AL-SISI: IS JET CLAIM IS ‘PROPAGANDA’

MOSCOW: Egypt’s president has dismissed claims that a Russian passenger jet was downed by a branch of Islamic State (IS) as propaganda to tarnish Egypt’s image, after the airline said the crash, which killed 224, was due to “external” factors. President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi’s remarks came as US director of national intelligence James Clapper said it was “unlikely” IS was involved in the plane crash over the Sinai peninsula on Saturday. – AFP