In brief: Abe coalition takes elections

TOKYO – Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s ruling coalition won a solid majority in the upper house of parliament in elections, gaining control of both chambers and a mandate to press ahead with difficult economic reforms.

The win is an endorsement of the Liberal Democratic Party’s “Abenomics” program, which has helped spark a tentative economic recovery in Japan.

Crash kills 15 soldiers, driver

CAIRO – A bus carrying Egyptian soldiers crashed into a truck on a highway near the Mediterranean coast early Sunday, killing 16, a security official said.

The accident took place on the highway between Cairo and the port city of Alexandria, the official said.

The official said the dead included 15 soldiers and a driver, while another 40 people were injured. They were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment.

Pipeline explodes; seven hurt

TOLUCA, Mexico – A pipeline explosion Sunday that injured seven people and sent flames and smoke shooting hundreds of feet into the air in central Mexico was caused by illegal tapping, Mexico’s state-owned oil company said.