North Korea plans to pardon an unspecified number of convicts next month to mark the upcoming milestone birthdays of its two late leaders, Kim Jong Il and Kim Il Sung. The official Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday the amnesty would begin on February 1, by order of a parliamentary decree. But it did not […]
North Korea to Pardon Prisoners to Mark Kims’ Birthdays
Posted January 10th, 2012 at 3:10 am (UTC-5)
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Syrian President to Give Rare Speech
Posted January 10th, 2012 at 2:10 am (UTC-5)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is due to give a rare address covering what the state-run SANA news agency says will be “domestic issues” and regional developments. The speech Tuesday comes as a team of Arab League monitors continues its mission to observe Syria’s compliance with a plan to end months of violence against anti-government protesters. […]
Voting Begins in First Primary of 2012 US Presidential Election
Posted January 10th, 2012 at 1:55 am (UTC-5)
Voters in the U.S. state of New Hampshire have begun voting in the first primary election of the 2012 U.S. presidential campaign. Residents in the small town of Dixville Notch, near the Canadian border, cast their votes in the Republican Party primary shortly after midnight local time . Officials there say former Massachusetts Governor Mitt […]
Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi Confirms Run for Parliament
Posted January 10th, 2012 at 1:15 am (UTC-5)
Burmese opposition leader Aung Sang Suu Kyi has confirmed that she will run for parliament in the country’s highly anticipated April by-elections. A spokesperson for Aung Sang Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party said Tuesday the Nobel Peace Prize winner will compete for a seat in Kawhmu Township, on the outskirts of her hometown […]
Japan to Release Anti-Whaling Activists to Australia
Posted January 10th, 2012 at 1:05 am (UTC-5)
Australia says Japan has agreed to release three anti-whaling activists who boarded a Japanese whaling support vessel two days ago. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard released a statement Tuesday saying a customs ship has been dispatched to rendezvous with the Shonan Maru 2 and pick up the men. The trio, members of the Australian environmental […]
Romney Frontrunner in First US Primary
Posted January 9th, 2012 at 9:20 pm (UTC-5)
Voters in the U.S. state of New Hampshire are preparing to vote in the 2012 presidential race’s first primary election, with front-runner Mitt Romney heavily favored to beat his Republican challengers. Social conservative Rick Santorum, who lost to Romney by only eight votes last week in the Iowa caucuses, said Monday he would be thrilled […]
South Sudan Tribal Clashes Kill 22
Posted January 9th, 2012 at 8:00 pm (UTC-5)
The two tribes fight frequently over land and cattle. The United Nations says it is worried about tension in Jonglei, one of the worst-hit states for ethnic violence in South Sudan. The Security Council said in Monday’s statement it welcomed efforts by the South Sudanese government to mediate a solution to the conflict. It also […]
China Rejects Linking Iranian Nuclear Program To Trade
Posted January 9th, 2012 at 7:55 pm (UTC-5)
A top Chinese diplomat says his country will not link Iran’s nuclear program to trade. The comments by Deputy Foreign Minister Cui Tiankai come on the eve of a visit to Beijing by U.S. Secretary of Treasury Timothy Geithner, in which he is expected to seek support for sanctions against Tehran. Cui said Monday that […]
Trial of U.S. Marine Charged in Iraqi Killings Begins
Posted January 9th, 2012 at 7:35 pm (UTC-5)
Military prosecutors say a U.S. Marine at the center of the biggest criminal case against U.S. troops in the Iraq war made a series of fatal assumptions when he and his squad killed 24 Iraqi civilians, including unarmed women and children. Opening arguments in the military trial of Staff Sergeant Frank Wuterich began Monday at […]
Iran Starts Uranium Enrichment at Underground Complex
Posted January 9th, 2012 at 7:30 pm (UTC-5)
Iran on Monday confirmed it has started uranium enrichment at a second facility where the material can be upgraded quickly for potential use in a nuclear bomb. Iran’s envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Ali Asghar Soltanieh, said Tehran is refining uranium at the newly-launched Fordo complex and an older facility in the city […]
