The speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives says lawmakers will vote Friday on a resolution to cut off funding for U. S. drone attacks and airstrikes in Libya. John Boehner said Thursday the measure orders the removal of U.S. forces except for those engaged in non-hostile operations. The bill would allow the military to […]
US Lawmakers to Vote on Curbing Libya Operations
Belarus PM Pledges to Repay Electricity Debt to Russia
Belarus Prime Minister Mikhail Myasnikovich says his country will repay the country’s electricity debt to Russia by next Tuesday. Mr. Myasnikovich said Thursday that energy officials of the two countries have agreed that Belarus will repay its $53 million debt to Russia for April and May electricity supplies by June 28. Russia has threatened to […]
UN Says 150 Women Raped in DRC
The United Nations says more than 150 women in the Democratic Republic of Congo were raped during a two-day attack in South Kivu province this month. In a statement Thursday, the U.N.’s special representative on combating sexual violence, Margot Wallstrom, blamed the attack on undisciplined Congolese security forces. She said former rebels in Congo are […]
US Diplomat Honored for Changing US Policy on Hiroshima
An association of U.S. diplomats has given its Constructive Dissent Award to a U.S. official who persuaded the State Department to stop boycotting the annual Hiroshima Peace Memorial Ceremony in Japan. Joel Ehrendreich is a U.S. Foreign Service Officer currently posted at the embassy in Singapore. The American Foreign Service Association says when Ehrendreich worked […]
EU Announces Deal With Greece On Fiscal Reforms
European Union leaders say they have reached an agreement with Greece on economic and fiscal reforms that will help the embattled country avoid bankruptcy. The European Commission issued a statement early Friday, saying the commission, the International Monetary Fund, the European Central Bank and Greek authorities have reached a satisfactory agreement on a set of […]
US Imposes Sanctions on Iran Air and Shipping Companies
The United States is imposing new sanctions against Iran, targeting its national airline and a major Iranian port company. The Treasury Department announced the moves Thursday against Iran Air and Tidewater Middle East Company and three other firms. The Obama administration says the entities are targeted because of illegal shipping activity and weapons movements. The […]
Syrian Forces Overrun Border Town as Hundreds Flee
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is warning Syria to pull its troops back from the border with Turkey, saying their presence is worsening an already bad situation for refugees and risks sparking border clashes with the Turks. Clinton told reporters in Washington Thursday that the U.S. sees the situation as worrisome and that the […]
US Gangster Remanded to Face Charges
Massachusetts to face charges. James ” Whitey” Bulger appeared in federal court Thursday in Los Angeles with his longtime girlfriend, Catherine Greig, who was also remanded to Boston, Massachusetts to face charges. U.S. authorities arrested Bulger and Greig late Wednesday in an apartment in the town of Santa Monica, California near Los Angeles. He had […]
Senegal Drops Bid to Change Constitution After Protests
Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade has abandoned efforts to change the constitution as clashes erupted between riot police and opposition supporters in the capital, Dakar. Thousand of protesters, some throwing stones, gathered outside Senegal’s parliament, where lawmakers were meeting Thursday to debate the proposed changes. Police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse the demonstrators. […]
Clinton: US Committed to Defense of Philippines Amid Territorial Dispute with China
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the United States is committed to the defense of the Philippines amid a territorial dispute with China in the South China Sea. Clinton spoke to reporters after talks in Washington Thursday with Philippine Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario. She said both countries are looking at the best way the […]