Source: More North Korean restaurant workers defect via China

SEOUL, May 23 (UPI) -- A flurry of elite North Korean defections could have taken place not long after the Seventh Party Congress – this time involving three waitresses at a state-run restaurant near Shanghai.
Jang Jin-sung, a defector and founder of New Focus International, said the 13 restaurant workers who fled another restaurant in Ningbo, China, could have been a catalyst for the most recent group defection, South Korean television network MBC reported.
 The workers "defected in response to rumors of a [restaurant] reorganization and orders to repatriate" to North Korea, Jang said.

U.S. scolds Russia over Syria bombing

 The Obama administration says Russia has a "special responsibility" to help stop the bombing in Syria.
The Russians, though, don't seem to be listening.

In a call on Monday, Secretary of State John Kerry urged Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to push Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime to stop attacking the city of Aleppo and the suburbs of Damascus.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner said stopping the airstrikes in those two areas was key to shoring up a patchy cease-fire in the Arab country and allowing the resumption of peace talks aimed at ending its five-year-old conflict.

White House: U.S., Vietnam to implement North Korea sanctions

U.S.President Barack Obama waves to the press as he departs the White House for his week-long trip to Japan and Vietnam, May 21, 2016. The United States reaffirmed a commitment to assisting Vietnam enhance its maritime security capabilities on Monday, and the two countries agreed to coordinate on North Korea sanctions. Photo by Mike Theiler/UPI

WASHINGTON, May 23 (UPI) -- Security cooperation is key between the United States and Vietnam, and the two are coordinating on implementing North Korea sanctions, according to the White House.
In a fact sheet released Monday, the White House stated the United States and Vietnam are "working together to prevent North Korea's proliferation activities and to fully implement [United Nations Security Council Resolution] 2270."

Bombings in Assad strongholds kill 101 in Syria; Islamic State claims responsibility

Four bombs exploded in Jableh, Syria, killing dozens. Islamic State has claimed credit for Monday's attacks in Assad regime strongholds. Photo by SANA 

DAMASCUS, Syria, May 23 (UPI) -- At least 101 people have been killed in bombings targeting strongholds of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad along the war-torn country's Mediterranean coast.

A suicide bomber and a car bomb detonated at a bus station within minutes of each other in the port city of Tartous. Meanwhile, several bombs exploded in the northern town of Jableh, targeting a bus station, a hospital and an electricity office.

2 Mysteries From Ancient Egypt We Still Can't Figure Out

The Ancient Egyptians ruled a significant chunk of the world for almost 3,000 years, and left behind a rich legacy of art, architecture and mythology. But Ancient Egypt also left behind a few mysteries that archeologists and scholars still haven't been able to solve, even thousands of years later. Here are some of the enduring mysteries of Ancient Egypt.

1. What did ancient Egyptians look like?

White actress Elizabeth Taylor as Cleopatra

Despite the mummies, statues and engravings that the ancient Egyptians left behind, there is still much controversy over just what, exactly, they looked like.

Nigeria Military Denies Undermining Free Speech

The Nigerian military has seized newspapers accused of publishing seditious materials that could undermine the country's unity, as well as negatively impact the ongoing fight against the Islamist militant group Boko Haram, according to military spokesman Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman.
The seizures are reportedly generating anti-government sentiment in the country's Igbo-speaking southeast. Army officials say officers seized newspapers from newsstands in the city of Aba.
Officials say the publications call for secession of the region from Nigeria. The affected newspapers include Authority Newspapers, Voice of South-East, Vesym, the New Republic and the Freedom Journal.
Usman dismissed the idea that the seizures would whip up anti-government sentiment. The army works hard to ensure the West African country maintains its territorial integrity, he said. However, he added, it is regrettable that people would seek to use

Nigeria's Buhari Pledges to Get Tough on Pipeline Attacks

BEIJING —  Nigeria will crack down on groups responsible for recent pipeline attacks in the oil-producing Delta region, President Muhammadu Buhari said Wednesday.
Pipeline attacks and violence have been on the rise in the southern swampland since authorities issued an arrest warrant in January for a former militant leader on corruption charges.
"We will deal with them the way we dealt with Boko Haram," Buhari said during a visit to China, referring to jihadists who have been waging an insurgency to set up an Islamic state in the north.
The army has recaptured much of the territory Boko Haram had held since Buhari took office in May 2015, though the group still stages suicide bombings.

Protesters in Nigeria Mark 2 Years Since Chibok Kidnappings

ABUJA, NIGERIA —  Members of the Bring Back Our Girls movement gathered Thursday at Unity Fountain in Nigeria's capital of Abuja amid a heavy police presence.
It has been two years since Boko Haram grabbed 219 schoolgirls from their dormitory in the northeastern Nigerian town of Chibok and herded them away into the night. A new video released Wednesday, on the eve of the anniversary, purports to show 15 of the girls alive as recently as December — and has raised hopes that they can be rescued.

Nigeria Arrests 6 Over Pipeline Attacks

LAGOS —  Nigeria has arrested six people alleged to have attacked oil pipelines and has also destroyed two illegal refineries in the oil-producing southern Delta
region, the country's navy said on Thursday.
Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has promised to crack down on groups attacking pipelines or other oil facilities in the Delta region, which produces much of Nigeria's oil.
The militants, like other Delta residents, demand a greater share

Nigerian Military Vows to Continue Effort to Rescue Chibok Girls

The Nigerian’s military is continuing with the fight to combat terrorism and would not be deterred to rescue all civilians including the kidnapped Chibok School girls abducted by Islamist militant group Boko Haram, Brigadier General Rabe Abubakar, director of Defense Information, said Saturday.
Abubakar said the army has not given up efforts to find the missing girls and return them home safely to their parents. This, after dismissing the recently released video allegedly showing proof the abducted Chibok school girls were still alive.
Increased pressure
In an interview with VOA, Abubakar called the video inconclusive and a demonstration of the frustration of the militants due to the army’s continued pressure on them. He said it is uncertain that the latest video released by Boko Haram is genuine, describing it