World datelines

Bangladesh

GAZIPUR — Police on Friday questioned 58 suspected Islamic militants in bombing attacks outside government buildings this week that killed at least nine people and wounded scores of others, authorities said.

Belarus

MINSK — Belarus' lower house of parliament passed legislation Friday that would make it a crime to discredit the state, be a member of the political opposition or an advocate for human rights in the hard-line former Soviet republic.

China

BEIJING — China's chief environmental regulator quit Friday, taking the blame for a chemical spill that shut off water to millions and strained relations with Russia, as the government sought to show it will hold officials accountable.

Cuba

HAVANA — Communist Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces marked 49 years Friday, celebrating military successes at home and abroad during the height of the Cold War before assuming a newer mission to bolster the island's post-Soviet economy.

Egypt

CAIRO — Election officials said Friday that Egypt's leading opposition group did not win any seats outright in the final round of parliamentary voting, which was marred by violence and police barring thousands from casting ballots.

Georgia

TBILISI — The trial of a man accused of trying to assassinate President Bush while visiting Georgia will open next week, a court said Friday.

Haiti

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Gunmen have released 14 Haitian children and an American missionary who were abducted in separate incidents in the strife-torn nation, police said Friday.

Israel

JERUSALEM — Israel's Arrow missile defense system intercepted and destroyed a missile similar to Iran's long-range Shahab-3 during a test Friday, prompting Israel's defense minister to declare it an effective shield against a possible future Iranian nuclear threat.

Italy