Tens of thousands of people packed a central square in Pyongyang on Thursday for a national memorial service for the late North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. State television showed a massive sea of tightly packed soldiers that filled Kim Il Sung square as the deceased leader’s heir apparent and youngest son, Kim Jong Un, […]
National Memorial Service for Kim Jong Il Underway in Pyongyang
Posted December 28th, 2011 at 11:00 pm (UTC-5)
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Arab Monitors Deploy Across Syria as Credibility Questioned
Posted December 28th, 2011 at 10:35 pm (UTC-5)
Arab League monitors Thursday are expected to visit the Syrian cities of Daraa, Hama and Idlib, where anti-government protests have been violently repressed, as questions mount about the observers’ credibility. In the two days since the Arab monitors arrived, activists and rights groups said troops have killed at least 39 people, including six shot in […]
Mexico Arrests Cocaine Smuggler Wanted by US
Posted December 28th, 2011 at 9:25 pm (UTC-5)
Mexico says it has arrested a suspected drug trafficking kingpin who also is wanted in the United States. Mexican federal police Wednesday said they detained Luis Rodriguez Olivera, known as “El Guero,” at Mexico City’s international airport the day before. The U.S. had offered a reward of $5 million for information leading to his capture. […]
15 Killed in Burma Warehouse Explosion
Posted December 28th, 2011 at 8:50 pm (UTC-5)
At least 15 people were killed and more than 50 others injured in a warehouse explosion in Burma’s largest city, Rangoon, early Thursday. Witnesses report a loud explosion at a state-owned warehouse in an eastern Rangoon suburb. They said fire spread to nearby buildings. It was not immediately clear what caused the blast. Firefighters have […]
Samoa Skips December 30 With Time Change
Posted December 28th, 2011 at 8:40 pm (UTC-5)
Samoa will not have December 30 this year due to a time zone change. Instead, the tiny South Pacific island nation will go from Thursday, December 29, straight to New Year’s Eve and will become one of the first countries to celebrate the New Year, 2012, instead of being one of the last. Samoa decided […]
World Watches As North Korea Bids Farewell to Kim Jong Il
Posted December 28th, 2011 at 8:05 pm (UTC-5)
Observers worldwide watched television images of Kim Jong Il’s funeral procession Wednesday for clues of who holds the real power after his death. Mr. Kim’s youngest son and heir apparent, Kim Jong Un, clearly had a central role in the ceremony. He walked alongside a black limousine carrying his father’s hearse through central Pyongyang, and […]
Latest Polls Show Romney, Paul Leading Primary Race
Posted December 28th, 2011 at 7:35 pm (UTC-5)
The latest U.S. political poll shows the rankings have shifted again among Republican presidential hopefuls, with less than a week to go before the Iowa caucuses and the official start of the 2012 presidential campaign. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney is back on top in the latest figures, Wednesday, with Ron Paul in second place. […]
Chinese Rights Lawyer Goes On Trial
Posted December 28th, 2011 at 6:55 pm (UTC-5)
A Chinese human rights lawyer and activist known for her fight against government land grabs is scheduled to go on trial in Beijing. News reports from the capital say the trial for Ni Yulan and her husband Dong Jiqin on charges of creating public disturbance will begin Thursday. Ni has been jailed earlier because of […]
US Warns Iran Not to Close Key Oil Route
Posted December 28th, 2011 at 6:45 pm (UTC-5)
The United States has sharply warned Iran against any move to close the vital Strait of Hormuz, after Tehran threatened to block oil shipments coming through the waterway if the West imposes sanctions targeting the country’s crude oil exports. Pentagon press secretary George Little said Wednesday that “interference with the passage of vessels through the […]
Judge Awards $17.8 Million to Family for Military Jet Crash
Posted December 28th, 2011 at 6:40 pm (UTC-5)
A United States federal judge has ordered the U.S. government to pay $17.8 million to a family who lost four members when a military jet malfunctioned and smashed into their home in 2008. The victims were 36-year-old Youngmi Lee Yoon, her fifteen-month-old daughter Grace, her two month old daughter Rachel, and her 59-year-old mother Seokim […]
