Cuban human rights activists say jailed dissident Wilman Villar Mendoza has been buried in his hometown in eastern Cuba. The activists say the 31-year-old Villar, who had been suffering from pneumonia, died Thursday following a seven-week-long hunger strike. Last November, Villar was arrested after taking part in a march. A few days later, he was […]
Cuban Prisoner Dies After Hunger Strike
Posted January 20th, 2012 at 9:15 pm (UTC-5)
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US Military Chief in Israel for Talks on Iran Nuclear Program
Posted January 20th, 2012 at 8:10 pm (UTC-5)
The top U.S. military official held closed talks Friday with Israeli leaders over how to respond to Iran’s controversial nuclear program, which both countries fear is being used to develop nuclear weapons. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army General Martin Dempsey, met in Israel with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Shimon […]
US Mulls Closing Embassy in Syria
Posted January 20th, 2012 at 7:00 pm (UTC-5)
The United States is warning that it may close its embassy in the Syrian capital due to the worsening security situation. The State Department issued a statement Friday saying that no decision has been made yet, but that a request has been made to Damascus to take concrete steps in the coming days to provide […]
Curfew in Effect After Bombings in Kano, Nigeria
Posted January 20th, 2012 at 6:55 pm (UTC-5)
A 24-hour curfew is in effect for the northern Nigerian city of Kano as an Islamist extremist group claimed responsibility for a coordinated series of bombings that targeted police and government offices. Panic ensued with people fleeing on foot and by car after the bombs exploded and gunfire rang out Friday. The trouble started after […]
US Republican Presidential Contenders Campaign Ahead of SC Primary
Posted January 20th, 2012 at 5:50 pm (UTC-5)
Candidates vying for the U.S. Republican presidential nomination are making their final push for support in South Carolina just one day before the southern state holds its primary. The four candidates were meeting with voters across the state on Friday, each aiming to show he is the one who can defeat Democratic President Barack Obama […]
France Threatens Early Afghan Withdrawal After Troop Deaths
Posted January 20th, 2012 at 5:35 pm (UTC-5)
France on Friday threatened to accelerate its withdrawal from Afghanistan, after an Afghan soldier shot and killed four French troops. President Nicolas Sarkozy suspended military operations in Afghanistan and said he is considering an early pullout of French troops if security conditions “are not clearly established,” following Friday’s attack. Fifteen French troops were wounded in […]
American Kidnapped in Nigeria’s Oil Delta
Posted January 20th, 2012 at 4:35 pm (UTC-5)
Police in Nigeria say gunmen have kidnapped an American citizen in the oil-rich Niger Delta region. Officials say the assailants abducted the man in the oil city of Warri Friday, killing his driver. The gunmen later demanded a ransom of more than $310,000. The U.S. embassy in Nigeria said diplomats there were aware of the […]
Cambodia Refuses to Seat Swiss Judge at Khmer Rouge Tribunal
Posted January 20th, 2012 at 4:30 pm (UTC-5)
The United Nations says Cambodia is refusing to permit a Swiss investigating judge to take his place on the tribunal trying suspected Khmer Rouge war crimes, blocking at least two pending cases. A spokesman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Friday the U.N. has been formally notified of Cambodia’s decision not to appoint Swiss magistrate […]
Britain Revokes Iran’s Press TV License
Posted January 20th, 2012 at 4:05 pm (UTC-5)
Britain’s telecommunications regulator has revoked the license of Iranian state-owned television outlet Press TV. Ofcom officials said Friday the Iranian English-language channel would disappear from British television screens by the end of the day. Britain’s independent broadcasting watchdog said that Press TV failed to obey a rule that its license should be held by its […]
Seven Dead as Bombings Rock Nigerian City
Posted January 20th, 2012 at 3:40 pm (UTC-5)
Bomb explosions, targeting police and government offices, have rocked the northern Nigerian city of Kano and witnesses say at least seven people have been killed. The number of injuries is not known. The initial reports out of Nigeria’s second-largest city say two separate police headquarters buildings and an immigration office were hit by the blasts […]
