Rebels attack C. African Republic villages; 8 dead BOUCA, Central African Republic (AP) -- Residents say armed men invaded a remote village in Central African Republic and killed six people....M23 rebels clash with soldiers in east Congo GOMA, Congo (AP) -- Clashes erupted Monday in eastern Congo between government troops and a rebel group believed to be backed by neighboring Rwanda, the first fighting between the groups since the M23 rebels overtook and later retreated from the provincial capital Goma last year....Uganda police raid newspaper over general's letter KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) -- Witnesses say police in Uganda forcibly entered the offices of an independent newspaper to search for evidence against an army general who questioned the president's alleged plan to have his son succeed him....Spokesman for Ansar Dine arrested in Mauritania NOUAKCHOTT, Mauritania (AP) -- A government official says the spokesman for one of the al-Qaida-linked groups that occupied and controlled northern Mali for much of last year turned himself in to authorities on the border with Mauritania....24 killed in rebel vs army battle in South Sudan JUBA, South Sudan (AP) -- South Sudan's military spokesman says 24 people were killed and dozens wounded during a battle between government troops and rebels who had overrun a town....Nigeria military: 17 killed during offensive ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) -- Nigeria's military says its offensive against insurgents in the country's restive northeast has killed at least 14 suspected Islamic extremists and three soldiers....'Britain's Obama' urges ties with West Africa ACCRA, Ghana (AP) -- A rising star in Britain's Labour Party, described by some as the "British Barack Obama," Chuka Umunna urged the United Kingdom to more aggressively forge ties with West Africa's fast-growing economies....
Egypt: Security beefed up in Sinai after abduction CAIRO (AP) -- Egyptian officials say dozens of military and police armored vehicles have crossed into Sinai, beefing up the security presence in the volatile peninsula five days after suspected militants kidnapped six policemen and a border guard there....Cairo airport baggage handlers end strike CAIRO (AP) -- Cairo airport officials say baggage handlers have resumed work after a strike that left passengers on 20 international flights from Europe and Arab countries waiting several hours for luggage....AP PHOTOS: Palestinians in Egypt exiled, forgotten GEZIRAT AL-FADEL, Egypt (AP) -- In 1948, Suleiman Mamoudi fled by foot with his parents and other families from their village of Bir el-Sabae in Palestine. The 28-year-old and his family walked west for several hundred miles, crossing the Sinai Peninsula before settling in an area around 90 miles (145 kilometers) north of Cairo....
