ROME – The Jesuit religious order says an Indian priest who was abducted in Afghanistan eight months ago has been released. James Stapleton, a Jesuit Refugee Service spokesman in Rome, said the Rev. Alexis Prem Kumar, was released on Sunday and has since returned to his native India. Stapleton says …
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MEXICO CITY – For the second time in 10 days, the Popocatepetl volcano east of Mexico City spewed ash into the sky, forcing cancellation of flights at the nearby Puebla International Airport. A statement from the government’s airport oversight agency Wednesday said operations in Puebla were suspended at 6:30 a.m. …
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CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan students are launching a signature-gathering effort to pressure the government to reverse a regulation that allows police to use deadly force against protesters. The socialist South American country adopted the regulation in January, drawing criticism from opposition leaders. The debate gained urgency this week after a …
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KABUL, Afghanistan – An Afghan official says a roadside bombing has killed seven people in a province east of Kabul. Din Mohammad Darwish, spokesman for the Logar provincial governor, says the attack happened on Friday morning in Baraki Barak district when a vehicle that two families were riding in struck …
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RIO DE JANEIRO – An oil service company is suspending operations on five drills it operates for Brazil’s state-run oil giant Petrobras amid a widespread corruption scandal that has engulfed both companies. In a statement Tuesday, Petrobras said Schahin has announced the impending suspension of the five rented drills. The …
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BERLIN – The German military plans to bring 100 mothballed tanks back into service as it deals with increased demands from the Ukraine crisis. Defense Ministry spokesman Jens Flosdorff said Friday that the military will pay 22 million euros ($23.6 million) to buy back the Leopard 2 main battle tanks …
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UNITED NATIONS – Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s spokesman says the U.N. chief considers the slaughter of Armenians by Ottoman Turks 100 years ago “atrocity crimes,” but he isn’t supporting Pope Francis’ description of the killings as “the first genocide of the 20th century.” Turkey denies the killings were genocide and accused …
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A federal investigation into the recent sickening with a toxic pesticide of a U.S. family vacationing in the Virgin Islands found that the chemical has also been improperly used in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday. Officials said documents suggest methyl bromide …
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ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey’s prime minister said a ceremony would be held in Istanbul to commemorate Armenians killed a century ago by Ottoman Turks and again issued condolences to their descendants. However, in a message released Monday, Ahmet Davutoglu stopped short of calling the slaughter of Armenians genocide and criticized …
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JERUSALEM – The Israeli military says Palestinian militants fired a rocket from Gaza that exploded in Israel without causing injuries or damage. The military said it was the first rocket fired at Israel this year. Gaza militants have fired thousands of rockets at Israel over the years. Rocket fire has …
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