1. Putin’s party scores crushing win

    Near-complete* results from Russia’s national parliament election show the Kremlin’s power-base* party United Russia taking an overwhelming* majority of the seats.

    The Central Elections Commission said on Monday that with 90 percent of the vote counted, United Russia had 54 percent of the vote for the 225 seats chosen nationwide by party list. United Russia candidates were also ahead in 203 of the races for the other 225 seats chosen by district.

    That would give United Russia the two-thirds majority necessary to amend the constitution.

    2. Merkel party routed in Berlin polls

    German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s party suffered a historic loss in Berlin state elections on Sunday while the right-wing* populist* AfD gained fresh support, riding a wave of popular anger over her open-door refugee policy.

    The anti-Islam Alternative for Germany party won around 14 percent, according to public broadcasters’ projections*, in the capital.

    The strong AfD result, thanks to support especially in the vast tower block districts in Berlin’s east, meant it has now won opposition seats in 10 of Germany’s 16 states, a year ahead of national elections.

    3. Boat in Thai accident was overcrowded

    An overcrowded tourist boat carrying Muslim pilgrims was being piloted recklessly* before it capsized*, killing at least 15 Thai people, officials said on Monday as divers and other rescuers searched for 11 people still missing.

    The accident happened on Sunday on the Chao Phraya River in Ayutthaya, a UNESCO World Heritage site located some 80 kilometers north of the Thai capital of Bangkok.

    The double-decker* tourist boat was carrying around 100 Thai Muslims on a pilgrimage.

    4. Police name NY bombing suspect

    A device found in a backpack* near a train station in New Jersey, the United States, exploded on Monday while a bomb squad* robot was trying to disarm* it, authorities said.

    The incident came after 29 people were injured in an explosion in Chelsea, Manhattan, on Saturday. An unexploded pressure-cooker* device was also found four blocks away and was being analyzed by the FBI.

    Police released a picture of Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28, who is being sought in connection with the Manhattan blast.

    5. 8 injured in US mall stabbing spree

    At least eight people were taken to a hospital with injuries after a stabbing* attack at a Minnesota shopping mall in the United States on Saturday that ended with the suspected attacker — who was dressed in a private security uniform and made references to Allah — shot dead by an off-duty* police officer, authorities said.

    St. Cloud Police chief Blair Anderson said during a news conference shortly after midnight that eight people were taken to St. Cloud Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries following the attack first reported about 8:15 p.m. on Saturday. One person was admitted. No further details were released.

    Anderson said an off-duty police officer from another jurisdiction shot and killed the unidentified suspect, who was armed with a knife and wearing a private security firm uniform at the time of the attack.

    6. Death toll in Pakistan bombing rises

    The death toll from a Taliban suicide bomb attack on a mosque* in northwest tribal Pakistan has risen to 36, including eight children, officials said on Sunday.

    The Friday attack targeted a mosque in the Mohmand tribal district bordering Afghanistan where the army has been fighting against Taliban militants.

    “We have now compiled a list of victims of the blast, which includes 36 dead and 27 injured. (SD-Agencies)