JERUSALEM (AP) — A top Palestinian intelligence official provided first details Sunday of the release of two Swedish hostages held in Syria for 17 months, saying the captors drove them to a pre-arranged drop-off point, pushed them out of the car and sped off. The abductors from the militant, al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front in Syria were … Continue reading
TOKYO (AP) — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe arrived in the U.S. on Sunday for a weeklong visit to showcase the success of the alliance built from Tokyo’s defeat in World War II, while promoting a political agenda based on still stronger military and economic ties. The visit will take Abe from Boston to the … Continue reading
BEIRUT (AP) — Islamic insurgents overran a military base at a former factory in northwestern Syria on Monday, carting off tanks and other weapons in the latest blow to President Bashar Assad’s forces in the region, activists said. The opposition offensive in Idlib province has captured the provincial capital, a strategic town as well … Continue reading
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Extremist groups and the governments that restrict liberties to combat those militants have created “the most deadly and dangerous period for journalists in recent history,” according to a new report released Monday. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists’ annual report on press freedom is a collection of essays that spotlight … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration moved on two fronts Monday to advance its nuclear diplomacy with Iran, with talks between top U.S. and Iranian diplomats and an aggressive effort to sell the emerging deal to skeptical American lawmakers and constituencies. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif were … Continue reading
KHARTOUM, Sudan (AP) — Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir won re-election with 94 percent of the vote, according to official results announced Monday, extending his 25-year rule despite international war crimes charges and multiple insurgencies. The head of the Election Commission, Mokhtar al-Assam, announced the results to reporters. He said turnout was 46.4 percent, insisting … Continue reading
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Government reforms put in place by Bahraini authorities in the wake of widespread anti-government protests four years ago have failed to end serious violations of human rights in the strategically important Gulf nation, Amnesty International said in a report released Thursday. The 79-page report documents what the London-based group … Continue reading
ROME (AP) — Italy’s migration crisis took on a deadly new twist Thursday as police in Sicily reported that Muslim migrants had thrown 12 Christians overboard during a recent crossing from Libya, and an aid group said another 41 were feared drowned in a separate incident. Palermo police said they had detained 15 people suspected … Continue reading
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia has weathered the worst of its economic troubles and is on the road to recovery, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday during a marathon call-in TV show, offering to normalize ties with the West if it treats Moscow as an equal partner and not a “vassal.” He also defended the delivery of … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Losing the capital of Iraq’s western Anbar province to advancing Islamic State forces would be a tragic but not crippling blow to Iraq’s counteroffensive, the top U.S. military officer said Thursday. A more vital battleground is to the north at Beiji, home to a major oil refinery that the Islamic State group … Continue reading
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Friday is expected to nominate the head of the U.N. Ebola mission as the new special envoy to Yemen, the country’s U.N. ambassador said Thursday. Ambassador Khaled Alyemany told The Associated Press that Ismael Ould Cheikh Ahmed, of Mauritania, is the only candidate for the post after … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama pledged Friday to work more intensely with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on threats coming from instability in Libya that have led to an influx of migrants across the Mediterranean. Obama and Renzi told reporters after an Oval Office meeting that they discussed economic and security concerns, including … Continue reading
SANAA, Yemen (AP) — Al-Qaida militants traveling in convoys flying black banners captured a major port city in southern Yemen on Thursday, seizing government buildings and freeing inmates from a prison, including a top Saudi-born leader, security officials said. The fall of Mukalla — the capital of Yemen’s largest province, Hadramawt — highlighted how al-Qaida … Continue reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — After securing a surprisingly broad and detailed framework for a nuclear agreement with Iran, President Barack Obama must now subject his signature foreign policy pursuit to the gauntlet of partisan American politics. A blueprint finalized Thursday after marathon negotiations in Switzerland did little to ease the standoff between Obama and some lawmakers … Continue reading
LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — With one phase of nuclear talks over, Iran and six world powers now have an ambitious to-do list that — if implemented — will cut significantly into Iran’s bomb-capable technology while giving Tehran quick access to bank accounts, oil markets and other financial assets blocked by international sanctions. But the deal … Continue reading
Spartan Echo 