World

Despite 11 straight nights of rioting by poor immigrants, the foreign minister of France sought to reassure fellow members of the European Union that his country is neither dangerous nor racist. Philippe Douste-Blazy insisted that the situation was under control. But the violence grew worse Sunday night and into Monday, spreading to 300 cities and towns. The first fatality also was reported, 36 police were hurt - at least 10 of them after being hit by buckshot - and another 1,400 cars were set on fire.

Senior leaders in other European countries with unassimilated immigrant populations worried that the violence was becoming a concern for them too. Cars were set on fire in Brussels and in two German cities, Berlin and Bremen. In Rome, Italian opposition leader Romano Prodi said that city has "the worst suburbs in Europe" and appeared to suggest that "it's only a question of time" before rioting erupts there.

Busloads of police in riot gear were sent to guard the main square of Azerbaijan's capital after the main political opposition demanded that the weekend election for a new parliament be annulled. A protest was scheduled for Tuesday that, organizers claimed, would be one of the biggest since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Official returns gave the ruling party of President Ilham Aliyev and its allies a huge majority of seats. But the opponents said the election was rigged, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which monitored the voting, reported that it "did not meet Azerbaijan's international commitments."

Fugitive former President Alberto Fujimori of Peru was taken into custody by police on arrival in neighboring Chile, and the government he once headed said it would seek his extradition. Fujimori, who had been in exile in Japan for almost five years, recently said he wanted to return to Peru and run for his old office again despite his disbarment from political activity there. Peruvian authorities want to try him for corruption and human rights violations.

With an opportunity to make history, voters in Liberia go to the polls Tuesday for a runoff election that could produce Africa's first female president. Analysts say Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's prospects hinge on the fact that female registered voters outnumber men. She is opposed by soccer star George Weah, who, despite his inexperience in politics, outpolled her in the first round of voting Oct. 11 by 28.3 percent to 19.8 percent in a field of 22 candidates.