1. Portugal president re-elected

    Portuguese President Anibal Cavaco Silva won a second term in an election on Sunday, promising to work for political stability* as the government fights to avoid an international bailout*.

    Cavaco Silva won around 55 percent of the vote, compared with about 19 percent for Manuel Alegre of the ruling Socialists, his closest competitor. Cavaco Silva is a former economics professor who was prime minister from 1985 to 1995.

    

    2. U.S. shootings

    A shootout* in front of a Walmart in Washington state in the United States left two people dead and two sheriff’s* deputies wounded on Sunday afternoon.

    Meanwhile, a gunman opened fire inside a Detroit police precinct* on Sunday, wounding four officers including a commander before he was shot and killed by police.

    

    3. Moscow airport bombing

    Terrorists struck again in the heart of Russia, with a suicide bomber* blowing himself up on Monday in Moscow’s busiest airport and turning its international arrivals terminal* into a smoky, blood-spattered* hall of bodies, screaming survivors and abandoned suitcases.

    No one claimed responsibility for the blast at Domodedovo Airport, although Islamic militants* in the southern Russian region of Chechnya have been blamed for previous attacks in Moscow, including a double suicide bombing on the capital’s subway system in March 2010 that resulted in 40 deaths.

    4. Vietnam’s new leadership

    Nguyen Phu Trong, Chairman of the Vietnamese National Assembly, was elected General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) last Wednesday.

    The CPV reappointed the country’s prime minister, Nguyen Tan Dung, for a second term at its five-yearly congress. Truong Tan Sang takes the more ceremonial* post of president.

    5. Huawei staff arrested

    Shenzhen-based telecom giant Huawei said on Friday it was aware of the arrests of three employees in India last week, allegedly on suspicion* of money laundering* and spying, and was cooperating with authorities to resolve the matter.

    The three Chinese citizens claimed to be tourists who mistakenly crossed the border from Nepal.

    Spy reports “do not reflect reality,” a Foreign Ministry official said in Beijing on Friday.

    6. Nuclear talks

    Iran is open to holding further talks with six world powers over its nuclear program, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday, a day after the failure of the latest round of dialogue in Istanbul.

    Talks in Istanbul on Friday and Saturday failed to yield results between Iran and the so-called P5+1 — U.N. Security Council permanent members Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States, plus Germany.

    7. Cowen resigns

    Ireland’s Prime Minister Brian Cowen bowed to pressure from members of the Fianna Fail party on Saturday and resigned as leader, but said he would serve as premier until a March 11 election.

    (SD-Agencies)