A prominent human rights group says it fears Syria is torturing dozens of men detained last Saturday and Sunday after mass arrests outside of the capital, Damascus. Amnesty International says Syria is holding the men incommunicado after arbitrarily arresting them in raids in the suburb Qatana, southwest of the capital. The group has demanded that […]
Rights Group Fears Syrians Tortured After Mass Arrests
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 3:20 am (UTC-5)
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Chinese Basketball Icon Retires from NBA
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 3:10 am (UTC-5)
Chinese basketball superstar Yao Ming has retired from America’s top league, bring an end to his groundbreaking but injury-plagued professional career. The 2.29 meter Yao, who turns 31 years old in September, announced his retirement in his hometown of Shanghai Wednesday. Yao spent his entire eight-year career with the Houston Rockets, who made him their […]
Philippine Lawmakers Visit Disputed Island, Defying China
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 3:10 am (UTC-5)
Five Philippine lawmakers flew to a disputed South China Sea island Wednesday in an action China had warned would “sabotage” relations between the two countries. The legislators, including two members of President Benigno Aquino’s party, said the trip was intended to assert Philippine sovereignty in a section of the potentially oil- and gas-rich Spratly Islands. […]
Japan’s Nikkei Rises, Dollar Falls
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 3:05 am (UTC-5)
Japanese markets closed higher Wednesday, while the U.S. dollar is lower against the Japanese yen. Tokyo’s Nikkei index gained nearly one and one-quarter percent to finish at 10,006. In currency trading, the dollar was selling at 78.97 yen, a loss of nearly one-quarter of a yen from Tuesday. The Taipei market closed at 8,706, a […]
Militants Kills 3 Afghan Police in Kandahar Attack
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 3:05 am (UTC-5)
Officials in southern Afghanistan say militants have killed at least three policemen during a gunbattle in the city of Kandahar. The officials said the clash happened early Wednesday, and that the district police chief is among the dead. The attack comes as Afghan forces continue to take security control of some areas from NATO troops, […]
Riots Break Out Again at Australian Immigration Detention Center
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 2:40 am (UTC-5)
Australian police were called to an immigration detention center on remote Christmas Island early Wednesday to put down a violent protest by detainees. About 50 detainees lit fires and threatened police with makeshift weapons. Some detainees climbed onto the roof of the center, located more than 2,000 kilometers from the Australian mainland. A spokesman for […]
British PM Faces Parliamentary Questions in Phone Hacking Scandal
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 2:05 am (UTC-5)
British Prime Minister David Cameron will answer questions in parliament on Wednesday about his relationships with key executives from the media empire at the center of a phone-hacking scandal. Mr. Cameron faces criticism because of his decision to hire a former editor of the now-closed tabloid newspaper accused of hacking into the cell phones of […]
Burmese Exile Group Appeals For Help For Kachin Refugees
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 1:50 am (UTC-5)
A Burmese exile group says thousands of people are in urgent need of international assistance in northern Burma, where ethnic Kachin rebels have been under attack by government forces since early last month. The Kachin Women’s Association Thailand said Wednesday that more than 16,000 refugees are sheltering in makeshift camps near the Chinese border. It […]
ASEAN, China Agree on Guidelines for China Sea Settlement
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 1:15 am (UTC-5)
Southeast Asian and Chinese officials say they have reached agreement on a set of guidelines that could lead eventually to a binding code of conduct for handling disputes in the South China Sea. The officials said the agreement was reached Wednesday and will be submitted Thursday for approval by foreign ministers of the respective countries. […]
Pacific Storm Dora at Hurricane Strength
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 1:10 am (UTC-5)
U.S. weather forecasters say tropical storm Dora has become the fourth hurricane of the eastern Pacific season as it swirls in the open ocean off the coast of Mexico. The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Dora is about nearly 400 kilometers south-southeast of Acapulco, Mexico, with winds of 120 kilometers per hour. The storm […]
