HONG KONG – Chinese state media have blasted Hong Kong’s pro-democracy opposition lawmakers for being “destroyers” of democratic development a day after they shot down Beijing’s election blueprint for the British former colony. The Chinese Communist Party’s flagship newspaper published an editorial Friday deploring the vote and accusing the pro-democracy …
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MOSCOW – Russian President Vladimir Putin has praised a deal between Iran and world powers in a conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Putin told Netanyahu in Thursday’s phone conversation that the agreement “provided reliable guarantees” that Iran’s nuclear program is exclusively peaceful, according to the Kremlin. The deal …
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CANBERRA, Australia – The Iraqi city of Mosul, which is held by Islamic State movement fighters, has become the second terrorist hot-spot to be declared off-limits to Australians under a new counterterrorism law aimed at deterring foreign fighters. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said Monday that the Mosul district in northern …
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TEHRAN, Iran – Iran is demanding the extradition of a suspected Iranian militant arrested in Pakistan. Wednesday’s report by the semi-official Fars news agency quotes Gen. Masoud Rezvani as saying that Tehran is asking Islamabad to hand over Abdulsattar Rigi, arrested over the weekend in Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province. Rezvani …
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CAIRO – Judicial officials in Egypt say an appeals court has ordered a retrial in an internationally criticized mass trial, overturning 37 death sentences. Initially, more than 500 suspected backers of ousted Islamist President Mohammed Morsi were sentenced to death last March in a swift, two-day trial in Minya. Defense …
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CAIRO – A spokeswoman for the U.N. World Food Program in Sudan says a six-person Bulgarian helicopter crew has gone missing after reports their aircraft made an unexpected landing in a conflict-torn area. Amor Almagro said Wednesday the crew was on a contract with the agency’s offices in South Sudan. …
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MANAMA, Bahrain – The fight for Arabic news viewers is heating up. A new pan-Arab channel known as Alarab took to the airwaves Sunday from its headquarters in the tiny island nation of Bahrain, promising an “objective, fresh and unbiased view of world events.” It is backed by Saudi billionaire …
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MEXICO CITY – State authorities said Thursday that 28 officials are being investigated for alleged abuses committed during the cover-up of last year’s slaying by soldiers of at least a dozen criminal suspects after they surrendered. The government of Mexico state, adjacent to Mexico City, had initial responsibility for investigating …
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COPENHAGEN, Denmark – Denmark has outlawed bestiality, putting the small Scandinavian country in line with several European neighbors, including Germany, Sweden and Norway. In a 91-75 vote, Danish lawmakers approved Tuesday banning sex with animals. Five abstained. The law proposal had been introduced in February by Denmark’s farming minister Dan …
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BUDAPEST, Hungary – Hungary’s prime minster says the government will consider “all options,” including a physical barrier on the southern border with Serbia, to stem the increased flow of migrants. Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Friday on state radio that “migration is dangerous” and that the government will hear the …
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