BAYFIELD, Nova Scotia – A group of beached whales in eastern Canada has been helped back out to sea, marking the second time this week that concerned residents came together to save a stranded pod. Marine officials, firefighters and local residents joined forces on Thursday to rescue 14 pilot whales …
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UNITED NATIONS – A top United Nations human rights official says the situation in Burundi has not yet reached the point of no return but is spiraling in that direction. Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ivan Simonovic told The Associated Press after briefing the Security Council that the five assassinations …
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ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – Leaders from the South Sudan’s warring factions are in Ethiopia in a last ditch effort to sign a peace deal ahead of Monday’s deadline to end the country’s civil war. Haile Michael, a spokesman for the regional Intergovernmental Authority on Development that is mediating the talks, …
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LONDON – An independent commission is urging the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland to offer an unequivocal apology to victims of sex abuse. The inquiry was set up in 2013 following a series of scandals. Disgraced Cardinal Keith O’Brien stepped down in February 2013 after three priests and a former …
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MEXICO CITY – A third Mexican state has banned bullfighting after a concerted campaign by animal rights groups. The congress of the northern state of Coahuila took a final vote on the matter Friday. The issue was promoted by the Green Party, but passed with the support of the majority …
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BEIJING – State media say China’s top official on work safety has been fired and is a suspect in a corruption investigation. The fall of Yang Dongliang, 61, has coincided with one of the worst industrial accidents in China in years. Fires and explosions at a hazardous material warehouse in …
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MAPUTO, Mozambique – A veteran Mozambican journalist, known for his crime reporting, was gunned down on the streets of the capital. Mozambican police said Saturday that they are trying to trace Paulo Machava’s assassins. Machava was shot on Friday, while on his morning jog in Maputo. A private security guard …
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MAIDUGURI, Nigeria – Witnesses say 26 people were killed in northeastern Borno state by attackers on horseback believed to be rebels of the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram. Ali Abdulqasim said his home village of Kolori and the neighboring village of Baana-imam were attacked late Tuesday. Abdulqasim said Wednesday he …
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SAO PAULO – A federal judge Thursday accepted the charges filed by prosecutors against the former head of Eletronuclear, the state-owned company that operates Brazil’s two nuclear power plants, for his suspected role in a bribery scandal. Othon Luiz Pinheiro da Silva will face trial for allegedly taking 4.5 million …
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CAIRO – Libya’s military spokesman says eight soldiers have been killed during an attack by Islamic militants southwest of the city of Benghazi. Speaking Tuesday, Col. Ahmed al-Mesmari said one soldier is missing and 10 were wounded in the attack early Monday. Al-Mesmari says soldiers fighting for Libya’s internationally recognized …
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