A round-up of today's other world news in brief
Obama's half-brother denied UK visa
LONDON – US president Barack Obama's half-brother has been denied a visa to come back to Britain after he earlier gave a false name to police when accused of an attempted sexual assault.
A database showed that British police arrested Samson Obama, who lives in Kenya, last November after he allegedly tried to sexually assault a young girl, the News of the Worldsaid.
Mr Obama gave officers a false identity at the time of his arrest, claiming to be Henry Aloo, the report said. He was fingerprinted but not charged, and left Britain.
He tried to enter Britain again to visit relatives while on his way to Mr Obama’s inauguration in January but immigration officials barred him. – (Reuters)
Eggs generated from stem cells
HONG KONG – Researchers in China say they have managed to generate new eggs using stem cells from the ovaries of young and adult female mice, taking a step towards addressing problems of female infertility.
It is currently accepted in scientific circles that the production of eggs, known as oocytes, stops before birth for most species of mammals, including humans.
Scientists in China said they have found a way to generate new eggs using stem cells harvested from the ovaries of juvenile and adult female mice. – (Reuters)
Darfur kidnappers threaten to kill
KHARTOUM – Kidnappers holding two foreign aid workers in Sudan’s Darfur province said they will kill them unless Paris retried members of a French group convicted but later pardoned of the abduction of children from Chad.
An unnamed member of a group holding the two female aid workers and calling itself the Freedom Eagles of Africa threatened to target French interests in Sudan, Chad and the Central African Republic.
Stephanie Joidon, a Canadian, and Claire Dubois, a French national, working for Aid Médicale International (AMI), were seized at gunpoint from their compound in the south Darfur settlement of Ed el Fursan on April 4th.
“We demand France open the case of the Zoe’s Ark criminals and judge them through a fair court,” the abductors said. – (Reuters)
Twenty killed in livestock dispute
BANGUI – More than 20 people were killed yesterday when farmers and traders fought over cattle at a market near the capital of Central African Republic.
The dispute centred on the ownership of cattle stolen by highway robbers over a week ago but later recovered from the bandits and brought to the market just outside Bangui. – (Reuters)
Libya picks new spymaster
TRIPOLI – Libya has picked a successor to Moussa Koussa as head of the Foreign Intelligence Service, six weeks after Mr Koussa took over as foreign minister.
Analysts had wondered whether president Col Muammar Gadafy would let Koussa keep his position as spymaster. The new chief is Abu Zaid Omar Dourdaa, a former deputy prime minister. – (Reuters)