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Scuffles in Kenyan Parliament as MPs Vote on Controversial Terror Law

Scuffles broke out in Kenya's parliament Thursday delaying a vote on controversial legislation that would give the authorities sweeping powers to pursue terrorist suspects and curtail press freedoms.

The bill was proposed after a string of attacks in Kenya by Somalia-based Shebab insurgents that have increased pressure on the government to confront the Islamist militants.

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Six Die in Nairobi Building Collapse

Six people died and 11 were injured in a central Nairobi building collapse, with fears that the toll could rise as crews continued to dig through the rubble, officials said Thursday.

The four-floor building came down early Wednesday. At least 10 survivors emerged from the debris the same day, but it remained unclear how many people could still be trapped.

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Kenya Shuts 510 NGOs, some for 'Terrorism Financing'

Kenya on Tuesday closed over 500 non-governmental organizations, including 15 for alleged fundraising for terrorism, as part of a security crackdown following repeated attacks.

The government's non-governmental organization (NGO) coordination board said in a statement it had "de-registered 510 organizations for non-compliance with the law", with some using their charitable status as a front for raising cash for terrorism.

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Rights Groups: New Kenya Security Laws Threaten Freedoms

Kenyan proposals to boost security laws risk returning the country to a "police state", rights groups said Sunday, but the government says they are vital to the nation's protection.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International said in a joint statement that, if passed, the "far-reaching" amendments to security laws being debated in parliament would "limit the rights of arrested and accused people, and restrict freedoms of expression and assembly."

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Ugandan President Calls for Mass Africa Pullout of ICC Court

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said Friday he will mobilize African leaders to quit the International Criminal Court, accusing it of being used as a "tool to target" the continent.

Museveni was cheered as he spoke at Kenya's independence day celebrations, after the collapse earlier this month of the ICC's crimes against humanity case against Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta.

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Gunmen Kill Kenyan Policeman, Wound Two Other

Gunmen shot dead a Kenyan policeman and wounded two others in an overnight attack on the Kilifi coastal region, local government officials said Friday.

"We lost a police officer in the attack," said Kilifi county commissioner Albert Kobia. "They were attacked by a gang that opened fire at the station."

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Kenya Eyes Tougher Security Laws after Shebab Killings

Kenya's government wants to beef up security laws after a string of attacks by Somalia's Shebab insurgents, but media and opposition warn some proposals are too severe, reports said Wednesday.

The proposals include boosting the time police can hold terrorism suspects from the current 90 to 360 days, increasing sentences, and more powers to intercept communications, according to a draft seen by AFP.

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Kenya's President 'Vindicated' after ICC Drops Charges

Kenya's President Uhuru Kenyatta said he had been "vindicated" after the International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor dropped charges of crimes against humanity against him on Friday.

The announcement dealt a massive blow to the Hague-based tribunal after a long-running and troubled case.

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Big Boost for Kenya's President as ICC Drops Charges

The dropping of crimes against humanity charges against Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta lifts a heavy weight off his shoulders and eases sometimes problematic foreign relations.

The constant threat of trial at the International Criminal Court had overshadowed domestic challenges, with Kenyatta spending much of his presidency battling the accusations, winning the support of the African Union and grappling with frosty relations with Western powers.

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Mixed Emotions in Kenya as President Beats International Court

Tears of grief, cries of joy: the reactions of ordinary Kenyans to the dropping of crimes against humanity charges against the president mirror the divisions that remain years after bitter election violence.

With nobody prosecuted in Kenya itself, the withdrawal Friday of International Criminal Court charges against President Uhuru Kenyatta means many in the vast Rift Valley, one of the hardest hit areas in the ethnic violence that followed contested 2007 elections, fear they will never see justice.

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