan.

Agencies - Xinhua