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Islamic State affiliate in Egypt insists it brought down Russian plane

Islamic State’s Egyptian affiliate dismissed in an audio message on Wednesday doubts that it had downed a Russian passenger plane over Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, killing all aboard, and said it would tell the world how it did so in its own time. Sinai Province, an Egyptian group loyal to Islamic State, said in a statement the same day that it had brought down the airliner “in response to Russian air

Brazil's Congress should approve Rousseff's accounts: minister

Brazil’s government has fine-tuned arguments aimed at defending President Dilma Rousseff from a ruling that her administration manipulated federal accounts last year, and expects Congress to approve them, Chief of Staff Jaques Wagner said on Wednesday. The Federal Accounts Court, or TCU, last month said the government had manipulated its accounts in 2014 to disguise a widening fiscal deficit as Rousseff, a leftist, campaigned for re-election, and recommended lawmakers reject

Brazil's Congress should approve Rousseff's accounts: minister

Brazil’s government has fine-tuned arguments aimed at defending President Dilma Rousseff from a ruling that her administration manipulated federal accounts last year, and expects Congress to approve them, Chief of Staff Jaques Wagner said on Wednesday. The Federal Accounts Court, or TCU, last month said the government had manipulated its accounts in 2014 to disguise a widening fiscal deficit as Rousseff, a leftist, campaigned for re-election, and recommended lawmakers reject

Serbia, Bosnia show unity at first post-war joint session

The Bosnian and Serbian premiers held their first joint government session since the 1990s Balkan wars on Wednesday, defying the possibility of new conflict after Germany raised fears of fresh fighting. “We are sending a message to our citizens that we look into the future together,” Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told reporters after the session in Sarajevo. In remarks published Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that fighting could

Serbia, Bosnia show unity at first post-war joint session

The Bosnian and Serbian premiers held their first joint government session since the 1990s Balkan wars on Wednesday, defying the possibility of new conflict after Germany raised fears of fresh fighting. “We are sending a message to our citizens that we look into the future together,” Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic told reporters after the session in Sarajevo. In remarks published Tuesday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned that fighting could

Romanian PM quits amid sleaze scandal, nightclub blaze fallout

Romania’s embattled Prime Minister Victor Ponta, mired in a corruption scandal, resigned Wednesday following a deadly nightclub blaze, a day after more than 20,000 people rallied in Bucharest to demand he step down. The 43-year-old announced his resignation on television, saying it was right that top officials took responsibility for Friday’s tragedy at the Colectiv disco in Bucharest, which left 32 dead and nearly 200 injured of whom many remain