International rights groups have called on China to release imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo almost a year after he received the award. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch issued statements Thursday noting that Liu has remained in prison since he received the prize in absentia on December 10, while his wife Liu Xia […]
Rights Activists Urge China to Release Nobel Laureate
Posted December 8th, 2011 at 11:55 pm (UTC-5)
Leave a comment
Israeli Air Raids in Gaza Kill 1; Rockets Hit Israel
Posted December 8th, 2011 at 11:20 pm (UTC-5)
Palestinian medical sources say two Israeli air strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least one civilian and wounded more than 10 others early Friday. The air strikes targeted Palestinian militants, including a Hamas training camp. The Israeli military confirmed the air raids, saying they were in response to rockets fired deep into southern Israel […]
Pakistan Calls for Cooperative Relationship with Afghanistan
Posted December 8th, 2011 at 10:05 pm (UTC-5)
Pakistan said Thursday it was time to put an end to accusations and move forward in a cooperative relationship with Afghanistan, after Afghan authorities blamed Pakistan-based militants for a suicide attack in Kabul that killed at least 55 Shi’ite Muslims. Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit condemned what he called “the reprehensible crime which was […]
White House Targets Domestic Extremist Threats
Posted December 8th, 2011 at 10:00 pm (UTC-5)
The Obama administration has released a plan aimed at countering so-called homegrown violent extremism in the United States. The 20-page initiative, released Thursday, describes specific steps to strengthen and expand cooperation with officials in communities that might be targeted by violent extremists. The plan says countering violent extremism and terrorism inspired by al-Qaida, its affiliates […]
Two Dead in Virginia Tech Shooting
Posted December 8th, 2011 at 8:35 pm (UTC-5)
Authorities in Blacksburg, Virginia say a gunman has shot and killed a police officer who was conducting a traffic stop at Virginia Tech, the site of a mass shooting in April 2007. Officials say that during Thursday’s stop, the gunman walked up to the officer and opened fire, killing him. But investigators say that at […]
European Leaders Agree ‘In Principle’ On Fiscal Pact
Posted December 8th, 2011 at 8:30 pm (UTC-5)
European Union leaders meeting in Brussels have agreed “in principle” to ask member states to maintain balanced budgets and to penalize offenders. But officials say the new fiscal rules still leave room for country-specific circumstances that would be taken into account before a new “automatic” correction mechanism applies. Some officials have described the European summit […]
Two Dead in Virginia Tech Shooting
Posted December 8th, 2011 at 7:15 pm (UTC-5)
Authorities in Blacksburg, Virginia say a gunman has shot and killed a police officer who was conducting a traffic stop at Virginia Tech University, the site of a mass shooting in April 2007. Officials say that during Thursday’s stop, the gunman walked up to the officer and opened fire, killing him. But investigators say that […]
Iran Shows Footage of Purported US Drone
Posted December 8th, 2011 at 6:50 pm (UTC-5)
Iranian state television on Thursday released the first images of what it said was a U.S. unmanned reconnaissance drone downed on Sunday along Iran’s eastern border after it made a brief incursion into its airspace. The footage shows Iranian military officials inspecting an aerial vehicle resembling a high-tech RQ-170 Sentinel drone. The vehicle appears to […]
Rocket Blast Kills 3 in Ivory Coast Election Run-up
Posted December 8th, 2011 at 6:40 pm (UTC-5)
Ivory Coast officials say a rocket was fired into a residential courtyard in the Grand Lahou region just before an election rally was scheduled to be held, killing three people and wounding three more. The officials said supporters of Ivory Coast’s Democratic Party, which backs President Alassane Ouattara, were preparing for the rally Wednesday when […]
Russian Security Seeks to Block Opposition Networking
Posted December 8th, 2011 at 6:20 pm (UTC-5)
Russia’s most popular social network has rejected a call by the country’s domestic security agency to block opposition groups from using its website to organize post-election protests. The network, VKontakte, said Thursday that the Federal Security Service asked it to deactivate the accounts of groups that posted calls for riots and a revolution. Spokesman Vladislav […]
