23 KILLED IN FEUD BETWEEN FAMILIES IN SOUTH EGYPT
luxor, egypt A bloody feud in southern Egypt between an Arab clan and a Nubian family killed at least 23 people in two days of fighting, leaving bodies strewn on hospital floors and homes torched in its wake, government officials and witnesses said Saturday.
An Interior Ministry statement said the fighting in Aswan province erupted over the harassment of a girl, and students from the two sides later sprayed offensive graffiti at a local school. Vendetta killings are common in southern Egypt, where perceived violations of honor often spark violence, but this violence apparently raged while security forces did nothing to stop it.
Israeli negotiator says peace talks in crisis
jerusalem » Israel’s chief negotiator with the Palestinians said she sees difficulty moving ahead with peace talks as the two sides— joined by a U.S. team— prepare for discussions Sunday on whether to revive the effort.
“The past week wasn’t a good week, and we will have to fight to see how we can correct and move forward,” JusticeMinister Tzipi Livni said Saturday on Israel’s Channel 2 television.
Paris’ first female mayor takes office
paris » The first female mayor of Paris took office Saturday, hailing a “great advance for all women” and saying she feels the weight of responsibility in her new job.
Anne Hidalgo donned the red, white and blue mayoral sash Saturday after a City Hall vote enshrining her victory in the capital as part of nationwide municipal elections March 30.
Explosions, clashes kill 21 in Iraq
baghdad » An explosion at a booby-trapped house, ensuing clashes with militants and roadside bombings killed 21 soldiers Saturday in Iraq, authorities said.
The house explosion happened Saturday afternoon when a group of soldiers searched a farmhouse in Garma, an area near the city of Fallujah, 40 miles west of the capital, police said. Minutes later, police said gunmen opened fire on arriving soldiers. The blast and clashes killed 15 soldiers and wounded 24, as well as leveled the home, officials said.
Pakistan to release Taliban prisoners B »
islamabad Pakistan’s interior minister said Saturday that the government will release 13 Taliban prisoners to aid ongoing peace talks with militants.
Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said he hopes the Taliban will release some of its own prisoners as well. Khan said some of those being released by the government were on a Taliban list. The next round of talks will be held next week, and the number of released prisoner might rise to 30, Khan said.
Brazilian forces raid Rio slum
rio de janeiro » More than 2,000 Brazilian soldiers stormed into a Rio de Janeiro slum complex Saturday with armored personnel carriers and helicopters in a bid to improve security two months before the start of the World Cup.
As dawn broke, the heavily armed soldiers entered the sprawling Mare shantytown— considered one of Rio’s most violent and dangerous— which has been ruled by drug gangs for decades.
The 2,050 Army soldiers, 450 Marines and 200 police officers that entered the Mare slum complex early Saturday are expected to remain in Mare until the end of July.
Mafia boss arrested in Britain
london » A convicted Mafia boss was back in custody Saturday, just amonth after he avoided extradition from Britain to Italy.
Domenico Rancadore, 65, had won the right to stay in the United Kingdom after a judge ruled last month that he should not be extradited to Italy because overcrowding in prisons there could violate his rights. But British police re-arrested him in London on Friday after they received a new arrest warrant request from Italy.