Russia and China have vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Syria’s government and threatening it with sanctions if security forces there do not immediately halt their brutal military crackdown against civilian protesters. France, Britain, Germany and Portugal drafted the resolution, which they revised three times in an attempt to avoid the vetoes. The watered-down […]
Russia, China Veto UN Resolution Condemning Syria
UN ‘Appalled’ By Somalia Suicide Blast
The international community is expressing outrage after a truck bomb in Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, tore through a government compound, killing at least 70 people and wounding dozens more. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Tuesday he is “appalled” by what he called the “vicious” attack. He said it is “incomprehensible that innocents are being senselessly […]
Thai PM to Visit Burma
Thailand’s Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is expected to visit Burma Wednesday at the invitation of Burma’s President U Thein Sein. News reports from the region say the two sides will have discussions on enhancing relations and economic cooperation during the one-day visit. The Thai English-language newspaper The Nation says the Thai prime minister will meet […]
Helicopter Crashes in NYC’s East River; 1 Dead
A helicopter carrying five people has crashed into New York City’s East River, killing one woman. The other people on board, including the pilot, were rescued. Two of the survivors were reported to be in critical condition. Authorities say the Bell 206 helicopter went into the river off 34th Street in Manhattan shortly after takeoff […]
Seven on Trial in Kosovo for Alleged Human Organ Trafficking
Seven Kosovars went on trial in Pristina Tuesday, charged with trafficking in human organs. All seven, including doctors and a former health ministry official, have pleaded not guilty. The European Union rule of law mission in Kosovo is running the trial. Prosecutors allege that the defendants lured donors by promising to pay them as much […]
Civilians Flee Besieged Sirte
Libyans poured out of Moammar Gadhafi’s besieged hometown of Sirte Tuesday, after three weeks of brutal shelling and gunbattles finally forced them to flee through hostile interim government checkpoints. Cars piled high with possessions and carrying terrified, hungry families crawled out of the strategic coastal city to have their belongings searched and identities checked by […]
Obama Challenges Republican Leaders on Jobs Bill
U.S. President Barack Obama has challenged Republican leaders in the U.S. Congress to put his entire $447 billion jobs bill up for a vote so Americans know where each legislator stands. Speaking to supporters Tuesday at a college near Dallas, Texas, President Obama also called on the Republican majority leader in the House of Representatives, […]
US Stock Index Flirts with ‘Bear Market’
A late rally Tuesday kept a major U.S. stock index from winding up in the dreaded “bear market” territory. The Standard & Poors-500 index closed 25 points higher, or 2.5 percent. At one point Tuesday, the S&P was down more than 2 percent, putting it more than 20 percent below its April 29th high of […]
US Official Defends Policy on China, Taiwan
A senior U.S. official says the efforts of the Obama administration to improve relations with Beijing have helped increase stability across the Taiwan Strait. Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell made the comment to a congressional panel Tuesday. He denied that the administration’s moves to boost ties with China have hurt relations with Taiwan. Lawmakers […]
US Stocks Stage Late-day Rally
U.S. stocks rose strongly at the end of Tuesday’s trading as investors speculated that European Union officials may work out ways to help that region’s banks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 1.4 percent (153 points) to close at 10,809. The S&P 500 jumped 2.3 percent (25 points) to end at 1,124 and the NASDAQ […]