World News
UN: girls as young as 6 raped by troops in Congo
Congolese troops fleeing the M23 rebels last November raped at least 97 women and 33 girls, some as young as 6, a U.N. report released Wednesday said. The report covered “mass rape, killings, and arbitrary executions and violations resulting from widespread looting,” U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky told reporters. READ
Mexican gas tanker explosion was liquid, not natural gas
In a story May 7 about a gas tanker truck explosion in Mexico City, The Associated Press reported erroneously that the truck was carrying natural gas. Its cargo was liquid petroleum gas. A tanker truck hauling liquid petroleum gas lost control, hit a centre divider and exploded on a highway lined by homes in the Mexico City suburb of Ecatepec early Tuesday, killing at least 22 people and injuring nearly three dozen, authorities said. READ
Arias prefers death penalty after convicted of murder
Jodi Arias said in a post-conviction interview with a TV station that she prefers the death penalty over life in prison. Arias talked to Fox affiliate KSAZ in the courthouse minutes after she was convicted of first-degree murder. With tears in her eyes, she said she feels overwhelmed and that she was surprised because she didn’t believe she committed first-degree murder. READ
Syria blames internet outage on problem with optic cable
A problem with a fiber optics cable was responsible for an Internet outage that cut off civil war-ravaged Syria from the rest of the world for nearly 20 hours, state media said Wednesday. Internet service stopped abruptly Tuesday evening, prompting speculation that the regime had pulled the plug, possibly as a cover for military action. However, no large-scale military offensives were reported Wednesday and the opposition did not accuse the regime of sabotage. READ
Women rescued after being held for years
One neighbour says a naked woman was seen crawling on her hands and knees in the backyard of the house a few years ago. Another heard pounding on the home’s doors and noticed plastic bags over the windows. READ
Philippine volcano kills five climbers
One of the Philippines’ most active volcanoes rumbled to life Tuesday, spewing room-sized rocks toward nearly 30 surprised climbers, killing five and injuring others that had to be fetched with rescue helicopters and rope. READ
Tanker explosion kills over 20 in Mexico
A natural gas tanker truck lost control, hit a centre divider and exploded on a highway lined by homes in the Mexico City suburb of Ecatepec early Tuesday, killing at least 20 people and injuring nearly three dozen, authorities said. READ
Assad warns Israel in wake of airstrikes
In his first response to Israel’s weekend airstrikes, President Bashar Assad said Tuesday that Syria is capable of facing Israel, but stopped short of threatening retaliation for the strikes near the Syrian capital of Damascus. READ
Planned attack foiled by FBI
FBI officials said Monday that they foiled a terrorist attack that was being planned in a small western Minnesota town, but they offered no details about the exact targets of the attack — or the motive of the man accused of having a cache of explosives and weapons in a mobile home. READ
Israeli airstrikes add wrinkle to Syrian war
Israel’s willingness to hit Syrian targets it sees as threats to its own existence has complicated the Obama administration’s internal debate over arming President Bashar Assad’s foes and may change the way U.S. approaches allies as it tries to boost the rebels, including with possible military aid. READ
Obama hosts SKorea president to show united front against NKorea threats
President Barack Obama and South Korea’s new leader Park Geun-hye will seek to present a strong front against North Korea’s nuclear threats when they meet at the White House Tuesday. But they also want to leave the door open to talks with Pyongyang. READ
Ammonium nitrate cause of Texas plant explosion
Officials said Monday that they had determined that ammonium nitrate stored at a Texas fertilizer plant is what exploded on April 17, killing 14 people and injuring hundreds. READ
Weather aids against wildfire
Cool, moist air moving into Southern California on Sunday helped firefighters build containment lines around a huge wildfire burning through coastal mountains. Fire crews took advantage of improved conditions as the high winds and hot, dry air of recent days were replaced by the normal Pacific air, significantly reducing fire activity. READ
Malaysia’s governing coalition wins 13th straight national election
Malaysia’s long-governing coalition won national elections with a weakened majority to extend its unbroken, 56-year rule, fending off the strongest opposition it has ever faced but exposing vulnerabilities in the process. READ
Five women killed in California limo fire
A limousine taking nine women to a bachelorette party erupted in flames, killing five of the passengers, including the bride-to-be, authorities and the mother of one of the survivors said Sunday. READ
Woman resurfaces a decade after disappearing
The teenage daughter of a woman who just revealed she abandoned her family 11 years ago said Thursday the disclosure has angered her and she is not eager to restart their relationship. READ
Small Washington school closes Friday because of nice weather, had snow days to burn
In sun-deprived Washington state, the promise of nice spring weather prompted a small private school to give students a day off to enjoy the sunshine. Friday is a “sun day” of sorts for the 205 students at Bellingham Christian School, a small private Christian school in Bellingham, Wash., about 90 miles north of Seattle. READ
3 additional suspects taken into custody in marathon bombings
Three more suspects in the Boston Marathon bombings were taken into custody, city police said Wednesday. The police department made the announcement in a tweet Wednesday morning, saying more details would follow. Police spokeswoman Cheryl Fiandaca confirmed the tweet but referred all other questions to the FBI. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured on April 15 when two bombs exploded near the finish line. READ
Willem-Alexander takes over as Dutch king after mother abdicates
Millions of Dutch people dressed in orange flocked to celebrations around the Netherlands Tuesday in honour of a once-in-a-generation milestone for the country’s ruling House of Orange-Nassau: after a 33-year reign, Queen Beatrix abdicated in favour of her eldest son, Willem-Alexander. READ
Bangladesh protests get violent
A top Bangladesh court on Tuesday ordered the government to “immediately” confiscate the property of a collapsed building’s owner, as thousands of protesters demanding the death penalty for the man clashed with police, leaving 100 people injured. A two-judge panel of the High Court also asked the central bank to freeze the assets of the owners of the five garment factories in the building, and use the money to pay the salaries and other benefits of their workers. READ
