TEHRAN, Iran – A spokesman for Iran’s judiciary says the son of influential former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has been sentenced to 15 years in prison over security and corruption charges. The spokesman did not offer the specific charges on which Mahdi Hashemi Rafsanjani was convicted. Instead, Gholam Hossein Mohseni …
Read More »Switzerland returning over $120 million frozen in Petrobras corruption investigation to Brazil
BERLIN – Swiss authorities say they are handing over to Brazil more than $120 million that were frozen as part of corruption probes involving state-run oil company Petrobras. The federal prosecutor’s office in Bern said Wednesday that it has opened nine investigations into alleged money laundering since last April, targeting …
Read More »10 dead in Mexico shootout include 5 federal police, 2 bystanders
MEXICO CITY – Mexico’s federal police say gunmen have ambushed a convoy of officers, leading to a shootout in which 10 people died, including five officers and two bystanders. A police statement says the members of Mexico’s new gendarmerie special force were ambushed late Thursday while patrolling in the town …
Read More »Militant attacks in Egypt's restive Sinai kill 2 soldiers, police conscript, officials say
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 »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 »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 …
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