24 Colombian rebels disarm
Bogata, Colombia Two dozen Colombian rebels laid down their arms Wednesday in the first group demobilization ceremony of leftist guerrillas since President Alvaro Uribe took office three years ago, the government said.
The fighters were part of an urban faction of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, that operated around the city of Ibague, 80 miles west of Bogota, the government’s Peace Commission said in a statement.
The group’s commander, Raul Agudelo, was captured by the army last year and from jail made contacts with his fighters to persuade them to desert the FARC, said Carlos Cortes, a spokesman for the commission.
The 12,000-strong FARC, created in the 1960s, battles the Colombian government and illegal right-wing paramilitary groups in a drug trafficking-fueled conflict that claims more than 3,000 lives a year.
Violence mars Egyptian elections
Damanhur, Egypt Widespread violence marred the second round of Egypt’s parliamentary vote on Sunday as opposition supporters and police clashed with knives, metal chains and Molotov cocktails, officials said. At least one person was killed, and scores were wounded.
The violence was in sharp contrast to the Nov. 9 first round of voting, which passed in relative peace and saw the banned opposition Muslim Brotherhood party double its representation in parliament.
There are 1,706 candidates competing in 72 constituencies in this round of elections.
Police and Brotherhood supporters exchanged accusations over who started the melees, which also involved supporters of President Hosni Mubarak’s ruling National Democratic Party.
Turner wants Korean DMZ as peace park
United NationsMedia mogul Ted Turner wants to turn the Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas into a peace park and a U.N.-protected World Heritage Site to honor the thousands of young men who died during the Korean War.
Turner first raised the idea of a peace park during a visit to the two Koreas this summer, and urged both sides to sign a peace treaty as a first step. North and South Korea technically remain at war since their 1950-53 conflict ended in a cease-fire instead of a peace treaty.
But the CNN founder went further at a dinner Thursday night, saying the DMZ, which is 2 1/2 miles wide and 155 miles long, should also be declared a World Heritage Site, which would ensure that dozens of species unique to the area are preserved along with its history. The DMZ is about one-quarter the size of Yellowstone National Park and goes from seashore to seashore, through river valleys and across mountains.
“The DMZ needs to be designated as a World Heritage Site and as a World Peace Park site … ,” Turner said. “Over the last 50 years, nobody’s been in there, and the birds and animals and trees and bushes and flowers” have flourished, he added.
Egyptian twins return home after surgery
Cairo, Egypt Egyptian twins born joined at the top of the head returned to their home country on Sunday, still wearing protective helmets two years after a successful surgery in the United States to separate them.
“The dream of my life, to hold each of them separately, has come true,” their mother, Sabah Abu el-Wafa, told reporters after the family landed at Cairo’s airport. “I thank God for this miracle and thank everyone who helped us in Egypt and in the United States.”
Nasser Abdel Al, the twins’ Egyptian doctor, said they will wear the helmets for several months. They also must undergo physical therapy before they return to the United States in 18 months for further checking.