An unlikely refugee from the war in Ukraine — a rare black bear — arrived at his new home in Scotland on Friday and quickly took to a meal of cucumbers and watermelon. The 12-year-old Yampil was named for a village in the Donetsk region where he was one of …
Read More »Basque group ETA reacts angrily to joint Spanish-French police raid on a hidden arms cache
MADRID – Basque separatist group ETA has reacted angrily to a joint Spanish and French police operation that has seized a cache of hidden weapons. ETA describes the raid, in which 26 firearms and 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of explosive material were found in the French city of Biarritz on …
Read More »Romanian minister who called wives of expats "whores" and their children "vagabonds" resigns
BUCHAREST, Romania – The Romanian transportation minister has resigned after calling the wives of millions of Romanians working abroad “whores.” Prime Minister Victor Ponta on Thursday accepted the resignation of Ioan Rus a day after the minister said in a TV interview that the 3 million Romanians working abroad were …
Read More »UN says delegation of Shiite Houthi rebels left Djibouti for Geneva on a UN-chartered plane
UNITED NATIONS – The United Nations says a delegation of Yemen’s Shiite Houthi rebels has left Djibouti and is flying to Geneva on a U.N.-chartered plane to take part in talks aimed at ending the Yemen conflict. U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said the plane left Djibouti at 7:10 p.m. local …
Read More »South Sudan accuses Sudan of dropping bombs across the border; I killed
JUBA, South Sudan – South Sudan’s government is accusing Sudan of bombing two places within its territory this week, killing at least one soldier and wounding others. Peter Hoth, a state minister for information, said Wednesday that a suspected Sudanese warplane bombed Maban and Renk counties of Upper Nile state …
Read More »Egypt's Transitional Government Struggles to Retain Stability
CAIRO, Egypt – As Egypt struggles to return to normal just three days after former president Hosni Mubarak resigned, hundreds of government workers went on strike Monday over wages and corruption. The Egyptian transition government, led by the army, tried to contain a wave of protesters who defied orders not …
Read More »Romanian premier probed for corruption takes a month off work citing health problems
BUCHAREST, Romania – Romania’s prime minister, who is under investigation for alleged corruption, says he will hand over his duties to a deputy for a month due to health problems. Prime Minister Victor Ponta wrote to President Klaus Iohannis Sunday asking him to allow the deputy prime minister to carry …
Read More »Official: Mexican forces capture son of leader of Jalisco New Generation cartel
MEXICO CITY – Mexican authorities have captured the son of the alleged leader of the country’s most violent cartel in the western state of Jalisco. A federal official speaking anonymously because he was not authorized to discuss the arrest confirmed that federal forces captured Ruben Oseguera Gonzalez, alias “el Menchito,” …
Read More »Philly officials confident of fundraising, preparations at 3-month homestretch to pope's visit
VATICAN CITY – Philadelphia church officials say they’re confident about preparations for Pope Francis’ visit at the three-month homestretch, saying they’ve raised more than $30 million of the $45 million needed and have lined up 6,000 of 10,000 volunteers. Archbishop Charles Chaput and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter wrapped up four …
Read More »German government says violent far-right crimes rose by nearly a quarter last year
BERLIN – The German government says violent far-right crime increased by nearly a quarter last year, while authorities are concerned about an even faster rise in offenses involving homes for asylum-seekers. The domestic intelligence agency counted 990 violent offenses with a far-right motivation, compared with 801 in 2013. That included …
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