World leaders have pledged long-term support to war-torn Afghanistan as international combat troops prepare to leave the country by 2014. Some 100 nations and international organizations attended Monday’s international conference, in the Germany city of Bonn, which was aimed at charting the course for the country’s future. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the […]
Merkel, Sarkozy Call for New EU Treaty to Solve Debt Crisis
Posted December 5th, 2011 at 3:05 pm (UTC-5)
French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are calling for a new European Union treaty to control spending, in an effort to end Europe’s debt crisis and save the continent’s euro currency. The two leaders said after meeting in Paris Monday they want all 27 EU nations to agree that national government budgets […]
At Least 28 Pilgrims Killed in Iraq Bombings
Posted December 5th, 2011 at 2:50 pm (UTC-5)
At least 28 people have been killed in Iraq in a series of bomb attacks targeting Shi’ite pilgrims during an annual religious observance. Bombings Monday at Hilla, south of Baghdad, killed at least 18 people and wounded more than 30. In Baghdad, other bombings killed at least 10 people and wounded another 30. Many of […]
Britain Doubles 2012 Olympics Security Budget
Posted December 5th, 2011 at 2:25 pm (UTC-5)
British Olympic officials have almost doubled the budget for providing security at next year’s 2012 Summer Games in London. In an announcement Monday, officials said they would be spending an additional $424 million in order to increase the security staff from around 10,000 to the 23,700. The security staff is tasked with protecting more than […]
Japan to Return Remaining Korean Royal Documents
Posted December 5th, 2011 at 2:10 pm (UTC-5)
Japan says it will give back to South Korea the remaining volumes of historical Korean royal documents looted during its early 20th century annexation of the Korean peninsula. Japanese and South Korean news reports say Tokyo will ship 1,200 volumes of royal documents to Seoul on Tuesday, as part of an ongoing commitment to improve […]
Majority Narrows for Putin’s Party in Russia Polls; OSCE: Violations Mar Vote
Posted December 5th, 2011 at 1:35 pm (UTC-5)
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s ruling party has suffered surprisingly steep losses in parliamentary elections, giving the man who has dominated politics there for more than a decade a much reduced majority. With 96 percent of the vote counted, United Russia on Monday looked set to win 238 seats in the 450-seat State Duma, or […]
Serbs in Kosovo Begin Dismantling Barricades
Posted December 5th, 2011 at 1:15 pm (UTC-5)
Serbs in northern Kosovo have started to remove some of the roadblocks at the center of recent violent clashes in the tense border region that have left scores of people injured and threaten Serbia’s bid for European Union membership. Local Serbs say the removal of the barricades comes after a deal was made Monday with […]
African Bloc Seeks Tougher Sanctions Against Eritrea
Posted December 5th, 2011 at 1:05 pm (UTC-5)
Members of a six-nation bloc in Eastern Africa have asked the United Nations to toughen sanctions against Eritrea. Leaders with the Intergovernmental Governmental Authority on Development, or IGAD, have told the Security Council that the world body must “act now” because the region’s stability is at stake. Government officials from Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Kenya and […]
Japan to Return Remaining Korean Royal Documents
Posted December 5th, 2011 at 12:55 pm (UTC-5)
Japan says it will give back to South Korea the remaining volumes of historical Korean royal documents looted during its early 20th century annexation of the Korean peninsula. Japanese and South Korean news reports say Tokyo will ship 1,200 volumes of royal documents to Seoul on Tuesday, as part of an ongoing commitment to improve […]
India Stocks Plunge Over Reported Delay to Retail Plan
Posted December 5th, 2011 at 12:45 pm (UTC-5)
Stocks prices for Indian retailers took a plunge amid reports the country’s ruling Congress party will delay plans to open the country’s retail sector to foreign investors. Shares in local retailers fell upwards of 10 percent in Monday’s trading as the government sought to clarify its policy on foreign direct investment. A top leader of […]
