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Roadside Bomb Kills 5 Polish Soldiers in Afghanistan

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 11:45 am (UTC-5)
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NATO officials say five Polish soldiers have been killed in a roadside bomb attack in eastern Afghanistan, marking the deadliest single attack of the Afghan war for the coalition member. Local Afghan officials said an improvised explosive device went off Wednesday near the convoy of troops in Ghazni province. The Taliban immediately claimed responsibility. Polish […]

Tags: , , , Posted in South Asia

European Central Bank Makes Massive Loans to 523 Banks

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 11:40 am (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 said Wednesday it would make $638 billion in three-year loans to 523 banks in an effort to encourage them […]

Tags: , Posted in Economy

Egypt Scoffs ‘Foreign Interference’ After Clinton Comments

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 11:35 am (UTC-5)
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Egypt’s foreign minister says his country will not accept foreign interference in its internal affairs. This follows U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s harsh condemnation of the recent treatment of women there. Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr said Wednesday Cairo was seeking “clarification” concerning statements made by foreign officials. On Monday, Clinton said the violence […]

Tags: , , Posted in Middle East

Somali Pirates Release Italian Ship After 11 Months

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 11:25 am (UTC-5)
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Somali pirates have released an Italian oil tanker and its crew after nearly 11 months in captivity. An Italian government statement Wednesday said Prime Minister Mario Monti expressed deep satisfaction with the release of the Italian-owned Savina Caylyn and its crew. The statement gave no details about the ship’s release, or whether a ransom was […]

Tags: , , Posted in Africa

Kenyan Air Strike Kills 17 al-Shabab Militants

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 11:20 am (UTC-5)
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Kenya’s military says an air strike in southern Somalia has killed 17 al-Shabab militants. Army spokesman Emmanuel Chirchir said the air raid was carried out late Tuesday on a village south of the town of Kismayo, an al-Shabab stronghold. Witnesses say at least seven civilians died in the attack. A man told VOA his pregnant […]

Tags: , Posted in Africa

Chinese Villagers Win Rare Compromise In Standoff with Provincial Government

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 11:15 am (UTC-5)
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Officials have given in to the demands of residents of a village in southern China who barricaded their community more than a week ago. Protest leaders in Wukan, in southern Guangdong province, say a senior provincial official promised Wednesday the release of three village leaders who were detained earlier in the standoff over controversial land […]

Tags: , , , Posted in East Asia Pacific

Afghanistan Opens First Major Train Service

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 11:15 am (UTC-5)
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Afghan operators ran the first train down Afghanistan’s first major railroad Wednesday, paving the way for expanding trade in and out of the landlocked country. Deputy Public Works Minister Noor Gul Mangal said the cargoless train arrived in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif after a 75-kilometer trial run from the border with Uzbekistan. The Asian […]

Tags: , Posted in South Asia

Two Rwandans Sentenced to Life for Genocide

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 10:10 am (UTC-5)
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The U.N. tribunal for Rwanda has sentenced two former politicians to life in prison for their roles in the country’s 1994 genocide. Mathieu Ngirumpatse and Edouard Karemera were president and vice president of Rwanda’s then-ruling MRND party at the time of the genocide. The tribunal found them guilty on charges of genocide, war crimes, and […]

Tags: , Posted in Africa

Syrian Opposition Urges UN to Act After ‘Massacre’

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 10:00 am (UTC-5)
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The opposition Syrian National Council has urged the United Nations Security Council and the Arab League to take action after reports that government troops “massacred” more than 200 people in two days. The opposition council on Wednesday called for an emergency U.N. meeting to discuss the recent killings in Zawiyah mountain, Idlib and Homs. It […]

Tags: , , Posted in Middle East

Late Czech Republic Leader Lies in State

Posted December 21st, 2011 at 9:40 am (UTC-5)
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Flags flew at half staff as the body of former Czech president Vaclav Havel was taken to Prague Castle, where he will lie in state ahead of his funeral on Friday. Thousands of people lined the streets of old town Prague as the late president’s body was transported to the castle. Many people applauded as […]

Tags: , Posted in Europe