U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says Afghan President Hamid Karzai has told him he plans to step down when his current term ends in 2014. Gates, who testified before a Senate panel Wednesday, praised Mr. Karzai for pursuing a long-term relationship with the United States even though Washington has “often not done a very good […]
Gates: Karzai Planning to Step Down in 2014
Posted June 15th, 2011 at 7:40 pm (UTC-5)
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Congressional Committee Studies ‘Muslim Radicalization’ in US
Posted June 15th, 2011 at 7:20 pm (UTC-5)
A U.S. congressional committee has met once again to investigate what one lawmaker calls Islamic radicalization in the United States – a topic that has drawn criticism from Muslims and other groups. The congressman who heads the panel, New York Republican Peter King, says he called the hearings because al-Qaida is actively trying to radicalize […]
Protesters Defy Lukashenko, March in Belarus
Posted June 15th, 2011 at 7:00 pm (UTC-5)
About 1,000 Belarusian opposition supporters defied President Alexander Lukashenko and held a peaceful protest march in central Minsk Wednesday. Mr. Lukashenko warned he would strike hard at any demonstration against his policies. Organizers used social media and the internet to spread the word about Wednesday’s march. Police stood by before peacefully dispersing the protesters. Many […]
Heavy Rain Kills More People in China, Forces Evacuations
Posted June 15th, 2011 at 6:55 pm (UTC-5)
A new round of rainstorms pounded central and southern China Wednesday, causing more deaths and massive evacuations. The government has ordered some 88,000 people in six provinces to evacuate. The Xinhua news agency reported that 72,000 people were evacuated in southern Jiangxi and Zhejiang provinces Wednesday. It said the rain also toppled more than 1,300 […]
Philippines Says it Removed “Foreign” Markers From South China Sea
Posted June 15th, 2011 at 6:46 pm (UTC-5)
The Philippine navy has removed foreign marker posts installed on three reefs and banks in the disputed waters of the South China Sea, which Manila now calls the West Philippine Sea. Officials said Wednesday the unidentified posts were removed in May from Reed bank, Boxall Reef and Amy Douglas Bank, shortly before the government protested […]
Ban: “Deeply Concerned” Over Escalating Sudan Violence
Posted June 15th, 2011 at 6:40 pm (UTC-5)
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he is “deeply concerned” about the escalating violence between troops from northern and southern Sudan as the south prepares to declare independence next month. In a statement by his spokesman Wednesday, Mr. Ban called for an end to hostilities in Southern Kordofan state where fighting in the last ten […]
Wounded US Congresswoman Released from Hospital
Posted June 15th, 2011 at 6:15 pm (UTC-5)
A U.S. congresswoman has been released from the hospital, five months after she was shot in the head during a political event in the state of Arizona. A statement from the Texas hospital where Gabrielle Giffords has been undergoing rehabilitation says the congresswoman is moving to her husband’s home south of Houston, Texas. She will […]
SCO Summit Slams US, NATO Missile Defense Plans
Posted June 15th, 2011 at 6:10 pm (UTC-5)
The leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization on Wednesday ended their regional summit in the Kazakh capital, Astana, by criticizing U.S. plans for a missile shield, saying it could damage strategic stability and global security. The regional security and economic bloc, grouping Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, adopted a declaration condemning any unilateral […]
US Envoys Meet with Israelis, Palestinians
Posted June 15th, 2011 at 6:05 pm (UTC-5)
Senior U.S. diplomats are in the Middle East trying to restart Israeli-Palestinian peace talks that collapsed last year. Dennis Ross and David Hale met Wednesday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They also traveled to Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, where they spoke with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. Hale is scheduled to […]
Gadhafi Forces Shell Libya Rebel Positions
Posted June 15th, 2011 at 6:00 pm (UTC-5)
Forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi bombarded rebel positions in the Western Mountains region Wednesday, after rebels made advances toward the capital, Tripoli. Rebels say Libyan forces fired Grad rockets at towns in the region, but have not confirmed casualties from the attacks. Rebels have made advances from the port city of Misrata toward […]
