JERUSALEM – Israel’s parliament election ended in a deadlock, according to TV exit polls, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu seems to hold the advantage ahead of coalition talks. Here is a look at how the main players fared. NETANYAHU DID WELL Netanyahu’s Likud Party came from behind after trailing in …

At least 70 bodies were found near a Nigerian town government forces recently freed from Islamic extremist terror group Boko Haram, witnesses told Reuters Friday. Some of the bodies discovered had been beheaded. Soldiers from Niger and Chad discovered the bodies, dumped near a bridge outside the northern Nigerian town …

HONG KONG – China’s manufacturing fell to the lowest level in nearly a year as new orders shrank, according to a report Tuesday that underscored the weakening outlook for the world’s second biggest economy. HSBC’s preliminary manufacturing index based on a survey of factory purchasing managers dropped to an 11-month …

DONETSK, Ukraine – Separatists in eastern Ukraine have handed over the bodies of 22 government soldiers killed during the fierce, months-long battle over the airport near the rebel stronghold of Donetsk. The bodies were given Friday to a Ukrainian volunteer organization working to recover soldiers killed in a conflict that …

CAIRO – Egypt’s state news agency says Qatar has returned its ambassador to Cairo almost a month after recalling him in response to an Egyptian official accusing the tiny Gulf nation of supporting terrorism. The ambassador was summoned for consultation after Egypt carried out airstrikes in Libya in response to …

So many lies. So little time. No, I’m not talking about Paul Krugman at The Times. I’m talking about deficits and how they’re supposed to be so bad. They’re all lies. Lie No. 1: They’ll lead to higher interest rates. Oh really? Then why are they “right now” the lowest …

JOHANNESBURG – A monitoring group says an Islamic extremist group in Nigeria released a video in which its leader praises deadly attacks in Paris last week. The SITE intelligence group said Wednesday that Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau expressed joy over the violence in France in an Arabic-language video that …

MANAMA, Bahrain – The U.S. food company behind Oreo cookies and Ritz crackers says it has begun construction of a $90 million biscuit plant in Bahrain to keep up with growing demand in the Middle East and Africa for Mondelez International’s products. The multinational conglomerate behind some of the world’s …

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Sri Lanka’s new government will re-investigate high-profile assassinations including that of a newspaper editor and politicians during the previous administration that were alleged to have had state backing. Cabinet Minister Rajitha Senaratne told reporters Wednesday that new investigations will examine the killings of Lasantha Wickrematunge, editor …

CAIRO – A spokeswoman for the U.N. World Food Program in Sudan says a six-person Bulgarian helicopter crew has gone missing after reports their aircraft made an unexpected landing in a conflict-torn area. Amor Almagro said Wednesday the crew was on a contract with the agency’s offices in South Sudan. …