CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuela’s embattled president pledged Wednesday night to strengthen safety net programs and he rejected devaluing the currency during a long-delayed speech addressing the socialist country’s deteriorating economy. President Nicolas Maduro had promised several times in the past month to make announcements regarding the South American country’s worsening …
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CAIRO – Images of a slain protester, blood running down her face and hair as her body was lifted from the ground, have touched off powerful criticism of Egypt’s government on the anniversary of a revolution initially sparked by police brutality. The photos and videos show a heavily armed police …
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PARIS – The head of France’s air force says the crash of a NATO jet in Spain that left 11 people dead, including nine French airmen, came after the Greek crew tried to eject from the plane during a failed takeoff. Gen. Denis Mercier said Thursday the crash was entirely …
Read More »MANILA, Philippines – Melco Crown Entertainment has formally opened its $1 billion casino and entertainment resort in the Philippine capital. The company’s co-chairman and CEO Lawrence Ho said the opening Monday of the City of Dreams Manila is part of the company’s plans to have casinos across Asia. It operates …
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BRUSSELS – The top NATO commander says any move to provide Ukraine with lethal defensive weapons must take into account any possible angry reaction from Russia. U.S. Air Force Gen. Philip Breedlove says any action the U.S. or other Western nations take “could trigger a more strident reaction from Russia.” …
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CANBERRA, Australia – Australia’s beleaguered Prime Minister Tony Abbott emerged politically wounded after withstanding a leadership challenge from within his own party Monday, with many analysts doubting he can survive to lead his conservative government to next year’s elections. The polarizing leader’s grip on power has slipped since last month …
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PARIS – Total SA reported a net loss of $5.66 billion in the fourth quarter as world oil prices collapsed and the French energy giant wrote down the value of assets in Canada and the United States. Total said Thursday its oil and gas production slid 2 percent to 2.23 …
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TEHRAN, Iran – Iran’s former first vice president has been taken to jail to serve his prison term for corruption, the official IRNA news agency reported Sunday. Mohammad Reza Rahimi, a top aide to former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, was convicted by Iran’s supreme court last month and sentenced to five …
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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates – Career networking website LinkedIn has launched an Arabic version targeting the Middle East’s majority youth population. Saudi Labor Minister Adel Fakeih, who took part in the launch of the website from neighboring United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, says the portal will help the government reach …
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GENEVA – Iran and the U.S. are sending their top nuclear officials to Geneva, in a move that may help resolve disputes standing in the way of a deal focused on capping Tehran’s atomic activities in exchange for sanctions relief. Technical experts for both Iran and the six nations have …
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