34 dead in east congo after attack
KINSHASA, Congo — Armed fighters attacked a town in eastern Congo late at night, massacring at least 34 people including women and children who were at a local church, officials said Saturday.
Provincial interior minister Jean Julien Miruho said the violence in Mutarule late Friday left at least 27 others wounded. Miruho said the identity of the assailants was unknown, though he believed the violence stemmed from livestock disputes in the area, about 40 miles from Bukavu.
Pakistan politician released •LONDON — London police conditionally released one of Pakistan’s best-known politicians Saturday, but said they still are investigating him for alleged money laundering.
Altaf Hussain, 60, declared his innocence hours after the exiled leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement walked free on police-imposed bail conditions. Police said he must return to their custody next month for renewed questioning.
North Korea detains Ohio man •SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea has detained a 56-year-old man from Ohio, accusing him of an unspecified crime after he traveled to the communist-led country as a tourist, the nation’s state news agency and the man’s family said. The North is now holding three Americans.
The state-run Korean Central News Agency identified the latest detainee as Jeffrey Edward Fowle. It said Friday that he arrived in North Korea on April 29, and authorities were investigating him for committing acts inconsistent with the purpose of a tourist visit.
Egypt court sentences 10 Islamists to death in absentia •CAIRO — An Egyptian court sentenced 10 Islamist supporters of ousted President Mohammed Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood movement to death in absentia Saturday on charges of inciting violence and blocking a road last July.
Judge Hassan Fareed, presiding over a court in the Nile Delta town of Banha, referred the sentence to the Grand Mufti, the highest Islamic authority in Egypt, a legal requirement usually considered a formality.
Heat sparks riots in India •LUCKNOW, India — Thousands of people enraged by power cuts during an extreme heat wave rioted across northern India, setting electricity substations on fire and taking power company officials hostage, officials said Saturday.
The impoverished state of Uttar Pradesh has never had enough power for its 200 million people — 63 percent of homes have no access to electricity at all. But recent temperatures that soared to 117 degrees caused power demand to spike at 11,000 megawatts — far higher than the state’s 8,000 MW capacity — triggering blackouts that shut down fans, water pumps and air conditioners.
Israeli exits presidential race •JERUSALEM — A senior Israeli politician on Saturday dropped out of the country’s presidential election days before the vote over a graft probe.
Labor Party candidate Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, a former general and seasoned politician, had been questioned by police over illegally accepting funds. Ben-Elieer said he was a victim of a smear campaign, noting that the allegations against him surfaced ahead of the election.
Israel’s presidential election, a secret ballot vote among the Israeli parliament’s 120 members, will be held Tuesday. Denver Post wire services
