UNITED KINGDOM
Prime minister calls for dramatic immigration cuts
LONDON | Britain must cut immigration dramatically to ease social strain, Prime Minister David Cameron said Thursday, telling supporters the influx of newcomers is putting serious pressure on some communities.
Mr. Cameron said large-scale immigration had caused “discomfort and disjointedness” in some parts of the country.
In a speech to members of his Conservative Party, Mr. Cameron added that Britain has “benefited immeasurably” from immigration, but that the number of newcomers has become too high. He said 2.2 million more people came to live in Britain than left between 1997 and 2009, putting “real pressure on communities up and down the country.”
PAKISTAN
Two Frenchmen suspected of ties to al Qaeda
PARIS | Two suspected Islamist extremists from France have been arrested in Pakistan after meeting with a man accused of ties to al Qaeda, officials said Thursday.
The Frenchmen, who have not been identified publicly, were arrested at a bus stop in the eastern city of Lahore, Pakistan, in late January after going there from the airport with a man identified as Tahir Shehzad, a Pakistani intelligence official told reporters in Paris.
The Frenchmen had intended to travel to Pakistan’s North Waziristan region, where al Qaeda’s top command is based, the official said on the condition of anonymity.
GHANA
Former first lady plans presidential bid
ACCRA | Ghana’s former first lady, the wife of longtime ruler Jerry Rawlings, says she will challenge the current president in her party’s July primaries.
Nana Konadu Rawlings, 62, in a letter to the National Democratic Congress’ secretary-general Thursday, said she is resigning as first vice-chairman of the party so she can contest President John Atta Mills in July presidential nominations for next year’s general election.
This is the first time a sitting president has been challenged by a member of the ruling party. If nominated, Mrs. Konadu would also become the first female presidential candidate in the West African nation.
Jerry Rawlings, a former coup leader, served two terms as president in the 1990s and stepped down in 2000, after his party lost.
GREECE
Protesters clash with police about landfill
KERATEA | Protesters angry about a proposed landfill outside Athens clashed with riot police Thursday, after another group of demonstrators cut a shoulder-high trench across a highway.
Residents in Keratea pelted riot police with rocks and firebombs near the road on the edge of the town. Officers responded with tear gas that wafted through the town, as a police helicopter flew overhead.
The planned garbage dump has prompted several months of violent protests from demonstrators who claim the proposed landfill is too close to a residential area and would also damage an ancient site.
Earlier Thursday, protesters used excavators to cut the trench on the highway near the proposed landfill.
SPAIN
Baby ’Boo’ makes debut at zoo
MADRID | The first baby orangutan to be born in captivity in 20 years at the Madrid zoo made his first public appearance Thursday.
The 9-month-old primate named “Boo” cuddled a stuffed animal - a bright yellow orangutan - as a zookeeper introduced him to excited visitors.
Boo’s mother died of lung disease in late February. Baby orangutans normally stay very close to their mothers until they are a year or so old and nurse until they are two or three years old. Boo gets his milk from a baby bottle.
From wire dispatches and staff reports
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