Town Hall News

GOMA, Congo (AP) — At least 200 people were killed earlier this week when a landslide collapsed several mines at a major coltan mining site in eastern Congo, rebel authorities said Saturday. The collapse took place Wednesday at the Rubaya mines, which are controlled by the M23 rebels, Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, the spokesperson of the rebel-appointed governor of North-Kivu province told The Associated Press. He said the landslide was caused […]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Mexican immigrant was taken to a Minneapolis hospital earlier this month after bones in his face and skull were broken while he was in federal custody. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents initially claimed Alberto Castañeda Mondragón had tried to flee while handcuffed and “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall,” according to court documents filed by a lawyer seeking his release. But staff members at Hennepin […]

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Intensive care nurses immediately doubted the word of federal immigration officers when they arrived at a Minneapolis hospital with a Mexican immigrant who had broken bones in his face and skull. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents initially claimed Alberto Castañeda Mondragón had tried to flee while handcuffed and “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall,” according to court documents filed by a lawyer seeking his release. But […]

MELBOURNE, Jan 31 (Reuters) – Sixth seeds Neal Skupski and Christian Harrison beat Australia’s Jason Kubler and Marc Polmans 7-6(4) 6-4 to win the Australian Open men’s doubles title on Saturday as the British-American duo first Grand Slam event as a team. The victory in front of raucous Australian fans gave Harrison his first Grand Slam title. It was a fourth in doubles and mixed doubles for Skupski but his […]

CAIRO (AP) — Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim dashed from building to building, desperate for places to hide. He ran through streets littered with bodies as the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur province lay enveloped in smoke and fire. After 18 months of battling, paramilitary fighters had overrun el-Fasher, the Sudanese army’s only remaining stronghold in the Darfur region. Ibrahim, who fled the city’s last functioning hospital, said he feared he would […]

CAIRO (AP) — Dr. Mohamed Ibrahim dashed from building to building, desperate for places to hide. He ran through streets littered with bodies. Around him, the capital of Sudan’s North Darfur province lay enveloped in smoke and fire. Explosions, shelling and gunfire thundered from every direction. After 18 months of battling, paramilitary fighters had overrun el-Fasher, the Sudanese army’s only remaining stronghold in the Darfur region. Ibrahim, who fled the […]

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Rimas Abu Lehia was wounded five months ago when Israeli troops opened fired toward a crowd of hungry people mobbing an aid truck for food in Gaza and a bullet shattered the 15-year-old Palestinian girl’s left knee. Now her best chance of walking again is surgery abroad. She is on a long list of more than 20,000 Palestinians, including 4,500 children, who have been […]

ISTANBUL (AP) — Iraqi calligrapher Ali Zaman gazes with pride at his masterpiece — a colossal, handwritten manuscript of the Quran that has taken six years of craft and devotion to complete. The finished work consists of 302 double sided scrolls, each measuring 4 meters (13 feet) in length and 1.5 meters in width. The sheets, resembling heavy parchment, were custom made for Zaman with a blend of traditional materials […]

MEXICO CITY (AP) — When a drug cartel came calling at a store selling vapes in northern Mexico, the owners knew they were powerless. The cartel abducted two employees, blindfolded them and demanded to speak with their bosses. The cartel said it was seizing the store, which would only be allowed to sell online outside the state. “They don’t come asking whether you want to (give them your business) or […]