South Korea’s President Lee Myung-bak has chosen a new unification minister as the country seeks to ease tensions with neighboring North Korea. The unification ministry is responsible for promoting inter-Korean dialogue, exchanges and cooperation with the idea that the north and south will eventually reunite. Mr. Lee Tuesday named his close confidant and former ambassador […]
South Korean President Picks New Unification Minister
Sri Lanka Set to Lift Emergency Laws
Sri Lankan is set to lift the country’s strict wartime emergency laws, which have been in place for 28 years. President Mahinda Rajapaksa announced the move in a speech to Parliament last week. He said he made the decision not to renew a state of emergency at the end of August because there was no […]
Chile Orders Resignation of Police General
Chile has ordered the resignation of a police general following massive protests last week in which a teenager was shot dead. Officials made the announcement Tuesday in discussing General Sergio Gajardo. The French news agency cites a government official as saying authorities demanded his resignation for failing to promptly investigate the killing of 16-year-old Manuel […]
Suspect in Gongadze Murder Implicates Ex-Ukrainian Pres. Kuchma
The chief suspect in the 2000 murder of Ukrainian journalist Georgiy Gongadze has reportedly testified that then-President Leonid Kuchma ordered the killing. Former senior police official Olexiy Pukach is being tried behind closed doors for the murder. A lawyer for Gongadze’s widow said Tuesday that Pukach testified Mr. Kuchma and other officials ordered Gongadze’s murder. […]
US Authorities to Airlift Supplies to Flood-Hit Northeastern Communities
Authorities in the northeastern United States say they are preparing to airlift food and water to communities cut off by flooding from Hurricane Irene. Emergency workers in the state of Vermont said Tuesday they will use helicopters to provide supplies to residents of about a dozen towns in which homes were swept away or submerged […]
Libya’s Anti-Gadhafi Forces Set Deadline For Loyalist Surrender
Libya’s provisional authorities have announced a four-day deadline for forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi in his hometown of Sirte to surrender. National Transitional Council leader Mustafa Abdel Jalil said his forces will initiate military action in Sirte if pro-Gadhafi troops do not complete negotiations and surrender by Saturday – one day after the end of […]
Sudan Lodges Complaint Against South Sudan At UN
Sudan has submitted a complaint about South Sudan to the U.N. Security Council, accusing the south of sparking unrest in a border state. A spokesman for Sudan’s foreign ministry said Tuesday that the complaint accuses South Sudan of supporting rebels in Sudan’s Southern Kordofan state. Sudan’s government is battling ethnic Nuba fighters in the state, […]
US Condemns Latest WikiLeaks Release
The U.S. State Department says the latest mass release of leaked diplomatic cables by the anti-secrecy group WikiLeaks is a serious threat to individuals named in the documents and to U.S. national security. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement Tuesday the publication of the cables also undermines U.S. diplomatic efforts to “solve […]
Oil Price Rises to Near $89 a Barrel
Here are the prices of some key commodities traded in New York on Tuesday: Crude oil advanced $1.63 to close at $88.90 a barrel. Coffee increased more than 2 cents to end at $2.87 per pound. Copper rose more than 3 cents to finish at $4.12 a pound. Cocoa futures fell $33 to end the […]
Clinton-Bush Quake Fund Gives $1.4 Million to Haiti
A foundation established by former U.S. presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush says it is providing an additional $1.4 million to efforts to rebuild Haiti following its devastating earthquake last year. The non-profit Clinton Bush Haiti Fund said Tuesday the money will go to a Haitian company that will train engineers and general contractors […]