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 […]
Amnesty Calls for More Reform in Middle East
Posted January 9th, 2012 at 3:50 pm (UTC-5)
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 […]
Guinea-Bissau President Sanha Dies in Paris
Posted January 9th, 2012 at 3:30 pm (UTC-5)
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 […]
Afghan Govt: Cease-Fire Before Taliban Talks
Posted January 9th, 2012 at 3:10 pm (UTC-5)
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 […]
Romney Rivals Target Frontrunner Before First U.S. Primary
Posted January 9th, 2012 at 3:05 pm (UTC-5)
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 […]
US Denies American Sentenced to Death in Iran Was Spying
Posted January 9th, 2012 at 3:00 pm (UTC-5)
The White House is denying Iran’s accusation that an American man sentenced to death by an Iranian court was spying for the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday that if the reports of the sentencing are true, the Obama administration “strongly condemns” the verdict against Amir Mirza Hekmati, an Iranian-American […]
Germany Gets Paid to Finance Its Own Debt
Posted January 9th, 2012 at 2:45 pm (UTC-5)
Europe’s economic powerhouse, Germany, is now getting paid to finance its own debts. In the often arcane world of international finance, investors for months have forced debt-ridden governments throughout Europe — Greece, Italy, Spain and others — to pay hefty interest rates before they purchased the countries’ bonds. But Monday in the search for a […]
South Sudan Tribal Clashes Kill 22
Posted January 9th, 2012 at 2:35 pm (UTC-5)
Government officials in South Sudan say new tribal clashes in troubled Jonglei state have killed 22 people. Authorities said Monday that members of the Murle tribe attacked and burned three villages belonging to the rival Lou Nuer tribe. The attack appeared to be in retaliation for a deadly raid by the Lou Nuer tribe on […]
UN Rights Chief Welcomes Fiji’s Lifting of Emergency Rule
Posted January 9th, 2012 at 2:30 pm (UTC-5)
The top U.N. official for human rights is welcoming a move by Fiji’s government to cancel its emergency rule but continues to express concern about the political situation there. In a statement Monday, Navi Pillay encouraged Fiji’s government to take concrete steps to ensure the rule of law and build on what she called “positive […]
Polish Prosecutor Shoots Self After News Conference
Posted January 9th, 2012 at 2:25 pm (UTC-5)
A military prosecutor investigating media leaks from an inquiry into the 2010 air crash that killed then-Polish president Lech Kaczynski shot himself in the head after a press conference. At the press conference Monday, Mikolaj Przybyl denied his office eavesdropped on journalists as part of the military probe. Reporters at the conference in the western […]
