A Ghanaian official says 18 people have been confirmed dead from a boat accident on Lake Volta in northern Ghana earlier this week. The official, Dominic Napare of the Brong-Ahafo region, says most of the victims are children. The boat was carrying more than 90 passengers when it capsized on Tuesday. Rescue operations continued Thursday. […]
Turkish Ruling Party: Ankara Has Not Burned All Bridges With Israel
Posted September 8th, 2011 at 11:35 am (UTC-5)
A Turkish ruling party official says Ankara has not eliminated all options with Israel despite imposing sanctions on the Jewish state for refusing to apologize for a deadly raid on a Turkish vessel last year. Justice and Development (AK) Party deputy chairman Huseyin Celik said Thursday the Turkish embassy in Israel and the Israeli embassy […]
Wet Weather Pounds Eastern US, Evacuations Ordered
Posted September 8th, 2011 at 11:35 am (UTC-5)
The remnants of Tropical Storm Lee are drenching parts of the northeastern United States, prompting calls in at least one area for a massive evacuation. Officials in the eastern state of Pennsylvania Thursday ordered 100,000 people to leave their homes and communities near the Susquehanna River before nightfall. Rains have caused the river to swell […]
Yemen’s Ruling Party Considers Power Transfer Plan
Posted September 8th, 2011 at 11:26 am (UTC-5)
Yemen’s ruling party is considering ways to get President Ali Abdullah Saleh to relinquish power before his term ends in 2013. The General People’s Congress has held a series of meetings this week to consider a Gulf Cooperation Council plan that calls for Mr. Saleh to hand over power to a deputy and allow a […]
Rights Group Urges Sri Lanka to End Detention Laws
Posted September 8th, 2011 at 11:11 am (UTC-5)
An international human rights group says the Sri Lankan government continues to use abusive regulations to detain people without charge, despite its recent decision to scrap long-time emergency laws. New York-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged Sri Lanka to repeal its detention laws and release thousands of people held under the legislation. HRW’s Asia Director […]
French Court Convicts Former Dior Fashion Designer Galliano of Anti-Semitism
Posted September 8th, 2011 at 11:10 am (UTC-5)
A French court has convicted fashion icon John Galliano of making anti-Semitic remarks, but it gave him a suspended sentence, taking into account his apology to the victims. The Paris court Thursday found Galliano guilty of making anti-Semitic insults in a public place, when he yelled ethnic slurs at some customers in a cafe and […]
US Homes Up in Flames, Massive Wildfire Rages On
Posted September 8th, 2011 at 11:01 am (UTC-5)
A wildfire ravaging part of the southern U.S. state of Texas is now being blamed for destroying nearly 1,400 homes. Officials say the fire, near the state capital of Austin, is the most destructive of the more than 180 fires that have erupted across Texas in the past week. It is also being blamed for […]
Pakistani PM Calls for Expedited Iran Gas Pipeline
Posted September 8th, 2011 at 11:00 am (UTC-5)
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Giliani says the country should expedite construction of a pipeline that will allow it to import natural gas from neighboring Iran. Prime Minister Gilani met with Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi in Islamabad on Thursday. During the talks, Salehi told the Pakistani leader that the Iranian portion of the […]
Europe Bank Leader Sees ‘Intensified’ Risks
Posted September 8th, 2011 at 10:50 am (UTC-5)
The head of Europe’s central bank says threats to the economy in the 17 nations that use the euro have sharply increased, and growth prospects have diminished. European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet said Thursday that the euro-bloc countries face “particularly high uncertainty and intensified downside risks.” He said the bank’s staff is now projecting […]
