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WORLD NEWS IN BRIEF

KARACHI, Pakistan (AP) — Clashes broke out in Pakistan on Tuesday between police and protesters angered by the killing of a seven-year-old girl earlier this week, in violence that left

Team kept from alleged attack site in Syria

BEIRUT (AP) — Independent investigators were prevented by Syrian and Russian authorities Monday from reaching the scene of an alleged chemical attack near the Syrian capital, an official said, days after the U.S., France and Britain bombarded sites they said were linked to Syria’s chemical weapons program.

The lack of access to the town of Douma by inspectors from the watchdog group, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, has left questions about the April 7 attack unanswered.

Canadian alleged serial killer facing 8th murder charge

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian alleged serial killer Bruce McArthur is now facing an eighth murder charge — the death of a Sri Lankan man who had not been reported missing.

Toronto police Detective Sgt. Hank Idsinga said Monday the 66-year-old landscaper has been charged with firstdegree murder in the death of Kirushna Kumar Kanagaratnam.

Idsinga said Kanagaratnam’s remains were found at a home McArthur used as storage for his landscaping business. The remains of seven others have also been found in large planters at the home.

WORLD NEWS

Romania’s president won’t fire anti-graft prosecutor

Russia says alleged chemical attack in Syria staged by UK

MIKUMI NATIONAL PARK, Tanzania (AP) — The elephant staggered and keeled over in the tall grass in southern Tanzania, where some of the world’s worst poaching has happened.

Officials: 1 Palestinian killed, 223 wounded by Israeli fire

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — Thousands of Palestinians, some burning Israeli flags and torching tires, staged a mass protest on Gaza’s sealed border with Israel for a third consecutive Friday, as part of a pressure campaign to break a decade-old blockade of their territory.

Israeli live fire from across the border fence killed a 28-year-old Palestinian man and wounded at least 223, Gaza health officials said.

The death brought to 28 the number of protesters killed in two weeks, with more than 1,500 wounded by Israeli fire since March 30, they said.

Construction is booming in N. Korea but who’s paying?

PYONGYANG, North Korea (AP) — Beachfront, five-star hotels? Skyscrapers just blocks from Kim Il Sung Square?

North Korea is racing forward with major development projects some experts believe are aimed at expanding a market for rented or privately owned real estate to help fortify the finances of Kim Jong Un’s regime against the bite of sanctions over its nuclear program.

A swelling market for private property doesn’t sound very socialist, and it’s not.

WORLD NEWS

Renowned Mexican writer Sergio Pitol dies at 85

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican cultural officials are confirming the death of Sergio Pitol, the celebrated author, essayist and translator and winner of the 2005 Cervantes Prize — the most prestigious award for literature in the Spanish-speaking world. He was 85.

Alberto Salamanca is a spokesman for the Mexican government’s Department of Culture. He confirms that Pitol died Thursday morning.

Rebel missiles target Saudi capital

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Saudi Arabia faced a flurry of attempted attacks by Yemen’s rebels on Wednesday, with the kingdom’s defense forces saying they intercepted missiles that targeted Riyadh and another city, and drones targeting an airport and an Aramco oil facility in the country’s south.

Syria braces for possible US attack

BEIRUT (AP) — Syrians braced for a possible U.S. attack in retaliation to an alleged chemical assault that killed dozens over the weekend as activists reported Wednesday that government forces vacated strategic potential targets, including air bases around the country.

The Foreign Ministry in Damascus denounced President Donald Trump’s threat to attack the country as “reckless” and a danger to international peace and security.