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US Immigration Agency Creates Detainee Hotline

Posted December 29th, 2011 at 6:35 pm (UTC-5)
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The United States has created a new hotline for people arrested for immigration violations to help ensure their rights are protected. The Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency said Thursday the hotline is for people who believe they are “U.S. citizens or victims of a crime.” The announcement comes amid increasing reports of U.S. citizens being […]

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Xinhua Lists Arab Uprisings as Top World News Event of 2011

Posted December 29th, 2011 at 6:10 pm (UTC-5)
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China’s official Xinhua news agency is listing the Arab Spring uprisings as the top news event of 2011, closely followed by China’s rise to become the world’s second-largest economy. Xinhua published its choices on its website Thursday in a year-end roundup of the top 10 news events of the past 12 months. Economic issues figured […]

Tags: , , Posted in East Asia Pacific

Ivory Seizures Reach Record Highs in 2011

Posted December 29th, 2011 at 4:15 pm (UTC-5)
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A wildlife conservation group says large scale ivory seizures reached record highs in 2011 making it one of the worst years ever for elephants. TRAFFIC, a group that tracks wildlife trading, says there were 13 large seizures this year totaling about 1,000 kilograms. The amount, which is more than double 2010’s total, represents about 2,500 […]

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Syrian Forces Kill 25 as Monitors Visit More Regions

Posted December 29th, 2011 at 3:35 pm (UTC-5)
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Activists say Syrian forces killed at least 25 people on Thursday as Arab League monitors fanned out across the country to check the government’s compliance with a pledge to end its crackdown on dissent. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says security forces opened fire on thousands of protesters in the Damascus suburb of Douma, […]

Tags: , , Posted in Middle East

Russian Nuclear Submarine Catches Fire

Posted December 29th, 2011 at 3:15 pm (UTC-5)
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A Russian nuclear submarine caught fire Thursday, but officials say there was no radiation leak and no one was injured. The fire on the Yekaterinburg submarine happened while the vessel was docked for repairs in the northern Murmansk region. The Russian Defense Ministry said all of the submarine’s weapons had been unloaded before the repairs […]

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Police Surgeon Gunned Down in Pakistan

Posted December 29th, 2011 at 2:55 pm (UTC-5)
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A police surgeon who testified against Pakistani security forces is dead, gunned down by unknown assailants. Police officials say Baqir Shah was shot and killed Thursday in Quetta. A senior police official said the gunmen fired three shots at Shah from close range. He made no immediate comments about the motive. Shah had conducted autopsies […]

Tags: , , , Posted in South Asia

US to Provide Saudi Air Force with F-15SA Combat Aircraft

Posted December 29th, 2011 at 2:15 pm (UTC-5)
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The United States says it will provide combat aircraft to the Saudi air force under a new agreement valued at $29.4 billion. In a statement Thursday, the White House said the U.S. and Saudi governments signed an agreement for the U.S. to provide advanced F-15SA combat aircraft to the Royal Saudi Air Force. It says […]

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Gingrich Falls in Polls After Negative Ads

Posted December 29th, 2011 at 2:10 pm (UTC-5)
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After once surging to the front among Republican presidential candidates, former U.S. House speaker Newt Gingrich has wilted after a barrage of negative ads from his rivals. Gingrich has been hit repeatedly by personal attacks from former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and Representative Ron Paul, who have climbed to the top of the polls in […]

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NY Times Withdraws Suspect North Korean Photo

Posted December 29th, 2011 at 1:20 pm (UTC-5)
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The New York Times says it has withdrawn an official North Korean photograph of the funeral procession for the late leader Kim Jong Il, after experts determined it had been digitally altered. The Times reported the withdrawal Thursday, saying the suspect photo was taken by Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency and distributed by a European […]

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Two Aid Workers Shot in Somali Capital

Posted December 29th, 2011 at 12:55 pm (UTC-5)
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A disgruntled former employee has shot two foreign aid workers in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, killing at least one and wounding another. Officials say the shooting occurred Thursday at the offices of the aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF). The nationalities of the victims were not released. Police say the gunman, a Somali national, worked […]

Tags: , Posted in Africa