POLAND: Hundreds of candles were placed on the graves of Soviet Red Army soldiers in their Warsaw cemetery at the weekend.

The troops were killed in January 1945 during fierce battles to liberate Warsaw from nazi occupation.

November 1 is All Saints Day in Poland, when people visit family graves and light candles on other memorials, including those of the Red Army heroes.

ISRAEL: Thousands of Israelis gathered in a Tel Aviv square to commemorate the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin by a zionist fanatic.

He was gunned down on November 4 1995 by Yigal Amir in protest at the then prime minister's policy of trading land with the Palestinians for peace.

Participants at the rally in the square that now bears Mr Rabin's name carried banners urging resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians.

MONTENEGRO: Hundreds of gay activists marched through the capital Podgorica yesterday, protected by a similar number of riot police.

The police blocked off the city centre as the marchers paraded with banners proclaiming, "Let's love each other," and "This is just the beginning."

Gay rights in previous years have seen battles between police and far-right extremists intent on attacking the marchers.

KENYA: Troops shot and killed six machete-wielding attackers who tried to gain entry to a coastal barracks yesterday morning, a military official said.

Colonel David Obonyo reported that a gang of about 15 people had carried out the Mombasa attack.

The government also confirmed that 22 police had been killed in an ambush on Saturday in Kapedo, northern Kenya.

PAKISTAN: Dozens of people were killed yesterday when a bomb exploded by a Pakistani paramilitary checkpoint near the eastern border with India.

The explosion hit a checkpoint at the Wagah border crossing on the outskirts of Lahore, said Punjab provincial police chief Mushtaq Sukhera said.

The death toll was initially given as 45, but this is likely to rise because over 70 people were wounded, with several in critical condition, he said.

SPAIN: Shepherds guided a flock of 2,000 sheep through Madrid's streets yesterday in defence of ancient grazing, droving and migration rights that are threatened by urban sprawl.

They halted at the town hall so the chief herdsman could hand authorities 25 maravedies - ancient copper coins - as payment for the crossing.

Some herding routes have been used annually for over 800 years and Madrid sprawls across one dating back to 1372.

SPAIN: Private pollster Metroscopia released figures to the newspaper El Pais yesterday, showing that 27.7 per cent of voters would choose Podemos (We Can) if parliamentary elections were held tomorrow.

This compares with 26.2 per cent for the social-democratic Socialist Workers Party and 20.7 per cent for the ruling conservative Peoples Party.

Podemos emerged from 2011 grass-roots protests demanding a more transparent democracy.

YEMEN: UN special adviser to Yemen Jamal Benomar praised all Yemeni parties and political groups yesterday for agreeing the formation of an apolitical technocrat cabinet after a deadlock of over two weeks.

He called the Saturday night compromise an important step toward implementing peace.

Houthi rebels had given prime ministerial nominee Khaled Bahah and President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi an ultimatum hinting at a seizure of power unless agreement was secured.