SANAA / AP A top military official says forces allied with the internationally-recognized government of Yemen have seized control of a strategic Red Sea port, after waging an assault against Shiite rebels. Brig. Gen. Ahmed Seif al-Yafai said in press remarks on Monday that his forces have entered the city of Mokha, where dozens of families were seen fleeing ...
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19 die amid apparent winter tornadoes, other storms in US
ADEL / AP A vast storm system that kicked up apparent tornadoes, shredded mobile homes and left other destruction scattered around the Southeast has claimed at least 19 lives during its two-day assault on the region. Authorities said on Monday at least 15 deaths occurred in south Georgia alone, including seven from an apparent winter twister that tore through ...
Read More »Fans of bull-taming sport attack police station in India
SEOUL / AP Fans of a traditional bull-taming ritual in southern India went on a rampage on Monday, attacking a police station with stones and setting dozens of police vehicles on fire on Monday in anger at being forcibly evicted from the beach where they been protesting for the past week in support of the sport. Jallikattu involves releasing ...
Read More »4 dead in Austrian avalanche
VIENNA / AP Four people have died over the weekend in Austria while skiing, snow-shoeing or sledding — an unusually high toll linked to winter sports in the country. The Austria Press Agency says that two Czech nationals snow-shoeing in Salzburg’s alpine region died Sunday after being buried in an avalanche while two others managed to free themselves. State ...
Read More »Hungary mourns bus crash victims
BUDAPEST / AP Hungary’s national flag has been raised and then lowered to half-staff on a towering flagpole outside parliament as the country marked a day of mourning for the victims of a fiery bus crash in Italy involving students and teachers from a Budapest high school returning from a ski trip. Prime Minister Viktor Orban, President Janos Ader ...
Read More »In first remark, Trump mocks worldwide demonstrations
Bloomberg President Donald Trump mocked protesters who gathered for large demonstrations across the U.S. and the world on Saturday to signal discontent with his leadership, questioning whether they voted and criticizing celebrities who participated in the events. “Watched protests yesterday but was under impression that we just had an election! Why didn’t these people vote? Celebs hurt cause badly,†...
Read More »Suspected US drone strike kills 3 alleged al-Qaida in Yemen
SANAA / AP Yemeni security and tribal officials say suspected US drone strikes have killed three alleged al-Qaida operatives in the country’s southwestern Bayda province. They say the two Saturday strikes killed Abu Anis al-Abi, an area field commander, and two others. They spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to release the information. US drone strikes ...
Read More »Turkey’s president eager to hear Trump’s policies on Mideast
ISTANBUL / AP Turkey’s president says he is interested in hearing US President Donald Trump’s policies on the Middle East. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters before departing on an African tour on Sunday that Turkey wants a Mideast where countries’ territorial integrity is upheld and the region is not “shattered.†Turkey is especially concerned about the possible disintegration of ...
Read More »Dalai Lama hopes President Trump, Putin will work for peace
NEW DELHI / AP The Dalai Lama said he hopes that President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin will work together for global peace. The exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists said the world needed leaders with compassion. He made the remarks Saturday at a program in New Delhi organized by the women’s chapter of an industry group, according ...
Read More »As Trump takes office, Israel pushes settlement plan
JERUSALEM / AP The Jerusalem municipality said on Sunday it is pushing forward with 566 new housing units for Jewish settlements in east Jerusalem, swiftly moving into action as the seemingly favourable President Donald Trump takes office. The building plans were put on hold in the final months of President Barack Obama’s administration and were announced shortly following Trump’s inauguration. ...
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