TOKYO – Volkswagen overtook Toyota in global vehicle sales for January-June, the first time the German automaker has come out at the top in the intensely competitive tallies. Japanese automaker Toyota Motor Corp. said Tuesday it sold 5.02 million vehicles in the first six months of this year. Volkswagen said …
Read More »Travelers crossing English Channel stranded as striking French workers block Calais port
PARIS – Some travelers trying to cross the English Channel are stranded because French workers are blockading the port of Calais. British ferry operator P&O Ferries warned passengers that the blockade began Sunday evening as a result of actions by workers at MyFerryLink, a ferry operator facing job cuts. It’s …
Read More »Greece says Turkey withdraws notice for planned military exercise in Aegean Sea
ATHENS, Greece – Greece says Turkey has withdrawn a recent notice seeking to reserve a large swathe of airspace over the Aegean Sea for military maneuvers until the end of the year. Foreign Ministry spokesman Constantinos Koutras said Monday that Turkey has withdrawn the Notice to Airmen, or NOTAM, which …
Read More »Turkey seeks EU help to stop 'ghost ships' ferrying hundreds of migrants to European shores
BRUSSELS – Turkey is appealing to the European Union to help it combat the phenomenon of ghost ships used by smugglers to send hundreds of migrants at a time toward European shores. Turkey’s ambassador in Brussels, Selim Yenel, told EU lawmakers Wednesday that his country needs “proper information, coordination on …
Read More »Officials say bombings in Iraq's capital, Baghdad, kill at least 8 people and wound 22
BAGHDAD – Officials say two bombings in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, have killed at least eight civilians. A police officer says the deadliest attack took place in the capital’s Bab al-Sharji area, where a bomb went off Sunday outside a small restaurant, killing five civilians and wounding 11. He says another …
Read More »Philippines says ASEAN's credibility at stake over China's reclamation of disputed reefs
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines has urged fellow Southeast Asian nations to jointly demand that China stop its land reclamation in contested South China Sea reefs. Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario said the credibility of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations could be undermined if it does not respond to …
Read More »Pope considering Cuba stop during US trip but no decision made yet
VATICAN CITY – The Vatican says Pope Francis is considering adding a stop in Cuba to his U.S. trip in September but that no decision has been made. Francis has been credited with having helped the United States and Cuba reach their historic rapprochement by writing to the leaders of …
Read More »Russian court rules against gay teacher who was fired after being outed by activist
ST. PETERSBURG, Russia – A St. Petersburg court has ruled against a homosexual music teacher who lost her job after being outed by an anti-gay activist. Ksenia Kirichenko, the lawyer for a gay rights organization which is representing the teacher, said Thursday that the court this week refused the teacher’s …
Read More »Official: Ethiopia's government detains 200 suspected human traffickers, others being sought
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia – An Ethiopian official says 200 human smugglers have been detained as part of the government’s efforts to stem the number of citizens illegally trying to migrate to Europe. Ethiopian Federal Affairs Minister Shiferaw Teklemariam told the Ethiopian News Agency late Sunday that the government is looking …
Read More »Macedonia ombudsman slams government for 'degrading and inhumane' conditions in migrant center
SKOPJE, Macedonia – Macedonia’s ombudsman has criticized the government over its treatment of migrants, saying they are being held beyond a 30-day legal limit in “degrading and inhumane” conditions. Macedonia has become a major transit route for thousands of migrants, mostly from Syria and Iraq, heading to the European Union. …
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