MiamiHerald.com: World Wires

UAE construction giant faces rare labor strike

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:46 EDT

United Arab Emirates-based construction company Arabtec says it's working to resolve a rare strike by laborers seeking higher wages.

Chinese police detain gay pride march organizer

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:42 EDT

Police in central China have detained the 18-year-old organizer of a gay pride march in a sign of the government's nervousness over a growing civil society movement and demands for stronger individual rights.

Spokesman for Ansar Dine arrested in Mauritania

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:32 EDT

The man who acted as the spokesman for one of the three al-Qaida-linked groups occupying northern Mali turned himself in over the weekend to Mauritanian authorities on the border, an intelligence official briefed on the matter confirmed on Monday.

Rebels attack C. African Republic villages; 8 dead

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:13 EDT

Residents say armed men invaded a remote village in Central African Republic and killed six people.

Rights group criticizes Sri Lanka's rights record

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:07 EDT

An international human rights group said Monday that respect for basic rights and liberties has declined in Sri Lanka in the four years since the government defeated separatist Tamil rebels to end a civil war.

Uganda police raid newspaper over general's letter

Mon, 20 May 2013 08:07 EDT

Ugandan police forcibly entered the premises of an independent newspaper to look for evidence against an army general who recently questioned the president's alleged plan to have his son succeed him, witnesses said Monday.

Israel bank heist kills 4; robber takes own life

Mon, 20 May 2013 07:51 EDT

Israeli police say a bungled bank robbery in a southern city left four people dead before the gunman took his own life.

Russia targets pollster for 'political activity'

Mon, 20 May 2013 07:51 EDT

Russia's only independent polling agency said Monday it may have to close after prosecutors targeted it for "political activity" under a law spearheading President Vladimir Putin's crackdown on civil society.

Spokesman for Ansar Dine arrested in Mauritania

Mon, 20 May 2013 07:46 EDT

A government official says the spokesman for one of the al-Qaida-linked groups that occupied and controlled northern Mali for much of last year turned himself in to authorities on the border with Mauritania.

Suspected US drone kills 2 in Yemen

Mon, 20 May 2013 07:31 EDT

Yemeni security and military officials say a suspected U.S. drone has killed two militants in a town in the center of the country.

Large earthquake strikes off coast of Chile

Mon, 20 May 2013 07:21 EDT

The U.S. Geological Survey says a magnitude-6.5 earthquake has struck off the coast of Chile.

51 die in 2 South Sudan clashes; army retakes town

Mon, 20 May 2013 07:07 EDT

Twenty-four people died in a battle between South Sudan's military and rebel fighters the government believes to be supported by neighboring Sudan, while a tribe-on-tribe cattle-raiding attack elsewhere in the country killed 27 people, officials said Monday.

Seoul: Day 3 of NKorea tests of short-range weapon

Mon, 20 May 2013 07:07 EDT

North Korea continued firing short-range weapons over its own eastern waters Monday after a weekend of what it called "rocket launching tests" intended to bolster deterrence against enemy attack. South Korean officials were investigating exactly what it was that Pyongyang was testing.

Correction: Tunisia-Salafi Crackdown story

Mon, 20 May 2013 07:01 EDT

In a May 15 story about the Tunisian government taking a harder line on preaching by ultraconservative Muslim groups ahead of this past weekend's conference by the group known as Ansar al-Shariah, The Associated Press reported erroneously that about 40,000 people attended the group's conference last year. About 4,000 people attended the conference in Kairouan in 2012.

Ukrainian media protest after journalists beaten

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:31 EDT

Several dozen journalists rallied outside Ukraine's Interior Ministry in Kiev on Monday, accusing police of standing by while two journalists covering an opposition rally were beaten.

Gunfire from Syria hits Israeli-controlled Golan

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:31 EDT

The Israeli military says gunfire from Syria has hit the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights overnight.

M23 rebels clash with soldiers in east Congo

Mon, 20 May 2013 06:31 EDT

Clashes erupted Monday in eastern Congo between government troops and a rebel group believed to be backed by neighboring Rwanda, the first fighting between the groups since the M23 rebels overtook and later retreated from the provincial capital Goma last year.

Vandals target Israeli women's prayer group

Mon, 20 May 2013 05:46 EDT

Israeli police say vandals have spray-panted slogans on the home of one of the leaders of a liberal Jewish women's group that has angered ultra-Orthodox communities over its demands for equality of worship.

Malaysia court orders release of 3 terror suspects

Mon, 20 May 2013 05:12 EDT

A Malaysian court has ordered the release of an al-Qaida-linked former army captain and two other suspects charged with inciting terrorist acts.

Iran says producing new air defense missile

Mon, 20 May 2013 05:12 EDT

Iran says it has started mass producing a new sophisticated air defense missile system capable of engaging low-altitude aircraft.