BEIRUT – In the moments after her husband blew himself up in the ballroom of a Jordanian hotel as part of an al-Qaida plot, Sajida al-Rishawi fled the scene of chaos wearing her own explosive belt. The 2005 assault on three hotels in Amman, the worst terror attack in Jordan’s …
Read More »North Korea to Ban Ki-moon: Tell world that human rights resolution is illegal
UNITED NATIONS – North Korea’s foreign minister is demanding that the U.N. secretary-general tell member states that a resolution targeting the country’s bleak human rights record is illegal and based on lies. The letter from Foreign Minister Ri Su Yong, obtained by The Associated Press, says North Korea will be …
Read More »Israel's leader faces pressure at home, from White House to cancel speech to US Congress
JERUSALEM – A national leader’s appearance before the U.S. Congress is usually a source of pride and unity. But Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned trip to Washington — opposed by the White House and many Democrats — has Israel in uproar. The Israeli leader faces growing calls to cancel the …
Read More »Greek court jails Cypriot former minister, son, over money laundering linked with arms deals
ATHENS, Greece – A Cypriot former interior minister and his son have been jailed in Greece on money laundering-linked charges, in connection with a corruption case involving a jailed Greek former defense minister. An Athens court on Wednesday sentenced Dinos Michailidis, a Cypriot minister in the 1980s and 1990s, and …
Read More »20 people died in collision between bus and freight train in northern Mexico, officials say
MEXICO CITY – The number of confirmed dead from a collision between a passenger bus and a freight train in northern Mexico has been raised to 20, officials said Saturday. Authorities in the state of Nuevo Leon said 16 dead were taken to facilities there after Friday’s crash, and officials …
Read More »EU launches drive to stop tax evasion by multinationals, plans for new rules next month
BRUSSELS – The European Union has launched a drive to combat tax evasion following a series of probes into tax rules that allows multinationals to slash their bills in Luxembourg, Ireland and the Netherlands. The EU’s executive commission said Tuesday that it will table new tax legislation next month including …
Read More »Denmark shootings highlight links between gangs and Islamic extremists
COPENHAGEN, Denmark – The shooting spree in Copenhagen by a radicalized former gang member has highlighted an overlap between Islamic extremists and the criminal underworld. Danish police say gang members with Muslim backgrounds are being radicalized both in prison and outside, and some have joined the ranks of foreign fighters …
Read More »81-year-old Chinese dissident writer given suspended sentence
BEIJING – A famed 81-year-old Chinese dissident writer was given a suspended 2 ½-year prison sentence Wednesday on charges of running an illegal business, apparently because he published articles critical of the country’s propaganda chief. A lawyer for Huang Zerong, who uses the pen name Tieliu, said his client was …
Read More »American blogger hacked to death in Bangladesh
A U.S. blogger in Bangladesh known for his prominent stance against religious fundamentalism was hacked to death by unidentified attackers in the country’s capital Thursday night, police said. Avijit Roy and his wife Rafida Ahmed were attacked late Thursday night in Dhaka as they were returning from a book fair …
Read More »UN Security Council members urge investigation into latest allegations of Syria chlorine use
UNITED NATIONS – Members of the U.N. Security Council have called on the global chemical weapons watchdog to investigate the latest allegations of the use of chlorine as a chemical weapon in Syria. The current council president, Jordanian Ambassador Dina Kawar, spoke to reporters Thursday after a closed-door briefing by …
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