MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — Islamic extremists attacked a popular Somalia restaurant in an overnight siege and killed 31 people — many at point-blank range — before they were slain by security forces, police said Thursday. Survivors described harrowing scenes of hiding under tables and behind curtains as the five gunmen hunted for victims in the … Continue reading
BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s government secured a deal to restore its authority over another rebellious Damascus suburb on Thursday while Syrian rebels captured new ground in a lightning advance on the central city of Hama and suspected government airstrikes killed 25 civilians in the surrounding province. The Syrian capital’s western suburb of Moadamiyeh, which a … Continue reading
HAVANA (AP) — The Colombian government and leftist FARC rebels announced on Wednesday that they have reached a deal on a bilateral cease-fire that would be the last major step toward ending one of the world’s longest wars. Colombia’s conflict has killed more than 220,000 people and displaced millions since 1964. But a 15-year, U.S.-backed … Continue reading
GENEVA (AP) — The Latest on Syrian peace talks in Geneva (all times local): 7 p.m. The U.N. envoy for Syria has announced a “temporary pause” in peace talks in Geneva amid intensified fighting, saying the process will resume later this month. Speaking to reporters after a meeting with opposition leaders, Staffan de … Continue reading
HAVANA (AP) — Colombia’s government and the country’s largest rebel group marked another milestone in their rapidly advancing peace talks Tuesday, jointly requesting that the United Nations establish an international observer mission to monitor a disarmament process that could end in a matter of weeks Latin America’s longest-running guerrilla conflict. Negotiators for the two sides … Continue reading
DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Mali’s government has exchanged 30 separatist rebels for the release of 16 soldiers, the government and a rebel group said Saturday, a move that shows progress after violence in August threatened to disrupt a peace accord. The soldiers and rebels were released last week, said Garibou Perou, spokesman for the Ministry … Continue reading
SHYROKYNE, Ukraine (AP) — Fighting raged overnight and in the early hours on Tuesday on the outskirts of the rebel stronghold of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine despite an agreement reached by the Ukrainian and Russian foreign ministers a day earlier. The yearlong military conflict between Russian-backed rebels and government forces has claimed more than 6,000 … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 