CAIRO – Suspected Islamic militants killed two Egyptian soldiers and a police conscript in attacks in the restive northeastern Sinai Peninsula on Tuesday, security officials said. In the first attack, a roadside bomb struck a passing armored vehicle, killing the two troops. The vehicle was taking part in a search …
Read More »Bomb explodes in front of Egypt's largest and most prominent university, injuring 8 people
CAIRO – A spokesman for the Egyptian Ministry of Heath says a bomb exploded in front of Egypt’s largest and most prominent university, injuring 8 people. A security official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists, says 4 of the people injured on …
Read More »Samsung Electronics estimates that 4Q operating income was down 37 percent
SEOUL, South Korea – Samsung Electronics Co. has estimated a 37 percent annual drop in its fourth-quarter operating income. In its earnings preview Thursday, Samsung put its October-December operating profit at 5.2 trillion won ($4.7 billion). Analysts’ consensus was 4.9 trillion won according to FactSet, a financial data provider. The …
Read More »69 dead, 196 hospitalized in Mozambique after drinking tainted homemade beer
At least 69 people have died and 196 have been hospitalized after drinking tainted homemade beer at a funeral in Mozambique. Drinking Pombe — a traditional Mozambican home-brewed beer — at funerals is common practice in the African nation. But shortly after a funeral in the northeastern Tete province in …
Read More »India's central bank cuts key interest rate by quarter point to 7.75 percent in surprise move
NEW DELHI – The Reserve Bank of India has unexpectedly cut its key interest rate by a quarter of a percentage point to 7.75 percent. The surprise decision announced Wednesday, a full two weeks before the central bank’s planned review on Feb. 3, follows several months of drops in inflation. …
Read More »With fighting flaring in eastern Ukraine, EU says no time to ease Russia sanctions
BRUSSELS – The European Union foreign ministers are ruling out any immediate easing of sanctions against Russia as fighting rages in eastern Ukraine, despite concerns about the economic consequences. Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said Monday that since the fighting around the Donetsk airport in eastern Ukraine had intensified, “this …
Read More »Shiite rebels, Yemen's embattled president reach agreement to end violent standoff in capital
SANAA, Yemen – Shiite rebels holding Yemen’s president captive in his home reached a deal with the U.S.-backed leader Wednesday to end a violent standoff in the capital, fueling fears that a key ally in the battle against al-Qaida has been sidelined. The late-night agreement, which gives the rebels greater …
Read More »‘Blasphemous’ art display involving Muslim prayer mats pulled from exhibition in Paris
An art display depicting high-heeled shoes on Islamic prayer mats has been yanked from a Paris exhibition after a Muslim group reportedly told authorities that it could provoke “uncontrollable, irresponsible incidents.” The “Silence” exhibit, which has already been featured in museums in Paris, Berlin, New York and Madrid, was scheduled …
Read More »Transcript of exchange between pilot and control tower ahead of deadly crash in Taiwan
TAIPEI, Taiwan – A widely broadcast audio clip including exchanges between the control tower and pilot of doomed TransAsia Flight 235 was confirmed by Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautical Administration as authentic. Here is a transcript of excerpts of that exchange: Control tower: “(inaudible) … wind 100 degrees, 9.9 knots. Clear to …
Read More »Mideast Quartet meets in Germany, presses for quick resumption of Israel-Palestinian talks
MUNICH – Envoys from the United States, the United Nations, the European Union and Russia are pressing for a resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians “as soon as possible.” The so-called Quartet of Middle East mediators met Sunday on the sidelines of an international security conference in …
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