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THE NATION FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2015

FOREIGN NEWS

Fiasco after coup in Burkina Faso

UARDS detained interim President Michel Kafando and other government ministers during the raid in the capital Wednesday, the United Nations said. It’s unclear where the guards took the President, Prime Minister Isaac Zida and the other officials. Hours after their detention, an unidentified military official took to the airwaves Thursday and said the military has “decided to put an end to the deviant transitional regime”. The official announced that Gilbert Diendere, an ex-general and adviser to former President Blaise Compaore, is the new leader. The interim government failed to establish a “democracy based on consensus,” the military official said on national television. The official highlighted a series of steps the military is undertaking that include removing the tran-

sitional president from office, dissolving the government and forming a broad coalition that will focus on policies that will lead to inclusive elections. The United Nations condemned the leaders’ detention. “This incident is a flagrant violation of Burkina Faso’s constitution and transitional charter,” U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said in a statement. “The United Nations stands firmly behind the transitional authorities and President Kafando”. French President Francois Hollande appealed for the leaders' release and the reinstatement of the transitional authorities. Days before the raid in Ouagadougou, a commission had recommended the disbanding of the presidential guard unit, which is loyal to Compaore, the former president. Compaore was in charge of the presidential guards during his decades in power,

Migrants break through Croatian police lines

MID chaotic scenes in Croatia, crowds of migrants briefly broke through riot police lines at the border with Serbia. People waiting for hours in blazing heat at Tavornik grew frustrated, though the situation is quieter now. Croatia is struggling to deal with at least 7,300 arrivals since Wednesday morning after Hungary closed its border with Serbia, blocking the previous route into the European Union. EU leaders will hold an emergency summit next week to discuss the crisis. Croatian officials say migrants must apply for asylum there or be treated as illegal immigrants. The BBC’s Fergal Keane, in Tavornik, said the trouble began when people began pushing at police to get through. Riot police were trying to hold back several thousand migrants who had crossed from Serbia. There was mayhem as Croatian police tried to restore order, with children screaming, women crying and people knocked over, our correspondent adds. The crowds, who were chanting

“we want to go,” had gathered in the baking heat to wait for transport on from the border. Croatian police eventually gave way under pressure. Many of the migrants said they intended to walk to Slovenia. Many of the migrants are exhausted with supplies of food and water running low. Croatia is part of the European Union but is not part of the borderless Schengen area. The interior minister said Croatia would not be able to take any more migrants. On Wednesday, hundreds were involved in clashes at the Hungary-Serbia border after Hungarian authorities used water cannon and tear gas to stop migrants forcing their way through. Separately on Thursday, European Council President Donald Tusk announced that European leaders would meet on 23 September. The European Parliament voted to back plans for the mandatory relocation of 120,000 refugees around the EU, but interior ministers from EU countries have not so far been able to reach agreement on the plan.

Blasts in central Baghdad leave 23 dead, 68 wounded • Men walk past the site of a suicide bomb attack in Baghdad, Iraq...yesterday

T least 23 people were killed and 68 others wounded when three bombs went off in mainly Shi’ite neighborhoods in central Baghdad yesterday, security and medical sources said. Two suicide blasts claimed by Islamic State killed at least 19 people in the commercial district of Bab alShargi, a demonstration that the Sunni insurgent group can still launch attacks in the heart of the capital despite government efforts to thwart them.

A third explosion in the nearby Bab al-Muadham district killed four people, the sources said. A hospital source said the bombs had wounded a total of 68 people. Baghdad is trying to dislodge Islamic State from large swathes of the country’s north and west, but advances have been slow, particularly in the western province of Anbar, where Baghdad has been focusing its attention for months. As part of a reform campaign aimed at combating corruption and

and trying to snatch his paperwork and microphone. The committee’s vote clears the way for the bill to go to the upper house of parliament for final approval. The opposition says it will continue to try to delay the vote. The bill would allow Japan to de-

• Japanese law makers in a fiasco over a security bill

improving people’s daily lives, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has directed security commanders to ease civilian access to the Green Zone, just across the Tigris River from the site of Thursday’s attacks. He also ordered the elimination of no-go zones set up by militias and political parties in response to more than a decade of bombings, but removal of the gray concrete blast walls and barriers that line many of Baghdad’s thoroughfares has been slow.

U.S.: student brings clock to school, gets arrested

EXAS high school student Ahmed Mohamed has a lot of options to think about. The 14-year-old, who loves science and inventing, was arrested Monday for what police initially said was a bomb hoax. Turns out, a teacher thought that the clock Ahmed made out of a pencil case looked like a bomb. A photo of him being led from MacArthur High School in handcuffs went viral on social media and spurred outrage, with many saying the teen had been profiled and punished because he is Muslim. Scientists, celebrities, political leaders and regular people tweeted their encouragement to Ahmed. Ahmed was suspended from school for three days, even though police in Irving, Texas, said Wednesday they

would not pursue charges against him. He was due to go back to school Thursday, but he said the night before he wasn't sure what he would do. In any case, his terrible experience has resulted in some incredible opportunities. President Barack Obama invited him to the White House next month for an annual Astronomy Night. “Cool clock, Ahmed,” Obama tweeted. “Want to bring it to the White House? We should inspire more kids like you to like science. It's what makes America great”. Facebook was flooded with messages of support for Ahmed and ire for his school, and its creator, Mark Zuckerberg, praised the teen in a post. “Having the skill and ambition to

Japan lawmakers scuffle at parliament controversial bill to expand the role of Japan’s armed forces has cleared another hurdle in parliament, but sparked scuffles among lawmakers. Opposition MPs physically tried to stop the vote in a legislative committee by jostling around the chairman

PHOTO: Reuters

fend its allies overseas even when it is not under attack. The bill is not widely supported by the country at large. Thousands of protesters rallied outside the parliament in Tokyo as the committee debate was under way. Opposition lawmakers tried to

PHOTO:

REUTERS

physically prevent the debate from taking place. In rare heated scenes, jostling members of the upper house surrounded the chairman of the security committee, Yoshitada Konoike, as he opened the debate on Wednesday and again on Thursday morning as the vote was taking place. The opposition had also tabled a noconfidence vote against Mr Konoike. Wednesday night’s session was abandoned in the early hours of Thursday after opposition lawmakers blocked entry to a room where Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and other ministers were waiting to discuss the bill. The bill has already been approved by the government-dominated lower house. It is expected to be passed in the upper house because the ruling coalition has a majority there - this was why opponents were keen to prevent the committee from approving the legislation. It is thought Mr Abe's government wants to pass the bills before the country goes into a five-day holiday on Saturday, which could provide an opportunity for even bigger protests.

• Mohamed

build something cool should lead to applause, not arrest. The future belongs to people like Ahmed,” Zuckerberg wrote. “Ahmed, if you ever want to come by Facebook, I’d love to meet you. Keep building”. Twitter offered Ahmed an internship. Wednesday night, Ahmed explained why he brought his invention to school. “I built the clock to impress my teacher, but when I showed it to her, she thought it was a threat to her. So, it was really sad that she took the wrong impression of it,” the teen told reporters at a news conference in front of his home. Being arrested, he told GMA, “felt really weird ‘cause I never thought I'd get arrested.” He also said police told him he wasn't allowed to call his parents. “I was scared at the moment, but now I feel really happy. I’m getting all this support from all over the world,” Ahmed said. “And the support isn’t just for me but for everyone who has been through this. I will fight for you if you can’t stand up for yourself.” He said he was most excited to hear from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, which tweeted encouragement to him. “I dream of going there,” he said. He said he was also very happy to get an invitation to the White House. “I hope to see him soon,” Ahmed said of Obama.