NAIROBI, Kenya – A Kenya police official says results from DNA tests on a body retrieved from a river show that it is not that of a missing International Criminal Court witness. John Kariuki, a criminal investigation officer, said Thursday results indicate the remains were not of Meshack Yebei. Rev. …
Read More »2 suspected looters killed in South Africa during wave of attacks on immigrant-owned shops
JOHANNESBURG – South African police say two suspected looters were fatally shot following a week of attacks on immigrant-owned shops in the Johannesburg area. The South African Press Association on Monday quoted police Lt. Gen. Solomon Makgale as saying the two men were killed in Langlaagte, south of Johannesburg. Makgale …
Read More »China education minister says Western values must be excluded from higher education curriculum
BEIJING – China’s education minister has issued a stern warning against threats to communist ideological purity in higher education, saying Western values must never be permitted to infiltrate the classroom. Yuan Guiren reiterated the need for strict ruling Communist Party control over education and said educators must ensure that teaching …
Read More »Prosecutor in Canadian train terror plot says men wanted to cause hole in bridge
TORONTO – A prosecutor says two men charged with plotting to attack a passenger train travelling between Canada and the U.S. were motivated by Islamic extremism and spent months plotting to kill as many people as they could. Raed Jaser and Chiheb Esseghaier face multiple charges in the alleged plot …
Read More »UN chief wants 1,000 more peacekeepers for Central African Republic
UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. secretary-general is asking for more than 1,000 additional peacekeepers for the Central African Republic to help bring violence between Christians and Muslims under control. A letter from Ban Ki-moon to the U.N. Security Council president, circulated Thursday, says another 1,030 peacekeepers are needed to help …
Read More »Staff at Guyana's biggest university launch strike to press for higher pay, better conditions
GEORGETOWN, Guyana – Professors and support staff at the main campus of Guyana’s biggest university have launched a strike to press for higher pay and better working conditions. The strike by hundreds of union employees at the University of Guyana was launched Monday after negotiations with administrators collapsed. Staffers at …
Read More »Bad weather slows government offensive south of the Syrian capital Damascus
BEIRUT – Activists say rapid advances by Syrian government forces backed by Lebanese Hezbollah fighters south of the capital Damascus have slowed because of a snowstorm hitting the region. Ahmad al-Masalmeh, an opposition activist in the southern city of Daraa, said snow fell Thursday in some areas south of Damascus, …
Read More »Congo president criticizes decision by UN to withdraw from anti-rebel offensive
KINSHASA, Congo – Congo’s president is condemning a decision by the United Nations to withdraw its support from a military offensive against a rebel group. The U.N. announced recently that it could not take part in the effort because Congo’s military decided to have the campaign be directed by two …
Read More »UK defense chief says NATO must be ready because Russia poses threat to Baltics
LONDON – Britain’s defense minister has said Russia poses a “real and present danger” to European security, as Royal Air Force jets were scrambled to escort Russian warplanes off the British coast. The Ministry of Defense said Thursday that RAF Typhoon jets escorted two Russian bombers away from British airspace …
Read More »Mediator says he is distressed over the violation of a recent South Sudan truce
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – The Ethiopian mediator of the South Sudan peace talks says he is distressed by the violation of a truce signed earlier this month. Seyoum Mesfin of the regional bloc known as IGAD spoke during the resumption of peace talks in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, amid …
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