Ten Afghan cops shot dead in Kandahar
Reuters, Kandahar
A rogue policeman collaborating with insurgents in southern Afghanistan shot dead 10 colleagues on Tuesday after first poisoning their food, an official said.
The latest in a long series of so-called insider attacks took place at a checkpoint in the Chenartu district of the volatile southern province of Uruzgan, district chief Faiz Mohmmad told Reuters.
Nearly 10,000 displaced by Darfur clashes
AFP, Khartoum
Clashes between Sudanese forces and rebels in conflict-hit Darfur have forced some 10,000 people to flee their homes, the UN-African Union mission in the region (UNAMID) said on Monday.
The fighting flared last week around Jebel Marra, a mountainous area straddling South, Central and North Darfur states seen as a stronghold of the rebel Sudan Liberation Army led by Abdelwahid Nur (SLA-AW).
Taiwan stages military drills off Chinese coast
AP, Kinmen
Taiwan held small-scale military drills on an island it controls just off the Chinese coast Tuesday, in a renewed signal of its determination to defend itself from Chinese threats.The head of Kinmen’s defense command said the beach landing exercise and simulated attack by the navy’s elite “frogman” commandos were to show the ability of the armed forces to provide security in the Taiwan Strait ahead of next month’s Lunar New Year holiday.
Libyan parliament rejects unity govt
Reuters, Benghazi
Libya’s internationally recognized parliament voted on Monday to reject a unity government proposed under a United Nations-backed plan to resolve the country’s political crisis and armed conflict.
Though not a surprise, the rejection was a setback in efforts to heal Libya’s deep divides. Of 104 members who attended the session in the eastern city of Tobruk, 89 voted against an administration nominated last week, demanding a new proposal within 10 days.
