Ethiopian troops and Somali government forces have seized control of a key rebel-held town in Somalia after battling al-Qaida-linked militants. Somali officials say the fighting began early Saturday after Ethiopian and Somali forces attacked positions held by al-Shabab fighters on the outskirts of Beledweyne, about 30 kilometers from the Ethiopian border. A resident of Beledweyne […]
Ethiopian, Somali Forces Seize Rebel-Held Town
Posted December 31st, 2011 at 10:40 am (UTC-5)
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Indian Cyclone Kills 42
Posted December 31st, 2011 at 10:20 am (UTC-5)
Indian authorities say the devastating cyclone that struck the country’s southeastern coast Friday killed at least 42 people and damaged hundreds of homes. Cyclone Thane lashed the coast between Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu state and the territory of Pondicherry with winds up to 135 kilometers per hour, before gradually weakening. Officials say at least 26 […]
Iran Proposes Nuclear Talks, Delays Missile Test
Posted December 31st, 2011 at 10:00 am (UTC-5)
Iran has proposed a new round of talks on its controversial nuclear program while apparently delaying long-range missiles tests that it had said would take place Saturday. The state-run IRNA news agency says nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili has invited the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany to “come back to talks.” […]
Military Says al -Shabab Militants Forced Out of Somali Border Town
Posted December 31st, 2011 at 8:45 am (UTC-5)
Witnesses in Somalia say Ethiopian troops and other fighters have forced al-Shabab militants to flee a western border town in Somalia. Residents of the Somali border town of Beledweyne say the al-Qaida linked militants fled the town Saturday before the troops arrived. Some residents say they heard gunfire on the outskirts of town, but there […]
Bomb Blast Kills 2 Pakistan Soldiers
Posted December 31st, 2011 at 7:50 am (UTC-5)
Pakistan security officials say a bomb blast has killed two Pakistani soldiers in the country’s northwest near the Afghan border. The remote-controlled bomb ripped through a vehicle in a military convoy Saturday on the outskirts of Miran Shah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal region. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but […]
Vatican: 26 Pastoral Workers Killed In 2011
Posted December 31st, 2011 at 7:45 am (UTC-5)
The Vatican’s news agency says more than two dozen priests, nuns and lay Catholics were killed worldwide in 2011. The Fides news agency announced Friday at least 26 people were killed in violence this year. Latin America recorded the highest murder rate for pastoral workers for a third straight year, with 13 priests and two […]
Syrian Opposition Unite to Chart Path to Democracy
Posted December 31st, 2011 at 7:45 am (UTC-5)
Two of Syria’s largest opposition groups are uniting to map out a path for the country’s transition, should President Bashar al-Assad’s government be toppled. Representatives from the Syrian National Council and the National Coordination Body for Democratic Change in Syria, or NCB, signed an agreement late Friday in Cairo laying out the parameters for democratic […]
Afghan President Welcomes US Remarks on Taliban
Posted December 31st, 2011 at 7:05 am (UTC-5)
Afghan President Hamid Karzai says he welcomes U.S. Vice President Joe Biden’s remarks that the Taliban in Afghanistan are not America’s enemies. In a December 19 interview with the U.S magazine Newsweek, Biden said President Barack Obama has made no statement in any U.S. policy assertions that the Taliban is “our enemy.” The vice president […]
Bomb Blast Kills 2 Pakistan Soldiers
Posted December 31st, 2011 at 6:55 am (UTC-5)
Pakistan security officials say a bomb blast has killed two Pakistani soldiers in the country’s northwest near the Afghan border. The remote-controlled bomb ripped through a vehicle in a military convoy Saturday on the outskirts of Miran Shah, the main town in the North Waziristan tribal region. No one claimed responsibility for the attack, but […]
Report: Iran to Propose New Nuclear Talks
Posted December 31st, 2011 at 6:50 am (UTC-5)
Iran’s ambassador to Germany says his country is ready for a new round of talks with major world powers about Iran’s controversial nuclear program. The semi-official Mehr news agency reported Saturday that Ambassador Ali Reza Sheikh Attar says Iran’s top nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili, will propose the talks in a letter to the European Union’s […]
