24 December 2013 Last updated at 09:06 GMT
By CHOE SANG-HUN and DAVID E. SANGER
SEOUL, South Korea — The execution of the uncle of Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader, had its roots in a firefight between forces loyal to Mr. Kim and those supporting the man who was supposed to be his regent, according to accounts that are being pieced together by South Korean and American officials. The clash was over who would profit from North Korea’s most lucrative exports: coal, clams and crabs.
North Korean military forces were deployed to retake control of one of the sources of those exports, the rich crab and clam fishing grounds that Jang Song-thaek, the uncle of the country’s untested, 30-year-old leader, had seized from the military. In the battle for control of the fishing grounds, the emaciated, poorly trained North Korean forces “were beaten — very badly — by Uncle Jang’s loyalists,” according to one official.
South Sudan sees 'mass ethnic killings'
New evidence is emerging of alleged ethnic killings committed during more than a week of fighting in South Sudan.
The violence follows a power struggle between President Salva Kiir, a Dinka, and his Nuer ex-deputy Riek Machar.
A reporter in the capital, Juba, quoted witnesses as saying more than 200 people, mostly from the Nuer ethnic group, were shot by security forces.
Another man in Juba said gunmen from the majority Dinka ethnic group were shooting people in Nuer areas.
The fighting first erupted in Juba last week and has spread throughout South Sudan, with rebels supporting Mr Machar seizing the major towns of Bor and Bentiu, north of the capital.
Greeks protest after 150 Syrian refugees disappear from northern village
Activists say group was likely forced back into Turkey by police as part of campaign of enforced deportation
Not much happens in Praggi. So when 150 Syrian refugees arrived in the village, high in the flatlands of far-flung north-eastern Greece, it was not something residents were likely to forget.
Some of the Syrians were huddled against the biting cold in the courtyard of the church; others had congregated beneath the trees of a nearby forest. All had made the treacherous journey from Turkey – crossing the fast-flowing waters of the Evros river – in a bid to flee their country's war. Then came the white police vans and the Syrian men, women and children were gone.
"Ever since we have lost all trace of them," said Vasillis Papadopoulos, a lawyer who defends the rights of migrants and refugees. "They just disappeared. Our firm belief is that they were pushed back into Turkey."
Ten things you should know about Mikhail Kalashnikov, the inventor of the AK-47
December 24, 2013 - 3:19PM
Mikhail Kalashnikov, the man credited as being the inventor of the world’s most famous assault rifle, has died at the age of 94. Here are 10 facts about the inventor and his invention:
1. An image of the Kalashnikov appears on Mozambique’s national flag as a symbol of the country's struggle for independence from Portugal, its former colonial master.
2. In some African countries the name “Kalash”, short for Kalashnikov, is a common boy's name.
3. The AK-47 has only eight moving parts, can be broken down and reassembled in 30 seconds and will work in conditions that would render many other small arms inoperable.
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4. In his youth, Mikhail Kalashnikov dreamed of becoming a poet and wrote poetry his entire life. "There are many bad poets out there without me," he said 2009. "I went along a different path."
5. While he was always proud of his invention, he once said he wished he had invented something that farmers could use, such as a lawnmower.
Syrian air strikes pummel Aleppo. Time for an international no-fly zone?
Air strikes on Aleppo in northern Syria have killed hundreds of people in the past week. Regime forces are using "barrel bombs" on targets that reportedly include markets, hospitals, and schools.
Much of the northern Syria city of Aleppo, part of which rebels once optimistically called "Free Syria territory," has been reduced to rubble by a particularly fierce government bombing campaign.
By most accounts, hundreds have been killed in the offensive, which has been going on for more than a week now. Civilian targets such as schools, hospitals, and markets have reportedly been targeted.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based Syrian opposition group, said at least 65 were killed when "explosive-laden barrel bombs" were dropped on a market area Sunday, making it the deadliest day of the offensive, according to the Associated Press.
The use of barrel bombs is a particularly lethal development. They contain "hundreds of pounds of explosives and shrapnel that include metal shards and iron nails," according to a New York Times report from Dec. 16, one of the early days of the operation. Human rights groups have described them as "a particularly insidious weapon that kills indiscriminately." CNN reports that the bombs "can level entire buildings with one hit."
Korea Execution Is Tied to Clash Over Businesses
By CHOE SANG-HUN and DAVID E. SANGERSEOUL, South Korea — The execution of the uncle of Kim Jong-un, North Korea’s leader, had its roots in a firefight between forces loyal to Mr. Kim and those supporting the man who was supposed to be his regent, according to accounts that are being pieced together by South Korean and American officials. The clash was over who would profit from North Korea’s most lucrative exports: coal, clams and crabs.
North Korean military forces were deployed to retake control of one of the sources of those exports, the rich crab and clam fishing grounds that Jang Song-thaek, the uncle of the country’s untested, 30-year-old leader, had seized from the military. In the battle for control of the fishing grounds, the emaciated, poorly trained North Korean forces “were beaten — very badly — by Uncle Jang’s loyalists,” according to one official.
The giant lanterns of San Fernando, Asia's Christmas capital
December 24, 2013 -- Updated 0319 GMT (1119 HKT)
In skeletal form, they look like gargantuan honeycombs, rising 20 feet into the air.
They are the largest incarnations of the Philippines' parol, an eye-dazzling electric Christmas lantern that symbolizes the Star of Bethlehem.
In action they're truly a sight to behold. Each giant parol features a series of thousands of spinning lights synchronized by seven large steel drums -- the rotors.
When the parol spins, the rotor hits a row of hairpins, electrifying the bulbs.
Though smaller parols for household use have more latitude in covering, with choices like capiz shells and fiberglass, the giant lanterns usually stick to polyvinyl plastic.
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