Progress made in S. Sudan unity talks
BAHIR DAR, Ethiopia -- South Sudan's warring factions agreed on the installation of a federal system of government in South Sudan, mediators announced Tuesday, saying progress was made in talks aimed at finding a political solution to violence in the country.
The structure and functions of a transitional government of national unity have been "mostly agreed on," said the regional body known as IGAD, which is mediating ongoing talks in neighboring Ethiopia.
Mediators said that though both sides agreed "in principle" to set up a federal system of government, they have not agreed on when to introduce it. Representatives of the rebels want immediate implementation, but the government favors a 30-month transitional period.
South Sudan was plunged into violence in December after the government of President Salva Kiir accused the ousted vice president, Riek Machar, of launching a failed coup. Thousands of people have since been killed, and 1.3 million have been displaced by violence pitting government forces against renegade troops across the country.
Iran to equip Lebanon army, official says
BEIRUT -- Iran will supply the Lebanese army with military equipment to be used in fighting Muslim extremist groups, a visiting senior Iranian official said Tuesday.
The announcement marks the first time Iran has said it would give Lebanon military assistance. Tehran has offered help in the past, but such help did not materialize because of divisions among Lebanese political groups over Iran.
Iran is the main backer of Lebanon's militant Hezbollah group, which has a force more powerful than the Lebanese national army. The group has thousands of rockets and missiles -- many of them from Iran.
Ali Shamkhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, did not say what type of military equipment Iran would provide. He said the details would be announced during a coming visit by Lebanon's defense minister to Tehran.
Thai to die for girl's rape-killing on train
BANGKOK -- A former railway worker in Thailand was sentenced to death Tuesday for raping a 13-year-old girl on an overnight train, then killing her and throwing her body out the window.
The attacker, 22-year-old Wanchai Saengkhao, was a temporary train employee whose job it was to make beds in the sleeper cars. He confessed to drinking beer with his colleagues and taking drugs during his shift and then raping the girl, who was sleeping in a lower bunk during a trip to Bangkok.
The Hua Hin provincial court on Tuesday convicted Wanchai of murder, raping a minor, concealing the body to hide the cause of death and other charges. It said Wanchai's crimes were "outrageous," "inhumane" and "could have an impact on society's order."
The court also sentenced a 19-year-old train employee to four years in jail for aiding Wanchai with the rape.
The case raised questions about the safety of Thailand's long-distance trains, which are popular with tourists. As a result of the July attack, the State Railway of Thailand introduced special carriages for women and children for overnight trains on main routes.
Libya militias reject U.N. calls for truce
CAIRO -- Islamist-allied militias in control of the Libyan capital and the country's top religious body on Tuesday rejected United Nations-led talks that have called for a cease-fire in the battered nation.
The U.N. envoy to Libya, Bernardino Leon, is trying to broker a truce amid a deep polarization that has left Libya torn between two rival governments and parliaments.
The Libya Dawn umbrella group, which is in control of Tripoli, said on its Facebook page Tuesday that the only way to end the fighting is to disarm its rivals and hunt down their leaders.
Libya Dawn's recent takeover of Tripoli followed weeks of fighting that forced nearly a quarter of a million Libyans to flee their homes and prompted an exodus of diplomats and foreigners from the city. Once in control of the capital, the militias revived the country's outgoing parliament, dominated by Islamist lawmakers.
Meanwhile, Libya's elected -- and internationally recognized -- parliament based in the eastern city of Tobruk wields little influence.
A Section on 10/01/2014