KIEV – An International Monetary Fund mission said on Saturday it had agreed to recommend a loan of $14.9 billion for Ukraine in a deal to help fill the country's budget gap and boost investor confidence.The deal commits the ex-Soviet republic to cut its budget deficit faster than it planned, to 3.5 percent of GDP next year, and the IMF said in a statement its board would consider the deal
KHARTOUM – Aid officials accused South Sudanese soldiers of arresting and beating four members of a UK aid group in a politically-sensitive area of the oil-producing region, but the army denied any use of violence.South Sudan's army (SPLA) said the one Kenyan and three Sudanese workers for aid group Tearfund were arrested on suspicion of helping anti-government militias.Soldiers stopped th
HAVANA – Cuba's state-run media said Saturday that an opposition activist who has refused food and water for 129 days has actually gained weight due to intravenous feeding, but that he has suffered a blood clot that left him in danger of potential death. In an unusual step, the Communist Party newspaper Granma reported that Guillermo Farinas is conscious and stable but could slip into grav
CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico – A common theme haunts Sunday's state and local elections across Mexico: drugs.One gubernatorial candidate has been photographed with a powerful kingpin.Another was arrested for allegedly protecting two cartels.A third was assassinated after pledging to bring peace to his violent state.Many Mexicans are scared to vote, and others wonder why they should bother if the
KINSHASA – At least 220 people were killed when a fuel tanker overturned and exploded in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, unleashing a fire ball that tore through homes and cinemas packed with people watching World Cup soccer.Officials said on Saturday the explosion late on Friday also injured 110 people, adding that the death toll could rise.They described scenes of devastation in th
KABUL, Afghanistan – Gul Akbar's tiny store is crammed from floor to ceiling with rolls of electric cables, plugs of all sizes and piles of extension cords.Virtually everything comes from China, as do most of the appliances and electronics being sold in Kabul's busy Nader Pashtun Market.Not far away, the sparkling 10-story glass-and brick Jamhuriat Hospital rises in the midst of Afghanistan
LONDON – Defending champion Serena Williams won her fourth women's singles title at Wimbledon on Saturday with a crushing 6-3, 6-2 victory over Russian 21st seed Vera Zvonareva in a lopsided final.Williams displayed all her trademark power and poise to overwhelm Zvonareva on Centre Court and clinch the 13th Grand Slam crown of her career.The 28-year-old's triumph means the Venus Rosewater
MUMBAI – India's cricket chiefs on Saturday named the disciplinary committee that will decide the fate of Lalit Modi, the suspended boss of the scandal-hit Indian Premier League.Junior federal minister Jyotiraditya Scindia will sit alongside politician-lawyer Arun Jaitley and businessman Chirayu Amin in the three-man committee, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced.Sci