World News
Published Sat Jan 01 2000 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)
Top International News from Associated Press
Islamic State group says it killed 5 aid workers in Nigeria
Militants from an Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility Thursday for killing five aid workers who had been kidnapped a month earlier in northeastern Nigeria. The Islamic State West Africa Province warned in June that it would target Nigerians working for international aid agencies along with those who helped the military. Nigeria’s president already had blamed the extremists for Sunday's slayings. The group issued its claim online in its digital weekly newspaper al-Naba, according to the SITE Intelligence Group. The extremist-monitoring organization said Thursday that a video of the aid workers' deaths was released on social media. Nigeria’s presidency said the victims had worked for the Nigerian government and three international aid agencies.
El Salvador arrests ex-defense minister for gang pact
El Salvador has arrested its former defense minister David Munguía Payés, alleging his involvement in a pact with the country’s gangs in 2012. Attorney General Raúl Melara said late Thursday that Munguía was arrested for his actions in relation to the gang pact under the administration of then-President Mauricio Funes. The government made a pact with the gangs to dramatically lower the country’s murder rate. In exchange, the gangs’ imprisoned leaders were moved from maximum security to medium security prisons. Melara said the Attorney General’s Office is also pursuing Funes, who fled to Nicaragua and received political asylum in 2016. On Friday, Funes denied any involvement in the gang pact.
Facing critics, Total to minimize oil work in Uganda park
The French oil company Total says it will limit its work to extract oil from a Ugandan national park to less than 1% of the protected area, seeking to assuage the concerns of activists who oppose the project. Total said it would support funding a 50% increase in the number of game rangers in Murchison Falls National Park, the largest protected area in Uganda. Total also announced that it will take steps to minimize damage to the lives of people disrupted by a pipeline that will run from Uganda to Tanzania.
Russia to host another round of talks on Afghanistan
Russia says it will host a round of talks on Afghanistan that will bring together representatives of the government and the Taliban, marking an attempt by Moscow to raise its profile in the Afghan peace efforts. Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Tuesday that the talks scheduled for March 18 will bring together representatives of Russia, the U.S., China and Pakistan, as well an Afghan government delegation and representatives of the Taliban. Zakharova said the negotiations will focus on “ways to help advance inter-Afghan talks in Doha, reduce the level of violence and end the armed conflict in Afghanistan." Moscow’s attempt at mediation comes as talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban have stalled.
39 African migrants die as boat sinks off Tunisian coast
Thirty-nine African migrants, including several children, perished at dawn on Tuesday off the Tunisian coast after a boat carrying 93 people sank. A second boat also ran aground in the same area, off the Mediterranean port city of Sfax. Navy and coast guard teams and volunteer fishing boats found 39 bodies and rescued a total of 165 migrants from both vessels. The survivors were taken to the Sfax fishing port for administrative questioning, while a search for survivors or other victims was continuing. Most of the migrants were from sub-Saharan African countries and were trying to reach Italy.
Sudan officials, Saudi crown prince talk Red Sea investments
Sudan’s government says the prime minister has met with Saudi Arabia’s powerful crown prince to discuss Saudi investment opportunities in the Red Sea. The high-level Sudanese delegation flew to Saudi Arabia this week for a two-day visit as the northeastern African nation struggles to revive its ailing economy and secure its transition to democratic rule. After years as a pariah under now-ousted autocrat Omar al-Bashir, Sudan has increasingly returned to the international fold, overhauling its economy to attract badly needed foreign investment and aid. The kingdom meanwhile is seeking to boost its influence across the strategic Horn of Africa. Sudan’s economy has teetered on the brink in recent months.
Israel's Netanyahu to visit Abu Dhabi on 1st official trip
An Israeli official says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will travel to the United Arab Emirates on Thursday. It will be Netanyahu's first official trip to the Gulf Arab nation after the two countries established diplomatic relations. It also gives Netanyahu a boost, less than two weeks before the March 23 elections. The official who confirmed the trip spoke on condition of anonymity pending an official announcement. But Israeli media say Netanyahu will meet Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. In August, the UAE became the third Arab country after Egypt and Jordan to establish formal diplomatic ties to Israel.
Outspoken father of missing activist killed in Iraq's south
Rights monitors and security officials say the father of a missing anti-government activist believed abducted by a militia in southern Iraq has been shot and killed. Jasb Hattab Aboud had been searching for his son since his kidnapping in October 2019. The son was one of a number of activists who vanished during anti-government protests, believed to have been snatched by militias. Aboud was unusual among parents of the missing because he led a vocal campaign for his son and sought to prosecute a militia leader suspected in the kidnapping. Aboud was shot in the head on Wednesday in the southern city of Amara.
Poland, Hungary file complaint at EU court over budget rule
The Polish and Hungarian governments have filed a complaint with the European Union’s supreme court challenging a new mechanism that links funding with the respect for rule of law. The rule of law mechanism was included in the budget which the EU passed last year covering the period 2021-27 and that also included a massive coronavirus stimulus fund. Officials with both government said Thursday they believe the new rule has no basis in EU law. The Hungarian justice minister described the rule as a left-wing attack on her nation in the middle of the pandemic.
Ethiopia denies 'ethnic cleansing,' is open to outside probe
The Ethiopian government is disputing charges of ethnic cleansing in the Tigray conflict, calling allegations by the United States “unfounded." The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement Saturday that nothing in Tigray "can be identified or defined by any standards as a targeted, intentional ethnic cleansing against anyone in the region.” Allegations of ethnic cleansing amount to “a completely unfounded and spurious verdict against the Ethiopian government,” it said, accusing Washington of “overblowing things out of proportion.” Ethiopia’s government says a federal investigation of the alleged crimes is underway, but critics say the government cannot effectively investigate itself.