LONDON – A local politician in Britain says his son is one of nine Britons arrested in Turkey while allegedly trying to get to Syria. Shakil Ahmed, a Labour Party councilor in Rochdale, northwest England, said Thursday he had believed his university student son was in Birmingham, England. Ahmed said …
Read More »Moody's raises Egypt's rating, says growth should accelerate if political stability continues
CAIRO – Moody’s Investor Service has upgraded Egypt’s credit rating, saying macroeconomic performance has improved and external vulnerabilities have been reduced. In a statement, it ranked Egypt at B3 on its scale — speculative and subject to high credit risk — with a stable outlook, an improvement from its previous …
Read More »Kosovo police on alert after 5 youths stab Serb teen in apparent ethnically motivated attack
PRISTINA, Kosovo – Kosovo police say they have increased security in the town of Mitrovica after five hooded assailants crossed from the ethnic Albanian southern part of town into the Serb northern part to a stab a Serb teenager. It was the first serious ethnically motivated incident in years. Deputy …
Read More »UN will vote Tuesday on arms embargo against Yemen rebel leaders, ex-president and son
UNITED NATIONS – The U.N. Security Council scheduled a vote Tuesday on a draft resolution that would impose an arms embargo on leaders of Yemen’s Shiite Houthi rebels and their key supporters, ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh and his son. The resolution is aimed at ending the Houthis military campaign against …
Read More »French court convicts 4 members of short-lived group for helping Chechen jihadis in Syria
PARIS – A Paris court has convicted four members of a short-lived group of charges related to providing logistical support to Chechen jihadis in Syria. The youngest member of the group, Khamzat Ilyasov, 20, was sentenced to five years in prison. It was the harshest sentence in Thursday’s trial as …
Read More »Mexico: New video in vigilantes' killings by security forces in January to be part of probe
MEXICO CITY – Mexican officials said Monday they have delivered new information about the January killings of vigilantes during clashes with soldiers and police, as part of a probe of possible excessive force. The information handed over includes a new video from which “one can infer presumed acts of excessive …
Read More »Italy, co-workers shocked by news of aid worker's death in US drone strike
ROME – The Italian government on Thursday deplored the death of an Italian aid worker in a U.S. airstrike, calling it a “fatal error” by the Americans. Italian Premier Matteo Renzi expressed his “profound pain” over Giovanni Lo Porto’s death and offered Italy’s condolences to Lo Porto’s family and that …
Read More »AP Interview: UNESCO chief says Nepal cultural sites 'huge disaster' after earthquake
UNITED NATIONS – The head of the United Nations cultural agency says a preliminary assessment of the famed World Heritage site around Nepal’s capital is a “huge disaster” after this weekend’s earthquake. The agency says that an expert team will see whether the structures can be repaired or even reconstructed. …
Read More »EU leaders warn Hungary not to consider restoring the death penalty, which is banned in bloc
BRUSSELS – European Union leaders are warning Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban that he is in for “a fight” if he considers restoring the death penalty, which is now banned throughout the 28-nation bloc. EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said Orban “should immediately make clear that this is not his …
Read More »Turkish crane operator, allegedly drunk, killed after driving into a military base
ISTANBUL – Officials say a crane operator in Turkey has died after drawing fire while driving through the barriers of a military base. State-run Anadolu Agency says soldiers at the Dalaman Aerodrome Command in western Turkey shot at the tires of the crane Sunday, causing it to fall into a …
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