1. Suicide bombers kill 44 in Nigeria

    Two female suicide bombers killed at least 44 people on November 25 in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maidugur.

    Four witnesses said a woman near the scene had entered the roadside trading area behind the city’s main market before blowing herself up.

    2. Freighter towed to Crete

    Hampered* by gale-force* winds and high waves, a Greek navy frigate* slowly towed a crippled* ship crammed with hundreds of migrants to safety on the southern island of Crete on November 26.

    A day after it suffered engine failure in international waters, the 77-meter Baris ship carrying some 700 men, women and children trying to enter Europe, was being towed at a speed of about three knots (18 kilometers per hour).

    3. €315b plan made to boost EU economy

    New European Union Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker unveiled an eagerly awaited 315 billion euro (US$393 billion) investment plan to “kickstart*” the economy.

    Juncker said the proposal, which must be approved by European leaders at a summit next month, would mix an investment fund with a scheme to match new projects with private money. “Europe needs a kickstart, and today the commission is providing the jumper cable,” Juncker said.

    4. France honors Chinese laborers from WWI

    France has paid tribute to an often forgotten group of 140,000 Chinese laborers who dug trenches*, worked in weapons factories and, for many, lost their lives helping France’s effort in World War I.

    Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian laid a wreath in front of a commemorative stele in a park in Paris’ Chinatown to honor the little-known contribution of these laborers.

    “Their presence at the side of the French ... on the frontline of the war ... remains one of the forgotten stories of the great war,” said Le Drian.

    “France does not forget those who came to our aid ... at the rear or at the front, in factories or in the trenches, the help of these Chinese workers was decisive at a terrible time in our history.”

    5. Officer who shot Michael Brown resigns

    The Ferguson police officer who shot 18-year-old black boy Michael Brown has resigned, his attorney said on November 29.

    Darren Wilson resigned effective immediately. Wilson had been on administrative leave since the August 9 shooting, which promoted several days of tense and at times violent protests.

    Wilson said he was stepping down out of his “own free will” after the police department told him it had received threats of violence if he remained an employee.

    6. Ebola death toll reaches 7,000

    The death toll from the worst Ebola outbreak on record has reached nearly 7,000 in West Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on November 29.

    The toll of 6,928 dead showed a leap of just over 1,200 since the WHO released its previous report on November 26.

    7. Thai prince strips wife’s kin of royal name

    Thailand’s Crown Prince Vajiralongkorn has asked the government to strip* his wife’s family of their royally issued surname, the latest development in a high-profile crackdown that involves senior members of the police force.

    The move came after at least three relatives of the crown prince’s wife, Princess Srirasm, were arrested last week as part of the corruption probe.(SD-Agencies)