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Jonathan: Boko Haram Members in Nigerian Government

Posted January 9th, 2012 at 5:00 pm (UTC-5)
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Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan says radical Islamist sect Boko Haram has infiltrated the government, complicating efforts to fight the group. At a speech Sunday in the capital, Abuja, Mr. Jonathan asserted that Boko Haram members are in the executive, parliamentary and judicial branches of government, and the armed forces. He said the situation is even […]

Tags: , , , , Posted in Africa

Burma Cancels Coal Plant Over Environmental Opposition

Posted January 9th, 2012 at 4:55 pm (UTC-5)
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Burma’s government says it has decided to stop construction of a large coal-fired power plant because of environmental concerns. Burma’s electricity minister, Khin Maung Soe, told reporters Monday that the ministry will not move forward on the multi-billion-dollar project in the southern Dawei port because the plant could have a negative environmental impact. The Dawei […]

Tags: , , Posted in East Asia Pacific

Bombs Kill 16 People in Baghdad

Posted January 9th, 2012 at 4:25 pm (UTC-5)
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Three separate bombings in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, killed 16 people and wounded more than 40 others Monday. Iraqi officials said many of the victims were Shi’ite pilgrims traveling to the holy city of Karbala for an annual ritual. In the first attack, a roadside bomb killed two people in southern Baghdad. Hours later, eight […]

Tags: , , Posted in Middle East

Bulgarian-Born Pianist Alexis Weissenberg Dies at 82

Posted January 9th, 2012 at 4:05 pm (UTC-5)
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Bulgarian-born French pianist Alexis Weissenberg, whose passion for music saved him and his mother from a World War II concentration camp, has died at the age of 82. Weissenberg died Sunday in Lugano, Switzerland, where his family had settled. He had suffered from Parkinson’s disease for years. Bulgarian Culture Minister Vezhdi Rashidov described Weissenberg as […]

Tags: , , Posted in Europe

China Urges Peace on North Korean Peninsula

Posted January 9th, 2012 at 3:55 pm (UTC-5)
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Chinese President Hu Jintao is pledging to make what he calls “unremitting efforts” to keep peace on the Korean peninsula during talks with South Korea’s president. China’s official Xinhua news agency said Mr. Hu told his South Korean counterpart, Lee Myung-bak, in Beijing Monday that stability on the peninsula is his main concern. He said […]

Tags: , , , , Posted in East Asia Pacific

Obama’s Chief of Staff Resigns

Posted January 9th, 2012 at 3:50 pm (UTC-5)
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U.S. President Barack Obama’s chief of staff is stepping down after only a year. Mr. Obama announced on Tuesday that William Daley will be replaced by White House budget director, Jack Lew. The Associated Press reports the transition is expected to take place at the end of the month. The president says Daley’s resignation was […]

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Amnesty Calls for More Reform in Middle East

Posted January 9th, 2012 at 3:50 pm (UTC-5)
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Amnesty International has urged governments in the Middle East to provide the kind of reforms their populations want, and it says governments elsewhere should be more supportive of those protesting and dying for freedom. In a report issued Monday, the London-based human rights group said violence and repression will continue in the Middle East and […]

Tags: , , Posted in Middle East

Guinea-Bissau President Sanha Dies in Paris

Posted January 9th, 2012 at 3:30 pm (UTC-5)
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The president of Guinea-Bissau, Malam Bacai Sanha, has died in a Paris hospital. A statement from the president’s office said Mr. Sanha died Monday at Val de Grace hospital, where he was undergoing treatment. No cause of death was given, but the 64-year-old leader was known to have had diabetes and a blood ailment. He […]

Tags: , , , , , Posted in Africa

Afghan Govt: Cease-Fire Before Taliban Talks

Posted January 9th, 2012 at 3:10 pm (UTC-5)
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The Afghan government said Monday that before formal talks with the Taliban can begin, the militant group must agree to a cease-fire. A spokesman for Afghan President Hamid Karzai, Emal Faizi, also dismissed as “baseless” reports that the government would hand over some of the provinces to the Taliban in exchange for an end to […]

Tags: , , , Posted in South Asia

Romney Rivals Target Frontrunner Before First U.S. Primary

Posted January 9th, 2012 at 3:05 pm (UTC-5)
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Republican presidential hopefuls are intensifying their attacks on frontrunner Mitt Romney, hoping to his slow his drive to the Republican nomination ahead of the first U.S. primary election. Romney is heavily favored to win Tuesday’s primary in New Hampshire. But his opponents have not given up on trying to dissuade voters from choosing the former […]

Tags: , , , , Posted in US