RAMALLAH, West Bank – The Israeli military says a senior West Bank commander who killed a Palestinian stone-thrower last week opened fire because he felt “mortal” danger after stones hit his jeep’s windshield. The military said Monday that Col. Israel Shomer exhausted “all measures” before firing at 17-year-old Mohammed al-Kusbah, …
Read More »Police official: Taliban insurgents attack checkpoint in eastern province, wound 3 policemen
KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan police official says the Taliban have attacked a police checkpoint in the eastern Paktia province, wounding three policemen. Gen. Zelmai Oryakhail, the provincial police chief, says that a Taliban suicide car bomber first targeted the checkpoint on Wednesday evening, followed by other insurgents who opened …
Read More »Greece eyes tax hikes, spending cuts, pension reforms to clinch 53.5 billion euro bailout
BRUSSELS – Greece has submitted a 13-page set of proposals to its European creditors that is intended to act as a foundation to free up a new three-year, 53.5-billion euro bailout package to save the nation from bankruptcy. Here are the main points of the package that the Greek parliament …
Read More »Activists say at least 28 killed in Syrian army airstrikes on IS-held town in northern Syria
BEIRUT – Syrian activists say at least 28 people were killed in Syrian army airstrikes on a town controlled by the Islamic State group in northern Syria. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 19 civilians were among the dead in Saturday’s attack on the town of al-Bab, including …
Read More »Scientists at CERN atom smasher claim discovery of new class of particles called 'pentaquarks'
BERLIN – Scientists working at the world’s biggest atom smasher say they have discovered a new kind of particle called “pentaquarks.” The existence of pentaquarks was first proposed in the 1960s by American physicists Murray Gell-Mann and Georg Zweig. Gell-Mann, who coined the term “quark,” received the Nobel Prize in …
Read More »Clashes in Yemen kill 20, including 4 civilians, as fighting rages north of Aden
SANAA, Yemen – Officials say 20 people died in clashes in Yemen’s Marib province and the city of Taiz between Shiite Houthi rebels and pro-government forces who are backed by airstrikes from a Saudi-led coalition. Medical sources in Marib say clashes there killed nine rebels and seven anti-Houthi tribesmen. Medical …
Read More »Amnesty International: Mexico corpse discoveries highlight 'shocking' crisis of disappearances
MEXICO CITY – Amnesty International says the discovery of 129 bodies during the search for 43 missing students highlights a “crisis of enforced disappearances” in Mexico. The international human rights watchdog calls the situation “shocking” — not only in the state of Guerrero, where the students disappeared last September, but …
Read More »Iran says 'high-level' talks with EU planned following nuclear deal
TEHRAN, Iran – Iran’s foreign minister says “high-level” talks will soon be launched with the European Union following a nuclear agreement reached with world powers earlier this month. Mohammad Javad Zarif said Tuesday that the talks “in the near future” will focus on energy, environmental and human rights issues, as …
Read More »Dominican truckers blockade border crossings into Haiti to protest violence against drivers
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic – The main truckers union in the Dominican Republic on Monday blocked transport of all freight through border crossings into neighboring Haiti, citing concerns about their safety. The Dominican truckers said they were protesting recent violence against them while in Haiti. They asserted that some 60 …
Read More »Homemade bomb believed set off by Abu Sayyaf militants kills 2 soldiers in Philippines
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine military says two soldiers have been killed by a homemade bomb believed to have been set off by Abu Sayyaf militants in a restive southern province. A military spokesman for the region, Ensign Chester Ramos, said the two soldiers were part of a security detail …
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