BBC News with Joe Macintosh

The Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has dissolved parliament and called a snap election as his forces continue to fight pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country.Mr.Poroshenko said a new parliament was necessary in part to remove members who are blocking reform.Elections will be held on the 26th October.The Ukrainian government said earlier on Monday that its forces had clashed with a column of tanks and armoured vehicles that crossed into the rebel held east from Russia.David Stern reports from Kiev.

Mr. Poroshenko’s announcement was expected. In July, parliament re-coalition fell apart, requiring the President call new elections if a new coalition could not be formed. However, new elections do hold some risks for Mr. Poroshenko. If he is unable to end the fighting in eastern Ukraine before the October vote, he risks a voter backlash, angers also rising among Ukrainians of the government’s inability to introduce reforms and tackle corruption which were key demands of the country’s revolution.

The leaders of the campaign for and against Scottish independence have held a final televised debate before a referendum on the issue next month. Debate is seen as a key event of the campaign. Recent polls show the anti-independence group in the lead, in his opening statement, Alistair Darling, the leader of the “no campaign” set out why he opposed independence.

“The United Kingdom is about sharing risks and rewards with our neighbors. Being part of something bigger gives us opportunity and security as well as our Scottish identity and decision making. This is the decision for which there is no turning back, but our children and generations follow will have to live with that decision. ”

Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first Minister who is leading with call independence, set out why he believed in “yes” vote. “We are a rich nation and resourceful people. We can create a prosperous nation and a fairer society, a real vision for the people of Scotland. This is our time, it’s our moment, let us do it now.”

Cameroon says nearly 500 Nigerian soldiers have fled across the border to escape fighting with Islamist militants from Boko Haram in northeastern Nigeria. Cameroon’s army said the Nigerian troops deserted after clashes in the town of Banki and have been disarmed since arriving in Cameroon. Tomi Oladipo reports from Lagos.

We are hearing from the Cameroonian army that these men fled and came into Cameroon and obviously the Cameroonian military had to disarm them and then cop them so what we are now hearing from the Nigerian military is that this was not a group who deserted and who escaped, but rather was a tactical maneuver as they say in the statement. And these soldiers ended up charging through the borders and found themselves in Cameroonian soil. And Nigerian military now says that very soon these troops will find their way back to the Nigeria.

World news from the BBC

Two car bombs in the mainly Shia district of the Iraqi capital Baghdad have killed at least 11 people. Earlier in the day, a series of explosions in Baghdad and towns south of Iraqi capital killed dozens of people. In a worst attack at a Shia mosque in the new Baghdad area, at least 15 people were killed.

Hundreds of people have attended the funeral of Michael Brown, the unarmed black teenager who was shot dead by a white police officer in Ferguson, a suburb of St. Louis. Gospel music filled the church as speakers asked the congregation to remember Michael Brown mot with violence but with peace. His killing earlier this month sparked protests and violent riots in Ferguson. Outside the church, local people said the funeral and the story of Michael Brown had brought their community together. Many who attended the funeral said they’re glad the case has brought national attention, but they still want justice and still need to see real change in the way they feel African Americans unfairly treated by the police across the country.

The two sides in South Sudan civil war have reaffirmed their commitment to a ceasefire under pressure from east Africa leaders. A regional summit in Addis Ababa gave President Salva Kiir and his rival Riek Machar 45 days to form a transitional government of national unity. It said anyone obstructing the peace process would be excluded from pala. Eight months of fighting in South Sudan have left thousands dead and millions facing famine.

A United Nation official appointed to coordinate the global response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has described it as a war that could take another 6 months to win. Dr. David Nabarro said airlines that had stopped flying to affected countries were hampering the effort. As the risk to find an effective treatment continues, a Canadian firm says 4 monkeys injected with an experimental vaccine have survived what would have been a lethal dose of the virus.

BBC News