UN council votes to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons

UN council votes to eliminate Syria’s chemical weapons

UNITED NATIONS

The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Friday night to secure and destroy Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile, a landmark decision aimed at taking poison gas off the battlefield in the escalating 21/2-year conflict.

The vote after two weeks of intense negotiations marked a major breakthrough in the paralysis that has gripped the council since the Syrian uprising began. Russia and China previously vetoed three Western-backed resolutions pressuring President Bashar Assad’s regime to end the violence.

Kenyan military caused mall collapse

NAIROBI, Kenya

Kenya’s military caused the collapse of three floors of the Westgate Mall in the deadly terrorist siege, a top-ranking official disclosed Friday, while the government urged patience with the pace of an investigation that has left key questions unanswered.

Seven days after 67 people were killed in the attack on the upscale shopping center, there is still no clear word on the fate of dozens who have been reported missing and no details on the terrorists who carried it out.

The account of the roof collapse raises the possibility that the military may have caused the death of hostages in its rescue attempt. An undisclosed number of people are feared to be buried in the rubble.

Newtown schools get grant for officers

HARTFORD, Conn.

The Department of Justice announced Friday it’s giving $150,000 to put police officers in schools in Newtown in the wake of last December’s shooting massacre at the town’s Sandy Hook Elementary School.

The grant from the department’s Bureau of Justice Assistance is intended to fund two positions, such as resource officers.

“Just over nine months after the senseless mass shooting at Sandy Hook, we remain committed to providing every resource we can to ensure that the children of Newtown can feel safe and secure at school and elsewhere,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in a statement.

NJ judge: State must allow gay couples to marry

New Jersey is unconstitutionally denying federal benefits to gay couples and must allow them to marry, a judge ruled Friday. Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson sided almost entirely with a group of same-sex couples and gay-rights groups who sued the state in July days after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down key parts of a law that blocked the federal government from granting benefits to gay couples.

Gov. Chris Christie, a Republican in the midst of a re-election campaign and a possible presidential contender, said through a spokesman Friday he plans to appeal the decision, which he believes should be determined by a popular vote rather than a court.

Associated Press