World datelines

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Aug 24, 2008

Algeria: Al-Qaida claims attacks

ALGIERS -- Al-Qaida's North African branch claimed to have killed at least 130 people in Algeria in a spate of attacks this month -- nearly twice the official death toll, said a statement carried on a Web site frequently used by militants.

The group described attacks targeting a police academy, a military barracks and a Canadian engineering company this week as its retaliation against security forces for their recent crackdown on militants.

Canada: Deaths linked to meat

OTTAWA -- Public health officials in Canada said Saturday they have linked a deadly bacterial outbreak that killed four people to recalled meat products from Maple Leaf Foods.

The outbreak has resulted in 21 confirmed cases of listeriosis, a kind of food poisoning that can be dangerous to the elderly, newborns, pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions. Maple Leaf's Toronto plant has shut down temporarily to allow for sanitizing of the facility.

China: Protesters sentenced

BEIJING -- Chinese police have sentenced at least 10 foreigners to 10 days of detention for protesting during the Olympic Games, an activist group and officials said Saturday.

The most recent detainees included four protesters who were demonstrating against Chinese rule in Tibet, the New York-based Students for a Free Tibet said. The protesters -- a German, two Americans and a British citizen -- were seized Thursday while unfurling a Tibetan flag near the "Bird's Nest" National Stadium.

France: Rethinking mission

PARIS -- The death of 10 French soldiers in an ambush by insurgents in Afghanistan has stoked a cry at home for France to rethink its commitment to the seven-year mission led by the United States.

Most French voters want out, and the opposition is ratcheting up the pressure on President Nicolas Sarkozy's government -- though analysts say France and other allies will dig in for the fight even as they insist upon a new look at NATO's strategy against the Taliban and al-Qaida.

Iraq: Sunnis can't stay armed

BAGHDAD -- Iraq's government is grateful to U.S.-allied Sunni fighters but won't allow them to keep their weapons indefinitely, the prime minister said Saturday, hinting at a more intense crackdown on the Sunni groups.

In recent weeks, the Shiite-dominated government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has gone after Sunni fighters despite their alliances with the Americans. Some leaders have been arrested, while scores of others have been disarmed and banned from manning checkpoints except alongside security forces.

Mexico: Storm Julio approaches

MEXICO CITY -- Tropical Storm Julio formed off Mexico's Pacific coast on Saturday and was headed toward the Baja California Peninsula.

The storm shifted direction late Saturday and was headed straight for Cabo San Lucas, a popular resort on the tip of the peninsula. Forecasters said Julio was not expected to become a hurricane.

Puerto Rico: FBI targets senator

SAN JUAN -- Federal agents raided the home and office of a Puerto Rican senator Saturday, seizing evidence from inside the Caribbean island's Capitol, officials said.

FBI officials declined to name the target of the raid or its purpose, but colleagues said it was aimed at Sen. Jorge De Castro Font, and his party's leader asked him to drop out of a race for re- election.