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HRW: 24 Killed in DRC Since Kabila Election Victory

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 9:55 pm (UTC-5)
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An international rights group says Congolese security forces have killed at least 24 people since President Joseph Kabila was announced the winner of an election that international observers have deemed seriously flawed. Human Rights Watch Thursday said the victims include opposition activists as well as people simply gathered on the street or in their homes. […]

Tags: , Posted in Africa

US General Suggests Longer Term Military Presence in Afghanistan

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 9:25 pm (UTC-5)
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The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan has signaled that the United States could maintain a military presence in that country beyond the scheduled withdrawal of American troops in 2014. In an interview published in Thursday’s edition of the New York Times, General John Allen said negotiations with the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai […]

UN Envoy Says Yemen Faces Huge Challenges

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 8:15 pm (UTC-5)
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The United Nations’ envoy to Yemen says the transitional government faces the huge challenge of wresting control over parts of the country from al-Qaida. Jamal Benomar told the Security Council Wednesday that the situation in Yemen is highly fragile, with a number of areas in the hands of government opponents, including al-Qaida. Benomar said the […]

Tags: Posted in Middle East

US General Suggests Longer Term Military Presence in Afghanistan

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 7:45 pm (UTC-5)
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The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan has signaled that the United States could maintain a military presence in thAT country beyond the scheduled withdrawal of American troops in 2014. In an interview published in Thursday’s edition of the New York Times, General John Allen said negotiations with the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai […]

Tags: , , , Posted in South Asia

White House: Syrian Regime Is Doomed

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 7:15 pm (UTC-5)
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The White House says it is only a matter of time before the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad comes to an end. White House spokesman Jay Carney said Wednesday that fear is the only thing holding the Syrian government together. He said governments based on fear are always doomed. Carney noted that military defections […]

Tags: , , Posted in Middle East

Bank of America in Settlement Over Countrywide Loans

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 6:35 pm (UTC-5)
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The U.S. Justice Department says Bank of America has agreed to pay $335 million to resolve allegations that its Countrywide Financial unit discriminated against qualified African-American and Hispanic borrowers on home loans. Officials say Countrywide charged over 200,000 African-American and Hispanic borrowers higher fees and interest rates than white borrowers with a similar credit profile. […]

Tags: , , , Posted in US

Former Obama Envoy to VOA: US Should Engage North Korea

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 6:25 pm (UTC-5)
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The Obama administration’s former special envoy to North Korea, Stephen Bosworth, says the United States should try to engage with Pyongyang to encourage a return to negotiations, even as the reclusive state goes through a secretive leadership transition. In an interview with VOA , Bosworth says it is important for North Korea to be connected […]

Tags: , , Posted in East Asia Pacific

Human Rights Group Pays Tribute to Late Czech Leader Vaclav Havel

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 5:25 pm (UTC-5)
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Amnesty International has paid tribute to former Czezh leader Vaclav Havel who died Sunday of respiratory problems at 75. Amnesty said Wednesday that Mr. Havel was a human rights defender who left behind “an outstanding moral and intellectual legacy.” A senior Amnesty official said his work as an advocate for human rights, democracy, and freedom […]

Tags: , , , Posted in Europe

European Central Bank Makes Massive Loans to 523 Banks

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 4:55 pm (UTC-5)
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The European Central Bank is lending a record amount of money to banks in the 17 nations that use the euro, in hopes of limiting the widespread effects of the governmental debt crisis. The central bank Wednesday said it would make $638 billion in three-year loans to 523 banks, in an effort to encourage them […]

Tags: , , , Posted in Economy

President and Republicans Deadlocked Over Tax Cuts

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 4:30 pm (UTC-5)
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U.S. President Barack Obama has spoken by phone with Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner, urging House passage of a two-month extension of a payroll tax cut that the Senate approved last week. The White House released a statement Wednesday saying Mr. Obama urged passage of the extension as a stopgap measure. […]

Tags: , , , Posted in US