IS militants kidnap 4 alleged informants in Egypt, kill 2February 27, 2017 - 17:56 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Egyptian security officials and a tribal leader say that Islamic State militants in the volatile northern Sinai region have abducted four civilians accused of cooperating with the military and killed at least two of them, The Associated Press reports. The abductions are the latest in a spree of Sinai attacks, including several targeting Christian residents. On Monday, February 27 officials said militants abducted Islam el-Sakadra from Rafah, and tortured him before shooting him dead. On Saturday, militants stormed a main market in the city of Rafah, and abducted three men over the same allegations. The body of one of the men has been found, but the other two remain missing. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to the press or for fear of reprisal. Photo: AP Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |