World Digest: May 28, 2015
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Version 0 of 1. France wants Britain to remain in the European Union, President François Hollande said Thursday after talks with British Prime Minister David Cameron, who insisted the status quo in Europe was “not good enough.” “We think it’s in the interest of Europe and in the interest of the United Kingdom to be together. But there is always respect for the people’s wishes,” Hollande said at a joint news conference with Cameron in Paris. The British leader was starting a two-day tour to urge E.U. leaders to back his reform drive for the bloc. Cameron said his priority was to make the E.U. more competitive and to address the concerns of the British people. “The status quo is not good enough,” he said. “I believe there are changes we can make that will benefit not just Britain but the rest of Europe, too.” Cameron’s newly elected government has promised Britons an E.U. membership in-out referendum by the end of 2017. — Reuters Saudi-led warplanes bombed Shiite rebels in their northern Yemeni stronghold Thursday as fighting raged in an oil-rich eastern province, security officials and tribesmen said. As the Saudi-led push against the Iran-backed Houthi rebels entered a third month, Amnesty International warned that civilians in Sanaa, the capital, are trapped in “a deadly crossfire” between the two sides.. Warplanes fired at least 20 missiles at Houthi positions in Saada province in the north and bombed Aden University in the south, officials said, adding that the school is thought to be a rebel hideout. Clashes between pro-government tribal fighters and Houthis were underway in the eastern Marib province, home to much of Yemen’s oil industry. Amnesty’s Senior Crisis Adviser Lama Fakih said that both the Saudi-led coalition and the rebels “have displayed a chilling indifference to the deadly impact of their actions on civilians.” — Associated Press Catholic Church leaders said Thursday that they no longer support the Burundi government’s decision to hold elections next month amid unrest over President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term. The Conference of Catholic Bishops of Burundi said it is withdrawing from a deal with the government for priests to monitor elections across the country, piling pressure on an administration facing international calls to postpone elections. Also on Thursday, the European Union said it was suspending its election observer mission over concerns about restrictions on the media, excessive use of force against demonstrators and the intimidation of opposition parties and civic groups. Burundi’s government says postponing elections would create a dangerous political vacuum and possibly lead to more unrest. Parliamentary elections are set for June 5, and the presidential election for June 26. — Associated Press Spain charges Boko Haram leader with terrorism: Spain’s state prosecutor charged Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the Nigerian Islamist militant group Boko Haram, with terrorism and crimes against humanity in a March 2013 attack on a Nigerian town in which a Spanish nun was assaulted, court papers said. At least 25 people were killed in the attack in the eastern town of Ganye. Court papers released Thursday said militants assaulted the nun, Maria Jesus Mayor, before she escaped into hiding; she was later rescued by Nigerian security services. Israel looks at defamation after suicide: Israeli lawmakers are looking to prevent online defamation after a public servant killed himself over an accusatory Facebook post. An African American immigrant to Israel wrote a post accusing an Interior Ministry official of racism. In her post, shared more than 6,000 times, Lee Lenoir Yurista wrote that she arrived at ministry offices with her children to get a passport for one of them. She said she was denied access to a shorter line for mothers with children, while others were not. In a statement issued before the suicide of Ariel Runis, the ministry told Channel 10 TV that Yurista had demanded immediate attention when others were ahead of her in line. Oxford names first female vice chancellor: Oxford University has nominated the first female vice chancellor in its history. The university said Louise Richardson, principal of Scotland’s University of St. Andrews, is to take the No. 2 post in 2016. The choice is subject to approval by the university’s legislative body. Oxford has never had a woman as chancellor, the top job. — From news services |