Two fired over airline passenger's removal

CHICAGO • Two airport police officers have been fired by Chicago over the controversial removal of a passenger from a United Airlines plane this year.

Video of the April incident went viral online, showing airport officers dragging a bloodied David Dao off a full plane to make room for airline crew needing to be repositioned for future flights.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Call to beef up African peacekeeping mission

NEW YORK • Warning of a risk of ethnic cleansing, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged the Security Council to beef up the peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic with 900 extra troops.

He said on Tuesday the 12,000-strong mission had reached its limit and was struggling to cope with the worsening violence in the impoverished country.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

Announcement today on NZ post-polls talks

WELLINGTON • New Zealand's small nationalist party, which holds the balance of power after last month's inconclusive polls, will make an announcement today on the result of talks with the two major parties to form the next government.

The move should put an end to weeks of political uncertainty, after neither major party won enough seats on Sept 23 to form a government, leaving both courting the leader of New Zealand First, Mr Winston Peters.

REUTERS