BURKINA FASO
Military dissolves government in coup
Burkina Faso’s military seized the airwaves and installed a general loyal to the former president as the new head of state on Thursday, carrying out a coup just weeks before national elections.
The developments capped a dramatic year in this West African country, where President Blaise Compaoré was ousted in a popular uprising in October after he tried to prolong his 27-year rule.
That paved the way for the formation of a transitional government, but soldiers arrested the interim president and prime minister late Wednesday and announced hours later that they had been removed from office.
The political unrest sparked violence in the streets. The presidential guard opened fire with live ammunition to disperse crowds protesting the coup, witnesses said.
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The coup is the country’s sixth since it won independence from France in 1960.
The coup leaders later announced that Gen. Gilbert Diendere, head of the elite presidential guard under Compaoré and his longtime aide, was now in charge of the nation.
Speaking on state TV and radio early Thursday, Lt. Col. Mamadou Bamba said that the transitional government was dissolved and that the interim president was no longer in power. He announced the beginning of a “coherent, fair and equitable process” that would lead to inclusive elections.
— Associated Press
PAKISTAN
Six militants killed in attack on air base
Militants in northwestern Pakistan attacked an air force base on the outskirts of Peshawar early Friday, triggering a shootout that left at least six of the attackers dead, the army said.
The assault on the Badaber air base came as the army has been carrying out a major military operation against local and foreign militants in the North Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
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Six of the attackers were killed and two soldiers wounded in the attack, army spokesman Maj. Gen. Asim Saleem Bajwa said.
He said the attackers stormed the guard room of the base, but the attack was quickly repulsed. Security forces were engaged in clearing up operations and were searching for militants who might be hiding in the area, he said.
A spokesman for the Pakistani Taliban, Mohamad Khurasani, claimed responsibility for the attack.
The Badaber air base, established in the 1960s, was not functional and was mainly used to house the employees and officers of the air force.
— Associated Press
SOUTH SUDAN
Share this articleShareAt least 85 killed in fuel tanker explosion
A fuel truck exploded in South Sudan, killing scores of people who had converged around the vehicle to siphon fuel, officials said Thursday.
Eighty-five people were killed in the accidental explosion in Western Equatoria state on Wednesday, presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said. However, the provincial governor, Patrick Raphael Zamoi, cited a death toll of 176 and said others were critically injured.
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The explosion occurred after the truck veered off the road, according to Ateny.
Citing local authorities, he said the tanker was “full of petrol,” which started to leak. Residents apparently were siphoning off the fuel when someone lighted a cigarette, sparking an explosion.
Deadly fuel tanker explosions are common in East Africa, where poor residents living near highways converge around fuel tankers involved in accidents to steal gas and then sell it.
In June 2013, 29 people were killed and scores were injured in an explosion after a collision between a fuel truck and a passenger van in the Ugandan capital.
— Associated Press
ROMANIA
Premier indicted on corruption charges
Romanian prosecutors on Thursday formally indicted Prime Minister Victor Ponta on corruption charges, including tax evasion and money laundering, and said he will be tried by the country’s top court.
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Ponta will not be arrested, said Livia Sapalcan, a spokeswoman for the prosecutors’ office.
The 42-year-old Ponta is the first sitting Romanian prime minister to be indicted and have his assets seized. He denies wrongdoing and has refused to resign.
Four other people also have been indicted in the case.
Prosecutors say Ponta forged expense claims worth at least $45,000 during his time at a law firm belonging to political ally Dan Sova, who also was indicted. They say he pretended to work as a lawyer to justify getting money from the firm. The funds were used to pay for two luxury apartments and the use of an SUV.
Prosecutors say that since Ponta became prime minister in May 2012, he has appointed Sova as a minister three times, which constituted a conflict of interest.
— Associated Press
Aid group says cholera killed 16 in Nigeria: Cholera has killed 16 people in three camps in Nigeria housing more than 1 million people who have fled the Boko Haram Islamist insurgency, the medical charity Doctors Without Borders said, calling on other aid agencies to help. Almost 200 people have been admitted since Tuesday to its 100-bed cholera treatment center in Maiduguri, in Borno state, the charity said. Cholera can be fatal if not treated.
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More than 1,000 pilgrims evacuated in Saudi hotel fire: More than 1,000 pilgrims in Saudi Arabia were evacuated from a hotel in Mecca after a fire broke out ahead of the hajj, emergency officials said. Authorities said the blaze started on the eighth floor of the 11-story hotel. Officials said two pilgrims were treated for injuries. The hajj is expected to start Monday. The fire comes after a crane collapse in Mecca last Friday killed at least 111 people.
— From news services
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