Avalanches have killed at least 14 people in a mountainous region of northeastern Afghanistan. Authorities said Tuesday that heavy snowfall has also blocked roads in Badakhshan province, making many districts inaccessible. Rescue teams were working to get to stranded residents. Heavy snowfall and avalanches are common during Afghanistan’s harsh winters. In 2010, avalanches killed more […]
Clinton Meets With Ivory Coast President
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 7:15 am (UTC-5)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has held talks with Ivory Coast President Alassane Ouattara about challenges that remain in the country following its disputed presidential election. Clinton met with Mr. Ouattara Tuesday at the presidential palace in Abidjan during the first visit to Ivory Coast by a U.S. secretary of state in more than […]
Philippine Police Arrest Suspect in Kidnapping of US Missionary Couple
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 6:40 am (UTC-5)
Philippine police say they have arrested an Islamic militant suspected of involvement in the 2001 kidnapping of an American missionary couple. Security officials said Tuesday the man, known as “Abu Ismael,” was captured on the remote southern island of Basilan. They said he is a member of the Abu Sayyaf terror group, which is linked […]
Iran Criticizes Saudi Comments on Boosting Oil Exports
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 6:40 am (UTC-5)
Iran has criticized Saudi Arabia for saying it could increase its oil output if Western sanctions cut oil exports from Iran. Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Salehi said Tuesday in an interview with Iran’s Arabic language al-Alam television channel that such signals are “not friendly.” He was responding to comments by Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi, […]
Eurozone Sees Drop In December Inflation Rate
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 6:35 am (UTC-5)
The eurozone saw a slightly larger than expected drop in the December inflation rate, down to 2.7 percent. Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics office, predicted the December rate would drop to 2.8 percent from November’s rate of 3 percent for the 17 eurozone member nations. The Eurozone Central Bank has a target of less than […]
China GDP Grows at Slowest Rate Since 2009
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 6:20 am (UTC-5)
China’s economy grew at its slowest pace in two-and-a-half years during the final quarter of 2011, as Beijing fought chronically high inflation and faced weakened demand for its exports. The growth of China’s gross domestic product in the fourth quarter slowed to 8.9 percent – the slowest expansion since the second quarter of 2009. But […]
Ethiopian Airlines Rejects Lebanese Report About 2010 Crash
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 6:00 am (UTC-5)
Ethiopian Airlines has rejected a draft report by Lebanese authorities that blames pilot error for a deadly 2010 plane crash. Airline officials said Tuesday the report is biased and incomplete, and that they believe the plane went down because of an explosion while it was in the air. The Boeing 737 plunged into the Mediterranean […]
Rights Group Criticizes Ethiopian Resettlement Program
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 5:45 am (UTC-5)
An international human rights group has criticized Ethiopia for a resettlement program, saying the government is forcing people to relocate and not providing adequate support. New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a report released Tuesday that Ethiopia is requiring 70,000 indigenous people from the western Gambella region to move to new villages without enough […]
US Hosts Japanese, South Korean Officials for Talks on North Korea
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 4:35 am (UTC-5)
The United States is holding high-level talks with South Korean and Japanese officials in Washington Tuesday that are expected to focus on ways to restart stalled six-party negotiations over North Korea’s nuclear program. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell and special North Korean envoy Glyn Davies will host Lim […]
Turkish Court Holds 31 in Kurdish Rebel Probe
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 4:20 am (UTC-5)
A Turkish court has brought charges against 31 people Tuesday for alleged ties to a Kurdish rebel group that is fighting for autonomy in the country’s largely Kurdish southeast. Among those being held are former member of parliament Fatma Kurtulan and politician Tuncer Bakirhan. Bakirhan was the head of a now-banned Kurdish political party. Turkish […]
