Top officials from the United States, South Korea and Japan met Tuesday in Washington for talks focusing on restarting stalled six-party negotiations on North Korea’s nuclear program. Assistant U.S. Secretary of State Kurt Campbell and special North Korea envoy Glyn Davies hosted Lim Sung Nam, South Korea’s top negotiator to the talks, and his Japanese […]
US, Japan, South Korea Discuss Restarting Six-Party Talks
US, Jordan Vow Close Cooperation on Mideast Peace
U.S. President Barack Obama met with Jordan’s King Abdullah at the White House Tuesday, and both leaders pledged to consult closely to try to advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. President Obama said the U.S. and Jordan will encourage the two sides to come back to the table and negotiate in what he described as “a […]
India Urges Sri Lanka to Work on Reconciliation Efforts
India’s External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna has urged the Sri Lankan government to forge ahead with political reconciliation steps recommended by a presidential inquiry into the final phase of the 25-year civil war that ended in 2009. Krishna met Tuesday with President Mahinda Rajapaksa in Colombo. He noted the constructive recommendations of the Lessons Learnt […]
Burma Reaches Peace Deal With Shan Minority
Burmese media report that the government has signed a peace agreement with the armed ethnic group Shan as part of an effort at national reconciliation. Reports Tuesday say that representatives of Shan and the central government reached an 11-point peace agreement in the Shan state capital of Taunggyi. The signing of the deal was a […]
Syrian Violence Spikes; West, Russia Spar Over Intervention
Violence has surged in Syria, and Western members of the United Nations Security Council have sparred with Russia over how to stop the bloodshed from the 10-month uprising against President Bashar al-Assad. The activist group “Local Coordination Committees” say Syrian security forces killed at least 25 people Tuesday, 17 of them while attacking several areas […]
Owner of Capsized Ship Is World’s Largest Cruise Line
U.S.-based Carnival Corporation, the owner of the luxury cruise ship sinking off the Italian coast and th world’s largest cruise line, faces millions of dollars in losses from the accident and perhaps years of litigation over damage claims. Carnival is based in the southern city of Miami, Florida and annually attracts about half the world’s […]
Pakistani Taliban Claims Responsibility for Killing VOA Reporter
The Pakistani Taliban has claimed responsibility for killing a local reporter working for the Voice of America. The Associated Press quotes the group’s spokesman as saying they killed Mukarram Khan Aatif, who also worked for the private Pakistani Dunya TV, because he ignored multiple warnings to stop anti-Taliban reporting. Pakistani officials said Aatif was shot […]
Vatican’s Chinese Archbishop Appeals for Release of Catholic Priests in China
A high-ranking Chinese official in the Vatican has called on Beijing to release nine arrested Catholic bishops and priests, saying their continued detention damages China’s international image. Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-fai, secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, made his remarks in an interview published Tuesday by the Rome-based AsiaNews agency. Hon urged […]
Accused White House Shooter Indicted
A federal grand jury in Washington has formally indicted an Idaho man on charges he tried to assassinate President Barack Obama by opening fire on the White House in November. Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez is named in the 17-count indictment that includes charges of damaging the White House and assault with a dangerous weapon. The U.S. […]
Report: Captain Refused Orders to Return to Italian Cruise Ship
An audio recording of an exchange between the Italian Coast Guard and the captain of a capsized Italian cruise ship reveals the captain refused orders to get back on the ship. A leading Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera, published a transcript Tuesday of the dramatic exchange. In the conversation, Coast Guard Captain Gregory De Falco […]