The top prosecutor in the trial of Hosni Mubarak has demanded the death penalty for the former Egyptian president and his two sons. Mustafa Suleiman made the demand during a court session Thursday in Cairo. Mr. Mubarak is charged with corruption and involvement in the deaths of hundreds of anti-government protesters during last year’s uprising […]
South Sudan Declares Humanitarian Disaster in Tribal Clash Area
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 8:30 am (UTC-5)
South Sudan has declared a humanitarian disaster in the state of Jonglei, the site of repeated tribal clashes that have killed hundreds of people. A government spokesman says South Sudan’s council of ministers declared the disaster at a special meeting Wednesday, and asked international relief agencies to quickly deliver aid to the state. A group […]
South Korea Proposes High-Level Talks With North Korea
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 8:30 am (UTC-5)
South Korea says it wants to resume face-to-face talks with North Korea, despite Pyongyang’s hard-line stance against Seoul since the death of its longtime leader Kim Jong Il. South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan said Thursday his government is ready to hold high-level talks with Pyongyang, saying “the ball is in North Korea’s court now.” […]
Burma Approves Suu Kyi’s Opposition Party For Elections
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 8:05 am (UTC-5)
Burmese opposition leaders say the government has approved Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party to run in by-elections due in April. NLD party spokesman Nyan Win says the decision was effective Thursday. He says the party will begin taking applications for people to join the party on Monday. It was not immediately […]
Bombings Kill 57 in Iraq
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 7:25 am (UTC-5)
Iraqi officials say bomb attacks in the capital and in the south have killed at least 57 people and wounded more than 130 others. The deadliest attack Thursday hit the southern city of Nasiriyah, where an explosion targeting pilrgims killed 30 people. Earlier in Baghdad, a pair of blasts hit the northern neighborhood of Sadr […]
Hungary Seeking Speedy IMF Bailout
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 7:25 am (UTC-5)
Hungary is seeking a speedy bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund as the value of its currency, the forint, continues to fall. A government spokesman , who is heading talks with the IMF, told reporters Thursday the government’s intention is to reach a deal with the IMF “as soon as possible.” Last month, Hungary […]
Pakistani Taliban Kills 15 Abducted Security Officers
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 7:20 am (UTC-5)
(updates with ICRC worker kidnapped in grafs 9-11)) The Pakistani Taliban said Thursday that it has killed 15 paramilitary soldiers who were abducted late last month along the country’s restive border with Afghanistan. A Taliban spokesperson told reporters that the Pakistani troops were shot and dumped in the border tribal region of North Waziristan. Local […]
Hungary Seeking Speedy IMF Bailout
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 7:10 am (UTC-5)
Hungary is seeking a speedy bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund as the value of its currency, the forint, continues to fall. A government spokesman , who is heading talks with the IMF, told reporters Thursday the government’s intention is to reach a deal with the IMF “as soon as possible.” Last month, Hungary […]
Bomb Blasts Hit Northern Nigeria
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 6:30 am (UTC-5)
Bombs have exploded in two northern Nigerian cities, less than a week after the country’s president declared a state of emergency in the region. Authorities said there were no casualties late Wednesday when the blasts hit the cities of Maiduguri and Damaturu. A purported spokesman for the Nigerian militant group Boko Haram said the group […]
Qatari Prime Minister Says “Mistakes” Made in Arab League Syria Mission
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 5:45 am (UTC-5)
Qatar’s prime minister says there have been “some mistakes” in the Arab League’s observer mission in Syria. Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani discussed the mission Wednesday during a meeting with U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, amid criticism from opposition groups who say the the Syrian government is misleading the observers. Kuwait’s state news agency […]
