Activists in the central Syrian city of Homs said Monday militiamen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad kidnapped and killed 34 civilians. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said circumstances of their deaths were not immediately clear but activists and residents in several districts reported a spate of kidnappings in anti-Assad neighborhoods since Sunday. The head […]
Syrian Activists Report Killing of 34 Civilians by Assad’s Loyalists
Posted December 5th, 2011 at 10:35 pm (UTC-5)
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US Lawmakers Call for Review of Pakistan Relations
Posted December 5th, 2011 at 10:25 pm (UTC-5)
Two influential U.S. lawmakers are calling for the United States to “fully review” its relationship with Pakistan, including reconsidering all security and economic aid. Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham said in a statement Monday the U.S. has been, in their words, “incredibly patient” with Pakistan. But they said future relations with the country […]
Islamists Look to Extend Lead in Egypt Runoff Elections
Posted December 5th, 2011 at 9:15 pm (UTC-5)
Voters in Egypt’s two largest cities — Cairo and Alexandria — and seven other provinces went to the polls Monday in the runoff for the first stage of the country’s parliamentary elections, with Islamists looking to extend their commanding lead. The runoffs that continue Tuesday are being held in all but four precincts where candidates […]
Merkel, Sarkozy Call for New EU Treaty to Solve Debt Crisis
Posted December 5th, 2011 at 8:45 pm (UTC-5)
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are calling for a new European Union treaty to control spending, in an effort to end Europe’s debt crisis and save the continent’s euro currency. The two leaders said after meeting in Paris Monday they want all 27 EU nations to agree that national government budgets […]
Thousands Flee DRC Fearing Post-Election Violence
Posted December 5th, 2011 at 8:35 pm (UTC-5)
Thousands of people are fleeing the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital, fearing that election results to be announced Tuesday will spark violence. Police in the neighboring Congo Republic say at least 3,000 people have arrived in the capital Brazzaville since December 2. Authorities say most of the arrivals are from the DRC capital, Kinshasa, which […]
Obama Presses for Tax Cut Extension
Posted December 5th, 2011 at 6:50 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. President Barack Obama is again urging opposition Republicans to extend a payroll tax cut set to expire at the end of this year. In comments at the White House Monday, President Obama said the economy is “still fragile” and that extending the tax cut is important not just for the economy as a whole, […]
Iraq Bombings Kill 28 Shi’ite Pilgrims
Posted December 5th, 2011 at 6:25 pm (UTC-5)
A series of bomb attacks in Iraq Monday struck Shi’ite pilgrims performing the annual Ashura rituals, killing at least 28 people and wounding more than 80 others. Police said that in the first and deadliest attack in the central Iraqi city of Hilla, a car bomb tore through a procession. At least 16 people — […]
Ivory Coast’s Gbagbo Before International Court
Posted December 5th, 2011 at 6:00 pm (UTC-5)
Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo has made his first appearance before the International Criminal Court, where he faces charges of crimes against humanity stemming from his alleged role in deadly post-election violence. Mr. Gbagbo is the first former head of state to be brought to the ICC since its inception in 2002. He was […]
Syrian Activists Report Killing of 34 Civilians by Assad’s Loyalists
Posted December 5th, 2011 at 5:25 pm (UTC-5)
Activists in the central Syrian city of Homs say militiamen loyal to President Bashar al-Assad kidnapped and killed 34 civilians Monday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said circumstances of their deaths were not immediately clear but activists and residents in several districts reported a spate of kidnappings in anti-Assad neighborhoods since Sunday. The head […]
Peru Declares Emergency Over Protests
Posted December 5th, 2011 at 5:25 pm (UTC-5)
A two-month state of emergency is in effect in northern Peru following violent protests over a gold mine project that critics fear will taint and diminish water supplies. The emergency declaration restricts certain civil liberties such as the freedom of assembly and allows arrests without warrants in four provinces of Cajamarca state that have seen […]
