Burkina Faso opposition parties, African Union reject army takeover
Burkina Faso's opposition parties and the African Union have rejected the
army's seizure of power in the West African country after the resignation of
President Blaise Compaore.
The military top brass has named Lieutenant Colonel Isaac Zida, deputy
commander of the elite presidential guard, as head of state on Saturday.
A power struggle within the armed forces was resolved by sidelining the chief of
staff.
Compaore stepped down on Friday after two days of mass demonstrations
against his attempts to change the constitution to extend his 27 years in power.
Compaore seized power in a 1987 military coup.
Branson vows to find out cause of spacecraft crash
British billionaire Richard Branson has vowed to find out what caused the crash
of his prototype space tourism rocket, which killed one pilot and badly injured
another.
After arriving at the crash site in the Mojave Desert in California, the founder of
space travel firm Virgin Galactic also sounded a cautious note about any move
to quickly push the project forward.
A team of US federal accident investigators has also arrived.
Branson has been the front-runner in the fledgling space tourism industry.
His Virgin Galactic plans to fly passengers to altitudes more than 62 miles above
the Earth but test flights so far had been well below that.
Boko Haram denies truce, kidnapped girls married
The leader of Nigeria's Islamic extremist group Boko Haram has denied
agreeing to any cease-fire with the government.
In a new video released late Friday, Abubakar Shekau also said more than 200
kidnapped schoolgirls all have converted to Islam and been married off.
The revelation dashed hopes for a prisoner exchange to get the girls released.
Earlier last month, a senior Nigerian military leader announced that Boko Haram
had agreed to an immediate cease-fire to end a five-year insurgency.
But attacks and abductions have continued with the extremists this week
seizing Mubi, a town of more than 200,000 people.
7.1-magnitude quake hits 141 km NE of Ndoi Island, Fiji
A magnitude 7.1 earthquake struck in the South Pacific on Saturday.
The US Geological Survey says the quake struck at a depth of more than 430 km,
some 140 km northeast of Ndoi Island of Fiji.
There was no immediate tsunami alert following the quake, according to the
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
Egypt jails 8 men over "gay wedding"
An Egyptian court has sentenced eight men to three years in prison for
appearing in a video of an alleged gay wedding and posting it online.
The court described the video posted in August on YouTube and social media
websites as "an invitation to immorality."
Homosexuality is a taboo in Egypt and most Muslim countries that consider it
contrary to religion and morality.
China to help Afghanistan in conducting national infrastructural plan: Ghani
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani says China will help his country frame a National
Infrastructural Plan in the coming six months.
Speaking after his return from a four-day visit to China, Ghani says a high
ranking Chinese delegation will visit Afghanistan soon to work on the plan.
He also revealed that China had agreed to train and equip the Afghan National
Security Forces in countering roadside bombs and landmines.
During Ghani's visit here in Beijing, China pledged 1.5 billion yuan or more than
240 million US dollars to Afghanistan in the upcoming three years, including 500
million yuan by the end of 2014.
China ratifies national Constitution Day
China's top legislature has designated Dec. 4 as Constitution Day amid a drive
to advance the rule of law.
The move by the National People's Congress' Standing Committee aims to
increase awareness of the constitution, promote its spirit, and strengthen its
implementation.
The holiday will be marked by activities to promote the constitution around the
country.
China's top legislature adopted the Constitution on Dec. 4, 1982 based on a
previous version enacted in 1954.
At a recent key Party conference, the central authorities pledged to improve the
socialist system of laws with Chinese characteristics, in which the Constitution is
taken as the core.
China amends law to support citizens suing gov't
China's top legislature has adopted an amendment to the Administrative
Procedure Law, aiming to expand the people's right to sue the government.
Lawmakers say the amendment makes it easier for citizens to take the
government to court, adding it would provide a more solid legal foundation for
administrative and judicial reforms.
One of the revisions compels defendants to personally appear before the court.
Currently most defendants ask their lawyers or other staff to represent them in
court.
Inmate flees prison in south China
Police in south China's Guangdong are hunting down an inmate who escaped
from a prison in Shaoguan city.
28-year-old Li Mengjun was convicted of robbery in 2006 and is on death
reprieve.
It's the second jailbreak in China in less than two months.
In early September, three inmates escaped from a detention center after killing
a guard in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang.
All three were later recaptured.