The long oppressed minority group was trying to flex its political muscles.“Afghan President Ashraf Ghani Sunday ordered a 10-day ban on public protests after a suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State killed more than 80 people and wounded hundreds at a peaceful demonstration here Saturday. The protesters, mostly members of the Shiite ethnic Hazara minority, were demanding better access to electrical power in several rural provinces. But the devastating terror attack, the deadliest in Kabul since the overthrow of Taliban extremist rule in 2001, raised fears that sectarian violence could be unleashed in the Sunni-majority Muslim country, deliberately fanned by the eruption of mass carnage in the Afghan capital at the hands of the Islamic State, the Middle Eastern-based Sunni group, known here as Daesh.” (WaPo http://wapo.st/2a6UZCc)
A Horrendous Attack with Political Implications…“A 21-year-old Syrian refugee was arrested on Sunday after killing a pregnant woman with a machete in Germany, the fourth violent assault on civilians in western Europe in 10 days, though police said it did not appear linked to terrorism. The incident, however, may add to public unease surrounding Chancellor Angela Merkel’s open-door refugee policy that has seen over a million migrants enter Germany over the past year, many fleeing war in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq. German police said they arrested the machete-wielding Syrian asylum-seeker after he killed a woman and injured two other people in the southwestern city of Reutlingen near Stuttgart. (NYT http://nyti.ms/2a6rInE)
Humanity Affirming News of the Day…Nigeria on Sunday celebrated two years without a new case of polio, in a major stride towards Africa being declared free of the devastating disease. (AFP http://yhoo.it/29Yfmzq)
Africa
South Sudan’s First Vice President Riek Machar has called for President Salva Kiir not to violate a peace accord signed last year by recognizing and confirming Taban Deng Gai as his replacement. (VOA http://bit.ly/29YfH52)
Zimbabwe’s war veterans’ surprise attack on President Robert Mugabe signals the “beginning of the end” for the long-time leader, already buckling under pressure from a restive population angry over worsening economic woes. (AFP http://yhoo.it/2aj3UA3)
Thousands of Tanzanian women from families deemed extremely poor have been singled out to receive cash handouts as part of the government’s efforts to lift its citizens out of poverty. (Reuters http://bit.ly/2aadZAb)
MENA
Volunteers have recovered the bodies of 41 presumed migrants that washed up on a Libyan beach, an official from the coastal city of Sabratha said on Sunday. (AFP http://yhoo.it/2aj3No1)
A suicide bombing claimed by the Islamic State group killed at least 15 people in a Shiite area of northern Baghdad on Sunday, security and medical officials said. (AFP http://yhoo.it/2aj371Y)
Syrian government airstrikes overnight put four hospitals in Aleppo province out of action, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/2a6Rmfq)
Iran destroyed 100,000 satellite dishes and receivers on Sunday as part of a widespread crackdown against the illegal devices that authorities say are morally damaging, a news website reported. (AFP http://yhoo.it/2a6ROKJ)
Asia
Nepal’s Prime Minister K.P. Oli resigned on Sunday, nine months after coming to power and minutes before parliament was to vote on a no confidence motion he was likely to lose. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/2a5UDs5)
Tens of thousands of Cambodians have marched in the funeral procession for a leading government critic who was fatally shot in an attack that raised suspicion of a political conspiracy. (AP http://yhoo.it/2a42sVd)
India’s government has refused to renew the visas for three Chinese journalists working for China’s official Xinhua News Agency, an official said Sunday, meaning they will have to leave the country by the end of this month. (AP http://yhoo.it/2a42vjZ)
The Americas
Sen. Richard Blumenthal and Rep. Joe Courtney are proposing a law that would crack down on countries that refuse or delay U.S. officials’ attempts to deport dangerous criminals. (AP http://yhoo.it/29XSfUL)
Two nephews of Venezuela’s first lady, who face charges of conspiring to import cocaine into the United States, confessed to U.S. agents after being arrested in November to being involved in the drug scheme, newly-filed court records state. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/2a425dv)
…and the rest
Tens of thousands of supporters of Turkey’s main opposition group, joined by some ruling party members, rallied Sunday in Istanbul to denounce a July 15 coup attempt, a rare show of unity that belies opposition unease over President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s crackdown since the failed uprising. (AP http://yhoo.it/2a5UcOE)
Human rights group Amnesty International said Sunday it had “credible evidence” of the abuse and torture of people detained in sweeping arrests since Turkey’s July 15 coup attempt. (AFP http://yhoo.it/29Yfxux)
A group of migrants and asylum-seekers who set off two days ago on a protest march toward Hungary said Sunday they want to ask the European leaders why their borders have been closed for the thousands fleeing war and poverty. (AP http://yhoo.it/2a6RSKf)
A 21-year-old Syrian refugee was arrested after killing a woman with a machete and injuring two other people in the southern German city of Reutlingen on Sunday, but the attack had no apparent connection to terrorism, police said. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/2aj3CsP)
Britain’s vote to leave the European Union heightens risks for the world economy, finance chiefs from the G20 group of leading countries said Sunday, vowing to use “all policy tools” to boost growth. (Yahoo http://yhoo.it/2a42UTG)
Finance ministers from the Group of 20 major economies have pledged to boost the global economy, which they say is showing a weak recovery. (VOA http://bit.ly/2a5V5GP)
Opinion/Blogs
Will an AIDS Mega-conference in Durban contribute to the end of HIV? (UN Dispatch http://bit.ly/29YisDn)
Only complacency can stop Nigeria – and Africa – from finally conquering polio (Guardian http://bit.ly/2abegU9)
Is South Africa’s Future Linked to The Continent’s (SA News http://bit.ly/2abf2R0)
Three ways post-Brexit Britain can still be a leader on international development (ODI http://bit.ly/2a6VbkV)
As AIDS money shrinks, who loses? (IRIN http://bit.ly/2a5XdhD)
Boris Johnson isn’t serious, and the world won’t take him seriously (The Interpreter http://bit.ly/2a6UTKz)
Aid law wars: lawyers v. scandal-mongers (Devpolicy http://bit.ly/2a6V34J)
Are UK charities ready for the storm ahead? (Devex http://bit.ly/29YhWFF)
Politics of fear in South Sudan (Open Democracy http://bit.ly/2abhAyN)
Is Fethullah Gülen behind Turkey’s coup? (Dani Rodrik http://bit.ly/2abi9sf)
Why So Many Young Women Have HIV (Goats and Soda http://n.pr/29Yiew4)
Which African news stories are undercovered? (Rachel Strohm http://bit.ly/2abikUg)