| Islamists claim gun attack on Nairobi mall, at least 39 dead Posted: 21 Sep 2013 02:35 PM PDT  By Edmund Blair and Richard Lough NAIROBI (Reuters) - Gunmen stormed a shopping mall in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Saturday, killing at least 39 people including close relatives of Kenya's president and children, in an attack claimed by the Somali Islamist group al Shabaab. Shooting continued hours after the initial assault as troops surrounded the Westgate mall and police and soldiers combed the building, hunting the attackers shop by shop. A police officer inside the building said the gunmen were barricaded inside a Nakumatt supermarket, one of Kenya's biggest chains. ...
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| Merkel eyes third term in first German vote since euro crisis Posted: 21 Sep 2013 03:12 PM PDT  By Noah Barkin BERLIN (Reuters) - In the first German election since Europe's debt crisis erupted four years ago, voters are likely to give Angela Merkel a third term on Sunday, but may force her into a coalition with her leftist rivals and catapult a new anti-euro party into parliament. The vote is being closely watched by Berlin's European partners, with some hoping Chancellor Merkel will soften her approach towards struggling euro states like Greece if she is pushed into a 'grand coalition' with the Social Democrats (SPD). ...
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| Syria meets deadline for chemical weapons disclosure Posted: 21 Sep 2013 09:18 AM PDT  By Thomas Escritt AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Syria has handed over information about its chemical arsenal to a U.N.-backed weapons watchdog, meeting the first deadline of an ambitious disarmament operation that averted the threat of Western air strikes. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) said on Saturday it had "received the expected disclosure" from Damascus, 24 hours after saying it had been given a partial document from Syrian authorities. ...
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| At least 65 killed in attack in Baghdad Shi'ite stronghold Posted: 21 Sep 2013 11:20 AM PDT  BAGHDAD (Reuters) - At least 65 people were killed in a triple bombing that targeted a tent filled with mourners in Baghdad's Shi'ite Muslim stronghold of Sadr City on Saturday, police and medical sources said. A car bomb went off near the tent where a funeral was being held, a suicide bomber driving a car then blew himself up, and a third explosion followed as police, ambulances and firefighter were gathering at the scene, police said. No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, in which at least 120 others were wounded, medics said. ...
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| China to sentence ousted politician Bo, could get long jail term Posted: 21 Sep 2013 11:31 AM PDT  By Megha Rajagopalan JINAN, China (Reuters) - A Chinese court will announce its verdict on former top politician Bo Xilai on Sunday following his 5-day trial last month on charges of corruption and abuse of power. He could be handed a long jail term by the Communist Party-controlled court. The nature of the charges could even see Bo, 64, given the death penalty, but many observers say that is unlikely as the party will not want to make a martyr of a man whose left-leaning social welfare policies won much popular support. ...
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| Guinea's legislative election postponed to September 28: mediator Posted: 21 Sep 2013 02:47 PM PDT By David Lewis and Saliou Samb CONAKRY (Reuters) - Guinea's long-delayed legislative election scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed by four days to September 28 following talks between the opposition and government on Saturday in Conakry, a U.N. mediator said. Guinea's main opposition leader had threatened to call supporters into the streets if authorities pushed ahead with the election without fully addressing complaints over preparations. He said he was satisfied with the delay announced on Saturday. ... |
| 39 dead in Kenya mall attack; hostages still held Posted: 21 Sep 2013 05:04 PM PDT NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Terrified shoppers huddled in back hallways and prayed they would not be found by the Islamic extremist gunmen lobbing grenades and firing assault rifles inside Nairobi's top mall Saturday. When the way appeared clear, crying mothers clutching small children and blood-splattered men sprinted out of the four-story mall. |
| Thousands of Romanians form human chain to protest gold mine project Posted: 21 Sep 2013 05:01 PM PDT  BUCHAREST (AFP) - Thousands of Romanians formed a human chain Saturday around parliament to protest against a Canadian company's plan to open Europe's largest gold mine in a picturesque Transylvanian village.The chain stretched seven kilometres around the parliament building in capital Bucharest, with protesters chanting "United we can save Rosia Montana", the village where Gabriel Resources is hoping to extract 300 tonnes of gold and 1,600 tonnes of silver. ...
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| Birmingham hail four-goal loan star Lingard Posted: 21 Sep 2013 04:57 PM PDT  LONDON (AFP) - Birmingham assistant manager Terry McDermott claimed Jesse Lingard was unfazed by his stunning debut after the on-loan Manchester United midfielder scored all four goals in a 4-1 rout of Sheffield Wednesday.England Under-21 international Lingard joined on loan from the Premier League champions on Thursday to help boost Birmingham's shot-shy attack and just 48 hours later he announced his arrival at St Andrews in remarkable fashion. ...
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| Tamil party heads for big win in Sri Lanka vote Posted: 21 Sep 2013 04:55 PM PDT  JAFFNA, Sri Lanka (AFP) - Sri Lanka's main Tamil party was Sunday headed for victory in the first regional elections to a semi-autonomous council in the island's north after decades of ethnic war.The Tamil National Alliance (TNA) swept three of the five districts declared so far following Saturday's Northern Provincial Council elections, official results showed.The TNA bagged 11 out of the 15 seats declared so far in the council with a total of 36 seats elected directly. Two more seats go to the largest single party under a system of proportional representation and the TNA is set to take both. ...
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| Celtic deserve a little luck, says Lennon Posted: 21 Sep 2013 04:53 PM PDT  GLASGOW (AFP) - Celtic manager Neil Lennon said his side deserved a little luck as they survived a nervy finish to seal a 2-1 win over St Johnstone at Parkhead.Celtic looked on course for a very comfortable win after goals from Finnish striker Teemu Pukki and Charlie Mulgrew saw Celtic go in 2-0 at the break in what was a one-sided affair.However, with time running out St Johnstone rallied and pulled one back as Liam Caddis prodded home in the 82nd minute. ...
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| Two Canadians killed in Nairobi attack: prime minister Posted: 21 Sep 2013 04:51 PM PDT  OTTAWA (AFP) - Two Canadians, including a diplomat, are among at least 39 people killed Saturday during a deadly attack at an upscale shopping mall in Kenya, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said."Canada condemns in the strongest possible terms this cowardly, hateful act that apparently targeted innocent civilians who were simply out shopping," Harper said in a statement confirming the death of diplomat Annemarie Desloges.
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| NATO: 3 US troops killed in Afghan insider attack Posted: 21 Sep 2013 04:42 PM PDT KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan wearing a security forces uniform turned his weapon against U.S. troops Saturday, killing three in eastern Afghanistan, officials said, in another apparent attack by a member of the Afghan forces against their international allies. |
| Hostages held in Nairobi mall, security operation continues: officials Posted: 21 Sep 2013 04:25 PM PDT  NAIROBI (AFP) - Gunmen are still holding hostages inside Nairobi's Westgate shopping mall and security forces are continuing operations to secure the complex, Kenyan security officials said.The Kenya National Disaster Operation Centre said an uncertain number of shoppers and staff were being held by the gunmen, as a massive police and army operation went on into the early hours of Sunday -- more than 12 hours after the attack began.It also said that security forces had managed to free five hostages in the early hours of the morning. ...
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| Slide victim recovered as Mexico storm toll rises Posted: 21 Sep 2013 05:06 PM PDT  LA PINTADA, Mexico (AP) — Rescuers fighting tons of slippery, wet mud at the site of this week's worst storm disaster unearthed a woman's body Saturday, possibly one of 68 missing in a massive landslide that buried half of the remote coffee-growing town of La Pintada.
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| Official: Peru bishop removed amid abuse charges Posted: 21 Sep 2013 04:08 PM PDT LIMA, Peru (AP) — Pope Francis has removed a Roman Catholic bishop in Peru who an influential former prelate says is suspected of sexually abusing minors. |
| Kenya mall: Reporter outside, good friends inside Posted: 21 Sep 2013 03:57 PM PDT  NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — The frantic phone call came from a close friend staying the weekend with my family: She was inside Nairobi's most upscale mall and could hear gunshots. Her husband and 2-year-old daughter were inside too, but she didn't know where. Where should she go?
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| Three US troops killed in Afghan 'insider attack' Posted: 21 Sep 2013 03:39 PM PDT  KHOST, Afghanistan (AFP) - An Afghan soldier shot dead three US troops Saturday, officials said, in the latest "insider attack" to shake efforts by the two armies to work together to defeat Taliban militants.Attacks in which Afghan forces turn their guns on their international partners have killed scores of US-led troops, breeding mistrust and undermining efforts to train up local forces ahead of the NATO coalition's withdrawal next year. ...
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| Shebab Twitter account suspended after Kenya mall attack claims Posted: 21 Sep 2013 03:01 PM PDT  NAIROBI (AFP) - The Twitter account of Somalia's Al Qaeda-linked Shebab rebels was suspended Saturday after they used the site to claim responsibility for an attack on a Nairobi shopping mall that left 39 dead and 150 wounded.A message from Twitter on the English-language @HSM_Press account read that the account was suspended, the third time this year that the group has been expelled from the site.According to Twitter users are blocked "for any unlawful purposes or in furtherance of illegal activities". ...
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| UN special envoy: Guinea legislative vote delayed Posted: 21 Sep 2013 02:32 PM PDT CONAKRY, Guinea (AP) — Long-awaited and hotly contested legislative elections in Guinea will be delayed by several days after the opposition threatened to boycott over concerns about the voter list and other issues, a U.N. special envoy said late Saturday. |
| Iraq violence kills at least 69 people Posted: 21 Sep 2013 02:26 PM PDT  BAGHDAD (AFP) - Bombs targeting Shiite mourners in Baghdad killed at least 57 people on Saturday, while 12 died in other attacks -- the latest in the worst violence to hit Iraq since 2008.Despite major operations by security forces against militants and new restrictions on vehicles in the capital, Iraqi authorities have so far failed to curb the surge in unrest.Two bombings struck near a funeral tent in Sadr City, a Shiite area of north Baghdad, at about 5:30 pm (1430 GMT), killing at least 57 people and wounding more than 120. ...
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| Tunisia talks end in stalemate after assassination Posted: 21 Sep 2013 02:19 PM PDT TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — The Tunisian political crisis prompted by the assassination of a leading opposition figure deepened on Saturday after the main labor union said talks with the Islamist-led government had failed, casting doubt on the country's ability to emerge from more than two years of turmoil. |
| Guinea postpones legislative elections to September 28 Posted: 21 Sep 2013 02:15 PM PDT  CONAKRY (AFP) - Guinea's legislative elections, which were due to be held on Tuesday, have been postponed until September 28 for "final adjustments", a UN official said.The UN facilitator for dialogue in Guinea, Said Djinnit said that after widespread consultations an "exceptional delay of four days for final adjustments before the elections" was decided upon.Djinnit made the announcement at a press conference attended by leaders of the opposition Cellou Dalein Diallo and Sidya Toure, as well as the presidential majority. ...
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| Bo Xilai faces Chinese trial verdict Posted: 21 Sep 2013 02:14 PM PDT  JINAN, China (AFP) - Fallen Chinese political star Bo Xilai will learn his fate Sunday when a court delivers its verdict after a sensational scandal that culminated in the highest-profile trial in decades.Bo, one of China's top 25 politicians before his dramatic downfall, is widely expected to be found guilty of bribery, embezzlement and abuse of power but there is speculation over what punishment he will receive.The catalyst for Bo's fall came when his top aide in Chongqing fled to a US consulate with evidence the politician's wife had murdered a British associate in February 2012. ...
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| Mexico storm toll rises, missing helicopter found Posted: 21 Sep 2013 02:12 PM PDT ACAPULCO, Mexico (AP) — The Mexican government searched for victims and continued assessing the damage Saturday from the one-two punch of storms Manuel and Ingrid, as a missing Federal Police helicopter working on the rescue was found crashed. All aboard died. |
| 39 dead in Kenya mall attack claimed by militants Posted: 21 Sep 2013 01:53 PM PDT  NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Kenya's president says that 39 people have been killed and more than 150 injured by armed terrorists who attacked an upscale mall in Nairobi.
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| Transparency 'urgently needed' to combat Morocco corruption Posted: 21 Sep 2013 01:53 PM PDT  RABAT (AFP) - Morocco urgently needs to pass legislation guaranteeing access to information in order to combat an entrenched culture of secrecy and corruption, Transparency International said on Saturday.The ruling Islamist Party of Justice and Development came to power after winning 2011 legislative elections on a campaign to implement judicial reform and confront the widespread corruption that plagues the corruption.But its critics say little has changed nearly two years on. ...
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| DR Congo retakes four towns from Rwandan rebels Posted: 21 Sep 2013 01:47 PM PDT  KINSHASA (AFP) - The Democratic Republic of Congo said Saturday it had retaken control of four towns in its restive eastern province which had been held by Rwandan ethnic Hutu rebels the FDLR.Government spokesman Lambert Mende said in a statement that troops had "recovered villages long occupied by the rebels" in a vast operation in the Lubero region of the North-Kivu province which borders Rwanda.UN-sponsored Radio Okapi said the villages of Lusuli, Vuvati, Buhenge et Kataro had been retaken "progressively and without combat" as the rebels had already left the area. ...
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| Egyptian arrested for naming donkey after general Posted: 21 Sep 2013 01:43 PM PDT  CAIRO (AP) — A farmer in southern Egypt was arrested Saturday after putting the military chief's name and an army-style cap on his donkey, and eight people were detained elsewhere in the country for spraying anti-military graffiti.
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| Kenyan president says he lost close relatives in mall shooting Posted: 21 Sep 2013 01:42 PM PDT  NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said he himself had lost close relatives in Saturday's mass shooting in a Nairobi shopping mall. Addressing the relatives of victims, a somber Kenyatta said in an address to the nation: "I ask God to give you comfort as you confront this tragedy, and I know what you feel, having also lost very close family members in this attack." (Reporting by Humphrey Malalo; Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
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| Teenager 'played dead' to survive Kenya mall carnage Posted: 21 Sep 2013 01:21 PM PDT  NAIROBI (AFP) - Eighteen-year-old Umar Ahmed was enjoying a relaxed Saturday trip to a Nairobi shopping mall when gunmen stormed in and all hell broke lose."I was at Westgate Mall rooftop at the parking, and all of sudden I heard screams and gunshots all over the place," Ahmed recounted."I got scared. I tried to run down the stairs and saw someone running towards the top, I ran back and hid behind one of the cars," he said from his hospital bed at MP Shah Hospital, where he is nursing burns to his hands and chest.Ahmed said he found himself on the ground, playing dead. ...
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| Britons 'undoubtedly' caught up in Nairobi attack: Hague Posted: 21 Sep 2013 01:20 PM PDT  LONDON (AFP) - British nationals are "undoubtedly" caught up in the deadly attack on a Nairobi shopping mall and diplomats are trying to obtain full details of any casualties, Foreign Secretary William Hague said on Saturday.Hague said the government's emergencies committee COBRA had convened to discuss the attack in the Kenyan capital, and a special diplomatic response team had been sent to beef up the consular staff there. ...
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| Seven-try Sharks reach top of Currie Cup table Posted: 21 Sep 2013 01:13 PM PDT  JOHANNESBURG (AFP) - Sharks scored seven tries to demolish Cheetahs 50-26 in Durban Saturday and reach the top of the South African Currie Cup table.A bonus-point victory brought the Durban side level with title-holders Western Province on 24 points and they have a superior points difference.Lions rose one place to third by outscoring Bulls five tries to four en route to a 35-26 Highveld derby triumph in Johannesburg.The Johannesburg outfit have 20 points, Cheetahs 16, Bulls 11 and Griquas 10 with three league rounds left, and the top four finishers qualify for the semi-finals. ...
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| Mexico storm death toll rises as crashed helicopter found Posted: 21 Sep 2013 01:11 PM PDT  By Tomas Bravo LA PINTADA (Reuters) - Federal police found the remains of a crashed Black Hawk rescue helicopter with at least three dead crew aboard in southern Guerrero state on Saturday, raising the death toll to over 100 following some of the worst storms to hit Mexico in decades. At least two pilots and a mechanic died in the accident but it was unclear whether the helicopter had also been carrying any rescued villagers when it crashed, federal police spokesman Jesus Zapata said on Saturday. ...
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| 30 dead in Kenya mall attack claimed by militants Posted: 21 Sep 2013 01:06 PM PDT NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Terrified shoppers huddled in back hallways and prayed they would not be found by the Islamic extremist gunmen lobbing grenades and firing assault rifles inside Nairobi's top mall Saturday. When the coast was thought to be clear, crying mothers clutching small children and blood-splattered men sprinted out of the four-story mall. |
| Israeli soldier abducted, killed by Palestinian Posted: 21 Sep 2013 01:04 PM PDT  JERUSALEM (AP) — A Palestinian lured an Israeli soldier to a village in the West Bank and killed him with the intention of trading the body for his brother jailed for terror attacks, Israel's intelligence agency said Saturday, in a slaying that casts another shadow on U.S. mediated peace talks that restarted this summer.
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| Pakistan releases former Taliban second-in-command Posted: 21 Sep 2013 01:02 PM PDT ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan on Saturday released former Taliban second-in-command Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, a man Afghanistan believes could help tempt moderate Taliban leaders to the negotiating table and bring peace after more than a decade of war. Pakistan's foreign ministry announced late on Friday Baradar - one of the founders of the Taliban insurgency - would be released a day later, and on Saturday, Pakistani television reported Baradar had been set free. There was no official confirmation of his whereabouts. ... |
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