UN launches aerial attack on rebels in east Congo
KINSHASA, Congo — U.N. attack helicopters targeted M23 rebels in eastern Congo on Saturday after fighting resumed following a months-long lull in violence, a local official said.
Thousands march for abortion rights in Ireland
DUBLIN — About 10,000 people marched through Dublin and observed a minute’s silence Saturday in memory of the Indian dentist who died of blood poisoning in an Irish hospital after being denied an abortion.
Anti-gay marriage marchers take to French streets
PARIS — Groups opposed to President Francois Hollande’s plans to legalize gay marriage and gay adoptions took to the streets Saturday across France.
Turkish cameraman set free by captors in Syria
ANKARA, Turkey — A Turkish cameraman captured by Syrian forces while covering fighting in the city of Aleppo in August has been released and will return to Turkey, the delegation that negotiated his freedom with Syrian President Bashar Assad told Turkish media on Saturday.
Israel bombards Gaza Strip, shoots down rocket; cease-fire talk grows
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Israel destroyed the headquarters of Hamas’ prime minister and blasted a sprawling network of smuggling tunnels in the southern Gaza Strip on Saturday, broadening a blistering four-day-old offensive against the Islamic militant group even as diplomatic efforts to broker a cease-fire appeared to be gaining steam.
Young killed during student protest in Haiti
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Congo: 151 rebels killed in clash with army
KINSHASA, Congo — Two army officers and 151 rebels were killed in a battle in eastern Congo, officials said Friday, in what the U.N. called the worst clash between the M23 group and the military since July.
ANALYSIS: Why the Israel - Hamas conflict now?
JERUSALEM — Since Israel completed a devastating military offensive in the Gaza Strip four years ago, military officials have warned it was only a matter of time before the next round of fighting. The sudden explosion of violence erupted this week with little warning, driven …
Egyptian president stands with Palestinians, warns Israel of ‘wrath’
CAIRO — Egypt’s Islamist president says his country will stand by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and demanded Israel stop its latest offensive on the Hamas-ruled territory.
Mohammed Morsi says Egypt “will not leave Gaza on its own” and warned the “aggressor to stop the …
Missiles, air raid sirens destroy Tel Aviv peace
TEL AVIV, Israel — Leehee Goldenberg was having lunch at an outdoor cafe in Tel Aviv, Israel’s largest metropolis, when an air-raid siren wailed. She and other diners knew the drill: They dashed inside the coffee shop and kept away from the windows. Then, from …
U.N. urges restraint as Israel prepares for ground war
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. chief on Friday urged Hamas to end its rocket attacks on Israel and told Israeli leaders to exercise maximum restraint.
Ban Ki-moon has been calling international and Middle East leaders in a bid to de-escalate the crisis that erupted this …
Hamas hits Jerusalem with rockets for 1st time, Israel calls up reserves
Hamas rocket squads aimed at Jerusalem for the first time Friday, along with commercial hub Tel Aviv, showing off their expanded reach as Israeli airstrikes pounded the Palestinian territory for a third day. Israel called up 16,000 reservists, moving a step closer to a possible …
Ikea regrets use of forced labor in East Germany
Swedish furniture giant Ikea says it “deeply regrets” the fact that some of its suppliers used forced prison labor in communist East Germany more than two decades ago.
U.S. troop withdrawl negotiations begin with Afghanistan
KABUL, Afghanistan — The United States and Afghanistan are starting negotiations on an agreement that will shape America’s military presence in the country after the withdrawal of most foreign combat troops at the end of 2014. Representatives from the two countries began talks on a …
Scores isolated after new Ebola outbreak in Uganda
KAMPALA, Uganda — Scores of Ugandans were isolated on Thursday to prevent the spread of a new outbreak of Ebola which has already killed three people. Uganda has experienced increasingly regular outbreaks of deadly hemorrhagic fevers that have left health officials grappling for answers. The …