The attack follows a military campaign in Sinai targeting suspected militant outposts near the towns of Rafah and Sheikh Zuweyid.

It was not immediately known if the blast, which the witnesses said appeared to have been caused by a car bomb, had resulted in casualties.

Brent, the benchmark for international crudes, rose 18 cents to $111.43 per barrel on the ICE Futures exchange in London.

The U.S. embassy in Baku expressed regret and added that the embassy continues to monitor the pre-election environment in Azerbaijan.

Representatives Maloney and Bilirakis join as cosponsors with a broad range of senior Congressional leaders.

After the departure, the ISS crew comprises Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin, and astronauts Karen Nyberg and Luca Parmitano.

Music played at high volume during torture was part of the psychological suffering endured by some of his thousands of political opponents.

Both men, like many in the 180-seat chamber, were prominent members of the traditional Bedouin tribes with no particular ideological agenda.