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More than 200 people were killed this week in a collapse at the Rubaya coltan mine in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Lumumba Kambere Muyisa, spokesperson for the rebel-appointed governor of the province where the mine is located, told Reuters.

Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit defended Arab states’ decision to support the US-led Board of Peace on Gaza, saying it offered a rare opening for a ceasefire after repeated diplomatic efforts had failed to stop the fighting.