Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been wounded in shelling at the presidential compound in the capital, Sana’a. Western media accounts quote an opposition television report as saying Mr. Saleh was at a mosque in the presidential compound when rockets landed during Friday prayers. Yemeni officials say several high-ranking officials also were wounded. Western reports […]
US Unemployment Rate Rises Slightly
The U.S. economy had a net gain of just 54,000 jobs in May, while the unemployment rate rose slightly. Friday’s report from the Labor Department shows the jobless rate rose one-tenth of a percent to hit 9.1 percent. Economists say at least 200,000 jobs need to be created each month to bring the jobless rate […]
Germany’s Merkel to Seek EU Help for Wronged Spanish Farmers
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has agreed to push for European Union financial assistance for Spanish farmers whose export income dropped sharply after German officials erroneously blamed them for causing the deadly outbreak of E. coli bacteria. Mrs. Merkel told her counterpart, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, on Thursday that she regretted the damage […]
Iraqi Bomb Blast Kills 16 at Mosque
At least 16 people were killed and more than 50 wounded Friday morning when a bomb exploded at a Sunni mosque in the hometown of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. Investigators say the blast took place as worshippers were leaving the mosque in Tikrit, a city about 130 kilometers north of Baghdad. The mosque is […]
Gates Meets with U.S. Allies at Asian Security Conference
U.S. and Chinese defense chiefs said Friday that military relations between the two countries had made some progress and are moving in a positive direction. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates and his Chinese counterpart, General Liang Guanglie made the statement Friday in Singapore, where they held talks ahead of the start of the Shangri-La Dialogue […]
Mladic Appears at War Crimes Trial
After 16 years on the run, Bosnian Serb military chief Ratko Mladic made his first appearance Friday before the U.N war crimes tribunal at The Hague to answer charges of genocide during the Bosnian war. Mladic was once a burly, intimidating figure on the battlefield. But now he is in frail health and his court-appointed […]
Pregnant Teens Accused of Selling Babies May Face Charges
Nigerian police say 32 pregnant teens could face charges after being accused of plotting to sell their babies in a child trafficking ring. Police arrested the girls and a doctor in charge of a clinic in southeast Abia state on Saturday. Police commissioner Bala Hassan says the pregnant women were housed at the clinic until […]
Top US Lawmakers: US Will Not Default on Debt
Senior U.S. lawmakers say Republicans and Democrats will eventually reach a deal to raise the country’s $14 trillion debt limit. The number two Democrat in the U.S. House of Representatives, Steny Hoyer , says financial markets should know that lawmakers will come to an agreement on the issue. House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi says members […]
WHO: Unknown E. Coli Variant Has Killed 18
The World Health Organization says a deadly outbreak of E. coli bacteria that has killed 18 people in Europe is a unique strain that has never been found in infected patients before. The United Nations agency said Thursday that preliminary genetic tests suggest that the highly contagious strain behind the outbreak could be a genetic […]
New Explosions Rock Tripoli
Several explosions rocked the Libyan capital, Tripoli, early Friday. It was not immediately clear whether there were any casualties. For the last several nights, NATO warplanes have bombed targets in Tripoli, including leader Moammar Gadhafi’s sprawling residential and command compound. Mr. Gadhafi has rarely been seen in public since a NATO airstrike killed one of […]