Sunday,  June 2, 2013 • Vol. 14--No. 317 • 24 of 27

(Continued from page 23)

Japan earmarks $1 billion development, humanitarian aid for boosting northern African security

• YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) -- Japan announced Sunday a plan to provide 100 billion yen ($1 billion) in aid over the next five years to northern Africa for economic development and humanitarian efforts, including help with security and counter-terrorism measures.
• Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced the assistance in a speech at a conference in Yokohama, near Tokyo, where officials from 50 African nations have gathered to talk about trade, growth and other issues.
• The $1 billion is part of the 3.2 trillion yen ($32 billion) in government and private-sector aid announced Saturday.
• Japan is keen to court Africa, which is rich in resources and growing as a market, after having fallen behind Asian rival China in trade with and infrastructure projects in Africa.
• The three-day conference ends Monday. It has been held every five years since 1993.

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23• -year-old gives birth to quintuplets for 1st time in Czech Republic

• PRAGUE (AP) --
• A 23-year-old Czech woman has given birth to quintuplets for the first time in the Czech Republic.
• Officials at Prague's Institute for the Care of Mother and Child say four boys -- Deniel, Michael, Alex and Martin -- and a girl -- Terezka -- were born by cesarean section on Sunday.
• Zbynek Stranak, chief doctor at the neonatal section of the institute says the birth took place "without any complications."
• Stranak says that Alexandra Kinova and her five babies have been placed at an intensive care unit. He says the babies who were naturally conceived have a 95-percent chance to grow up healthy.
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