MOSCOW – The brother of a prominent Russian opposition activist has been transferred from jail to prison. Alexei Navalny’s brother, Oleg, was convicted in December of defrauding a French cosmetics company and handed a 3 ½ year-sentence. Oleg Navalny’s lawyer Kirill Polozov said Wednesday he was transferred from a Moscow …
Read More »Spanish police arrest 4 suspected members of a jihadi cell
MADRID – Spanish National Police arrested four suspected jihadis Saturday in the country’s North African enclave of Ceuta who allegedly had formed a terror cell and were ready to carry out an attack, the Interior Ministry said. Interior Minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz said investigators, working with their Moroccan counterparts, were …
Read More »Polish governments seeks ways to help people with Swiss franc loans
WARSAW, Poland – Polish authorities say they are working to find a solution to help the more than 500,000 Poles who hold Swiss franc loans, the payments of which are spiking after a recent surge in the franc. Officials described details of the plan Wednesday after protesters in several cities …
Read More »Japanese shocked and saddened by purported slaying of journalist held by Islamic State group
TOKYO – The news of the purported killing of journalist Kenji Goto by Islamic State militants rushed through Japan early Sunday morning, shocking and saddening people in a nation that has embraced pacifism and where many were not emotionally prepared to cope with the hostage crisis: ___ “It could have …
Read More »6.1 magnitude earthquake strikes near Greek island, no reports of injuries or serious damage
ATHENS, Greece – Seismologists in Greece say a magnitude 6.1 earthquake has struck near the island of Crete, but there were no immediate reports of injuries or serious damage. The Athens Geodynamic Institute said the undersea quake occurred at 9:07 p.m. (1807GMT) on Thursday. The institute’s seismologist Efthymios Lekkas said …
Read More »Iraqi officials: Car bomb attack near Baghdad car repair store kills 7 people
BAGHDAD – Iraqi officials say a car bomb explosion near a car repair store in the capital, Baghdad, has killed seven people. Police officials say the bomb went off at noon Wednesday in the eastern district of Talibiyah. They say the blast also wounded 14 people and damaged several shops …
Read More »Syrian official says situation in historic town of Palmyra 'under control' despite IS breaches
DAMASCUS, Syria – A government official in central Syria says the situation is “fully under control” in Palmyra despite breaches by Islamic State militants, who pushed into the historic town a day earlier. Gov. Talal Barazi of Homs province says Syrian troops recaptured two hills from the militants late Saturday. …
Read More »German police raid homes of residents accused of celebrating Hamas attacks online
German police in the state of Bavaria on Tuesday raided the homes of more than a dozen people accused of having spread antisemitic material online, including the celebration of the Hamas attacks against Israel. Bavarian criminal police say the suspects included 15 men and two men, aged 18 to 62, …
Read More »Uganda's beloved alcoholic beverage threatened as authorities move to curb home brewing
At least once a week, Girino Ndyanabo’s family converges around a pit in which bananas have been left to ripen. The bananas are peeled and thrown into a wooden vat carved like a boat, and the patriarch steps in with bare feet. The sweet juice he presses out is filtered …
Read More »Boko Haram trying to spread violence across Nigeria, including Lagos, says official
ABUJA, Nigeria – A Nigerian security official says the Islamic extremist rebels of Boko Haram are trying to spread their violent campaign across Nigeria including Lagos, the country’s largest city. Tony Opuiyo, spokesman of the Department of State Services, Nigeria’s intelligence agency, said Sunday there has been a sudden influx …
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