JERUSALEM – Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has rejected an Israeli transfer of millions of dollars in tax revenue. Abbas said he ordered the money returned Sunday because “they deducted one third” to pay for the utility bills it owes Israel. Palestinians are believed to owe millions of dollars for use …
Read More »
BERLIN – Swiss authorities say they have arrested a 24-year-old man who is suspected of seeking to join an Islamic extremist group in Syria or Iraq. Federal prosecutors say the unidentified man was arrested at Zurich airport Tuesday afternoon as he attempted to board a plane to Istanbul, Turkey. Prosecutors …
Read More »
JERUSALEM – A coalition of international aid groups says the world must change its approach to war-ravaged Gaza, including by demanding a lifting of the blockade of the Hamas-ruled territory. The Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA) said Monday that reconstruction of thousands of homes and businesses destroyed in last …
Read More »
VATICAN CITY – Pope Francis has expressed sadness for the death of Cardinal Francis George, the retired Chicago archbishop. In a condolence telegram Saturday sent to current Chicago Archbishop Blase Cupich, the pontiff offered “heartfelt condolences” to the prelate, clergy and other faithful of the third-largest U.S. archdiocese with 2.2 …
Read More »
THE HAGUE, Netherlands – Dutch anti-Islam lawmaker Geert Wilders is copying part of Australia’s approach to stopping boat migrants by making a video telling would-be asylum seekers considering making the treacherous boat crossing from North Africa to Europe: “You will not make the Netherlands home.” The video, posted on Wilders’ …
Read More »
ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey’s state-run television says a Turkish Airlines plane bound for Milan made an emergency landing at Istanbul after one its engines caught fire. All passengers were safely evacuated. TRT television on Saturday showed the plane landing at Ataturk Airport, leaving a trail of sparks and smoke behind …
Read More »
KATHMANDU, Nepal – Mountaineering officials say the death toll from an avalanche on Mount Everest triggered by last weekend’s massive earthquake in Nepal has risen to 19, including two climbers from the United States and one each from China, Australia and Japan. The Nepal Mountaineering Association said Wednesday the 14 …
Read More »
LISBON, Portugal – Portuguese authorities say a 6-year-old girl has died after a yacht sank in the mid-Atlantic at night and she spent about seven hours in the water amid 10-meter (33-feet) waves. The Portuguese Navy said in a statement Thursday that a French yacht carrying what was believed to …
Read More »
KHAR, Pakistan – A government official says a roadside bomb has targeted an anti-Taliban tribal elder, killing him and his five aides in northwest Pakistan near the Afghan border. Local government official Fayyaz Khan said the attack Monday in Mamound saw a remote-controlled bomb explode as the elder’s car passed …
Read More »
MADRID – Spain’s foreign minister says the security chief for the country’s embassy in Brazil, under investigation in a homicide case, could lose his diplomatic immunity if the probe determines that the case is domestic violence. Jose Manuel Garcia-Margallo on Wednesday declined to provide details about the investigation of Jesus …
Read More »