VILNIUS, Lithuania – Lithuania’s defense ministry is advising its citizens how to react in case of war, reflecting jitters over neighboring Russia’s intervention in Ukraine and a recent increase of reported airspace violations in the Baltic region. The 98-page booklet is to be distributed next week in Lithuania, a NATO …
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TOKYO – The Japanese central bank says the world’s third largest economy will suffer a contraction in its nearly ended current fiscal year but then rebound. The Bank of Japan ended a policy meeting Wednesday without any major change to its ultra-loose monetary policy. Its massive asset purchases are injecting …
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BERLIN – Germany’s ver.di trade union says private security personnel at the country’s Duesseldorf and Cologne-Bonn airports will stage a one-day warning strike Thursday in an ongoing dispute over wages. Union representative Andrea Becker told the dpa news agency Wednesday that after three unsuccessful rounds of talks, ver.di hopes to …
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MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine air force said one of its Italian-made light planes crashed at sea on a training mission Saturday, killing the two pilots. The single-prop SF-260FH was flying in formation with two other planes on a training flight when it crashed off Nasugbo township in Batangas province …
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BUDAPEST, Hungary – Hungary’s Supreme Court has ordered the retrial of three anti-gay protesters convicted of attacking police guarding the Budapest Pride march in 2011 because it considered the sentence too lenient. A statement Wednesday from the Kuria, as the court is now called, said the sentence condemning the unidentified …
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LONDON – A British jihadi who faked his death in an attempt to secretly return to England from Syria was sentenced Friday to 12 years in prison. Imran Khawaja, who joined a faction aligned with the Islamic State group and attended an extremist training camp in Syria for six months, …
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Puerto Rico’s governor has unveiled details of his plan to overhaul the island’s tax system, including the creation of a new 16 percent value-added tax. Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla said Tuesday in a pre-recorded televised message that he would file the measure Wednesday as he …
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YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar’s government has warned student protesters against marching to Yangon to seek educational reforms, saying “action will be taken” to restore law and order if they go ahead. The special announcement on state television on Friday night did not elaborate on the threat, which could include a …
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JOHANNESBURG – The mother of one of the women accusing former tennis star Bob Hewitt of rape says her daughter is lying. Judy Sheehan testified in a South African court on Tuesday that her daughter was not abused by the Grand Slam doubles champion and former Hall of Fame member. …
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TRIPOLI, Libya – A friend says a female Libyan activist has been shot to death in the capital, Tripoli, which is controlled by militias backed by Islamist groups. Taha Krewi on Tuesday confirmed the death of activist Intissar al-Hasaari. Al-Hasaari was the founder of the Enlightenment Group, which led protests …
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