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Ethiopia: Armed group kills more than 140 near South Sudan

Saudi Arabia

9 Yemeni detainees leave Guantánamo

RIYADH — The United States on Saturday transferred nine Yemeni detainees from its prison at Guantánamo Bay to Saudi Arabia, completing a long-sought diplomatic deal ahead of a planned visit to Riyadh by President Obama in the coming week. The effort to persuade the Saudi government to take the prisoners began in George W. Bush’s administration and finally resulted in an agreement in February. Current and former officials familiar with the negotiations called the timing of the transfer, which reduced the population at Guantánamo to 80 prisoners, a coincidence. The military brought each of the prisoners from the Afghanistan war to Guantánamo about 14 years ago, soon after the Bush administration opened the prison in early 2002. Later, the Bush administration decided to try to close it, a goal the Obama administration has shared. But finding places to transfer the large number of lower-level Yemeni detainees there has been a big obstacle. US officials have been reluctant to repatriate them because Yemen is chaotic and has an active Al Qaeda affiliate. (AP)

Czech RepublicCzechia

Nation to adopt new, shorter name

Politicians in the Czech Republic are set to put decades of debate to an end this week by officially announcing a new name for the country: Czechia, which has Latin roots and can be dated as far back as 1841 in English. In a meeting with reporters this week, Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek said he supported the move, suggesting that foreigners often mangled his country’s name when he met them abroad. When the decision goes through, Czechia will officially become the conventional short-form name for the country, while the Czech Republic will remain the conventional long-form name. The Central European state had been unusual among European countries for not designating a short-form name when it was formed after the breakup of Czechoslovakia in 1993. The other half of that former nation, for example, has the long-form name of the Slovak Republic but is more commonly known by its short-form name, Slovakia. Other states follow a similar formula: Russia is the Russian Federation, Germany is the Federal Republic of Germany, and so on. (Washington Post)

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Ethiopia

S. Sudan attackers kill more than 140

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — An Ethiopian official says that armed groups have killed more than 140 civilians near Ethiopia’s border with South Sudan. The attackers came from South Sudan and killed civilians, including women and children, Getachew Reda, Ethiopia’s communications minister, said on Saturday. Ethiopian forces may cross into South Sudan to pursue them, he said. (AP)

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