The world in brief

MISAWA AIR BASE, Japan -- The U.S. Air Force deployed two of its most advanced long-distance surveillance drones to a base in northern Japan over the past week, enhancing its ability to monitor nuclear activities in North Korea and Chinese naval operations.

The deployment of the two unarmed Global Hawk drones to Japan, a key U.S. ally, is intended to demonstrate Washington's commitment to security in Asia as part of its rebalancing of forces to the Pacific.

Lt. Gen. Sam Angelella, commander of U.S. Forces Japan, said Friday that the drones will remain there until October, when the typhoon season on the drones' home base on the Pacific island of Guam is over. Similar rotations from Guam to Misawa Air Base are expected, though Angelella said no firm plans have been made.

He refused to comment on the specific missions the drones will carry out.

The drone is considered particularly valuable because it can conduct long-range missions without the limitations of pilot fatigue, is able to fly at a maximum 60,000 feet and can "loiter" around any particular site of interest for 24 hours or more.

From Japan, it can easily monitor areas on the Asian mainland, including North Korea's nuclear sites, or targets at sea, such as areas where China and other countries have had confrontations over territory.

Firebomb set off in N. Ireland hotel lobby

DUBLIN -- A firebomb detonated Friday in a hotel lobby in the Northern Ireland city of Londonderry, but police said a swift midnight evacuation ensured that nobody was injured.

The device detonated inside the Everglades Hotel in Northern Ireland's second-largest city. Witnesses said a masked man tossed a bag beside the hotel's reception desk, said he was from the Irish Republican Army and warned that a bomb inside the bag would explode in 30 minutes.

"Someone set off the fire alarm and I called the police," said Gary Rutherford, who had just dropped off relatives at the hotel. "It was quite confusing at the time for most of the guests because they were in bed. It was mayhem."

As British army experts were deploying a remote-controlled robot to examine the bomb, it exploded and sent flames cascading throughout the evacuated lobby. Nobody was injured.

Politicians and Northern Ireland's future police commander, George Hamilton, said they had no doubt that IRA hard-liners opposed to compromise in the British territory were responsible. The hotel last week hosted a police recruitment drive for more applicants from the city's mostly Catholic population, a peacemaking goal opposed by IRA activists.

Malaysia: 2 abducted from resort rescued

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia -- A Chinese tourist and a Filipino worker have been rescued nearly two months after they were abducted from a resort off Borneo island, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Friday.

Najib credited their release to cooperation between Malaysian and Philippine security forces, and said no ransom was paid.

Malaysian officials earlier said the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of about $11.4 million for the Chinese hostage.

Gunmen, believed to be Philippine Abu Sayyaf militants, kidnapped the 28-year-old Shanghai woman and the 40-year-old Filipino woman from the Singamata Reef Resort in the eastern Malaysian state of Sabah on April 2. They were believed to have been taken to the southern Philippines.

Najib didn't give further details and officials couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

Egypt arrests journalist to hit at network

CAIRO -- Egyptian police have arrested a freelance journalist on accusations she sent footage to an affiliate of the satellite news network Al-Jazeera, the country's Interior Ministry said Friday, part of a wider crackdown on the broadcaster.

Police raided the home of the woman in the coastal city of Port Said and investigators confiscated a laptop, a mobile phone and other equipment she used, the ministry said in a statement.

It said the phone contained video being aired by Al-Jazeera Mubasher Misr just before her arrest. The ministry said the channel stopped broadcasting the video once police had the phone.

A report on Al-Jazeera Mubasher Misr's website identified the woman as Rasha Gaafar and said police arrested her Wednesday. The channel did not say whether she worked for the broadcaster, only that she was charged with filming empty polling stations during the country's presidential election this week.

Officials with Doha-based Al-Jazeera could not be immediately reached for comment Friday.

-- COMPILED BY DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE STAFF FROM WIRE REPORTS

A Section on 05/31/2014

Upcoming Events