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Prominent Chinese Rights Activist Hu Jia Freed From Jail

Posted June 25th, 2011 at 10:40 pm (UTC-5)
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The wife of a prominent Chinese human rights activist says he was released Sunday after spending more than three years in prison for subversion. The wife of Hu Jia said in a Twitter message that Hu is safe and very happy. Hu’s three-and-a-half-year prison sentence was set to end Sunday. Hu was jailed in 2008, […]

Tags: , , , Posted in East Asia Pacific

Afghan Lawmakers Hit Back At Top Court

Posted June 25th, 2011 at 10:20 pm (UTC-5)
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Afghanistan’s parliament has voted to fire the country’s five most senior judicial officials, a move that deepens the nation’s ongoing political crisis. The vote comes after a special tribunal set up by President Hamid Karzai Thursday disqualified about one quarter of the winners of last year’s parliamentary election after an investigation into allegations of massive […]

Tags: , Posted in South Asia

Prominent Chinese Rights Activist Hu Jia Freed From Jail

Posted June 25th, 2011 at 8:25 pm (UTC-5)
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The wife of a prominent Chinese human rights activist says he was released Sunday after spending more than three years in prison for subversion. Zeng Jinyan said in a Twitter message that Hu is safe and very happy. Hu’s three and-a-half year prison sentence was set to end Sunday. Hu was jailed in 2008, just […]

Tags: , , , Posted in East Asia Pacific

Armenia, Azerbaijan Trade Accusations for Nagorno-Karabakh Failure

Posted June 25th, 2011 at 8:10 pm (UTC-5)
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Armenia and Azerbaijan on Saturday blamed each other for failing to resolve their long and often violent dispute over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. In a meeting Friday in the Russian city of Kazan, Armenian President Serzh Sarkisyan and his Azeri counterpart, Ilham Aliyev, were unable to agree on a basic principles agreement that would have […]

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Suicide Bomber Attacks Afghan Hospital

Posted June 25th, 2011 at 7:45 pm (UTC-5)
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A suicide car bomber set off a huge blast Saturday at a hospital in eastern Afghanistan. The explosion in Logar province, about 40 kilometers from the capital, Kabul, caused heavy casualties, but Afghan authorities gave conflicting estimates. Hours after the attack, officials said they thought the blast killed more than 30 people, including women and […]

Tags: , , , Posted in South Asia

2 Explosive Devices Found at US Bookstore

Posted June 25th, 2011 at 7:15 pm (UTC-5)
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U.S. federal agents say two small devices found at a bookstore in Colorado partially detonated, causing minor damage but no injuries. Bomb squad officers and other authorities were dispatched after the devices were spotted Saturday at the bookstore in a mall in the Lakewood area. The discovery was made after police responded to a report […]

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Thousands March Across Europe in Gay Pride Events

Posted June 25th, 2011 at 6:15 pm (UTC-5)
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Russian police on Saturday detained up to 14 activists taking part in an unauthorized gay rights demonstration in the country’s second largest city, Saint Petersburg. Russian authorities regularly ban gay rights activists from assembling. The demonstration coincided with gay pride events in other parts of Europe. Tens of thousands of people gathered Saturday in the […]

Tags: , , , , Posted in Europe

Croatia, Slovenia Mark 20 Years of Independence

Posted June 25th, 2011 at 5:55 pm (UTC-5)
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Croatia and Slovenia have marked the 20th anniversary of their independence from Yugoslavia. Croatian Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor said in the capital, Zagreb, Saturday the country celebrates 20 years of modern statehood, strengthened by returning home to where it belongs — to Europe. Celebrations were also planned for the eastern city of Vukovar, a symbol […]

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Michelle Obama Goes on African Safari

Posted June 25th, 2011 at 5:00 pm (UTC-5)
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U.S. first lady Michelle Obama went on a South African safari Saturday at the end of her two-nation African tour. Obama, joined by her daughters, mother and a niece and nephew, saw an elephant as the group headed out into the Madikwe Game Reserve. The family rode in an open-air off road vehicle, in search […]

Tags: , , Posted in Africa

Israeli Couple Confess to Auschwitz Artifact Theft

Posted June 25th, 2011 at 4:30 pm (UTC-5)
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An Israeli couple have confessed to stealing historic artifacts from the Auschwitz Nazi concentration camp in Poland and settled for a suspended prison sentence and a fine. Polish Prosecutor Mariusz Slomka said Saturday the couple — a 60-year-old man and his 57-year-old wife — are free to go back to Israel. The couple were arrested […]

Tags: , Posted in Europe