U.S. President Barack Obama and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki are discussing the future of Iraq in talks at the White House as American forces work to complete their withdrawal from the country by the end of the month. Monday’s talks are expected to focus heavily on how the U.S. and Iraq will begin what […]
Taiwan Court Jails Ex-Soldier in Wrongful Execution Case
A Taiwan court has sentenced a retired soldier to jail for 18 years for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl, more than a decade after another soldier was wrongfully executed for the crime. Taipei’s District Court said Monday it would have imposed a stiffer sentence for 35-year-old defendant Hsu Rong-chou, but said evidence […]
Report: Slower Growth For Major Economies
Experts at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development say growth is slowing for major economies around the world. An OECD report Monday analyzes data gathered in October that is intended to give a look at future economic growth. The OECD says Brazil, Russia, India, China, Europe, and the United States will all expand more […]
Syrians Vote as Fighting Spreads, Strikes Continue
Fierce clashes between Syrian security forces and army defectors continued in several parts of the country Monday, as Syrians voted in municipal elections held amid a general strike and an escalating crackdown on anti-government protesters. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the latest fighting between soldiers and defectors is taking place in northwestern […]
Moody’s Critical of ‘Absence of Decisive Measures’ in Europe
The international rating agency Moody’s said Monday it is still reviewing the creditworthiness of European countries, because of what it called the “continued absence of decisive policy measures” to address economic and debt problems at last week’s European summit. The agency says “the euro area, and the wider EU, remain prone to further shocks.” It […]
Russia’s Prokhorov to Challenge Putin in Presidential Election
Russian tycoon Mikhail Prokhorov says he will run against Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in a presidential election next March, in the latest challenge to the Russian leader. Prokhorov, who also owns the U.S. basketball team the New Jersey Nets, said Monday his decision to compete in the election is the most important of his life. […]
Kabila: Re-Election Credible
Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila says there is no doubting the credibility of his re-election. During a news conference in Kinshasa Monday, Mr. Kabila acknowledged that mistakes were made during last month’s poll, but he rejected the conclusion of the Carter Center that it had been “mismanaged” and lacked credibility. The U.S.-based election […]
Gilani: Blockade Likely to Last Weeks
Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has told the BBC his country will likely continue to block NATO convoys into Afghanistan for several more weeks. The supply routes were shut down following a November 26 NATO airstrike in Pakistan that killed 24 Pakistani troops. Mr. Gilani also did not rule out closing Pakistan’s airspace to […]
Kabila: No Doubt About Credibility of Election
Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila says there is no doubting the credibility of his re-election. During a news conference in Kinshasa Monday, Mr. Kabila rejected the conclusion of the Carter Center that last month’s election was “mismanaged” and lacked credibility. The U.S.-based election monitor said Saturday that polling stations in Kabila strongholds reported […]
PNG High Court Reinstates Somare as Prime Minister
Papua New Guinea’s Supreme Court has reinstated ailing independence leader Michael Somare as prime minister, in a ruling that says the election earlier this year of Somare’s replacement was unconstitutional. In a 3-2 decision, the court ruled Monday that there was no vacancy in the office of prime minister in August, when Mr. Somare’s replacement, […]