ATHENS, Greece – Greece has slipped back into deficit so far this year, according to figures from the Bank of Greece. But the country’s left-wing Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras ruled out any difficulties in making payments for public sector workers’ salaries or state-backed pensions. The central bank said the central …
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – The United Arab Emirates has recalled its ambassador to Sweden to protest comments made by Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallstrom criticizing neighboring Saudi Arabia. The official UAE news agency, WAM, says Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash also summoned Sweden’s Ambassador to the …
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VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis says nothing can justify the use of the death penalty and there is no “right” way to humanely kill another person. Francis outlined the Catholic church’s opposition to capital punishment in a letter to the International Commission against the Death Penalty, an independent group of …
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UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations Security Council on Thursday is expected to adopt a resolution that would authorize more than 1,000 additional military and police personnel for the peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic. The draft resolution obtained by The Associated Press follows up on a request by …
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DUBLIN – Most migrants who live illegally in the European Union fly to the 28-nation bloc on valid visas and simply overstay their welcome. But for the poorest and most desperate travelers of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, the journey often takes months by sea or land, with payments …
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HAVANA – Three dissidents were free Thursday after being abruptly released in what a leading human rights advocate said was part of Cuba’s deal with Washington to release 53 members of the island’s political opposition. Neither the Obama administration nor the Cuban government spoke publicly about the releases, adding to …
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YEREVAN, Armenia – The Armenian Defense Ministry says a clash with a group of Azerbaijani gunmen has left two people dead. The ministry said the incident occurred late Sunday when a group of Azerbaijani gunmen tried to cross into Armenia. It said Monday that an Armenian civilian and an Azerbaijani …
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SOFIA, Bulgaria – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is urging Bulgaria to wean itself from its near-total dependence on Russia for energy and calling for the NATO member to boost anti-corruption efforts. In meetings with Bulgaria’s president, prime minister and foreign minister on Thursday in Sofia, U.S. officials said …
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HELSINKI – Denmark’s central bank has decided to cut its key interest rate by 0.15 percentage points to 0.05 percent in anticipation of the European Central Bank’s decision on Thursday which could increase upward pressure on the value of the Scandinavian country’s krone. Danmarks Nationalbank says the rate reduction will …
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BRUSSELS – Belgium’s finance minister says he sees some room to discuss the “modalities” of the Greek debt program with the other eurozone nations after the election victory of the left-wing Syriza party that seeks an end to painful austerity measures. Johan Van Overtveldt said on the eve of a …
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