Egypt
Egypt premier defends spike in energy prices
CAIRO – Egypt’s prime minister on Saturday defended a steep rise in fuel prices as necessary move to shore up the treasury, as outraged commuters bickered with public transport drivers over fare hikes, and some rushed to gas stations over fears of shortages.
The price increases of up to 80 percent came into force early on Saturday in a swift announcement made just hours earlier, after promises to cut subsidies that eat up nearly a quarter of the state budget. They also come after an increase in electricity prices that were put in effect at the start of July.
Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab, addressing a televised news conference, said energy subsidies have over the past decade cost the treasury a staggering 687 billion pounds, equal to nearly $100 billion, that could have been used to bolster essential services.
Honduras
Honduras losing hope for eight trapped miners
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – Honduran officials said Saturday they are losing hope that any of eight still-trapped workers survived the collapse of small gold mine.
Three days after the cave-in, “there is a strong, bad odor of death within the mine ... and that worries us,” said Moises Alvarado, chief of the country’s emergency commission.
Eleven workers were able to flee immediately after Wednesday’s collapse, and three others were rescued on Friday.
The old, unregulated San Juan Arriba mine is in a mountainous municipality known as El Corpus, about 60 miles south of Tegucigalpa, the capital.
Italy
Pope: Not working Sundays is good for everyone
CAMPOBASSO, Italy – Pope Francis has lamented the abandoning of the traditionally Christian practice of not working on Sundays, saying it has a negative impact on families and friendships.
Francis on Saturday traveled to Molise, an agricultural region in the heart of southern Italy where unemployment is chronically high. While he said poor people need jobs to have dignity, he indicated opening stores and other businesses on Sundays as a way to create jobs wasn’t beneficial for society.
He said the priority should be “not economic but human,” and the stress should be on families and friendships, not commercial relationships. He said spending Sundays with family and friends is an “ethical choice” for faithful and nonfaithful alike.
Francis was to return to Vatican City later Saturday.
California
Light quake rattles Southern California
LOS ANGELES – A small earthquake rattled nerves and jostled store shelves in and around the Southern California community of Big Bear Lake on Saturday.
Randy Naquin of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department said he had no reports of damage from the widely felt temblor. But the state Transportation Department said a section of nearby highway was closed by a rockslide.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported the quake hit about 10 a.m. Saturday, centered about 6 miles northwest of the lake resort. It had a preliminary 4.6 magnitude – considered a light quake. Two other smaller quakes were also reported.
Associated Press
