Syrian opposition activists say government troops have moved into several Damascus suburbs as part of an offensive to drive out rebels who have been trying build a stronghold near President Bashar al-Assad’s center of power. The activists say pro-Assad soldiers backed by dozens of tanks and armored vehicles battled the rebels in the Kfar Batna […]
Activists: Syrian Troops Enter Damascus Suburbs, Fight Rebels
Posted January 29th, 2012 at 9:55 am (UTC-5)
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Taliban, U.S. Negotiators Meet in Qatar
Posted January 29th, 2012 at 9:50 am (UTC-5)
Taliban negotiators are meeting with U.S. officials in Qatar for a series of discussions aimed at building trust and preparing both sides for upcoming peace talks. Former Taliban official Maulavi Qalamuddin, who once led the group’s religious police, says about five Taliban negotiators are there for the preliminary talks. He says the talks include the […]
Sarkozy Outlining New Economic Plan
Posted January 29th, 2012 at 9:25 am (UTC-5)
The embattled president of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, is outlining new economic proposals during a broadcast Sunday that observers say is aimed at boosting his poor standing with voters ahead of April’s general election. Though Mr. Sarkozy has yet to announce his candidacy, he is widely expected to face Socialist Francois Hollande, who is polling ahead […]
Police Kill 3 in Bangladeshi Protests
Posted January 29th, 2012 at 7:00 am (UTC-5)
Officials in Bangladesh say police have opened fire on opposition rallies, killing at least three people and injuring more than 100. Authorities say the shootings took place Sunday in two towns — Chandpur and Laksmipur — where Bangladesh Nationalist Party activists were demonstrating for the reinstatement of a voting system in which independent caretaker governments […]
African Union Summit Opens in Ethiopia
Posted January 29th, 2012 at 6:55 am (UTC-5)
African Union leaders opened a two-day summit in Addis Ababa Sunday with the election of a new chairman for the pan-African organization. Benin’s President Thomas Yayi Boni was selected chairman for the next year, taking over from Equatorial Guinea’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was among the first speakers in the new […]
Russia Criticizes Arab League Mission Suspension in Syria
Posted January 29th, 2012 at 6:35 am (UTC-5)
Russia’s foreign minister has criticized the Arab League’s decision to suspend its observer mission to Syria after an upsurge of violence that, according to human rights activists, killed at least 36 people across the country. Russian state media quoted Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Sunday as saying he would support instead an increase in the number […]
Retired Officer Charged in Papua New Guinea Mutiny
Posted January 29th, 2012 at 4:50 am (UTC-5)
A retired army officer who tried to tried to overthrow the Papua New Guinea government last week appeared in court on Sunday and was charged with mutiny. Police say retired colonel Yaura Sasa was arrested late Saturday. Sasa and a group of around 30 armed rebel soldiers placed the military’s top commander under house arrest […]
Sudanese Rebels Claim Capture of Chinese Workers
Posted January 29th, 2012 at 4:45 am (UTC-5)
Sudanese rebels say they are holding nearly 30 Chinese workers following a battle with Sudan’s army in the state of South Kordofan, which borders newly independent South Sudan. A rebel spokesman says 29 Chinese are being held for their own safety and are in good health. The rebels say they captured the Chinese workers on […]
US Republican Presidential Candidates in Heated Battle for Florida
Posted January 29th, 2012 at 4:25 am (UTC-5)
U.S. Republican presidential hopefuls Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are battling for support in the southern state of Florida, which holds its primary in two days. The two front-runners in the race to determine who will challenge President Barack Obama this year were campaigning around Florida Saturday. Romney, a multimillionaire investor and former governor of […]
Burma Democracy Leader Begins Political Campaigning
Posted January 29th, 2012 at 4:20 am (UTC-5)
Burmese democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi hit the campaign trail Sunday ahead of by-elections seen as a key test of the military-backed government’s commitment to reform. Thousands of cheering supporters lined the roads of several towns in the southern district of Dawei, as the Nobel Peace laureate made her first political trip outside Rangoon […]
