Thousands call on president of Sudan to step aside

Sudan

Thousands call on president to step aside

Thousands of Sudanese protesters took to the streets of the capital Khartoum late Sunday, chanting "freedom" and renewing calls for their longtime autocratic president to resign after dozens of protesters were killed in a week of demonstrations sparked by austerity measures. The government said it would distribute cash to half a million families to offset higher fuel and food prices. The street demonstrations, which began after subsides were lifted last week, have been the most widespread in Sudan since Omar al-Bashir seized power 24 years ago.

Washington

N. Carolina faces suit over voter law

The Justice Department will sue the state of North Carolina for alleged racial discrimination over tough new voting rules, the latest effort by the Obama administration to fight back against a Supreme Court decision that struck down the most powerful part of the landmark Voting Rights Act. North Carolina has a new law scaling back the period for early voting and imposing stringent voter identification requirements. The Justice Department on Aug. 22 sued Texas over its voter ID law. Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to announce the suit against North Carolina today.

Elsewhere

Bahrain: A Bahrain court sentenced 50 people Sunday to prison terms of between five and 15 years after a mass trial for alleged links to a militant group, a rights activist said.

Iraq: A wave of suicide bombings and other attacks killed at least 46 people across Iraq, officials said Sunday.

Times wires