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“What is clear is that both sides had weapons, both sides were armed.This is a very worrying sign.”

Sunai Phasuk, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, on clashes in Thailand between government supporters and protesters before nationwide elections today Article, 1AAfrican state’s capital called ‘battlefield’

BANGUI, Central African Republic - Central African Republic’s new premier warned Saturday that his nation’s capital “remains a battlefield” where murderous mobs armed with machetes are slaughtering scores of civilians. He urged the international community to step up its aid to the beleaguered country.

Prime Minister Andre Nzapayeke, speaking at a fundraising event in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, praised the efforts of the 1,600 French troops and 5,000 African peacekeepers working to halt the violence between Christians and minority Muslims.

“But still Bangui remains a battlefield, and this situation calls for more international engagement,” he said.

The 54-nation African Union said it needs $409 million a year to sustain its peacekeeping operations in Central African Republic, a country the size of Texas where many roads have not been repaved since independence from France in 1960.

Brig. Gen. Martin Tumenta Chomou said Saturday that African peacekeepers now control a key town not far from the capital where hundreds of heavily armed rebels known as Seleka have amassed in recent days. Some had worried that the fighters would use the town of Sibut, 110 miles from Bangui, to launch another coup.

Deep snow strands travelers in Serbia

BELGRADE, Serbia - Rescuers, soldiers and police officers have evacuated more than 1,000 people from cars and buses stranded in deep snow in northern Serbia, but several hundred people remain stuck, the government said Saturday.

Authorities have closed snow-hit roads and banned traffic on the Danube River because of strong winds, the government statement said.

“The Serbian government is urging citizens not to travel until all danger is fully removed,” the statement said.

The winter so far in Serbia had been mild, but over the past week snowstorms have swept across parts of central and eastern Europe. Heavy snow in Bulgaria left dozens of villages without electricity and water, and Romanian authorities declared a “code red” weather warning Wednesday.

Emergency officials in Serbia reported that dozens of cars and two passenger trains remain stranded in the country’s north, where strong winds have been piling up snowdrifts, cutting off villages and roads. By late Saturday, some roads were cleared and hundreds more people evacuated.

733 Iraqis killed in January, U.N. says

BAGHDAD - The United Nations said Saturday that at least 733 Iraqis were killed during violence in January, leaving out casualties from an embattled western province.

The figures issued Saturday by the U.N.’s mission to Iraq show 618 civilians and 115 members of the security forces were killed last month. But the U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq’s statement excluded deaths from ongoing fighting in Anbar because of problems in verifying the “status of those killed.” The figures also leave out insurgent deaths.

The U.N. said at least 1,229 Iraqis were wounded in attacks across the country last month.

Baghdad was the most affected province, with 297 killed and 585 wounded.

African Union urges criminal-court unity

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - The African Union urged its members to “speak with one voice” to prevent criminal proceedings at the International Criminal Court against sitting presidents, according to a statement Saturday.

The 54-nation organization said it was disappointed that a request to the United Nations Security Council to defer the trials of Kenya’s leaders “has not yielded the positive result expected.” The African Union also has sought the deferral of criminal proceedings against Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir, who has been charged with genocide in Darfur.

Only Botswana has opposed the stand taken by the African Union, made in a statement Saturday after a summit in Ethiopia attended by 34 leaders.

“African states parties should comply with African Union decisions on the ICC and continue to speak with one voice,” the statement said, adding “There is an imperative need for all member states to ensure that they adhere to and articulate commonly agreed positions.”

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto face charges of crimes against humanity at the international court at The Hague for purportedly orchestrating post-election violence that killed more than 1,000 people after a disputed presidential election in late 2007. Both men deny the charges.

Front Section, Pages 6 on 02/02/2014

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