UNITED NATIONS – A U.N. observer mission has concluded that Burundi’s parliamentary elections on Monday were not “free, credible and inclusive.” A preliminary statement Thursday from the observers said voting took place “in a tense political crisis” and that “fundamental freedoms of participation, assembly, expression, opinion and information” suffered increasing …

BENGHAZI, Libya – A Libyan official says at least ten civilians were killed when three separate car bombs exploded simultaneously in the eastern coastal city of Darna. Hamid Albandag, the city’s representative to the internationally-recognized government, says the bombings, which went off Friday evening, set off clashes between militants belonging …

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – About 3,000 chanting protesters took to the streets of Barbados’ capital Monday to join a union-led rally against the recent dismissals of about a dozen public workers nearing retirement age. Sanitation and other services were disrupted in Bridgetown during the rare street demonstration by government clerks and …

BOGOTA, Colombia – Colombian police arrested 15 presumed collaborators of the country’s second largest rebel group in connection with simultaneous bombings that shook the capital last week. The arrests took place Wednesday in coordinated raids on residences throughout Bogota. Among those taken into custody were two individuals who worked as …

BEIJING – A Chinese lawyer was forcibly taken away Friday just hours after his client, a Chinese journalist working for a German weekly, was released from nine months in detention, his associate said. Zhou Shifeng was taken by three unidentified men from a hotel where he stayed after picking up …

TEHRAN, Iran – Iran’s official IRNA agency is reporting nuclear talks between Iran and the world powers will end soon. A Monday morning report on IRNA said, “Negotiators are seriously discussing in order to resolve the last differences and soon they will announce the end of the talks.” “We hope …

NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. – Residents in a predominantly black South Carolina neighborhood say fliers have been distributed claiming to be from the Ku Klux Klan. Local news outlets report the fliers from the Traditionalist American Knights of the Ku Klux Klan showed up last week in a community in North …

BALTIMORE – A 20-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder after Baltimore police say he stabbed an officer after a domestic dispute inside a student apartment building. Police say James Goss stabbed the officer several times in the face and upper body early Saturday morning. The officer was taken …

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A sightseeing floatplane that crashed in a mountainous area in southeast Alaska, killing all nine people on board, was equipped with technology to provide detailed information about the terrain, according to a federal accident report released Tuesday. The preliminary report by the National Transportation Safety Board also …

If you happen to be running for president of the United States and intend to spend some quality time in New Hampshire over the next several months, let me offer some friendly advice: Be prepared to talk about housing. Housing is on the minds of many folks in the Granite …