Mes: septiembre 2019

Updated: 2:49 p.m. ET (AP) TRIPOLI, Libya – A spokesman for Libya’s National Transitional Council says gunmen have shot down a helicopter carrying voting materials, killing one election commission worker. The attack near the eastern city of Benghazi comes on the eve Libya’s first national election since the toppling and killing of longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi last year. NTC spokesman Saleh Darhoub says the helicopter came under attack while flying over Benina airport on Benghazi’s outskirts. He described the assailants as “enemies of the revolution” and said the attack won’t stop the country from holding elections. More in After the Arab Spring The news comes in as calls for a boycott and other unrest abound on the eve of Libya’s first vote since the overthrow of the country’s longtime dictator, Qaddafi. Fear of election violence is on the horizon, even as campaigning came to an end Friday for a contest seen as a milestone on the country’s rocky path toward democracy. The helicopter attack occurred a day after former rebel fighters from eastern Libya shut down three oil refineries to pressure the ruling council to cancel elections, citing an unfair distribution of seats among Libya’s regions. The Saturday election of a 200-member transitional parliament caps a messy nine-month transition after a ruinous 2011 civil war that ended in October with the death of Qaddafi, whose four-decade rule left the...

(AP) PYONGYANG, North Korea – Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh took the stage in North Korea during a concert for new leader Kim Jong Un, in an unusual performance featuring Disney characters. Performers dressed as Minnie Mouse, Tigger and others danced and pranced as footage from “Snow White,” “Dumbo,” “Beauty and the Beast” and other Disney movies played on a massive backdrop, according to still photos shown on state TV. The inclusion of characters popular in the West — particularly from the United States, North Korea’s wartime enemy — is a notable change in direction for performances in Pyongyang. Actors and actresses also showed off new wardrobes, including strapless gowns and little black dresses. In recent years, performances such as the “Arirang” mass games featured performers dressed as panda bears in homage to North Korean ally China. This appears to be the first time Disney characters have been included in a major performance, though Winnie the Pooh and Mickey Mouse have been popular among children for several years. Backpacks, pencil cases and pajamas imported from China often feature Disney characters, and stories such as “Dumbo” have been translated into Korean for North Korean schoolchildren. However, it is unusual to make such images a central part of a North Korean performance, and to publicize it on state TV. It was unclear whether the Disney characters were officially licensed. N.K.’s...