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North Korea Says It Is Reconsidering Launch Date for Rocket

Posted December 8th, 2012 at 12:25 pm (UTC-5)
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North Korea says it is considering readjusting the timing of the launch of a long-range rocket originally scheduled to take off between December 10 and 22. The official KCNA state news agency said Saturday its technicians are “carefully contemplating ways to readjust the timing of launching” the rocket, because a series of problems arose in […]

Tags: , Posted in East Asia Pacific

Egyptian Islamist Parties Reject Referendum Delay

Posted December 8th, 2012 at 11:45 am (UTC-5)
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A coalition including the Muslim Brotherhood and other Egyptian Islamist parties have rejected opposition demands to delay a December 15 referendum on a controversial draft constitution. A senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Khairat al-Shater, said Saturday the referendum must proceed on the scheduled date without modification or delay. Meanwhile, Egyptian state media reported that […]

Tags: , , Posted in Middle East

South Africa’s Mandela Hospitalized

Posted December 8th, 2012 at 11:30 am (UTC-5)
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Former South African President Nelson Mandela has been admitted to a hospital in Pretoria. A statement from President Jacob Zuma’s office says the 94-year-old former leader was admitted on Saturday, for tests “consistent with his age.” The statement says there is “no cause for alarm.” Mr. Mandela has grown frail and has not made a […]

Tags: , , Posted in Africa

Egyptian Islamist Parties Reject Referendum Delay

Posted December 8th, 2012 at 10:25 am (UTC-5)
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A coalition including the Muslim Brotherhood and other Egyptian Islamist parties have rejected opposition demands to delay a December 15 referendum on a controversial draft constitution. A senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, Khairat al-Shater, said Saturday the referendum must proceed on the scheduled date without modification or delay. The announcement comes as the political […]

Tags: , , Posted in Middle East

Hamas Supporters Gather in Gaza for 25th Anniversary

Posted December 8th, 2012 at 8:50 am (UTC-5)
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More than 100,000 Palestinians gathered in Gaza Saturday for a rally marking the 25th anniversary of Hamas, the Islamist Palestinian militant group. Khaled Meshaal, the long-time exiled leader of Hamas, spoke at the rally. He has congratulated the Palestinian resistance for remaining steadfast during the recent eight days of violence with Israel. Several countries have […]

Tags: , , , Posted in Middle East

Egyptian Opposition Rejects Dialogue with Morsi

Posted December 8th, 2012 at 6:40 am (UTC-5)
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Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi has called for what he describes as a “comprehensive” dialogue Saturday with the opposition as the political crisis in the country enters its third week. Opposition leaders say they are not interested in engaging in discussions with Mr. Morsi unless a controversial presidential decree is revoked and a referendum on a […]

Tags: , , Posted in Middle East

Al-Qaida Leader Killed in Pakistan Drone Strike

Posted December 8th, 2012 at 6:20 am (UTC-5)
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Officials in northwestern Pakistan say a U.S. drone attack has killed a senior al-Qaida leader. Authorities say the leader, commonly known as Abu Zaid, was killed in the strike. Zaid was considered one of the most powerful al-Qaida figures in the region. Pakistan has repeatedly criticized U.S. drone attacks as a violation of the country’s […]

Tags: , Posted in South Asia

Killer Typhoon Turns Back Towards Philippines

Posted December 8th, 2012 at 6:05 am (UTC-5)
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Weather forecasters say a typhoon that swept through the southern Philippines this week, killing hundreds of people and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless, has turned back towards the islands. The Philippine state weather service said Saturday that Typhoon Bopha would slam into the northern tip of the main island of Luzon overnight from Saturday into […]

Hamas Supporters Gather for 25th Anniversary

Posted December 8th, 2012 at 6:00 am (UTC-5)
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Tens of thousands of Palestinians have gathered in Gaza for a rally marking the 25th anniversary of Hamas, the Islamist Palestinian militant group. Khaled Meshaal, the exiled leader of Hamas, is expected to speak at the rally Saturday. The anniversary celebrations come just two weeks after an Egyptian-brokered truce ended eight days of the bloodiest […]

Tags: , Posted in Middle East

ADB Says Asian Growth ‘On Track’ in 2013

Posted December 8th, 2012 at 3:00 am (UTC-5)
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A new report from the Asian Development Bank says lagging Asian economies should pick up steam in the coming year. The latest Asian Development Outlook Supplement predicts that developing Asia will post growth of 6.0 percent in 2012 and 6.6 percent in 2013, about a tenth of a percentage point lower than anticipated in October. […]