Israeli troops shoot dead two Palestinian youths in West Bank
Men aged 17 and 18 killed as confrontations enter a third day following the death of a Palestinian prisoner in an Israeli jail Clashes flared after the death on Tuesday of Maysara Abu Hamdeya, 64, who was serving a life sentence in an Israeli jail….
photo: AP / Nasser Shiyoukhi
Argentina floods: Mourning declared
The government in Argentina has declared three days of national mourning after flash floods killed 54 people. One of the heaviest storms recorded moved through the province hitting both the capital, Buenos Aires, and the city of La Plata. At least 48…
photo: AP / Natacha Pisarenko
US deploys missile defence system to counter ‘real danger’ from North Korea
Hagel says Pyongyang poses ‘real and clear danger’ to US allies as Pentagon sends battery to Guam to strengthen defences North Koreans attend a rally against the US and South Korea in Nampo, North Korea, on Wednesday. Photograph: Kcna/Reuters The…
photo: AP / Ahn Young-joon
Hagel cites ‘growing threat’ from NKorean nukes
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is calling North Korea‘s development of nuclear weapons a “growing threat” to the U.S. and its allies. In a…
photo: AP / Scott Applewhite
Malaysian PM Najib Razak paves way for general election
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has dissolved parliament ahead of a general election. Mr Najib, whose National Front (BN) coalition has been in power for over 50 years, made the announcement in a…
photo: AP / Wong Maye-E
US warns Egypt’s transition may be backsliding
BRADLEY KLAPPER Associated Press= WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is warning that Egypt may be backsliding in its transition to democracy. Secretary of State John Kerry says…
photo: AP / Khalil Hamra
Israeli Planes Strike Gaza After Rocket Fire
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military says its warplanes have struck targets in the Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire toward southern Israel. The air strikes early Wednesday morning were the first launched by Israel since an…
Hagel cites ‘growing threat’ from NKorean nukes
WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel is calling North Korea‘s development of nuclear weapons a “growing threat” to the U.S. and its allies. In a…
photo: AP / Scott Applewhite
Malaysian PM Najib Razak paves way for general election
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has dissolved parliament ahead of a general election. Mr Najib, whose National Front (BN) coalition has been in power for over 50 years, made the announcement in a…
photo: AP / Wong Maye-E
US warns Egypt’s transition may be backsliding
BRADLEY KLAPPER Associated Press= WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is warning that Egypt may be backsliding in its transition to democracy. Secretary of State John Kerry says…
photo: AP / Khalil Hamra
Israeli Planes Strike Gaza After Rocket Fire
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli military says its warplanes have struck targets in the Gaza Strip in response to rocket fire toward southern Israel. The air strikes early Wednesday morning were the first launched by Israel since an…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
Serbia-Kosovo talks fail to reach accord in Brussels
EU-mediated talks between Serbia and Kosovo have broken up without a deal. Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic said he had not been able to reach agreement with his Kosovo counterpart, Hashim Thaci, on normalising ties. An EU official said talks in…
photo: AP / Yves Logghe
Trial to revisit Michael Jackson’s life
Jury selection has began in a Los Angeles civil trial that will revisit the chequered life and sudden death of superstar Michael Jackson before a planned comeback that he had hoped would revive his tattered personal and musical reputation. Jackson’s…
photo: AP / Elizabeth Dalziel
North Korea Says It Will Restart Reactor to Expand Arsenal
Correction Appended SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said on Tuesday that it would put all its nuclear facilities — including its operational uranium-enrichment program and its reactors mothballed or under construction — to use in expanding its…
photo: AP / APTN
Venezuela campaign starts to elect Chavez’s successor
The official election campaign to replace the late President Hugo Chavez is getting under way in Venezuela. The two main candidates have already been holding events in the month since Mr Chavez died of cancer. On Monday, opposition candidate Henrique…
photo: AP / Fernando Llano
Hamas re-elects Khaled Meshaal as political leader
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas has re-elected Khaled Meshaal as its political leader, officials said. Mr Meshaal has headed Hamas, the group that governs the Gaza Strip,…
photo: WN / Ahmed Deeb
6,000 Syrians killed in March, deadliest month yet
March was the bloodiest month yet in Syria’s two-year-old conflict with more than 6,000 documented deaths, a leading anti-regime activist group said on Monday, blaming the increase on heavier shelling and more violent clashes. Rami Abdul-Rahman, who…
photo: AP / Aleppo Revolution Against Assad Regime
The Ku Klux Klan in Memphis: ‘White people have rights too’
It was touted to be one of the largest Ku Klux Klan rallies in years, but it actually turned out to be roughly 60 Klan members who gathered at the Shelby County Courthouse in Memphis, Tennessee this past Saturday on Mar. 30, 2013. And while the Klan…
photo: Creative Commons / Warren K. Leffler
Myanmar Police Say 13 Children Die in Fire
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Police in Myanmar say 13 children died when an electrical fire broke out at a mosque in the country’s largest city. Police officer Thet Lwin said the blaze early Tuesday in Yangon was triggered by an overheated inverter…
photo: AP / Khin Maung Win
Timbuktu tense after deadly battles
The Malian city of Timbuktu is on high alert, after deadly clashes erupted there over the weekend. Malian soldiers were going house to house on Monday, searching for rebels. At least three fighters were reportedly killed. Al Jazeera’s Mohamed Vall,…
photo: AP / Jerome Delay
Ind. surgeon answers call of duty in Afghanistan
Life is funny this way: Sometimes you run across a small thing that leads you to a huge life change. That happened several years ago with Dr. Roger Shinnerl, 46, a general and vascular surgeon at Evansville Surgical Associates. For him, the “small…
Cyprus crisis: Moscow will not bail out Russian savers
The Russian government says it will not compensate Russian savers who have lost money in the Cyprus banking crisis. Russians are believed to have billions of euros in Cypriot accounts and deposits above 100,000 euros (£84,300; $128,200) in the two…
photo: AP / Petros Karadjias
Easter As A Religious Observance
Easter is here and a lot of the people who are celebrating are ones who are just thrilled to have this week off so that they can rest and relax. Sure, some deem cleaning their entire house from top to bottom as being “relaxing,” but I am not in that…
photo: WN / Marzena J.
March set to be coldest in 51 years
As snow continues to blanket parts of the UK, it will come as no surprise to many that the last 31 days look set to be the coldest March in more than 50 years. Average temperatures between March 1 and 26 were just 2.5C (36.5F), three degrees below…
photo: WN / Marzena J.
Computer workshops for parents slated for April
Elizabeth Brunscheen-Cartagena isn’t surprised to see parents leave computer workshops stunned about the scope of online dangers targeting their children. She had the same reaction herself. “Every time I left the class, I thought,…
photo: WN / Marzena J.
South Africans pray for Mandela at Easter services
Former South African President Nelson Mandela had a restful day in a hospital Sunday and is improving following treatment for a recurrence of pneumonia, the government said. The office of President Jacob Zuma thanked South Africans who prayed for…
photo: AP / Schalk van Zuydam
Prosecutors question Egypt satirist Bassem Youssef
Prosecutors in Egypt are questioning the popular Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef over allegations of insulting Islam and President Mohammed Morsi. Mr Youssef arrived at the public prosecutor’s office on Sunday morning, a day after a warrant was…
photo: AP / Amr Nabil
Pope Francis to lead Easter celebrations at St Peter’s
Pope Francis is set to celebrate his first Easter Sunday since his election with an open-air Mass in St Peter‘s Square. He will then deliver a speech to Rome and to the world – the “Urbi et Orbi” address – from a balcony of St…
photo: AP / Andrew Medichini
Karzai to hold talks on Taliban office in Qatar
DOHA: Afghan President Hamid Karzai was set to hold discussions in Qatar Sunday on the possible opening of a Taliban office in the Gulf state that could facilitate peace talks to end more than a decade of war. Karzai was previously…
photo: AP / Ahmad Jamshid
Kenya’s Raila Odinga ‘to continue struggle peacefully’
Defeated Kenyan presidential candidate Raila Odinga has said he will seek peaceful ways to end a row over poll results, which gave a narrow first round victory to rival Uhuru Kenyatta. He was speaking after Kenya‘s Supreme Court upheld Mr…
photo: AP / Sayyid Azim
North Korea declares ‘state of war’ with South
SEOUL : North Korea on Saturday declared it was in a “state of war” with South Korea and warned Seoul and Washington that any provocation would swiftly escalate into an all-out nuclear conflict. The United States said it took the announcement “seriously”, but noted it followed a familiar pattern, while South Korea largely dismissed it as an…
Hundreds of rotting ducks: First dead pigs, now dead ducks in Chinese River
Officials have already cleaned up thousands of dead pigs from a river just outside of Shangahi, China, and now they have another problem on their hands. ABCNews.com reported on the morning of Friday, March 29, 2013, that officials are trying to…
photo: creative commons /
Woman accused of witchcraft is burned alive in public flogging (Photos)
A woman is beaten, tortured and set on fire in a public square, in Papua New Guinea , on Feb. 7, 2013. The woman is accused of being a witch by an angry mob, who bound, tortured and set her ablaze in view of hundreds of horrified spectators, a number…
photo: AP / Post Courier
Test cheating scandal: Dozens of Atlanta teachers indicted in cheating scandal
A grand jury has indicted 35 school administrators and teachers for their alleged part in the biggest standardized test cheating ring in the history of the nation. The Associated Press reported on Friday, March 29, 2013, that Atlanta‘s public school…
photo: Creative Commons
China: Landslide Buries Workers at Mine in Tibet
A huge landslide buried 83 workers at a gold mining site in western China on Friday, setting off a frantic rescue effort, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported. The government said more than 1,000 rescue workers had been called in to…
photo: AP / Greg Baker
Judge Dismisses Suit Over Steel Cross at 9/11 Museum
A judge dismissed a lawsuit on Friday that sought to stop the display of a cross-shaped steel beam found in the World Trade Center’s rubble, saying it could help tell the story of the terrorist attack. Connect with NYTMetro Follow us on Twitter…
photo: AP / Mark Lennihan
North Korea enters ‘state of war’ with South
North Korea has said it is entering a “state of war” with South Korea in its latest escalation of rhetoric against its southern neighbour and the US. A statement carried on state media promised “stern physical actions” against…
photo: AP / Jon Chol Jin
Car bombs kill 18 at Iraq Shiite mosques
BAGHDAD: A series of car bombs near Shiite mosques targeting worshippers attending weekly prayers killed at least 18 people on Friday, the latest in a spike in unrest ahead of Iraq’s first polls since 2010. The blasts,…
Hagel: US B-2s not intended to provoke N. Korea
WASHINGTON — The unprecedented U.S. decision to send nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers to drop dummy munitions during military drills with South Korea this week was part of normal exercises and not intended to provoke a reaction from North Korea,…
photo: AP / J. Scott Applewhite
Russia opposes Syrian opposition seat at UN
UNITED NATIONS – Russian ambassador to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin said on Thursday Moscow opposes any attempt to seat the Syrian opposition as the representative of Damascus in the world organization. The statement was made by Churkin,…
photo: UN / Eskinder Debebe
General Breedlove named NATO’s European commander
US President Barack Obama has nominated General Philip Breedlove to be NATO‘s next Supreme Allied Commander Europe. The 57-year-old four-star general needs Senate approval to take up the role. US President Barack Obama and the North Atlantic Treaty…
photo: US Navy / Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Brian K. Fromal
Mali conflict: Hollande sets French troop timetable
France will reduce the number of its troops fighting in Mali to 1,000 by the end of the year, President Francois Hollande says. “We have achieved our objectives,” Mr Hollande said in a TV interview. He said troop levels would be halved to…
photo: AP / Jacques Brinon
For a Night at Least, Soccer Unites Iraqis and Syrians
BAGHDAD – Iraq‘s national soccer team played Syria on the greenest patch of grass in Baghdad the other night, under bright lights that mostly stayed lit, before tens of thousands of Iraqis cheering on their own and the Syrians, too. The…
photo: AP / Khalid Mohammed
S&P 500 climbs to all-time high: 1,569.19
NEW YORK: The S&P 500 set an all-time closing record Thursday in a sign of growing confidence in the US economy. The widely-watched, broad-based index, a bellwether of US markets and the US economy, closed at 1,569.19, up 6.34 points, or 0.41 per…
photo: AP / Richard Drew
Obama: Mandela as Strong Physically as Personally
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says he’s concerned about Nelson Mandela‘s health, but that the anti-apartheid leader is as strong physically as he has been in leadership and character. Obama says he’s sending his thoughts and prayers…
photo: AP / Luca Bruno
Guantanamo hunger strikers ‘denied water’
Prisoners participating in a hunger strike at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre have lodged new complaints about their military jailers to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Wednesday’s charges come as an ICRC team made a fact-finding…
photo: AP / Brennan Linsley
Bachelet announces Chile presidential bid
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — Former President Michelle Bachelet says she will run again for Chile’s top office in November elections as the candidate of the country’s center-left and…
photo: Presidencia de la Republica de Chile/Alex Ibanez
Chile ex-president Bachelet to run for re-election
The former president of Chile, Michelle Bachelet, has said she will run for a second mandate in the November poll. Mrs Bachelet became the first female president of Chile in 2006, serving out her term in 2010. She has spent the last three years in…
photo: UN / Maria Elisa Franco
Cyprus reopens banks, under strict restrictions
NICOSIA (Reuters) – Cypriots are expected to descend in their thousands on Thursday on banks, which reopen with tight controls imposed on transactions to prevent fleeing depositors from cleaning out the vaults in a catastrophic bank run. The east…
photo: Creative Commons
Accused Colorado theatre gunman offers guilty plea
Defence attorneys for the former graduate student accused of killing 12 people at a Denver area movie theatre last July have offered to have him plead guilty in exchange for a life prison term, according to court documents filed today. Public…
photo: AP / Denver Post, RJ Sangosti
Navy SEALs in media dispute over who shot Bin Laden
A NEW version of the events surrounding the killing of Osama bin Laden sharply contradicts earlier claims by a Navy SEAL who said he pulled the trigger. Esquire magazine published a long interview in February with a man identified only as “the…
photo: AP / Anjum Naveed
With Trial Suddenly Looming, Russian Activist Expects the Worst
MOSCOW — Since his earliest days as an opposition blogger, Aleksei A. Navalny has known that a prison sentence loomed as a possibility. Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. Twitter List:…
photo: Creative Commons
‘Largest ever’ cyber attack jams Internet
A squabble between a group fighting spam and a Dutch company that hosts websites said to be sending spam has escalated into one of the largest computer attacks on the Internet, causing widespread congestion and jamming crucial infrastructure….
photo: WN / Aruna Mirasdar
Egypt elections may be held in October, Morsi says
Egypt President Mohammed Morsi sees parliamentary elections being held in October, state media reported on Wednesday, driving the country deeper into political turmoil. A court earlier this month already suspended elections scheduled for April. By…
photo: AP / Ghiath Mohamad
Obama gives Secret Service its 1st female director
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama on Tuesday named veteran Secret Service agent Julia Pierson as the agency’s first female director, signaling his desire to change the culture at the male-dominated service, which has been marred by scandal….
photo: US Navy file/JO2 Mark O´Donald
UN chief proposes peacekeepers as option for Mali
EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press= UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon proposed a U.N. peacekeeping force for Mali with 11,200 troops working alongside a non-U.N. force that would conduct major combat and counter-terrorism operations…
photo: UN / Mark Garten
Strong earthquake sways buildings in Taiwan
TAIPEI, Taiwan – A strong earthquake has been felt throughout Taiwan, but no casualties or damage has been reported yet. The Central Weather Bureau says the quake Wednesday registered at magnitude 6.1. The tremor struck a rural township in Nantou…
photo: Creative Commons / Ted chou12
Hiring freeze leads to 800 Air Force Life Cycle Management Center job vacancies
A civilian hiring freeze has opened more than 800 job vacancies nationwide that the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center has been unable to fill because of sequestration, a top Air Force commander said. Lt. Gen. C.D. Moore, AFLCMC commander…
photo: DOD / Public Domain
Over 50 killed in Afghan violence in two days
KABUL, March 26 (Xinhua) — More than 50 people, mostly militants, have been killed in attacks and bombings across Afghanistan since Monday morning, authorities said Tuesday. At early Tuesday morning, five Afghan policemen and eight militants were…
photo: U.S. Marine Corps / Public Domain
British Ex-Foreign Secretary Miliband Plans to Quit Politics
MOSCOW, March 27 (RIA Novosti) – David Miliband, a former head of the British Foreign Office, is planning to step down as a member of the parliament and move to the United States to lead a charity organization there, BBC…
photo: AP / Matt Dunham
Cyprus’ banks to remain closed until Thursday
26 Mar 2013
Cyprus ordered banks to remain closed for two more days over fears of a run by customers trying to get their money out, after striking a pre-dawn bailout deal on Monday that averted the country’s imminent bankruptcy. The sudden midnight postponement of the much anticipated on Tuesday bank opening by all but the country’s two largest…
Immigrant wins $338M Powerball jackpot in US
A 44-year-old immigrant from the Dominican Republic is the winner of a $338 million Powerball lottery jackpot in the U.S., and he’s telling reporters in Spanish that he’s “very happy.” Several media outlets were at the New Jersey liquor store, where…
photo: AP / Damian Dovarganes
The President and First Lady love ‘The Bible’ series despite controversy
‘The Bible’ series that airs weekly on the History Channel has been a huge success. Hollywood couple Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice, The Voice) and Roma Downey (Touched By an Angel) are the producers of the series that is drawing a large…
photo: AP / Evan Vucci
Supporters of Guatemalan ex-dictator deny genocide
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — A group of retired soldiers and their relatives launched a campaign Monday to deny that a genocide was carried out in Guatemala and to demand a fair trial for former dictator Jose Efrain Rios Montt. About 24 people began…
photo: AP / Moises Castillo
He Has Millions and a New Job at Yahoo. Soon, He’ll Be 18.
One of Yahoo’s newest employees is a 17-year-old high school student in Britain. As of Monday, he is one of its richest, too. That student, Nick D’Aloisio, a programming whiz who wasn’t even born when Yahoo was founded in 1994, sold…
photo: flickr / Calodemarchis
Bill Gates offers $1million to reinvent the condom
Bill Gates, the world’s second richest man, is offering up to $1 million to anyone who can re-invent the condom. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation aims to improve the lives of the world’s poorest Photo: Andrew Crowley for the Telegraph By…
photo: AP / Jerome Favre
US Stocks Fall on Broad Concern About Europe
Stocks reversed an early rise on Wall Street Monday as traders returned to worrying about the European economy. Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @NYTNational for breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors Optimism about a deal…
photo: AP / Mary Altaffer
Israel to unblock Palestinian funds
Jerusalem – Israel is to resume the transfer of revenues it collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, frozen last year in retaliation for the Palestinians winning upgraded UN status, the premier’s office said on Monday. The decision came after…
photo: UN / Eskinder Debebe
Cypriot, European officials express relief at last-ditch bailout agreement
Cyprus has struck a last-minute agreement with international lenders to save its banks from insolvency and keep it in the eurozone. The deal, though, comes at a significant cost for some. The deal, which came in the early hours of Monday after more…
photo: AP / Virginia Mayo
Buddhist-Muslim violence spreads in Myanmar
AYE AYE WIN Associated Press= YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Anti-Muslim mobs rampaged through three more towns in Myanmar’s predominantly Buddhist heartland over the weekend, destroying mosques and burning dozens of homes despite government efforts to stop…
photo: AP / Khin Maung Win
U.N. chief condemns rebel seizure of power in Central African Republic
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday condemned the “unconstitutional seizure of power” in Central African Republic and demanded the restoration of constitutional order in the country. “The…
photo: UN / Rick Bajornas
Cyprus Reaches Bailout Deal With International Lenders
* Deal to shut Laiki bank, transfer insured deposits * Clinched hours before Monday deadline to seal EU bailout * Without deal banks faced collapse, possible euro zone exit By Jan Strupczewski and Annika Breidthardt BRUSSELS, March 25 (Reuters) -…
photo: Creative Commons
Kerry Appeals to Laos in Case of a Missing Man
VIENTIANE, Laos — On the 100th day since the disappearance of a prominent American-educated Laotian agriculture specialist, Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday urged the government here to make public the results of an investigation into…
photo: AP / J. Scott Applewhite
Boris Berezovsky, 67, Russian tycoon left country amid feud with Putin
LONDON — Boris Berezovsky, a self-exiled and outspoken Russian tycoon who had a bitter falling out with Russian President Vladimir Putin, was found dead in southeast England on Saturday. He was 67. In recent years, the one-time Kremlin…
photo: AP/Sang Tan
Syria’s Weapons of Mass Desruction
Kerry in Iraq to press on Iran flights to Syria
MATTHEW LEE Associated Press= BAGHDAD (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Iraq on an unannounced visit to urge Iraqi leaders to stop Iranian overflights of arms and fighters heading to Syria and to overcome sectarian differences that…
photo: AP / J. Scott Applewhite
Pervez Musharraf ‘unworried’ by death threats
Ex-Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf says he is not worried by Taliban death threats, ahead of his planned return to Pakistan from self-imposed exile….
photo: Ali Abbas Hasanie
UN Myanmar envoy visits ruined city after violence
MEIKHTILA, Myanmar (AP) — The United Nations‘ top envoy to Myanmar on Sunday toured a central city that was destroyed in the country’s worst explosion of Buddhist-Muslim violence this year, visiting some of the nearly 10,000 people forced from their…
photo: AP / Khin Maung Win
Bodybuilder Weider dies aged 93
Joe Weider, a legendary figure in bodybuilding who helped popularise the sport worldwide and played a key role in introducing a charismatic young weightlifter named Arnold Schwarzenegger to the world, has died aged 93. His publicist, Charlotte…
photo: Creative Commons / Sinclairindex
Cyprus has only hard choices left, says EU’s Olli Rehn
Cyprus has only “hard choices left” and must agree terms on Sunday for a crucial bailout for its ailing banks, the EU’s commissioner for economic affairs Olli Rehn says. Mr Rehn said there were no longer any “optimal…
photo: EC / EC
Suspected Islamists kill 25 in northeast Nigeria: Police
KADUNA/KANO: Suspected Islamist gunmen have launched a series of gun and bomb attacks in a remote town along Nigeria‘s border with Cameroon, killing at least 25 people, police said on Saturday. The gunmen carried out four simultaneous assaults on…
photo: AP / George Osodi
US prepares for transfer of strategic base to Afghans
FOB SWEENEY, Afghanistan — The Americans are leaving town, and the Afghans will inherit a new base. Soldiers from Combined Task Force Raider are packing up Forward Operating Base Sweeney in Zabul province and heading out. But unlike some other bases…
Experts call for inclusion of water security as part of UN Sustainable Development Goals
Tweet Washington, Mar 23 (ANI): Amid changing weather and water patterns worldwide and forecasts of more severe transformations to come, the UN Security Council is being increasingly urged by experts to include water security issues on its agenda….
photo: UN / UN
Russia refuses to help Cyprus until EU bailout is agreed
Russia has sent Cyprus ’s finance minister home emptyhanded and said it will only consider helping the stricken island once it has sealed a bailout deal with the EU. Michael Sarris failed in his two-day mission to Moscow to secure a financial…
photo: EC / EC
Putin rolls out red carpet for new China leader
(The Independent) China’s new leader began his first overseas trip as president with a much anticipated visit to Russia today – a symbolic trip that underlines China’s desire to ensure its energy supply while showing defiance in…
photo: AP / Alexander Zemlianichenko
Pakistan stage set for Musharraf comeback
Pakistan‘s former military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf is finally coming home in time to stand in elections, due in May. He left the country in late 2008 and has since been living in self-imposed exile in London. With arrest warrants issued…
photo: Creative Commons / Remy Steinegger
Israel PM ‘apologises’ for flotilla incident
Israel Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has said he “expressed apology” to Turkey for any error that led to the death of nine Turkish nationals in 2010 in the Gaza flotilla incident. Netanyahu also said on Friday that Israel has also agreed to…
photo: AP / //Ronen Zvulun
Rebels advance toward C. African Republic capital
BANGUI, Central African Republic – Witnesses confirmed that Central African Republic rebels took the town of Damara, located 75 kilometers (47 miles) from the capital, Bangui. Damara marked the “red-line” drawn by regional forces in January, when the…
Italy-Indian row: Marines travel to India for trial
Two Italian marines accused of killing two Indian fishermen are on their way back to Delhi for trial, Indian officials say, as diplomatic tensions ease. India had allowed them to travel to Italy to vote in last month’s election. When they failed…
photo: AP / Riccardo De Luca
President Obama targets young, old in Mideast
JERUSALEM — President Barack Obama, appealing to disparate audiences to solve one of the world’s thorniest problems, moved closer Thursday to the Israeli government‘s position on resuming long-stalled peace talks with the Palestinians,…
photo: AP / Charles Dharapak
Australia’s Kevin Rudd in party leadership vow
Kevin Rudd has ruled out any return to the Australian Labor Party leadership, as ructions continue after Thursday’s abortive ballot. In a statement, Mr Rudd said there were “no circumstances” under which he would seek the party’s…
photo: AP / Bela Szandelszky
Bombing at Syria mosque kills at least 41 plus pro-Assad preacher
Updated: March 21, 2013 8:26PM BEIRUT — A suicide bomb ripped through a mosque in the heart of the Syrian capital Thursday, killing a top Sunni Muslim preacher and outspoken supporter of President Bashar Assad in one of the most stunning…
photo: AP / SANA
Nicolas Sarkozy under investigation for ‘exploiting’ L’Oréal heiress
Former French president could face jail and fine for ‘taking advantage’ of Liliane Bettencourt, France‘s richest woman Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has repeatedly denied taking campaign funds from Liliane Bettencourt. Photograph: Abdullah…
photo: AP / Alex Brandon
Justin Welby installed as 105th Archbishop of Canterbury
CANTERBURY, England — Justin Welby, the 57-year old former oil executive who quit the world of high finance in 1992 to become a priest, was enthroned Thursday (March 21) as the 105th archbishop of Canterbury and spiritual leader of the…
photo: AP / Matt Dunham
North Korea threatens to attack US bases
Kim Jong-un oversees mock drone strike as North Korea threatens military bases in Japan and on Guam Link to video: North Korea threatens US airbases in Japan North Korea has said it will attack US military bases on Japan and the Pacific island of…
Cyprus scraps bank levy in new bailout plan
21 Mar 2013
Political leaders in Cyprus have dropped an unpopular levy on bank deposits in a new bailout…
photo: AP / Petros Giannakouris
UN votes on Sri Lanka resolution today, India likely to move amendments
The UN Human Rights Council (UNHCR) in Geneva will vote on Thursday on a resolution to press the Sri Lankan government for a more thorough probe into allegations of human rights abuse against ethnic Tamils in the last days of its war against LTTE in…
photo: UN / UN
Hollande vows to restore Mali sovereignty in few days
PARIS – Mali‘s sovereignty over almost all of its territory will be restored within “a few days”, French President Francois Hollande promised as French troops prepare to pull out. The announcement came as Paris scrambled Wednesday to verify a claim…
photo: AP / Philippe Wojazer, Pool
Marines killed in training were young, passionate about the Corps
Pfc. Josh Martino is seen in this undated photo provided by his brother Tony Perry. Martino, 19, a native of Dubois, Pa., was killed along with six others by an explosion during a training exercise at Hawthorne Army Depot in Nevada Monday March 18,…
photo: Shane Hamann / Public Domain
Kashmir attack: Three Indian soldiers wounded
At least three Indian soldiers have been critically wounded in Indian-administered Kashmir in an attack, the second such assault in a week. Police said militants fired at a convoy of Border Security Force (BSF)…
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
UN studies Syria’s chemical attack probe request
United Nations: The UN has received Syria‘s request to create a group of independent investigators to probe an alleged chemical attack in the country, according to the UN secretary general‘s press service. “A written request has now been received…
photo: AP / Muhammed Muheisen
Scottish independence: Salmond to announce referendum day
Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond will reveal the precise date of the independence referendum in a statement to parliament later. Draft legislation on holding the vote is due to be brought before Holyrood. The SNP previously only said it would…
photo: AP / Scott Heppell
Optimism as Serbia and Kosovo seek to patch up differences
A spirit of optimism has emerged in EU-brokered talks between Serbia and Kosovo. As prospective fellow EU member states, the two have been trying to iron out differences so they can normalize relations. Serbia and Kosovo have made significant strides…
Obama in Israel for first trip as president
TEL AVIV, Israel — President Barack Obama plunged into the turbulent Middle East Wednesday, assuring Israel of the U.S. commitment to its security while cautioning that the region’s “winds of change bring both promise and peril.” Obama declared…
photo: AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais
Warming temperatures could multiply Katrina-like hurricanes -study
The number of Atlantic storms with magnitude similar to killer Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the U.S. Gulf Coast in 2005, could rise sharply this century, environmental researchers reported on Monday. Scientists have long studied the…
photo: Creative Commons / Infrogmation
Sectarian Strains Pit Some Iraqis Against Their Own Leaders
RAMADI, Iraq — As Rafe al-Essawi, the embattled Sunni leader, sped south on a desert highway last week to attend the funeral of a political ally who was assassinated, his cellphone rang with a warning: Up ahead, Iraqi soldiers, backed by two…
photo: AP
YouTube video claims an alien is in the Secret Service
A video on YouTube claims an alien is part of President Obama‘s Secret Service detail. Can it be true? The video, published on March 19, 2013, shows the president addressing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and focuses on an admittedly…
photo: AP / J. Scott Applewhite
Cyprus Rejects Bailout Deal, Bank Tax
The Cypriot parliament has overwhelmingly rejected a bailout plan demanded by international lenders that would have taxed the savings accounts of depositors at the island nation’s banks. No lawmaker voted in favor of the $13 billion rescue package…
photo: AP / Philippos Christou
Assault Weapons Ban Is Gun Debate’s First Casualty
The prospects of an assault weapons ban emerging as part of any post-Newtown gun control law looks highly unlikely after Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid opted not to include it in a Democratic proposal to be offered on the Senate floor in…
photo: Public Domain / Cpl. Chris Lyttle
Syria accuses rebels of ‘chemical weapon attack that killed 16’
Obama, Irish PM to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is marking his fifth St. Patrick’s Day in the White House with a schedule of Irish-themed events. Obama meets with Irish Prime Minister…
photo: Public Domain / Pete Souza
Mexico’s president gathers power, pushes reform
MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN Associated Press= MEXICO CITY (AP) — New President Enrique Pena Nieto has been fast out of the blocks in attacking some of Mexico‘s toughest issues in a country often stymied by monopolies and corruption. He arrested the most…
photo: AP / Dario Lopez-Mills
Blair: Iraq uprising would have been ‘worse than Syria’
Iraqis would have rebelled against Saddam Hussein if there had been no invasion and it would have been “a lot worse than Syria“, Tony Blair has said. Iraqis previously “rose up in large numbers and were killed in very large…
photo: AP / Lefteris Pitarakis
Second computer glitch shuts down NASA Mars rover
The Mars rover Curiosity has had a second computer glitch, extending an unplanned work break for the NASA robot that discovered the first life-friendly chemistry beyond Earth, scientists said on Monday. Engineers had hoped to resume Curiosity…
photo: Creative Commons / NASA Goddard Space Flight Cente
At least 16 killed in northern Nigeria explosion
By SALISU RABIU, Associated Press KANO, Nigeria (AP) — A medic says at least 16 people were killed in an explosion that hit a bus station in Kano in northern Nigeria. The medic, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized…
photo: AP / Sunday Alamba
US says hunger strike grows to 21 at Guantanamo
By BEN FOX, Associated Press SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A hunger strike at the Guantanamo Bay prison has grown and now involves at least 21 men, a U.S. military official said Monday while denying reports trickling out from prisoners through…
photo: AP / Brennan Linsley
UN chief urges approval of arms trade treaty
UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon has urged the world’s nations to agree on a strong international treaty to regulate the multi-billion-dollar global arms trade in the next two weeks, saying it will save lives and make it more difficult for…
Syria arms ban debate intensifies in Europe
As Syria‘s uprising enters its third year, the prospect of a protracted and painful war is concentrating minds in many places. In European capitals, a debate is growing over whether to lift an EU embargo to allow military support to Syrian…
photo: AP / Rodrigo Abd
Great Barrier Reef could be destroyed ‘permanently’, warns expert
Tweet Sydney, Mar 18 (ANI): Great Barrier Reef could be destroyed permanently due to climate change and the development of coal terminals on the Queensland coast, a marine expert has warned. In a speech at the David…
photo: Creative Commons / Leonard Low
Australia boosts Burma aid and defence co-operation
Australia said it would relax restrictions on defence co-operation with Burma, as President Thein Sein made the first visit by a Burmese head of state to Australia since 1974. Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the increased engagement was in…
photo: AP / Alan Porritt
Karzai rebuke to US: What maddened the Afghan leader?
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has been critical of several aspects of Nato‘s mission in his country – but his recent stinging rebuke, followed by a series of decisive moves, is unprecedented, both in terms of frequency and harshness. Within one…
photo: US DoD / Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo
China replaces Britain in world’s top five arms exporters
China has become the world’s fifth-largest arms exporter, a respected Sweden-based think tank said on Monday, its highest ranking since the cold war, with Pakistan the main recipient. China’s volume of weapons exports between 2008 and last year rose…
photo: AP / EyePress
Nadal beats Del Potro to clinch Indian Wells title
By Mark Lamport-Stokes INDIAN WELLS, California, March 17 (Reuters) – Rafa Nadal added another triumphant chapter to his remarkable comeback when he came from a set down to beat Juan Martin Del Potro of Argentina 4-6 6-3…
photo: AP / Alastair Grant
Syria rebels seize security compound near Golan
AMMAN (Reuters) – Syrian rebels on Sunday seized a Syrian military intelligence compound in the southern Hauran Plain near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, stepping up attacks in the strategic region which stretches to the outskirts of the capital…
Oceanside chamber honors military heroes
Oceanside — For 71 years, the city of Oceanside and its next door neighbor, the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, have had a close and mutually beneficial relationship. To thank its military neighbor to the north, the Oceanside Chamber of…
photo: US Army / Teddy Wade
Unemployment fuels Kashmir’s mistrust and discontent
Srinagar, March 17: Lack of significant employment opportunities among the youth of Jammu and Kashmir is fuelling their sense of alienation and compounds their mistrust and anger against the government and New Delhi. As per Census 2001, 71 percent of…
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
In a first, Pakistan govt pulls off five-year term
Zeenews Bureau Islamabad: The government of Pakistan has accomplished an unprecedented fete by pulling off the first complete 5 year-term in its political history. It is for the first time ever since 1947, when Pakistan was born as a result of…
photo: Press Information Dept. of Pakistan
For millions who served in the last decade, scars are lifelong
WASHINGTON – Ten years after the United States went to war in Iraq, one of the most common numbers associated with the conflict is the tally of Americans killed: nearly 4,500. Add in the twin war in Afghanistan, and the tally goes to more than 6,600….
photo: Tammy K. Hineline / Public Domain
Cyprus president defends bailout deal amid public anger
Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades has said a big bailout – which has provoked mass public anger – was needed to avoid a “disorderly bankruptcy”. The 10bn-euro ($13bn; £9bn) deal agreed by the EU was “a painful but controlled…
photo: AP / Geert Vanden Wijnga
Aung San Suu Kyi: From icon to political player
The woman who was once the world’s most famous political prisoner is now wearing the less glamorous mantle of a mere politician. Aung San Suu Kyi‘s re-election last weekend as chair of the party she helped found 35 years ago was one of the…
photo: UN / Violaine Martin
Scottish independence: Referendum date set to be revealed by Alex Salmond
First Minister Alex Salmond is expected to make public the date of Scotland‘s referendum on independence. The Scottish government will ask parliament officials if it can make a statement to MSPs on Thursday in which the autumn 2014 date will be…
US to Bolster Missile Defenses in Face of North Korea Threat
U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced plans on Friday to bolster U.S. missile defenses in response to “irresponsible and reckless provocations” by North Korea, which threatened a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States last week….
photo: US DoD / Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo
US to boost missile defenses
The United States said it would bolster defenses against a possible North Korean missile strike a week after Pyongyang threatened a ‘pre-emptive’ nuclear attack against its arch-foe. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said 14 more interceptors would be…
photo: DOD / Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo
Spanish troops in Afghanistan begin withdrawal
Madrid: The Spanish mission in Afghanistan began its withdrawal from Qala-i-Naw to its main base in Herat with the moving of equipment, vehicles and personnel. “Bringing forward the date originally planned, the Spanish contingent in…
photo: Creative Commons / ISAF Headquarters Public Affairs Office
Maryland death penalty ban goes to governor’s desk
ANNAPOLIS, Md. ? Maryland lawmakers approved a measure abolishing the death penalty on Friday and sent the bill to Gov. Martin O’Malley, who has long supported banning capital punishment. The House of Delegates voted 82-56 for legislation already…
photo: AP / Manuel Balce Ceneta
Vatican criticizes campaign against pope
NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press= VATICAN CITY (AP) — The honeymoon that Pope Francis has enjoyed since his remarkable election hit a bump Friday, with the Vatican lashing out at what it called a defamatory and “anti-clerical left-wing” media…
photo: AP / L’Osservatore Romano
UN denounces US drone use in Pakistan
The United States has violated Pakistan’s sovereignty and destroyed tribal structures with unmanned aerial drone strikes in its counterterrorism near the Afghan border, a UN human rights investigator has said. “As a matter of international law, the…
photo: AP / Muhammed Muheisen
George H.W. Bush Letters: New Edition Features Minor Revelations
An updated edition of George H.W. Bush’s letters has just been published, and it contains some unexpected revelations. The latest release of All The Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings ($35, Scribner) contains letters sent over…
Iraq war killed 120,000, cost $800 billion
At least 116,000 Iraqi civilians and more than 4,800 coalition troops died in Iraq between the outbreak of war in 2003 and the US withdrawal in 2011, researchers estimated on Friday. Its involvement in Iraq has so far cost the United States $810…
photo: AP / Emad Matti
‘Pakistani militant’ held over Kashmir attack
Police in Indian-administered Kashmir say they have arrested a man in connection with Wednesday’s gun and grenade attack in Srinagar in which five security personnel were killed. Media reports, quoting police sources, say the man was a resident…
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
Samsung Spawns Galaxy S4, Takes Aim At Apple
Hordes of journalists descended on Radio City Music Hall for a somewhat chaotic Broadway-themed event, eager to see the company’s fourth-generation phone. Kicking off the launch, Samsung President J.K. Shin described the new phone “a life companion…
photo: AP / Jason DeCrow
Iran Nuclear Weapon to Take Year or More, Obama Says
WASHINGTON — President Obama told an Israeli television station on Thursday that his administration believed it would take Iran “over a year or so” to develop a nuclear weapon, and he vowed that the United States would do whatever…
photo: AP / Vahid Salemi
China confirms Li Keqiang as premier
China‘s leaders have named Li Keqiang as premier, placing him at the helm of the world’s second-largest economy. Mr Li, who already holds the number two spot in the Communist Party, takes over from Wen Jiabao. Mr Li was elected for a…
photo: AP / Alexander F. Yuan
Syria conflict: EU to discuss arms ban on anniversary
As Syrians mark the second anniversary of the start of the nation’s unrest, the EU is set to discuss lifting its arms embargo to allow supplying rebels. The leaders of France and Britain will try to push other EU members to agree to the move at…
photo: AP / Manu Brabo
In Syrian Clash Over ‘Death Highway,’ a Bitterly Personal War
HEESH, Syria — The Islamic fighters peered through rifle scopes and machine-gun sights at the remains of a Syrian military convoy disabled on the highway several hundred yards away. They were peppering President Bashar al-Assad’s soldiers…
photo: AP / Fadi Zaidan
UN: Syria refugee numbers jump 10 percent in week
BEIRUT (AP) — A U.N. official says the number of registered Syrian refugees has jumped by more than 10 percent in just one week as part of an escalating exodus. Last week,…
photo: AP / Muhammed Muheisen
Curfew in Indian Kashmir after militant attack
SRINAGAR, India (AP) — A curfew has been imposed in most of Indian-controlled Kashmir after a militant attack left five paramilitary troops dead and a civilian was killed by…
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
France, UK ‘may bust Syria arms ban’
France and the UK would consider arming the Syrian opposition even if it meant breaking an EU ban, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius has said. Speaking on France Info radio, he said the two countries shared “identical views” over…
photo: AP
Argentine leader wishes pope well despite clashes
MICHAEL WARREN Associated Press= BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — President Cristina Fernandez will travel to the Vatican to attend her fellow Argentine Jorge Bergoglio‘s first Mass as…
photo: AP / DyN
Venezuela leader warns of plot to kill gov’t foe
FABIOLA SANCHEZ Associated Press= CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s acting president says security forces have detected a plot to assassinate the country’s opposition…
photo: AP / Ariana Cubillos
Khmer Rouge leader Ieng Sary dies
Zeenews Bureau Phnom Penh: Khmer Rouge co-founder Ieng Sary, who was on trial for the killings of an estimated 1.7 million people during the brutal movement in Cambodia in 1970s, died on Thursday morning at the age of 87. Sary was Khmer Rouge’s most…
photo: AP / Prin Samnang, POOL
Israel ‘reaches deal’ on new coalition
A compromise has been reached towards a final coalition deal in Israel after the newly formed centrist Yesh Atid party reportedly agreed to give up demands for the interior ministry, local media have reported. The new coalition government,…
Jorge Mario Bergoglio, of Argentina is Pope Francis I
March 14, 2013 2:58am
Pilgrims cheer election of new pope at St. Peter’s Square. Faithful cheer as white smoke rises from the chimney above the Sistine Chapel, indicating a new pope has been elected at the Vatican, March 13, 2013. White smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel and the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica rang out on Wednesday, signaling that Roman Catholic cardinals had ended their conclave and elected a pope to succeed Benedict XVI. REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito
VATICAN CITY – Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina was elected in a surprise choice to be the new leader of the troubled Roman Catholic Church on Wednesday, and said he would take the name Francis I.
Pope Francis, 76, appeared on the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica just over an hour after white smoke poured from a chimney on the roof of the Sistine Chapel to signal he had been chosen to lead the world’s 1.2 billion Roman Catholics.
The choice of Bergoglio was announced by French cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran with the Latin words “Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum. Habemus Papam” (“I announce to you a great joy. We have a pope”
Francis becomes the 266th pontiff in the Church’s 2,000-year history at a time of great crisis and difficulty. Although a conservative he is seen as a reformer and was not among the small group of frontrunners identified before the election.
Latin America’s Left Sees Void After Chavez
WASHINGTON — The death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez leaves a void for the left in Latin America that most analysts say is unlikely to be filled soon. His death could also eventually affect communist Cuba, which has benefitted from cheap…
photo: AP / Mary Altaffer
Cardinals prepare for second vote
Vatican City – Thick black smoke billowed from the Sistine Chapel‘s chimney on Tuesday, signalling an inconclusive first vote in the conclave to elect a new pope at a time of strife and scandal for the Roman Catholic Church. Thousands of faithful…
photo: AP / Pier Paolo Cito
21 people, including seven foreign troops, killed in a single day in Afghanistan
At least 21 people, including seven foreign troops, were killed on Monday in one of the deadliest days so far this year in Afghanistan, officials said in Kabul on Tuesday. Five NATO soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash, while a land mine and…
photo: DOD / Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo
Cameron hails Falklands Yes vote
David Cameron has called on Argentina to respect the wishes of Falkland islanders to remain British. The Prime Minister said the 99.8% vote in favour of remaining a British Overseas Territory in a…
photo: AP / Anja Niedringhaus
Sudan rivals ‘to resume pumping oil’
South Sudan and Sudan have agreed to resume pumping oil after a bitter dispute over fees which saw production shut down more than a year ago. The South, which seceded from the rest of Sudan in 2011, will begin oil production again by 24 March, under…
photo: AP / Abd Raouf
US imposes new N. Korea sanctions amid growing tensions
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un stepped up rhetoric against South Korea on Tuesday, threatening to “wipe out” the border islands of Baengnyeong, as the US imposed new sanctions on Pyongyang amid escalating tensions. By News Wires (text) North…
photo: AP / KCNA via KNS
US expands North Korea sanctions amid tensions
The US has imposed sanctions on North Korea‘s primary foreign exchange bank and four individuals, amid heightened tensions over its nuclear ambitions. The move followed a UN vote last week to expand sanctions on Pyongyang after its February…
photo: US Army / Edward N. Johnson
Cameron hails Falklands Yes vote
David Cameron has called on Argentina to respect the wishes of Falkland islanders to remain British. The Prime Minister said the 99.8% vote in favour of remaining a British Overseas Territory in a…
photo: AP / Anja Niedringhaus
Sudan rivals ‘to resume pumping oil’
South Sudan and Sudan have agreed to resume pumping oil after a bitter dispute over fees which saw production shut down more than a year ago. The South, which seceded from the rest of Sudan in 2011, will begin oil production again by 24 March, under…
photo: AP / Abd Raouf
US imposes new N. Korea sanctions amid growing tensions
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un stepped up rhetoric against South Korea on Tuesday, threatening to “wipe out” the border islands of Baengnyeong, as the US imposed new sanctions on Pyongyang amid escalating tensions. By News Wires (text) North…
photo: AP / KCNA via KNS
US expands North Korea sanctions amid tensions
The US has imposed sanctions on North Korea‘s primary foreign exchange bank and four individuals, amid heightened tensions over its nuclear ambitions. The move followed a UN vote last week to expand sanctions on Pyongyang after its February…
photo: US Army / Edward N. Johnson
Clashes, blasts mark Bangladesh opposition protest
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Police in Bangladesh’s capital have clashed with opposition protesters enforcing a daylong general strike across the country. Witnesses and news reports say…
photo: AP / A.M. Ahad
Harvard apologizes after secret e-mail search
March 11, 2013 — Updated 2323 GMT (0723 HKT) On Monday, the school apologized for the way it handled a secret search of the e-mail accounts of resident deans. (CNN) — A cheating scandal at Harvard College just got bigger, and this time the focus is…
photo: Public Domain / Daderot
The Cool War in cyberspace
Torture of prisoners by state security persistent in Iraq: Report
Tweet London, Mar. 11 (ANI): Torture of detainees by state security is pervasive in Iraq ten years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, according to a report by Amnesty International. The report – “Iraq: a Decade of Abuses” – said that though American…
photo: AP / Karim Kadim
6 teens killed, 2 hurt in northeast Ohio SUV crash
WARREN, Ohio – A speeding sport utility vehicle taken without permission and carrying eight teenagers crashed into a guardrail Sunday morning and flipped over into a swampy pond in northeast Ohio, killing five boys and the young woman driving, the…
photo: AP / Scott R. Galvin
S Korea-US drill stirs tensions with North
South Korean and US troops have launched a joint military exercise as North Korea, which has slammed the drill and threatened both countries with nuclear attack, severed its hotline with Seoul. The start of the two-week annual “Key Resolve” exercise…
photo: AP / Yonhap, Lee Jung-hoon
As North Korea Blusters, South Breaks Taboo With Nuclear Talk
SEOUL, South Korea — As their country prospered, South Koreans largely shrugged off the constant threat of a North Korean attack. But breakthroughs in the North’s missile and nuclear programs and fiery threats of war have heightened fears…
photo: AP / Ahn Young-joon
Pakistan and Iran leaders inaugurate gas pipeline
President Asif Ali Zardari of Pakistan and Iran‘s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are set to inaugurate a controversial gas pipeline linking the two neighbours. The US has warned that the project could incur…
photo: Press Information Dept. of Pakistan
Drone Strike Reported in Pakistan
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — Two people suspected of being militants were killed Sunday morning in the volatile North Waziristan tribal region by what Pakistani and Taliban officials said was a drone strike. If confirmed, the attack could be the first…
photo: AP / Mohammad Sajjad
Nigerian Islamist fighters kill 7 foreigners, says UK, Italy and Greece
Egypt plunges into turmoil as minister denies police abuse
CAIRO – Egypt‘s Interior Minister pleaded on Sunday for an end to “rumours” of police abuse, saying his forces had never fired a single shot at protesters since the start of the 2011 uprising. Mohammed Ibrahim, who is facing an unprecedented strike…
photo: AP / Nasser Nasser
Multiple challenges for Kenya’s new leader
“Uhuru [Kenyatta] has won the presidency. It’s done. Let’s move on.” The son of Kenya‘s first independence leader may not have secured Francis Odera’s vote but, like so many other Kenyans, this middle-aged Nairobi…
photo: AP / Ben Curtis
Afghan leader alleges US, Taliban are colluding
RAHIM FAIEZ Associated Press= KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan President Hamid Karzai is accusing the Taliban and the U.S. of working in concert to convince Afghans that violence will…
photo: Public Domain / Paul Morse
Suu Kyi re-elected Burma’s opposition NLD leader
Burma‘s opposition National League for Democracy (NLD) has re-elected Aung San Suu Kyi as its leader, at the end of its first ever congress. She had earlier appealed for unity, addressing party delegates in Rangoon. After the party won elections…
photo: AP / Khin Maung Win
More Guard soldiers dying of car crashes, suicide than combat
Since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began, roughly twice as many Texas Army National Guard soldiers have died of suicide as in combat, an American-Statesman investigation has found. Records on the Guard soldiers’ cause of death also identified…
photo: US Army / Jon Heinrich
Taliban develop more complex attack methods
As the new US defence secretary prepares to discuss the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, there are fears that the Taliban have developed more sophisticated forms of attack. Wardak province is seen as the most vulnerable, and in…
photo: US Navy / Matthew Stroup
Venezuela sets first post-Chavez election for April 14
CARACAS: Venezuela announced on Saturday that it will hold a presidential election to succeed late leader Hugo Chavez on April 14 after his political heir took office in a move the opposition rejects. The national electoral council set the…
Shiite leader: Sectarian attacks are ‘genocide’
KATHY GANNON Associated Press= QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Pakistan’s minority Shiite Muslims have started using the word “genocide” to describe a violent spike in attacks against them by a militant Sunni group with suspected links to the country’s…
photo: AP / Arshad Butt
Pentagon’s new chief Hagel visits Afghanistan
US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has arrived in Afghanistan on his first foreign trip in his new position as head of the Pentagon. He told reporters travelling with him he wanted to see for himself “where we are in Afghanistan”. “I…
photo: US DoD / Glenn Fawcett
Suu Kyi vows to bring new blood to her party
YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — Myanmar opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is calling on her party to rise above petty differences as they elect new leadership for the…
photo: AP / Alastair Grant
Kenyatta wins presidency by slim margin in Kenyan election
NAIROBI (Reuters) – Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of Kenya‘s founding president, won the presidential election with a slim margin of 50.03 percent of votes cast, provisional figures showed, just enough to avoid a run-off after a race that has divided the…
photo: Creative Commons / Arthur Buliva
Nicolas Maduro sworn in as Venezuelan president
Nicolas Maduro was sworn in Friday as Venezuela’s acting president, using the occasion to make blistering attacks on the U.S. as well as the political opposition, which objected that the ceremony violated the country’s constitution. Late President…
photo: AP / Fernando Llano
New leader of the GOP: Rand Paul
March 8, 2013 — Updated 2243 GMT (0643 HKT) Editor’s note: Mo Elleithee was senior spokesman and traveling press secretary for Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2008 and has worked for or advised other Democratic candidates and committees….
photo: Creative Commons / Gage Skidmore
NKorea warns of more nuclear, rocket activity
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea is warning of future nuclear and rocket efforts that it says are warranted because of new U.N. sanctions over its third nuclear test.
Leaders from Cuba to Iran attending Chavez’s funeral
CARACAS (Reuters) – At least two dozen heads of state were due to attend Hugo Chavez‘s funeral on Friday during an outpouring of grief for the charismatic but divisive Venezuelan leader who changed the face of politics in South America. Chavez died…
photo: AP / Miraflores Press Office
North Korea rages at new UN sanctions
Non-aggression pact with South Korea cancelled, adding to threat of nuclear attack on US and ‘crushing strikes’ on enemies A North Korean rally held after the threat to launch a nuclear strike against the US. Photograph: KCNA/AFP/Getty North Korea…
photo: AP / Jon Chol Jin
Tensions rise in Kenya amid calls to halt election count
WILLIAM WALLIS and KATRINA MANSON in Nairobi Kenya’s national electoral commission pressed ahead with tallying results despite calls for a halt to the count and accusations of rigging by supporters of one of the presidential frontrunners. The…
photo: AP / Ben Curtis
Ahmadinejad Says Chávez Will Rise With Christ; Is Chastised By Cleric
Just before leaving for Venezuela to attend the funeral of Hugo Chávez, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad penned a laudatory tribute for the late president. “[Chavez] is alive, as long as nations are alive and struggle for consolidating…
photo: AP / Vahid Salemi
North Korea Sanctions: UN Approves New Measures
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. Security Council has voted unanimously for tough new sanctions to punish North Korea for its latest nuclear test, a move that sparked a furious Pyongyang to threaten a nuclear strike against the United States. The vote…
photo: UN /Eskinder Debebe
Vice president wants Kenya vote count stopped
Nairobi – The running mate of one of the two front-runners in Kenya‘s presidential vote said on Thursday the ballot count lacked integrity and should stop, comments that could inflame what has so far been a largely peaceful election. The remarks by…
photo: AP / Ben Curtis
Malaysia says 31 Filipinos fatally shot in Borneo
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian security forces gunned down 31 Filipino intruders in Borneo on Thursday, the highest number of casualties in a single day since nearly 200 members of a Philippine…
Syria conflict: Refugees number one million, says UN
The number of Syrian refugees who have fled the conflict has reached one million, the UN has said. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said the number of refugees crossing into neighbouring countries had jumped since the beginning of the year. Half…
photo: AP
Chavez death echoes with leftists worldwide
PETER ORSI Associated Press= HAVANA, Cuba (AP) — Reactions to the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez were as mixed, polemical and outsized as the leader was in life, with some saying his passing was a tragic loss and others calling it an…
photo: AP / Esteban Felix
UN chief extends condolences over Chavez’s death
UNITED NATIONS – UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday extended his condolences over the death of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez. In a statement released here by his spokesperson, Ban said he was saddened by the death of Chavez and…
photo: UN / Mark Garten
China’s defense spending to increase while U.S. cuts back
Facebook Follow @washtimes Secretary of State John F. Kerry released $250 million in economic and budgetary aid to Egypt. Should the U.S. help fund a government run by the Muslim Brotherhood? View results China’s Communist Party leaders Tuesday…
photo: AP / Xinhua, Li Gang
HE’S DEAD
VP Takes Over… Claims Cancer Was ‘Attack’ By ‘Imperialist’ Enemies… American Diplomat Expelled… HUGO THE ICON… Most Memorable Quotes
Egypt’s leader mulls army takeover of restive city
MAGGIE MICHAEL Associated Press= CAIRO (AP) — Officials say the Egyptian president is considering whether to give the military full control of the restive city of Port Said after…
photo: AP / Ahmed Ramadan
Kenyan election: Uhuru Kenyatta maintains lead after early results
Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya‘s deputy prime minister, has maintained an early lead over his rival Raila Odinga with more than 25 per cent of ballots in from polling stations in the country’s presidential election. Kenyan Presidential candidate Uhuru…
photo: AP / Ben Curtis
Kenya awaits presidential election results
Kenyans are awaiting results in their country’s presidential election, after millions cast their votes on Monday. With 25% of polling stations reporting, Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta held an early lead over his main rival, Prime Minister…
photo: AP Photo / Presidential Press Services, HO
Diplomats: US, China agree on NKorea sanctions
EDITH M. LEDERER Associated Press= UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. diplomats say the United States and China have reached agreement on a new sanctions resolution to punish North Korea for…
photo: UN / Rick Bajornas
Biden, Netanyahu set tone on Iran for Obama visit to Israel
WASHINGTON – US Vice-President Joe Biden insisted on Monday that President Barack Obama was not bluffing about using force to thwart Iran‘s nuclear ambitions if all else fails, even as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for a “credible…
photo: AP / Gali Tibbon, Pool
Army bases: Hammond to announce future plans
The defence secretary is to announce details of where the British Army will be based in the UK as its withdrawal from Germany gathers pace. The government set out its plan to withdraw the army from Germany in the…
photo: US DoD / Glenn Fawcett
US denies report of mass Guantanamo hunger strike
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The U.S. military is denying reports of a mass hunger strike at the Guantanamo Bay prison. A prison spokesman says some prisoners have…
William Hague arrives in Mali for talks
The Foreign Secretary William Hague today arrived in Mali for talks with military commanders and local politicians, just weeks after a French force routed Islamist rebels from strongholds in the north of the country. Mr Hague was due to meet the…
photo: AP / Kerim Okten, Pool
Afghan president lashes out at Pakistan
HEIDI VOGT Associated Press= KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan President Hamid Karzai has lashed out once again at his supposed ally, Pakistan, saying that a statement by a Pakistani…
photo: NATO
Kerry: Window on Iran not open ‘indefinitely’
MATTHEW LEE Associated Press= RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, in Saudi Arabia for talks with Saudi and Gulf Arab officials, said Monday the window of opportunity for a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear problem…
photo: AP / Jacquelyn Martin
Kenya vote sees long lines; attacks kill 12
RODNEY MUHUMUZA Associated Press= NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — Multiple attacks against security forces in Kenya on Monday killed at least 12 people as Kenyans waited in long lines to cast ballots five years after more than 1,000 people died in…
photo: AP / Ben Curtis
Holocaust: Nazis Built 42,500 Camps, Study Finds
New research has discovered the Nazis created more than six times the number of concentration camps as previously thought and may have killed or imprisoned up to 20 million people. Some 42,500 Nazi ghettos and camps have been catalogued by…
photo: Creative Commons / Makthorpe
3rd French soldier killed in Mali combat
PARIS (AP) — A French soldier has been killed in combat in Mali, the third to die in the military campaign to retake the north of the African country from…
photo: AP / Jerome Delay
EU’s Rehn warns against Cypriot exit from euro zone
BERLIN (Reuters) – EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn warned on Sunday against a Cypriot exit from the euro zone and said all countries in the single currency bloc were systemically important. “Even if you come from a big EU…
‘Uncatchable’ Algerian jihadi mastermind Mokhtar Belmokhtar killed
03 Mar 2013
MOKHTAR Belmokhtar, the one-eyed Islamist who masterminded a brazen attack on an Algerian gasfield, was branded “the Uncatchable” but the desert fox has now reportedly been killed in northern Mali. Chad said its troops killed the al-Qa’ida veteran yesterday during an operation in the Ifogha mountains, where French-led forces have been…
Kerry presses Egypt president, military on reform
MATTHEW LEE Associated Press= CAIRO (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is wrapping up a visit to deeply divided Egypt with an appeal for unity and reform to the country’s…
photo: AP / Egyptian Presidency
Myanmar opposition party to hold party congress
AYE AYE WIN Associated Press= YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — In another sign of political reform and reconciliation in Myanmar, the country’s biggest party led by opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi will hold its first-ever congress in the country’s former…
photo: UN / Rick Bajornas
Army sent to north Bangladesh to tackle violence
DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Soldiers have been deployed in a northern Bangladeshi district after activists of the country’s largest Islamic party clashed with police, leaving…
photo: AP
Contentious quotes upend Kenya vote
Nairobi – Kenya‘s top two presidential candidates held their final rallies before large and raucous crowds on Saturday, a day of political attacks and denials following published comments attributed to the prime minister that election violence could…
photo: AP / Sayyid Azim
Obama signs order allowing $85B in spending cuts
Associated Press | March 1, 2013 | Updated: March 1, 2013 9:44pm Comments (0) E-mail Print Tweet Page 1 of 1 WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has signed an order authorizing the government to begin cutting $85 billion from federal accounts, officially enacting across-the-board reductions that he opposed but failed to avert. Obama acted Friday,…
Venezuela says Chavez receiving chemotherapy
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s government has revealed for the first time that President Hugo Chavez has been receiving chemotherapy as he “continues his battle for…
photo: AP / Ramon Espinosa
Budget ignores farmers income augmentation: Farmer leader
New Delhi, Mar 2: The 3.6 percent growth rate achieved by the farm sector during the 11th Plan with overflowing granaries, sizable increase in farm export and encouraging estimates of Rabi crops made the finance minister “complacent” towards the…
photo: WN / Bhaskar Mallick
Skin cancer ‘able to fight off body’s immune system’
A deadly form of skin cancer is able to fend off the body’s immune system, UK researchers have found. Analysis of tumour and blood samples shows that melanoma knocks out the body’s best immune defence. A potential test could work out which…
photo: Creative Commons / wipeoutpdr
Obama signs order to begin spending cuts
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has signed an order authorizing the government to begin cutting $85 billion from federal accounts, officially enacting…
photo: Public Domain / Pete Souza
US criticizes NKorea for wining and dining Rodman
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department is criticizing North Korea for, quote, “wining and dining” visiting ex-NBA star Dennis Rodman while its own people go hungry….
photo: AP / Kim Kwang Hyon
Israeli army ire over social media posts
Following a series of social media scandals, a few days ago Israeli military commanders were told to stop recruits uploading videos and pictures “not appropriate to the spirit of the IDF“. Two soldiers were also sent to military prison for…
photo: AP / Majdi Mohammed
Defence secretary warns against more cuts to his budget
Further big cuts in defence spending would lead to the loss of the UK’s armed forces capability, Defence Secretary Philip Hammond has warned. Speaking ahead of the chancellor’s upcoming spending review, he said the military was already…
Hugo Chavez ‘fighting for his life’
01 Mar 2013
Venezuela‘s vice president has said that President Hugo Chavez is fighting for his life while he continues to undergo treatment more than two months after his latest cancer surgery. Vice President Nicolas Maduro said on television on Thursday that Chavez “is battling there for his health, for his life, and we’re accompanying him.” The vice…
Global food output under threat: Study
NEW DELHI: Wild bees, butterflies, flies, beetles and other wild insects play a key role in pollination and hence in food production, a new study of 41 crops in 600 fields across the world shows. Declining populations of these insects is irreparably…
photo: WN / Bhaskar Mallick
Bangladesh rioting over court decision kills 42
At least 42 have died in rioting sparked by a death sentence given to an Islamic political party leader convicted of crimes linked to Bangladesh‘s 1971 independence war, police said Friday. Top Jamaat-e-Islami leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee was…
photo: AP
Grounded US F-35 fighter jet fleet to resume flights
The Pentagon has said it will resume flights on its F-35 fighter jets, after the whole fleet was grounded last week. Tests showed that a cracked turbine blade found on a plane prompted the suspension, was a “unique” problem and not a design…
photo: US Navy / U.S. Navy photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin by Phaedra Loftis
ANA president sees Boeing progress on batteries
ELAINE KURTENBACH AP Business Writer= TOKYO (AP) — The president of All Nippon Airlines, Boeing’s biggest single customer for its troubled 787 Dreamliner, said Friday that he believes the U.S. manufacturer has made progress in resolving problems with…
photo: AP / Junji Kurokawa
Series of explosions in Iraq kill 22
Baghdad: A series of bombings struck Baghdad and towns south of the Iraqi capital on Thursday, killing at least 22 and wounding dozens in areas that are home to mostly Muslim Shi’ites, the latest evidence of rising sectarian discord in Iraq. The…
photo: AP / Emad Matti
Kim Jong Un And Dennis Rodman Are Now Friends For Life
Curious about how gigantic weirdo Dennis Rodman‘s trip to North Korea is going? It’s going great! Today, Rodman took in an exhibition basketball game with North Korean dictator…
photo: AP / Jason Mojica
Ivory Coast’s Gbagbo tells ICC he ‘fights for democracy’
Ivory Coast‘s ex-President Laurent Gbagbo has told the International Criminal Court that he has always “fought for democracy”. The tribunal in The Hague is to decide whether he should face charges over post-poll violence two years ago….
photo: AP / Rebecca Blackwell
As Castro Era Drifts to Close, a New Face Steps In at No. 2
28 Feb 2013
MEXICO CITY — He may have just taken on the toughest job in Cuba. Rivals at home will try to take him down. Enemies abroad will discredit him. Almost anyone with an interest in Cuba — including American spies and Cuban intelligence officers — will dig through his public and private lives, rummaging for secrets or clues about his…
Pope Benedict XVI says farewell to his cardinals ahead of resignation
Pope Benedict XVI has promised “unconditional reverence and obedience” to his successor in his final greetings to cardinals in the Vatican before retiring. 560 315 TelegraphPlayer_9899773 11:56AM GMT 28 Feb 2013 Pope Benedict XVI’s last day – watch…
photo: AP / Vatican TV
Protest in Jammu against prolonged curfew imposed in Kashmir post Afzal’s execution
Tweet Jammu, Feb. 28 (ANI): Hundreds of protesters took to streets of Jammu on Thursday over prolonged curfew of 19 days imposed in Kashmir valley post Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru‘s execution. Guru was hanged in Tihar Jail in New Delhi on…
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
Thailand and Muslim separatists agree to peace talks
Deal signed in Malaysia raises prospect of end to bloody insurgency that has claimed 5,000 lives since 2004 In this 2006 file photograph a Thai soldier guards the body of a teacher murdered during the separatist insurgency in Thailand‘s south….
photo: AP / Lai Seng Sin
Hollande to talk Syria settlement with Putin
MOSCOW (AP) — French President Francois Hollande says he hopes to discuss political transition in war-torn Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, whose stance…
photo: AP / Philippe Wojazer, Pool
South Korea and Indonesia Could Be Strategic Partners in Asian Growth
South Korea could become Indonesia’s closest economic and political partner as the engine of global economic growth shifts to Asia, analysts say. As the two countries celebrate the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year, experts are…
photo: UN / Guilherme Costa
The case against Haiti’s ‘Baby Doc’
PORT-AU-PRINCE — On a desolate street in this recovering capital, supporters of former Haitian President Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier lamented his possible fate as the former dictator prepares to come face-to-face with his troubling…
photo: AP / Ramon Espinosa
Titanic II blueprints unveiled
NEW YORK – Australian mining entrepreneur Clive Palmer on Tuesday unveiled blueprints for Titanic II, a modern replica of the doomed ocean liner, although he stopped short of calling the vessel unsinkable. Australian billionaire Clive Palmer speaks…
Iran nuclear crisis: Kazakhstan negotiations conclude
Talks in Kazakhstan between world powers and Iran over its controversial nuclear programme have concluded. Details of the outcome have not been released, although Reuters quoted Iranian TV as saying it was agreed that experts would meet for technical…
photo: AP / Ilyas Omarov
Lavrov urges Syria opposition to talk to regime
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Tuesday pressed Syrian opposition leaders to open talks with the regime to stop the bloodshed after “constructive” talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry. After the nearly two-hour meeting in Berlin, Lavrov…
photo: AP / dpa,Maurizio Gambarini
Chuck Hagel confirmed as Defense secretary
WASHINGTON — Chuck Hagel, who won two Purple Hearts in the Vietnam War, survived the turbulent battle over his nomination to lead the Pentagon, where he will confront two new challenges: potentially dramatic budget cuts and tensions with…
photo: AP / Carolyn Kaster
US Senate confirms Hagel as next Secy of Defence
Washington, February 26: After a two month battle by a group of Republican senators opposing his nomination, the US Senate on Tuesday confirmed former Republican senator Chuck Hagel to be the next Secretary of Defense by a vote of 58-41. Hagel is set…
photo: AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais
Benedict XVI to hold final papal audience in Vatican
The Pope will hold a final general audience in front of thousands of pilgrims in St Peter‘s Square on Wednesday, the eve of his resignation. Papal audiences are normally held inside a Vatican hall in the winter. But such is the level of interest…
photo: AP / Alessandra Tarantino
Mexico counts 26,121 missing during Calderon era
MEXICO CITY — The number of people who went missing in Mexico during the six years of former President Felipe Calderon’s administration stands at 26,121, government officials said Tuesday, a figure that would rank among the worst episodes…
photo: AP / Christian Palma
Protests mark anniversary of Trayvon Martin death
SANFORD, Florida/NEW YORK (Reuters) – Demonstrators symbolically wearing hoodies gathered in New York and Florida on Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the shooting death of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin, reviving a national discussion on gun…
Scientists have found proof of a sunken continent in the Indian Ocean. According to a study published in Nature Geoscience, the continent “was separated from Madagascar and fragmented into a ribbon-like configuration by a series of mid-ocean ridge jumps during the opening of the Mascarene ocean basin.”
Its name is not Atlantis, though. According to the team’s investigation, it existed between India and Madagascar before it was lost to the ocean “between 83.5 and 61 million years ago.”
The researchers came to this conclusion after finding zircons “more than 1,971 million years old” on the beach of Mauritius:
The zircons were assimilated from ancient fragments of continental lithosphere beneath Mauritius, and were brought to the surface by plume-related lavas.
They used this information and plate tectonic reconstruction to map the continent, which was a slice of land that they called Mauritia. According to the scientists, Mauritius and the Mascarene Plateau “may overlie [this] Precambrian microcontinent,” located 6.2 miles under the surface. [Nature Geoscience via BBC News]
Stalemate in ‘ungovernable’ Italy after elections
26 Feb 2013
The result was widely feared and predicted – that no party or coalition would be able to govern the country. Italy faces a period of political deadlock. The headlines cry “ungovernable” and “paralysis”. The leader of the centre-left, Pier Luigi Bersani, said: “It is clear to everyone that this is a very delicate situation…
Egypt balloon crash kills 19 Asian, European tourists
CAIRO (Reuters) – A hot air balloon crashed near the Egyptian town of Luxor at dawn on Tuesday after a mid-air gas explosion, killing 19 Asian and European tourists, a local industry official and the state news agency said. Ahmed Aboud, a spokesman…
photo: AP / Hagag Salama
Philippines urges clan to leave Malaysia village
JIM GOMEZ Associated Press= MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Philippine President Benigno Aquino III has asked a royal Muslim clan leader to order his followers to leave Malaysian…
photo: Malacañang Photo Bureau / Rey Baniquet/PCOO
Litvinenko inquest: Government makes secrecy request
A coroner is to hear an application by the government to keep some information secret at the forthcoming inquest into the death of Alexander Litvinenko. The former Russian security service officer was poisoned by radioactive polonium in London in…
photo: Public Domain
Republicans Sign Brief in Support of Gay Marriage
WASHINGTON — Dozens of prominent Republicans — including top advisers to former President George W. Bush, four former governors and two members of Congress — have signed a legal brief arguing that gay people have a constitutional…
photo: AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais
Surprise! Janet Jackson married Al Mana last year
Janet Jackson knows how to keep a secret: The singer has been married since last year. A representative…
photo: WN / Aaron Gilbert
Nepalese woman who summited Mount Everest twice in season recognized with Guinness record
KATMANDU, Nepal — Nepalese mountaineer Chhurim has entered the record book by scaling Mount Everest twice in the same climbing season. In fact, she did so a week apart. Nepal’s Tourism Minister Posta Bahadur Bogati handed over the…
photo: Public Domain
Iranians mixed feelings over Argo’s Oscar
Oscar for Argo was not entirely what one would expect. While it was predictable that Iranian government and its official media would attack the movie, many monarchists and those who support Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late Shah, also bashed the film…
photo: Public Domain / MSgt.
Cardinal Keith O’Brien steps down as Archbishop
25 Feb 2013
Britain’s most senior Roman Catholic cleric, Cardinal Keith O’Brien, is stepping down as the Archbishop of St Andrew‘s and Edinburgh. It follows allegations – which he contests – of inappropriate behaviour towards priests dating from the 1980s. The Vatican is expected to confirm Pope Benedict has accepted his resignation.
Syria says ready to talk with armed opposition
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Syria is ready to hold talks with its armed opponents, Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem said on Monday, in the clearest offer yet of negotiations with rebels fighting to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad. Syrian Foreign Minister…
photo: AP / Ivan Sekretarev
Karzai, citing abuse, orders U.S. units out of province
Afghanistan‘s president on Sunday ordered all U.S. special forces to leave a strategically important eastern province within two weeks because of allegations that Afghans working with them are torturing and abusing other Afghans. The decision seems…
photo: US DoD / Glenn Fawcett
John Kerry set to meet David Cameron in London visit
John Kerry is due to meet the UK’s prime minister and foreign secretary in London, as part of his first trip abroad as US secretary of state. It is the first stop on his tour, which will take in Europe‘s main capitals, and Turkey and the…
photo: US DoS
Park Geun-hye sworn in as South Korea president
Park Geun-hye has been sworn in as South Korea‘s president, making her the first woman to lead the nation. Ms Park, who defeated liberal…
photo: AP / Ahn Young-joon
Sarpanch shot dead by suspected militant in Jammu and Kashmir
Srinagar, February 24: Suspected militants on Sunday night gunned down a sarpanch affiliated to ruling National Conference in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. Javed Ahmed Wani was shot at and critically injured by the…
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
Democrats push sequester, refuse alternative cuts
With just a few more days before March 1, it appears that across-the-board spending cuts once called “devastating” by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta are going to be a reality. I am disappointed but not entirely surprised by this outcome. This is…
photo: US DoD / Glenn Fawcett
I Saw Marx and Marxism at McDonalds Today
Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling “No one who works full-time should have to live in poverty.” -President Barack Obama, State of the Union Address, 2013 As of late, I have grown very fond and reflective of the workers at McDonalds. Since I do not have the internet in my apartment, I usually go there every Sunday where I drink coffee…
- Nick Clegg faces claims of cover-up over party ‘sex pest’ The Independent
- Silver Linings wins pre-Oscar award Irish Times
- Athletes cash in on California’s workers’ comp The Los Angeles Times
- Pistorius brother on crash charge Belfast Telegraph
- Italians to vote in unpredictable election Al Jazeera
- Lib Dems deny Nick Clegg knew of Lord Rennard claims BBC News
- Pistorius brother charged over fatal crash Sydney Morning Herald
- Ind vs Aus: Dhoni slams maiden double-ton, India dominate The Times of India
- Swollen With Syrian Refugees, Lebanon Feels Its Stitching Fray The New York Times
- Artist Ralph Hotere has died NZ Herald
Afghan security forces kill would-be suicide bomber in Kabul
KABUL, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) — Afghan security forces shot dead two would-be suicide bombers on Sunday morning, thus foiling a terror attack in Shirpoor area, a diplomatic enclave in capital Kabul, police said. “Two militants were killed inside an…
photo: US Army / Benjamin Tuck
VICTOR L. SIMPSON Associated Press= ROME (AP) — Will Italy stay the course with painful economic reform? Or fall back into the old habit of profligacy and inertia? These are the stakes as Italy votes in a watershed parliamentary election Sunday and…
photo: AP / Luca Bruno
Free trade with Europe may be a tough fight
Trade has been a constant source of friction between the U.S. and Europe, with fights over everything from hormone-laden beef to subsidized airplanes. Now, leaders on both sides of the Atlantic want to put the contentiousness aside and negotiate a…
photo: EC / EC
Washington nuclear waste tanks ‘leaking’
Six underground storage tanks at the Hanford Nuclear Reservation along the Columbia River in the US state of Washington have been found to be leaking radioactive waste, but there is no immediate risk to human health, state and…
photo: GFDL
- Singer Cleotha Staples dies at 78 Belfast Telegraph
- Firefighters battle large blaze NZ Herald
- Banksy London mural may fetch $700,000 Sydney Morning Herald
- German Church to allow pill in rape cases Irish Times
- ‘The Jimmy Savile crisis? I don’t have the time to do this’: BBC report reveals … The Independent
- UK’s credit rating cut humiliating, Labour says BBC News
- U.S. Opens Drone Base in Niger, Obama Announces The New York Times
- Athletes cash in on California’s workers’ comp The Los Angeles Times
- Chaotic, toxic, frantic: how Savile crisis engulfed BBC The Guardian
- Govt Communication Forum 2013 opens Sunday in Sharjah Khaleej Times
UK loses top AAA credit rating
Britain suffered its first ever sovereign ratings downgrade from a major agency last night when Moody‘s stripped the country of its coveted top-notch triple-A rating, dealing a major blow to finance minister George Osborne. Moody’s said weak…
photo: AP / Matt Dunham
PM says ‘Japan’s back,’ vows stronger ties with US
MATTHEW PENNINGTON Associated Press= WASHINGTON (AP) — Japan‘s new prime minister declared Friday he would make his country a stronger U.S. ally and joined President Barack Obama in warning North Korea that its recent nuclear provocations would not…
photo: AP / Junji Kurokawa
Pistorius free, but movement restricted
Pretoria – Oscar Pistorius was on Friday released from custody after being granted bail, but the conditions thereof severely restrict his movement. Pistorius thanked Magistrate Desmond Nair, and walked out of the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court C, nine…
photo: AP / Anja Niedringhaus
German: US to leave 8,000-12,000 troops in Afghan
BRUSSELS (AP) — A German official is saying Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has told NATO allies that the U.S. will leave between 8,000-12,000 American troops in Afghanistan after 2014, when combat ends. German Defense Minister Thomas de…
photo: US DoD / Glenn Fawcett
Turkey tightens noose on army influence in politics
ANKARA – Turkey‘s new constitution will reduce the political influence of the once-powerful military in order to steer the EU-hopeful country more on the path of democracy, a parliamentary source said Friday. The army, considered the self-appointed…
Pistorius ’knows jail almost guaranteed’
22 Feb 2013
Oscar Pistorius appears at the Magistrate Court in Pretoria on day four of his bail hearing. Photo: AFP The lead lawyer prosecuting Oscar Pistorius on murder charges has told a Pretoria bail hearing the sprinter knows a long spell in jail is ‘‘almost guaranteed’’ and is a flight risk. ‘‘He hasn’t said so,…
NEW: Storm slams Midwest, aims at Northeast
DES MOINES, Iowa – A major snow storm that shuttered airports in Missouri, stranded truckers in Illinois and buried parts of Kansas in knee-deep powder was promising a messy and possibly dangerous commute Friday morning as it crawled northeast. Wind…
photo: AP / Jeff Roberson
Drugs, War and Occupation
The United States invaded Afghanistan over eleven years ago. Men and women who were seven and eight years old are now enlisting in the military. Some of them will end up walking the streets and trails of that faraway land before their enlistments are…
photo: US Army / Shane Hamann
Twin bombings kill 14, wound more in south India
OMER FAROOQ Associated Press= HYDERABAD, India (AP) — A day after two bicycle bombs killed 14 people and wounded more than 100, investigators into India’s worst bombing in more than a year searched Friday for possible links to anger over the…
photo: AP / Aijaz Rahi
Hugo Chavez’s ‘breathing problems persist’
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is still suffering breathing problems following his return from Cuba where he was treated for cancer, officials say. Information…
photo: AP / Rodrigo Abd
UN to hold special session in 2014 on population
Arizona slaying suspect questioned by prosecutor 22 minutes ago UN to hold special session in 2014 on population 22 minutes ago 911 calls reveal fear, anger during Calif. rampage 26 minutes ago Thousands donated to aid…
photo: WN / Agnieszka Dziubi?ska
NATO to consider maintaining larger Afghan force
BRUSSELS – Senior NATO officials say the alliance is strongly considering a proposal to continue funding an Afghan security force of 352,000 troops through 2018, as part of an effort to maintain security and help convince Afghanistan that America and…
photo: US Army / Jon Heinrich
Hyderabad blasts: 12 dead, 57 injured in, toll may go up, Shinde says
NEW DELHI: At least 12 people were killed and 57 injured in two near simultaneous blasts in Hyderabad and the death toll could go up, home minister Sushilkumar…
photo: AP
India strike enters second day
A strike called by India‘s trade unions over the government’s economic reforms has entered its second day. Security is tight in Noida, a Delhi suburb where angry workers attacked factories and set ablaze 25 vehicles, including a fire truck,…
photo: WN / Bhaskar Mallick
PlayStation 4 unveiled at NY event
NEW YORK (AP) — Sony unveiled its next-generation gaming system, PlayStation 4, at an event in New York, saying the console will be part of a new ecosystem focused on hardware, software and “the fastest, most powerful gaming network.” “Our long-term…
photo: AP / Frank Franklin
Pirates take six foreigners hostage in Nigeria
A tanker. Photo: Reuters LAGOS: Armed pirates who stormed an oil service ship off Nigeria have kidnapped six foreigners and demanded a $US1.3 million ($1.26 million) ransom for their release, the police and military say. “Three of those abducted are…
photo: AP / George Osodi,
French special forces in Cameroon helping hostage probe
YAOUNDE: French special forces have arrived in northern Cameroon to help locate a French family who were kidnapped on Tuesday and moved to Nigeria, a local governor said on Wednesday. The abduction of three adults and four children highlights the…
photo: AP / Zvek
101st returns to Afghanistan, but different role
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. (AP) ? The 101st Airborne Division is headed to Afghanistan for the third time in five years, but the division?s commanding general, Maj. Gen. James McConville, says his forces have to be more adaptive and agile as they set the…
photo: US Navy / Josh Ives
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov resigns
Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov offered to step down after anti-government protests sparked street violence four months before parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place. The premier, who has been in office since 2009, told the…
photo: AP / Valentina Petrova
Thieves steal $50 million in diamonds from Brussels airport
When the armored car set off for the Brussels airport carrying $50 million worth of precious stones from Antwerp‘s diamond district, eight gunmen knew all about it. One of the biggest diamond heists in recent memory was about to go down. The thieves…
photo: Creative Commons / Rafaël Delaedt
Bulgaria’s government resigns amid protests
20 Feb 2013
Bulgaria‘s government resigned from office after nationwide protests against high electricity prices, joining a long list of European administrations felled by austerity. Prime Minister Boiko Borisov had tried to calm protests by sacking his finance minister, pledging to cut power prices and punish foreign-owned companies…
Tunisia PM resigns after cabinet initiative fails
BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA Associated Press= TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia’s prime minister announced his resignation Tuesday following a failed effort to form a technocratic government to see the country out of its political crisis. The resignation is…
photo: AP / Hassene Dridi
Syria needs grow, rebel-held north out of reach: U.N.
GENEVA (Reuters) – The rebel-held north of Syria remains largely out of reach to aid operations, even though they have been stepped up elsewhere in the country torn by civil war, U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos said on Tuesday. “We are watching…
photo: UN / Jean-Marc Ferré
Serbia-Kosovo talks broach ‘parallel rule’ issue
BRUSSELS – Talks between Serbia and Kosovo, which Serbia considers a renegade province, are broaching one of the most delicate issues dividing them – so-called parallel rule of northern Kosovo by the Serbian government. Serbian Prime Minister Ivica…
Paralympian Pistorius set for bail hearing
19 Feb 2013
South African Paralympian Oscar Pistorius arrived early for a bail hearing at a Pretoria courthouse on Tuesday, after being charged with the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last week. By News Wires (text) Double-amputee Olympian Oscar Pistorius has arrived early at a courthouse in South Africa’s capital for a bail hearing in…
Sarkisian set to win Armenian presidential vote
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — Officials in Armenia say that incumbent President Serge Sarkisian has been re-elected in a national election. The country‘s Central Election Commission…
photo: AP Photo / Misha Japaridze
Europe to Syrian opposition: No to arms, yes to ‘non-lethal’ aid
European Union foreign ministers on Monday stopped short of meeting Britain’s demand to lift an arms embargo on Syria but agreed to allow “non-lethal” aid and “technical assistance” to flow to the opposition. “We would’ve gone further, some were…
photo: EC / EC
EU launches military training mission in Mali
BRUSSELS — Less than a year after it triggered international condemnation by seizing power in a coup, the Malian military will start receiving advice from European experts on how to maintain control of its vast territory. On Monday, the European…
photo: EC / EC
EU parliament haggles over budget
The EU parliament member are fighting the EU cuncil President Van Rompuy over the new EU budget which has cuts that David Cameron of the UK pushed. MEPs are giving Herman Van Rompuy a tough time over the new EU budget, and threatening to block the…
photo: EC / EC
NATO kills insurgent behind Carson soldier’s death
KABUL, Afghanistan — An Afghan soldier-turned-insurgent who was feted by the Taliban for killing a Fort Carson soldier during an insider attack in eastern Afghanistan last year has been killed in a raid, the U.S.-led international coalition…
photo: DOD / Public Domain
Cameron pays tribute to Mumbai attack victims
Tweet Mumbai, Feb 18 (IANS) British Prime Minister David Cameron Monday visited the 26/11 attack memorial here and paid tributes to the policemen and other people who lost their lives to terrorism. Cameron laid a…
photo: AP / Rajanish Kakade
KABUL, Afghanistan The new commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan said Sunday he would comply with an intended order by President Hamid Karzai that prohibits Afghan forces from calling in NATO airstrikes on residential areas. Gen. Joseph…
Ecuador’s President Rafael Correa wins re-election
18 Feb 2013
Zeenews Bureau Quito: Ecuadoreans on Sunday re-elected Rafael Correa as their President for another four years by casting more than 50 percent of vote in his favour. The 49 year old leftist leader, who has won the confidence of Ecuador’s lower classes by his so called “citizen’s revolution” cruised to his third term victory on Sunday as he won 56.9…
- Lib Dems consider extending mansion ‘super tax’ to second homes The Guardian
- MoF and Zakat Fund join hands to collect donations through E-Dirham Khaleej Times
- Venezuela’s Chavez returns after treatment Al Jazeera
- The regional threat posed by Mali’s militants IRINnews
- Choirboy: God ‘said it wasn’t my time’ Boston Herald
- U.S. general willing to curb airstrikes in Afghan villages The Los Angeles Times
- Reeva Steenkamp’s family prepares for funeral Sydney Morning Herald
- David Cameron: UK and India can have great partnership BBC News
- Let Parliament decide on Afzal Guru’s body, Manmohan says The Times of India
- Revealed: First bionic hand that allows user to ‘feel’ Belfast Telegraph
BBC Journalists Go on Strike Over Job Cuts
LONDON (AP) — BBC reporters have walked off the job for 24 hours to protest job cuts at the broadcaster. Reporters mounted picket lines outside of the BBC’s central London studios. Programs went on, but many shows were disrupted Monday….
photo: AP / Kirsty Wigglesworth
Australia defeats West Indies to win ICC Women’s World Cup 6th time
Tweet Australian Women Team thrashed West Indian team in the final of ICC Women’s World Cup by 114 runs played at the Brabourne Stadium on Sunday. This is a record 6th win by Australian women team in World cup. It was the first time ever that West…
photo: AP / Rick Rycroft
Armenia President Sarkisian expected to win re-election
Armenians are set to vote in a presidential election, with the incumbent Serge Sarkisian expected to win a second five-year term in office. The vote has been condemned as not presenting voters with any real choice, with observers saying Mr…
photo: AP / Petros Giannakouris
Runoff Is Set for President in Cyprus
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Cyprus will hold a presidential runoff election next week after no candidate won an outright majority in the first round of voting on Sunday. Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news…
photo: AP / Petros Karadjias
Rafael Correa looks set to secure third term in Ecuador
Voters were on the way yesterday to handing a third term to President Rafael Correa, an economist who has raised living standards for the lower classes and widened their social safety net while being widely criticised as intolerant of dissent….
photo: AP / Dolores Ochoa
Kosovo celebrates 5 years of independence
Ethnic Albanians in Kosovo celebrated the fifth anniversary of their declaration of independence from Serbia with a parade of police and armed forces in the main square of the capital Sunday. It’s the first time such forces have been used in a parade…
photo: AP / Visar Kryeziu
Former Israeli Foreign Minister Lieberman on trial for fraud
Former Israeli foreign minister Avigdor Lieberman has pleaded not guilty at the start of trial in Jerusalem on fraud and corruption charges. The ally of premier Benjamin Netanyahu resigned from cabinet two months ago. Israeli prosecutors accuse the…
photo: AP / Tara Todras-Whitehill
Cyprus chooses president as bailout deal looms
NICOSIA, Cyprus — Cypriots are voting Sunday for a new president who must tackle a financial crisis that has forced the country to seek international rescue money to stay solvent. The change in leadership comes at a crucial juncture for Cyprus…
photo: AP / Petros Karadjias
Shiites lash out after Pakistan bombing kills 81
ABDUL SATTAR Associated Press= QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Angry residents on Sunday demanded government protection from an onslaught of attacks against Shiite Muslims, a day after 81 people were killed in a massive bombing that a local official said was…
photo: AP / Arshad Butt
Mediator Brahimi seeks Syria/opposition talks at U.N
CAIRO (Reuters) – International mediator Lakhdar Brahimi called on Sunday for talks between the Syrian opposition and an “acceptable delegation” from the Damascus government on a political solution to the country’s 23-month-old civil war….
photo: AP / Richard Drew
Afghan leader says he’ll ban airstrike requests
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN: Angry over civilian deaths, President Hamid Karzai announced plans Saturday to ban Afghan security forces from requesting international airstrikes on residential areas. If he issues the decree as promised, the move would pose a…
photo: US Army / Michael J. MacLeod
4.8-magnitude earthquake shakes central Italy, spooking residents
A 4.8-magnitude quake hit central Italy today, shaking apartment buildings in the centre of Rome and spooking citizens in the region of Abruzzo,…
photo: WN / Guillaume Poulet-Mathis
Some Chinese Are Souring on Being North Korea’s Best Friend
YANJI CITY, China — Beds shook and teacups clattered in this town bordering North Korea, less than 100 miles from the site where the North said it detonated a nuclear test that exploded midmorning in the midst of Chinese New Year festivities….
photo: Creative Commons / Yeowatzup
Afghan troops banned from requesting NATO strikes
Afghan forces will be banned from requesting NATO air strikes “under any conditions”, President Hamid Karzai told a Kabul military academy on Saturday. The move comes days after 10 civilians died in a joint NATO-Afghan raid on a Taliban…
photo: US Army / Zach Holden
- Biggest bang in 100 years Sydney Morning Herald
- IDEX became a global gathering: Gen Mohammed Khaleej Times
- Why southern Lebanon still matters IRINnews
- VVIP helicopter deal: Senior defence ministry official to leave for Italy The Times of India
- Gay couples cannot raise children, says Welsh secretary The Guardian
- House building plan: 2000 homes, Completed: Total of 180 NZ Herald
- After meteor strike, Russian experts reflect The Los Angeles Times
- Meteor causes injuries in Russia Irish Times
- G20 leaders defuse talk of currency war Al Jazeera
- As Oscar Pistorius weeps in the dock, lawyers insist he is no murderer The Independent
India eases post-execution curfew in Kashmir
A strict curfew across Indian-administered Kashmir that was imposed after the secret execution of a Kashmiri man has been lifted, police say. Police officer Ashok Prasad said on Saturday that authorities had also restored mobile internet and cable…
photo: WN / Imran Nissar
Debt crisis overshadows Cyprus presidential election
Some Cypriots are calling it mission impossible – the task of digging the small Mediterranean island of Cyprus out of debt. However difficult the task is, the new president, who will be elected by the end of this month at the latest, will have to…
photo: AP / Petros Karadjias
Facebook says it was a target of sophisticated hacking
(Reuters) – Facebook Inc said on Friday it had been the target of an unidentified hacker group, but it found no evidence that user data was compromised. “Last month, Facebook security discovered that our systems had been targeted in a sophisticated…
photo: WN / Geeta
Airbus rules out lithium-ion battery in new plane
Airbus said it will revert to traditional battery technology for its new A350 wide-body aircraft instead of the lithium-ion power source that grounded Boeing’s competing 787 Dreamliner after malfunctions. The change is being made to protect the…
photo: AP / Manuel Blondeau
Colombia’s FARC frees two policemen
Colombia‘s FARC rebels have freed two police patrolmen it seized last month, in an apparent goodwill gesture ahead of the next round of tense peace negotiations with the government. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, the biggest armed group…
photo: AP / Juan B. Diaz
Pro-Morsi protesters rally in Cairo
Thousands have rallied in Cairo to show support for Egypt‘s President Mohammed Morsi, who has been locked in a deep dispute with the largely secular opposition. Protesters packed a square outside Cairo University on Friday, chanting slogans…
photo: AP / Amr Nabil
Congo deploys 500 soldiers to hunt Ugandan warlord
KAMPALA, Uganda – The African Union says Congo has sent 500 troops to join a Uganda-led military effort to hunt down Joseph Kony, the fugitive head of the Lord’s Resistance Army rebel group. The troops were handed over in a ceremony Wednesday, the…
Meteor shower hits Russia, 500 injured by blasts
15 Feb 2013
A meteor streaked across the sky above Russia‘s Ural Mountains today morning, causing sharp explosions and injuring more than 400 people, many of them hurt by broken glass. “There was panic. People had no idea what was happening. Everyone was going around to…
Al-Shabab say they executed Kenyan hostage
Somalia‘s al-Shabab fighters have claimed to have executed a captured Kenyan soldier and repeated threats to kill five other hostages, the group said. The claim of the al-Qaeda-linked group on Friday could not be verified. “While…
photo: UN / STUART PRICE
Afghans skeptical of Obama troop withdrawal
US President Barack Obama plans to withdraw some 34,000 American troops from Afghanistan this year – a little more than half the current number. The Karzai government has welcomed the move as long overdue. The office of Afghan President Hamid Karzai…
photo: DoD /Jeremy T. Lock
India’s Kumbh Mela: Tight security for key festival day
Security has been tightened for another peak day at India‘s Kumbh Mela festival, days after a stampede killed 36 pilgrims at a railway station. Millions of Hindu ascetics and pilgrims are taking a dip at Sangam, the confluence of the Ganges and…
photo: WN / Bhaskar Mallick
South African Olympic Runner Pistorius to Face Murder Charges
South African Olympic Runner Pistorius to Face Murder Charges Oscar Pistorius, a double-amputee nicknamed ‘Blade Runner‘ for the carbon blades he runs on, is escorted by police in Pretoria on Thursday. He will appear in court Friday on charges that…
photo: AP / Sebastian Widmann
Mali says to hold presidential election on July 7
BAMAKO (Reuters) – Mali will hold a presidential election on July 7, a key step aimed at stabilizing the country following the French-led military intervention that has ousted Islamist rebels from the main northern towns, the government said on…
photo: AP / Harouna Traore
Chicago’s new Public Enemy No. 1: ‘El Chapo’
February 14, 2013 — Updated 2041 GMT (0441 HKT) Drug boss Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera is seen at a Mexican maximum security prison before he escaped in 2001. (CNN) — The Chicago Crime Commission named a new Public Enemy No. 1 on Thursday, a…
photo: AP / Damian Dovarganes
Secret Taliban letter shows Mali strategy, discord
In their hurry to flee last month, al Qaeda fighters left behind a crucial document: Tucked under a pile of papers and trash is a confidential letter, spelling out the terror network’s strategy for conquering northern Mali and reflecting internal…
photo: AP
Afghan president, ISAF welcome U.S. forces pullout
14 Feb 2013
KABUL, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) — Afghan President Hamid Karzai and NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) welcomed the U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision over withdrawal of another 34,000 American forces from Afghanistan. “Afghanistan welcomes the announcement by President Obama, who in his state of the union address said that the…
photo: US DoD / Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo
- Oscar Pistorius charged with murder BBC News
- Pope bids Catholics farewell at last mass Al Jazeera
- Teen charged with manslaughter over airgun death NZ Herald
- Soros-backed PAC seeking dirt ?on GOP candidates Boston Herald
- Pope speaks of ‘hidden’ retirement Irish Times
- Briefing: Humanitarian crisis in Sudan’s Nuba Mountains IRINnews
- Italian helicopter firm AgustaWestland had kept aside Rs 217 crore for bribe: Report The Times of India
- Oscar Pistorius to appear in court charged with murder after girlfriend is shot dead at … The Independent
- Egypt hit by claims of torture Sydney Morning Herald
- Cyber warriors get their own medal Belfast Telegraph
Google doodles Valentine’s Day and George Ferris’s 154th birthday
NEW DELHI: Google today celebrates Valentine’s Day and 154th birthday of George Ferris with an animated and colorful doodle. George Ferris (George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr) was an American engineer who…
photo: WN / RTayco
Insight: Divided Damascus confronted by all-out war
DAMASCUS (Reuters) – MiG warplanes roar low overhead to strike rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad on the fringes of Damascus, while artillery batteries pound the insurgents from hills overlooking a city divided between all-out war and…
photo: Creative Commons / Aziz
Pope Thanks Public For ‘Love And Prayers’
Pope Benedict XVI has thanked the public for their “love and prayers”, as he makes his first public appearance since announcing his resignation. The Pope was cheered by crowds as he entered and began speaking, at a…
photo: AP / Alessandra Tarantino
- Contact Energy to cut more than 100 jobs NZ Herald
- Obama lays out priorities for second term Al Jazeera
- Breaking: Food Standards Agency raids two British plants over horsemeat scandal The Independent
- Father ‘shot drunk killer driver’ Belfast Telegraph
- Rulers, CPs condole the death of Prince Sattam Khaleej Times
- Pope makes first public appearance since resignation BBC News
- Boko Haram attacks cripple northern Nigeria’s economy IRINnews
- Passengers tell of appalling conditions on stricken liner Sydney Morning Herald
- President Pranab Mukherjee rejects mercy pleas of four Veerappan associates The Times of India
- State of the union address kickstarts Obama’s second-term agenda – live The Guardian
Panetta calls North Korea nuke test ‘serious threat’ to US
Tweet London, Feb 13 (ANI): Outgoing Pentagon chief Leon Panetta has said that North Korean military ambitions are a ‘serious threat’ to the US. Panetta likened the North to Iran, describing them as “rogue states”. In a…
photo: US DoD / Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo
Vatican reveals pope had secret heart surgery
Pope Benedict XVI had a secret operation three months ago to replace the batteries in his pacemaker but this did not influence his decision to resign, the Vatican has said. “It was a routine operation. He already had a pacemaker. This had nothing…
photo: AP / Gregorio Borgia
Obama calls NKorea nuclear test ‘highly provocative,’ urges swift international response
WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama on Tuesday called North Korea‘s latest nuclear test a “highly provocative act” that threatens U.S. security and international peace. “The danger posed by North Korea’s threatening activities warrants…
photo: AP / Susan Walsh
Coca-Cola drinking
Drinking large quantities of Coca-Cola was a “substantial factor” in the death of 30-year-old woman in New Zealand, a coroner has said. Natasha Harris, who died three years ago after a cardiac arrest, drank up to 10 litres of the fizzy…
photo: WN / Yolanda Leyba
Activists: Syrian Rebels Seize Military Air Base
Syrian activists say rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad have captured a military air base in northern Syria, a day after seizing control of the country&aposs largest hydro-electric dam. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights…
photo: AP / Muhammed Muheisen
North Korea Sparks Worldwide Fury After Third Nuclear Test
NORTH Korea sparked worldwide condemnation today after defying the UN and detonating a miniaturised nuclear device last night. The hermit communist nation confirmed it had successfully conducted its THIRD nuclear test – which caused a 4.9-strength…
photo: AP / Yonhap, Lee Ji-eun
Barclays Cuts 3,700 Jobs In Bank Shake-Up
Barclays has announced 3,700 job cuts amid plans to cut £1.7bn in costs and improve standards. Of these job losses, 1,800 will be in its corporate and investment bank and 1,900 will be in European retail and business banking….
photo: AP / Sang Tan
Coca-Cola drinking ‘linked to New Zealander’s death’
Drinking large quantities of Coca-Cola was a “substantial factor” in the death of 30-year-old woman in New Zealand, a coroner has said. Natasha Harris, who died three years ago after a cardiac arrest, drank up to 10 litres of the fizzy…
photo: WN / Yolanda Leyba
Activists: Syrian Rebels Seize Military Air Base
Syrian activists say rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad have captured a military air base in northern Syria, a day after seizing control of the country&aposs largest hydro-electric dam. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights…
photo: AP / Muhammed Muheisen
North Korea Sparks Worldwide Fury After Third Nuclear Test
NORTH Korea sparked worldwide condemnation today after defying the UN and detonating a miniaturised nuclear device last night. The hermit communist nation confirmed it had successfully conducted its THIRD nuclear test – which caused a 4.9-strength…
photo: AP / Yonhap, Lee Ji-eun
Pope Benedict XVI to resign, citing age
VATICAN CITY — In a move that took the world by surprise, Pope Benedict XVI announced on Monday (Feb. 11) that he will become the first pope in 600 years to resign, with plans to step down on Feb. 28. “After having repeatedly examined my…
photo: AP / L’Osservatore Romano
Gen. Joseph Dunford takes command in Afghanistan
Last in a long line Gen, Joseph Dunford took command of U.S. and NATO troops in Afghanistan on Sunday, replacing Gen. John Allen and becoming the 15th general to lead the international coalition (NYT, Reuters, AP, McClatchy, AJE, LAT, CNN). Gen….
photo: US DoD / D. Myles Cullen
Pakistan to have role in lasting Afghan solution, says ex-US general
Tweet Islamabad, Feb. 11 (ANI): Pakistan would have a role in any lasting solution in Afghanistan, a former commander of US and NATO forces in Kabul, wrote in his book-‘My Share of the Task’….
photo: US DoD / D. Myles Cullen
Nigeria Captures First Africa Cup of Nations
Nigeria won its first Africa Cup of Nations title since 1994, beating Burkina Faso, 1-0, on Sunday Mba’s left-footed volley in the 40th minute. Victor Moses, who recovered from an ankle injury just in time to play, was voted the best player of…
photo: AP / Armando Franca
- Pope Benedict XVI to resign post Al Jazeera
- Pope Benedict XVI’s full text from his Vatican Radio address The Los Angeles Times
- UAE to participate in Arab Media Tourism Forum in Egypt Khaleej Times
- Pope Benedict to resign – the first to do so in hundreds of years Sydney Morning Herald
- Breaking: Pope Benedict XVI announces he will resign because of ‘ill health’ The Independent
- Pope Benedict XVI resigns – live reaction The Guardian
- Pope Benedict XVI to resign due to ‘health reasons’ The Times of India
- Spam ‘attack’ getting worse – customers NZ Herald
- Pope Benedict in shock resignation BBC News
Allahabad – At least 18 people were killed in a stampede in the Indian city of Allahabad on Sunday as Hindus returned from a river dip at the world’s largest religious festival. An overcrowded railway station footbridge buckled and a railing…
photo: AP
Jerry Sandusky Scandal: Paterno Family Releases Critique of Freeh Report
The Paterno family is fighting to restore the legacy of former Penn State football coach Joe Paterno, flatly denying the allegations in the report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh that the legendary coach was complicit in a coverup of child sexual…
photo: AP / John Beale
Fireworks usher in Year of the Snake
A billion-plus Asians ushered in the Year of the Snake yesterday with a cacophony of fireworks, after a Chinese televised gala featuring megastars, including Celine Dion, kicked off a week of festivities. From Australia to South Korea, millions of…
photo: WN / Periasamy
Sino-India water issue: Bilateral mechanism proposed
New Delhi: Water is emerging as a new possible irritant between China and India, which has proposed a bilateral mechanism to deal with it. In a significant move, India is pressing China to have either a water commission or a inter-governmental…
photo: WN / Agnieszka Dziubi?ska
Economy to be focus of Obama’s address
State of the Union also to include other domestic issues and the Afghan war….
photo: US DoD / Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo
Blizzard paralyses US northeast, five dead, 700,000 lose power
A record-breaking blizzard packing hurricane-force winds hammered the northeastern United States on Saturday, cutting power to 700,000 homes and businesses, shutting down travel and leaving at least five people dead. The mammoth storm that stretched…
photo: WN / Janice Sabnal
Hamish McRae: Europe has to play to its many strengths
What can Europeans – and let’s just accept that Britons are Europeans – do that others cannot do just as well or better? This, surely, a much more important question than the row over the European budget, the machinations by the European Central Bank…
- Mali War Shifts as Rebels Hide in High Sahara The New York Times
- British sugar giant caught in global tax scandal The Guardian
- Golf: Ko claims title at Clearwater NZ Herald
- Shipwrecked secrets separate fakes from prized porcelain pieces Sydney Morning Herald
- President, VP congratulate Iranian President on his country’s National Day Khaleej Times
- Many feared dead as stampede breaks out at Allahabad railway station The Times of India
- Plugging in, Dutch Put Electric Cars to the Test The New York Times
- Social care: Jeremy Hunt hails ‘fully-funded solution’ BBC News
- Coastal homeowners flee as waves surge Boston Herald
- Exclusive: FSA accused over tainted horsemeat sent to Europe The Independent
WHITEOUT
Potentially Historic Blizzard Hits Northeast… At Least 4 Reported Dead… 38 Inches Of Snow In CT… More Than 650,000 Without Power… One Man Missing.. State Of Emergency Declared In CT, RI, MA, NY, ME… Over 6,000 Flights Canceled… Motorists Trapped… MA, CT Governors Ban All Traffic…
LOOK: Weather Warning Map… STORM TRACKER
India hangs man for 2001 attack on Parliament
09 Feb 2013
NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian news channels are reporting that a Kashmiri man convicted in the 2001 attack on India‘s Parliament has been hanged. State-run Doordarshan News said that Afzal Guru was executed early Saturday morning in New Delhi‘s Tihar prison. Phone calls to the prison and several Home Ministry officials went unanswered….
Venezuela devalues currency by 32% against the dollar
Venezuela has cut the value of its currency against the US dollar by 32%, in an effort to boost its economy. The widely expected measure ramps up the official exchange rate of the bolivar from 4.3 to 6.3 per US dollar. It was announced after…
photo: AP / Howard Yanes
U.S., Israel, Iran work to build better relationship
Finally, a glimmer of hope is shining from the end of the tunnel of distrust, intimidation and threats. After 33 years of wild accusations, hostile attitudes, belligerent posturing, terrorism and war planning, relations between the United States and…
photo: AP / Carolyn Kaster
Kerry: Keystone XL Decision Coming In ‘Near Term’ After ‘Fair And Transparent’ Review
…
photo: AP/CP, Fred Chartrand
Schmidt to sell 42% of his Google holdings
Google Inc. Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt plans to sell roughly 42 percent of his stake in the Internet search company over the coming year, Google announced on Friday. Schmidt will…
photo: AP / Yonhap
New Yorkers remember Sandy, scramble for supplies
NEW YORK — It was a “routine blizzard” that was bearing down on them, not a superstorm, but New Yorkers couldn’t help but think about Sandy in the face of a snow-laden Nor’easter. “I think it might even be…
photo: AP / Bebeto Matthews
Pakistani Girl Shot by Taliban Released From British Hospital
The Pakistani girl shot in the head by Taliban militants for advocating girls&apos education has been discharged from a British hospital. Queen Elizabeth Hospital in the city of…
photo: AP / Pervez Masih
Rio de Janeiro kicks off Carnival celebrations
Tunisia faces general strike as political crisis deepens
08 Feb 2013
TUNIS: Tunisia faces a general strike Friday, with tens of thousands expected to take to the streets after the murder this week of a leftist opposition leader that sparked violent clashes with police. The General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT) called the strike to coincide with the funeral of Chokri Belaid, a lawyer and vocal critic of the ruling…
Zambia bus crash kills 53
I can confirm that 53 people have died in the accident The bus carrying 73 passengers hurtled into an oncoming truck, leaving bloodied bodies and wreckage on a main road north of Lusaka. “I can confirm that 53 people have died in the…
photo: AP / Salim Dawood
Panetta backs Syria rebels arms plan
The US defence secretary has acknowledged for the first time that he supports arming Syrian rebels. In testimony to Congress, Leon Panetta said he still supported the supply of weapons to rebels fighting forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar…
photo: US DoD / Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo
Yemen blames Iran after weapons haul
Yemen‘s president has called on Iran to stop backing armed groups in his country after coastguards seized a ship carrying missiles and rockets. Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi‘s message came amid speculation the weapons originated in the Iran….
photo: UN / Jennifer S Altman
Chinese crack down on protest action in Tibet
CLIFFORD COONAN, in Beijing Chinese authorities have detained 70 people as part of a widening crackdown on a wave of self-immolations in Tibetan areas, and launched a high-profile propaganda campaign to discourage the protests. Since February 2009,…
photo: WN / Yeshe Choesang
Ever the showman, Berlusconi rallies
ITALY‘S Silvio Berlusconi showed off his famous stage skills at a lively election rally in Rome, where star-struck supporters spoke admiringly of the scandal-tainted former leader. Hundreds of fans young and old packed a concert hall for the…
photo: AP / Riccardo De Luca
Putin angry over Sochi Olympics cost overruns
SOCHI, Russia (AP) — A year before the 2014 Winter Olympics are to begin, President Vladimir Putin has demanded that a senior member of the Russian Olympic Committee be fired, apparently due to cost overruns in host city Sochi — a demand certain to…
photo: AP / RIA-Novosti, Alexei Druzhinin, Pool
Common Ancestor of Mammals Is Plucked From Obscurity
Humankind’s common ancestor with other mammals may have been an animal the size of a rat that weighed no more than half a pound, had a long furry tail and lived on insects. Enlarge This Image Carl Buell An artist’s rendering of a placental…
photo: Creative Commons
Tunisia on edge as PM calls for new elections
07 Feb 2013
Tunisia‘s Islamist Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali has announced that the country’s government would be dissolved and a national unity cabinet formed amid fierce protests following the assassination of a prominent secular opposition leader. By FRANCE 24 (text) Tunisia’s prime minister has pledged to form a government of technocrats and to…
- Clashes Erupt in Damascus, Shattering Lull, as Prospects for Talks Dim The New York Times
- Shaikh Hamdan appoints officials Khaleej Times
- Analysis: Afghan government promises rethink on IDPs IRINnews
- White House to release legal rationale for killing of US citizens with drones The Guardian
- Death threats for Iraq vote staff Belfast Telegraph
- Teen passenger fatally impaled on steel rod NZ Herald
- Plans to introduce flagship new qualification to replace GCSEs are ‘a bridge too far’, says … The Independent
- Obama yields on US drone assassination strikes Sydney Morning Herald
- Praveen Togadia booked for ‘hate speech’ in Maharashtra The Times of India
- Dems: Middle class ‘ticked’ by Gov. Patrick’s tax plan Boston Herald
Afghan poll cash goes to waste
By Inge Fryklund All Afghan elections to date have been bankrolled – and largely organized – by international donors. In advance of 2014, Afghans and donors alike need to decide what to do to stage a credible presidential election and what can…
India child sex victims ‘humiliated’ – Human Rights Watch
Child victims of sexual abuse in India are often mistreated and humiliated by police, says the US-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a new report. Government systems to deal with the issue of abuse are inadequate, it says. The report says sexual abuse…
photo: WN / Bhaskar Mallick
“Money” forces Pentagon to one carrier in Persian Gulf
The U.S. is reducing its naval presence in the Persian Gulf to just one aircraft carrier to reduce costs, a military official confirms to the E-Ring. “Money,” was the one-word answer from the official, when asked for the reason behind the Pentagon’s…
photo: US DoD / Erin A. Kirk-Cuomo
Arrest of Nigeria ‘Yahoo-Yahoo Boys’ Angers Locals
BENIN CITY, NIGERIA — The Nigerian government is cracking down on Internet scam artists who take millions of dollars monthly from foreign victims. The latest police sweep saw 20 people arrested last week. In the southern city of Benin where the raid…
photo: AP / Sunday Alamba
Iran offering reeling Egypt ‘big credit line’
Iran‘s president on Wednesday offered to help rescue Egypt‘s failing economy with a “big credit line,” another sign of improving relations between two regional powers after a freeze of more than three decades. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made the proposal…
photo: AP / Hassan Ammar
Tunisia protests after government critic shot dead
TUNIS (Reuters) – A Tunisian opposition politician was shot dead on Wednesday, sending protesters onto the streets of cities nationwide two years after the uprisings that swept Tunisia‘s president from power and inflamed the Arab world. Forensic…
photo: AP / Grace Kassab
February 6, 2013
CIA operating drone base in Saudi Arabia, US media reveal
Drones reportedly carry out strikes without Yemeni government permission
The US Central Intelligence Agency has been operating a secret airbase for unmanned drones in Saudi Arabia for the past two years.
- Screams led witness to tragedy Boston Herald
- Best of the world – February 7 Sydney Morning Herald
- Mid Staffs report calls for sweeping changes to improve patient safety The Guardian
- Medical staff must face criminal charges for failures, says care scandal report The Independent
- Child porn suspect indicted by federal grand jury The Los Angeles Times
- Bahrain denounces Iranians’ inspection visit to UAE’s occupied Islands Khaleej Times
- Gay marriage: Legislation passes Commons despite Tory opposition BBC News
- Many Egyptian Protesters Trying to Restore Revolution’s Focus on Democracy The New York Times
- France to leave Mali ‘next month’ Belfast Telegraph
- Mali crisis discussed at Brussels conference Al Jazeera
Cairo Activist Fighting Tear Gas With Tear Gas
CAIRO — As hundreds fled the advancing armored cars of riot police officers, Mohamed Mokbel ran forward. Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors A…
photo: AP / Khalil Hamra
David Cameron wins gay marriage vote as Tories split
David Cameron got his way but saw his party torn in half as gay marriage legislation cleared its first hurdle in the Commons. The Prime Minister hailed a “step forward for our country” after the House backed the proposals by a big margin of 400 to…
photo: AP / Parliamentary Recording Unit, via APTN
Leaked U.S. justification for drone killings assailed as rewriting definition of ?imminent threat?
WASHINGTON — Civil and human rights advocates Tuesday denounced a leaked Obama administration “white paper” that sets out the legal justification for killing U.S. citizens suspected of being members of al Qaida, an issue certain to arise…
photo: AP / Ross D. Franklin
Magnitude 6.3 quake strikes off Solomon Islands: USGS
SYDNEY (Reuters) – An earthquake measuring 6.3 magnitude struck southeast of the Solomon Islands on Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported. The shallow quake was only 15 km (nine miles) deep and the epicenter was 330 km…
photo: Creative Commons
Armed gang rapes six Spanish tourists more
ACAPULCO, Mexico: Six Spanish tourists were raped by a gang of armed, masked men in the Mexican resort of Acapulco, the latest chapter of violence that has tarnished the once-glamorous Pacific coast resort. The vicious, hours-long attack…
photo: Creative Commons / Gmasterman
Japan Protests Chinese Ship’s Alleged Use of Radar to Guide Missiles
Japan has summoned China to protest what Japanese authorities consider actions by Beijing‘s forces that threaten to escalate tensions over disputed remote islands. The Japanese Foreign Ministry summoned Chinese ambassador Cheng Yonghua to complain…
photo: AP / Central News Agency
Obama to visit Israel, first time as president
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama will go to Israel in the spring, the White House said Tuesday, marking his first visit to the staunch U.S. ally since becoming president. While in the region, Obama will make stops by the West Bank and Jordan….
Syria opposition leader al-Khatib urges Assad to negotiate
Feb 5.2013
Syrian opposition leader Moaz al-Khatib has urged President Bashar al-Assad to respond to his offer of peace talks. Mr Khatib, recently elected head of the Syrian National Coalition, called on Mr Assad to give his vice-president the task of opening negotiations. He said the aim would be to help the Syrian regime stand down peacefully, to spare…
Iran’s Ahmadinejad on historic visit to Cairo
CAIRO—President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for the first visit by an Iranian leader in more than three decades, marking a historic departure from years of frigid ties between the two regional heavyweights. Egypt‘s Islamist…
photo: AP / Egyptian Presidency
United States Stepped In to Halt Mexican General’s Rise
As Mexico’s military staged its annual Independence Day parade in September, spectators filled the main square of Mexico City to cheer on the armed forces. Nearly 2,000 miles away in Washington, American officials were also paying attention….
photo: AP /Gregory Bull
Black History Month: The Source Wishes Rosa Parks A Happy 100th Birthday
Born on this day in 1913 in Tuskegee, Alabama, Rosa Louise McCauley Parks is known as the first lady of the Civil Rights movement of the turbulent 60s. Her defiant stance on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama, refusing to give her seat to a…
photo: Creative Commons / Sdrtirs
Venezuela’s Chavez improving after tough cancer fight: Fidel Castro
HAVANA (Reuters) – Former Cuban leader Fidel Castro said Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is getting “much better” as he recovers from cancer surgery almost two months ago in Havana, Communist Party newspaper Granma reported on Monday. Castro, 86,…
photo: AP / Alex Castro, Cubadebate
New Secretary of State Kerry speaks to Netanyahu, Abbas about peace
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Secretary of State John Kerry stressed his commitment to promoting Israeli-Palestinian peace on Sunday in telephone calls to the leaders of both sides, the State Department said. In separate conversations, Kerry, who took over as the top U.S. diplomat from Hillary Clinton on Friday, spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin…
Taliban peace talks flounder as troops draw down
KABUL, Afghanistan — The Afghan peace effort is floundering, fraught with mistrust and confusion among key players even though the hard-line Taliban militants show signs of softening and their reclusive, one-eyed leader made a surprise offer to…
photo: AP / Mustafa Quraishi
Live updates: Super Bowl XLVII, 49ers vs. Ravens
I’ve always prided myself as a Clark Kent-type of reporter. Mild-mannered, strait-laced, tending to avoid risk. But that’s all out the window when you go to Super Bowl weekend in Las Vegas. It’s my third day here, having just…
photo: AP / Rick Osentoski
Obama says Boy Scouts should allow gays as members
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama said Sunday that gays should be allowed in the Boy Scouts and women should be allowed in military combat roles, weighing in on two storied American institutions facing proposals to end long-held exclusions….
photo: AP / Pablo Martinez Monsivais
Successful Surgery for Pakistani Girl Shot by Taliban
British doctors treating a Pakistani teenager who was gravely wounded by the Taliban last year say she has has undergone two successful operations and is making good progress in her…
photo: AP / Shakil Adil
Israeli president tasks Netanyahu with forming new government
JERUSALEM, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) — Israeli President Shimon Peres tasked incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday evening with the task of forming a new government, amid the results of the Jan. 22 national elections. The two met at the…
photo: AP / Dan Balilty
South Africa 1-1 Mali (pen. 1-3): Host nations dreams end with three spot kick misses
Mali beat Bafana 3-1 in a penalty shoot-out at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday night. The African nations were locked at 1-1 after extra-time. By Ignat Manjoo More On : Mali, South Africa, South Africa vs Mali…
photo: AP / Rebecca Blackwell
Spain’s Mariano Rajoy Denies Corruption Charges
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoydenied allegations of tax evasion and fraud after documents published in El Pais newspaper detailing a secret web of unofficial payments involving top party officers, including Rajoy, unleashed a political storm in…
photo: AP / Thierry Charlier
Dozens killed in Iraq police compound attack
03 Feb 2013
At least 33 people were killed on Sunday after a suicide bomber and two gunmen attacked a police headquarters in Kirkuk, northern Iraq, official sources said, the third major attack in the region in several weeks. By News Wires (text) A suicide bomber driving a car and gunmen disguised in police uniforms killed at least 33 people in the…
photo: US Navy / MCS2 Matthew D. Leistikow
Israeli president tasks Netanyahu with forming new government
JERUSALEM, Feb. 2 (Xinhua) — Israeli President Shimon Peres tasked incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday evening with the task of forming a new government, amid the results of the Jan. 22 national elections. The two met at the…
photo: AP / Dan Balilty
South Africa 1-1 Mali (pen. 1-3): Host nations dreams end with three spot kick misses
Mali beat Bafana 3-1 in a penalty shoot-out at the Moses Mabhida Stadium in Durban on Saturday night. The African nations were locked at 1-1 after extra-time. By Ignat Manjoo More On : Mali, South Africa, South Africa vs Mali…
photo: AP / Rebecca Blackwell
Spain’s Mariano Rajoy Denies Corruption Charges
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoydenied allegations of tax evasion and fraud after documents published in El Pais newspaper detailing a secret web of unofficial payments involving top party officers, including Rajoy, unleashed a political storm in…
photo: AP / Thierry Charlier
Gay Marriage Bill Wins Support of French Lawmakers
PARIS (AP) — France‘s National Assembly has approved a key article of a controversial bill that would legalize gay marriage. The measure, approved by a 249-to-97 vote Saturday, would drop the legal requirement that a marriage in France must be…
photo: Creative Commons / Kenji-Baptiste OIKAWA
6.9 earthquake shakes northern Japan
A powerful 6.9 magnitude earthquake struck northern Japan on Saturday, causing strong tremors across Hokkaido island but no damage to several nuclear facilities in the region, officials said. The quake, which was preceded by an early warning…
photo: AP / Wally Santana
Egyptians work to reclaim a Tahrir tainted by sexual assault
Tahrir square has become a terrifying place for women as sexual assault becomes more common and violent. Fed up, civilians are making it their job to prevent it and rescue women from attacks.
February 2, 2013
Egyptian protesters chant antigovernment slogans during a rally in Tahrir Square, Cairo, Friday. Tahrir square has become a terrifying place for women as sexual assault becomes more common and violent.
Hillary Clinton bids farewell as secretary of state
Tweet Washington, Feb 2 (IANS/EFE) Hillary Clinton formally stepped down as US secretary of state Friday with a letter to President Barack Obama and an emotional farewell address to the department she has run for four years….
Former Sen. Scott Brown will not run for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by John Kerry in Massachusetts, saying Friday he was unsure “of returning to a Congress even more partisan than the one I left.” The decision by Brown, a moderate Republican, means…
photo: AP / Robert F. Bukaty
Egypt: Protester Killed Amid Fresh Clashes
2 February 2013, 1:03 Egypt: Protester Killed Amid Fresh Clashes Tweet One person has been killed and dozens injured during clashes between police and protesters in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. Egypt’s health ministry said a 23-year-old man died…
photo: AP / Khalil Hamra
6.7-magnitude quake hits Santa Cruz Islands — USGS
NEW YORK, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) — An earthquake measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale jolted Santa Cruz Islands on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said. The epicenter, with a depth of 34.20 km, was initially determined to be at 10.9968 degrees south…
photo: Creative Commons
70th anniversary of battle: Stalingrad gets name back, for 6 days a year
MOSCOW: Lawmakers in the Russian city of Volgograd on Thursday voted to revive its wartime name of Stalingrad for ceremonial purposes six days a year, just ahead the 70th anniversary of Red Army‘s defeat of Nazi forces there in World War II. The…
photo: WN / guillaume
The Plan to Get Female Leadership in 21st Century Politics
The White House Project for women leaders closed its doors this week. How will the gap be filled? Hillary Clinton nearly accomplished the White House Project‘s goal of electing a female president in 2008. Clinton won the most Democratic primary…
photo: AP / Evan Vucci
18 killed in northeast Nigeria military raid
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian soldiers attacked training camps for suspected members of the radical Islamic sect Boko Haram deep in a game reserve in the nation’s restive northeast, a raid that left at least 18 people dead, a military spokesman…
TURKEY
Blast at US embassy in Ankara kills two people
A suicide bomber detonated an explosive at the entrance of the US embassy in the Turkish capital Ankara, killing at least two people, police said on Friday.
Salman Khan: Bollywood star faces homicide charge
An Indian court has ruled that Bollywood superstar Salman Khan will be charged with culpable homicide for a hit-and-run incident 10 years ago. If convicted of the charge, the actor could face up to 10 years in prison. In September 2002, Khan…
photo: AP / Rajesh Nirgude
Barack Obama looking to further strengthening ties with India: White House
January 31: Barack Obama is looking to further strengthen Indo-American ties in his second term as the President of US, the White House said on Thursday. “India is an incredibly important country in the world, not just the region. And the (US)…
photo: PIB of India
Blast shakes Mexico state oil firm’s headquarters, kills 14, injures at least 100
MEXICO CITY — An explosion ripped through the high-rise headquarters of Mexico’s state oil company Friday, killing at least 14 people, according to a government minister, and injuring more than 100. The explosion shook the iconic 54-story…
photo: AP / Eduardo Verdugo
World Briefs
World Briefs Egypt talks Cairo, Jan. 31 (Reuters): Egypt’s feuding politicians renounced violence today after being summoned by the country’s influential Muslim scholar to talks to end the unrest since President Mohamed Mursi took…
photo: AP / Lefteris Pitarakis
Argentina rejects meeting with Falklands government
BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) – Argentina on Thursday rejected an invitation from Britain to a meeting that would include representatives of the government of the Falkland Islands, further hardening the diplomatic stalemate over the South Atlantic…
photo: GFDL / Apcbg
Chavez Ally Travels to Cuba to See Ailing Leader
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The president of Venezuela’s National Assembly traveled to Cuba on Thursday to visit President Hugo Chavez, who is recovering on the island more than seven weeks after undergoing cancer surgery. Connect With Us on…
photo: AP / Miraflores Press Office, Efrain Gonzalez
Wall Street Journal ‘also victim of China hacking attack’
Hackers from China have infiltrated the computer systems of the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), in the second such attack on a major US news outlet. The Journal says the hackers were trying to monitor its China coverage. The New York Times reported…
photo: AP / Matt Dunham
U.S. stocks dip on U.S. Q4 contraction
NEW YORK, Jan. 30 (Xinhua) — U.S. stocks closed lower on Wednesday, as the Federal Reserve released a bit more pessimistic statement after the U.S. economy shrunk unexpectedly in the fourth quarter. The main stock indices accelerated to drop after…
photo: AP / Richard Drew
Nigeria Official Denies Government Malfeasance
An adviser to Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan is denying accusations that the government squandered about $ 67 billion. Doyin Okupe, senior special adviser for public affairs, says the accusations are malicious and without merit. Nigeria’s…
photo: AP / Maja Hitij/dapd
Nigerian farmers lose key Shell case at The Hague
A Dutch court rejected a bid by Nigerian farmers to hold Shell responsible for oil damage to their villages, in a case that environmental groups had hoped would set a precedent for global corporate responsibility. Instead, The Hague district court…
photo: AP / George Osodi
Myanmar abolishes 25-year ban on public gatherings
YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar’s nearly 2-year-old reformist government has abolished a ban on public gatherings of more than five people that was ordered in 1988 on the day a military junta took power after crushing nationwide pro-democracy…
photo: AP / Photo/Khin Maung Win
Wife of Syria’s Assad ‘pregnant’
THE British-born wife of beleaguered Syrian President Bashar al Assad was reported yesterday to be pregnant with their fourth child. Asma Assad is due to give birth in March, according to Beirut newspaper al-Akhbar. Her father, Fawaz Akhras, a Harley…
photo: Creative Commons / FunkMonk
Obama unveils immigration reform needed for 21st century America
On Tuesday speaking at Del Sol High School in Las Vegas President Barack Obama discussed necessary changes required in the United States’ presently outdated and unfair immigration policy in order to keep the nation leading the way within the 21st…
photo: AP / Charles Dharapak
Blind dissident urges global pressure on China over rights
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Blind Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng urged the United States on Tuesday not to let business concerns prevent it from pressing China over human rights, saying America must never “offer the smallest compromise” on its…
photo: AP / Henny Ray Abrams
Yahoo! shares bounce as profit tops expectations
SAN FRANCISCO: Yahoo! shares bounced in after-hours trading Monday as the struggling Internet pioneer topped Wall Street expectations despite a slip in quarterly profit. Yahoo! reported profit of $272 million, an eight percent drop from a year…
photo: AP / Paul Sakuma
Several Australian towns flooded, 4 people killed
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Thousands of Australians huddled in shelters Tuesday as torrential rains flooded cities and towns in the northeast, killing four people and prompting around 1,000 helicopter evacuations. With floodwaters expected to peak in…
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