In brief: N. Korea subject of U.N. investigation
GENEVA – The United Nations’ top human rights body on Thursday unanimously approved a formal probe into North Korea for possible crimes against humanity.
The 47-nation U.N. Human Rights Council signed off on the resolution backed by the U.S., Japan and the European Union that authorizes an investigation into what U.N. officials describe as suspected widespread and systematic violations of human rights in North Korea.
North Korea’s U.N. Ambassador in Geneva, So Se Pyong, fiercely denounced the move, calling the resolution “no more than an instrument that serves the political purposes of the hostile forces in their attempt to discredit the image of the DPRK and to change the socialist system chosen and developed by our people.”
Kurd leader urges cease-fire in Turkey
BEIRUT – A jailed Kurdish militant leader called Thursday on guerrillas battling Turkey’s government to lay down their arms as part of a cease-fire, a development that could mark the beginning of the end of decades of bloody conflict that have cost tens of thousands of lives.
“Let guns be silent and politics dominate,” Abdullah Ocalan, imprisoned head of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, said in a message read at a massive rally in the southeastern Turkish city of Diyarbakir, Reuters news service reported. The Turkish media heralded the statement as the start of a cease-fire and the possible negotiation of a comprehensive peace plan between the PKK and the government.
Car bomb kills 13 in refugee camp
PESHAWAR, Pakistan – A car packed with explosives blew up inside a refugee camp on Thursday, killing 13 people.
The Taliban have been waging a bloody insurgency against the government in an attempt to establish an Islamic state and end Pakistan’s cooperation with the United States in fighting militancy.
In addition to the 13 killed, another 25 people were wounded in the blast that happened just as hundreds of people lined up to get food, police officials said.
Scots set date for independence vote
LONDON – Voters in Scotland will head to the polls in September 2014 to decide whether to go it alone as an independent country or remain in Great Britain with England and Wales.
Alex Salmond, Scotland’s first minister, unveiled the date of the milestone vote Thursday in the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh. “I’m honored to announce that on Thursday, the 18th of September, 2014, we will hold Scotland’s referendum, a historic day when the people will decide Scotland’s future.”
100 hurt in crashes during blizzard
EDMONTON, Alberta – A blizzard sweeping across the Canadian plains caused a chain of traffic crashes south of Edmonton, Alberta, injuring about 100 travelers, officials said Thursday.
One person was seriously hurt and about 80 were treated at the site, said Kerry Williamson of the Alberta Health Services office. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police closed part of Highway 2, the main road between Edmonton and Calgary, and were directing traffic away from the collision scene, said RCMP Staff Sgt. Grant MacDonald.