The world in brief

Red Cross discloses sexual misconduct

LONDON -- The International Committee of the Red Cross has joined the list of prominent charities that have uncovered sexual misconduct among its staff.

Director-General Yves Daccord says 21 staff members have resigned or been fired since 2015 after violating policy by paying for sexual services. Two others did not have their contracts renewed because of suspected sexual misconduct.

"I am deeply saddened to report these numbers," he said. "This behavior is a betrayal of the people and the communities we are there to serve."

Daccord said because of the decentralized nature of the sprawling aid agency, which has more than 17,000 employees worldwide, it is possible that other incidents were not reported or properly handled.

Plan International UK also has disclosed wrongdoing. The charity group says it has confirmed six cases of sexual abuse of children by staff members, volunteers or partner organizations and has pledged to do more to prevent misconduct.

Charities in the U.K. have been under increased scrutiny in recent weeks after allegations that senior staff members from the British aid organization Oxfam used prostitutes and downloaded pornography while working in Haiti after the 2010 earthquake.

ISIS claims 2 deadly blasts in Yemen

SANAA, Yemen -- Two car-bomb explosions killed at least six people and wounded 43 others including civilians Saturday in Yemen's southern city of Aden, security officials and witnesses said, in an attack later claimed by the Islamic State group.

The explosions targeted the site of an anti-terrorism military camp with detention facilities for suspected militants, the officials said, adding that those killed included three civilians and three security personnel. They said that the casualties were taken to hospitals.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity either because they feared retaliation or were not authorized to brief the media.

The Islamic State's statement, carried by its Aamaq news agency, said two suicide bomb attacks had struck the anti-terrorism camp in Aden.

Aden has been the seat of President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi's government since 2014, when Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, seized the capital, Sanaa, and forced him into self-exile. A Saudi-led coalition backing Hadi has been at war with the Houthis since March 2015.

Pakistan pledges to curb terror money

ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's interior minister says the Islamic nation will expedite steps to curb terror financing and money laundering a day after the country avoided ending up on a global task force's terror watch list.

Ahsan Iqbal in Saturday's remarks said Pakistan's performance in the war on terror was better than others, but the country still faced pressure from Washington.

Pakistan on Friday escaped a motion to put it on a "gray list" by the Financial Action Task Force, which met in Paris. The U.S. and Britain had jointly submitted a letter to the task force, nominating it for placement on the watch list.

Pakistan was on a list from 2012-2015 and feared a return would deter foreign investment and hurt access to international financial markets.

3 bombs go off in troubled Burma state

BANGKOK -- One of several bombs targeting government offices and other places in Burma's troubled Rakhine state exploded Saturday morning, injuring a police officer, authorities said.

In all, three bombs exploded and three unexploded devices were seized in Sittwe, the state capital. One of the explosions was in front of a high-ranking government official's residence, state police officer Aung Myat Moe said.

"There were three bomb explosions around 4 a.m. this morning where one policeman was slightly injured and we are still investigating crime scenes," he said.

Last month, police fired at protesters in the ancient city of Mrauk-U, killing at least seven Rakhine Buddhists and injuring a dozen. A township administrator was later found slain in his car by the side of the road.

Communal violence in Sittwe in 2012 displaced more than 120,000 Rohingya Muslims now confined to camps outside the city, where most Rakhine Buddhists remain.

A Section on 02/25/2018

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