SANAA, Yemen – Yemeni officials say the head of the Gulf Cooperation Council has visited President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi in a show of support for the embattled leader against Shiite rebels who have seized the capital. Top aides to Hadi say GCC Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani visited him Wednesday …
Read More »Mexico's 'swim with dolphins' sites criticized by animal rights groups, environmentalists
MEXICO CITY – Environmental and animal rights groups in Mexico are training their sights on the growing number of “swim with dolphins” enclosures on the nation’s coasts. The movement scored its first victory Thursday, when federal regulator authorities said they had ordered a dolphinarium just south of the resort city …
Read More »Romanian security officer kidnapped from mine in northern Burkina Faso, military official says
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso – A senior military official in Burkina Faso says a Romanian security officer has been kidnapped from a mining site in the north of the country. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media, said Saturday that the …
Read More »Imam who criticized Syria's Assad found shot to death in car in London
LONDON – A Syria-born Muslim cleric has been shot dead in London. Police say a man in his late 40s was found in a car in the Wembley area Tuesday with gunshot wounds to his chest. Paramedics pronounced him dead at the scene. Police did not identify the man, but …
Read More »Former US ambassador: Idea to invite Kim Jong Un to US for 'orientation trip' was rejected
UNITED NATIONS – A former U.S. ambassador to South Korea says he once suggested that Kim Jong Un be invited to the United States for an “orientation trip” when Kim’s father was still in charge of North Korea, but the idea was rejected — which he calls a mistake. Donald …
Read More »Canada sending military trainers to train Ukrainian troops, joining US and British efforts
OTTAWA, Ontario – Canada will send 200 military trainers to Ukraine, joining the U.S. and Britain in an effort to shore up the eastern European country’s battered forces. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Defense Minister Jason Kenney announced the move Tuesday. The troops will join U.S. and British soldiers early …
Read More »US troops arrive in Ukraine to train national guard units, a move criticized by Moscow
MOSCOW – About 300 US Army paratroopers have arrived in Ukraine for training exercises with national guard units, a move criticized by the Kremlin and eastern Ukraine’s Russia-backed separatist rebels. The troops, from the Italy-based 173rd Airborne Brigade, are to spend several weeks training a total of about 900 Ukrainian …
Read More »Tornado kills 2, leaves 1,000 homeless in Brazil
RIO DE JANEIRO – A tornado battered a city in southern Brazil, killing two people, injuring 120 others and forcing more than 1,000 people from their homes, officials said Tuesday. The National Institute of Meteorology said a supercell storm produced the tornado that struck Xanxere city in the state of …
Read More »Police in Mongolia say Canadian businessman found dead in upscale hotel in capital
ULAN BATOR, Mongolia – Police in Mongolia say a Canadian businessman has been found dead in his room at an upscale hotel in the capital Ulan Bator. Jim Doak, 59, was found dead Thursday morning by cleaning staff at the Blue Sky hotel. Canadian media reports identify him as the …
Read More »EU to require ambulance-dispatch crash system for new cars, light vehicles from 2018
BRUSSELS – All new vehicles in the European Union will have to be fitted as of 2018 with a system that automatically calls the emergency services in case of an accident. EU lawmakers on Tuesday decided to make the eCall system mandatory for all new cars and light-duty vehicles sold …
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