EU to send troops to war-torn Congo

THE European Union approved its first peacekeeping mission outside Europe and without help from NATO, deciding yesterday to send troops to strife-torn Democratic Republic of Congo in response to a UN plea.

EU ambassadors meeting in Brussels granted the deployment after clearing up logistical questions, including how it will be financed, EU diplomats said on condition of anonymity.

The operation will be dubbed Artemis, after the Greek goddess of hunting.