Fiji’s military strongman Voreqe Bainimarama said Monday that he will lift a two-year state of emergency next Saturday and begin a process of drafting a new constitution leading to new elections in 2014. In his New Year’s message, Mr. Bainimarama stressed that public order would be maintained and that he would soon announce nationwide consultations […]
Fiji Announces Lifting of State of Emergency
Posted January 2nd, 2012 at 6:15 am (UTC-5)
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Boat Capsizes Off Kenyan Island, Killing 7 People
Posted January 2nd, 2012 at 5:55 am (UTC-5)
Officials in Kenya say a boat has capsized off a tourist island near the Somali border, killing at least seven people. Authorities continued to search for survivors Monday with dozens of people missing after the boat capsized late Sunday while traveling from the island of Lamu to Kenya’s mainland. The Red Cross says 25 people […]
Japan’s Emperor Delivers New Year Speech
Posted January 2nd, 2012 at 4:15 am (UTC-5)
Japanese Emperor Akihito has expressed his hope for Japan’s recovery from disasters that devastated the island nation last year. Emperor Akihito made his comments in a New Year’s address to the nation Monday. The emperor appeared on a bullet-proof balcony of the Imperial Palace with his family. He told throngs of well-wishers he shares in […]
Iran Announces Missile Test After Nuclear Development
Posted January 2nd, 2012 at 3:55 am (UTC-5)
Iran says it has successfully tested a cruise missile, a day after announcing another missile test and a new development in its nuclear program. State media reported the ground-to-sea cruise missile test Monday, the last day of Naval exercises. Iran says the war games also included test-firing a medium-range surface-to-air missile Sunday near the strategic […]
Seoul Sees Opportunity for Better Ties with North Korea
Posted January 1st, 2012 at 10:40 pm (UTC-5)
South Korean President Lee Myung Bak says a new era in inter-Korean relations can be opened if North Korea shows sincerity. In a nationally televised New Year’s address Monday, Mr. Lee said there is a new opportunity on the Korean peninsula as the young son of the late Kim Jong Il takes power as Supreme […]
Syrian Civilian Deaths Undermine Arab League Mission
Posted January 1st, 2012 at 9:45 pm (UTC-5)
Syrian security forces were said to have killed at least seven more protesters Sunday as an Arab League advisory body called for the immediate withdrawal of monitors from the country, saying the unit is failing to prevent government troops from murdering civilians. Four of the new deaths – the first in 2012 – came when […]
Republican Candidates Campaigning Hard Before Iowa Test
Posted January 1st, 2012 at 9:40 pm (UTC-5)
Republican candidates hoping to win the White House in November have just one more full day of campaigning before Tuesday’s Iowa caucus — the first major test of the 2012 presidential election. A poll by the state’s most prominent newspaper, the Des Moines Register, makes it hard for experts to predict a winner. The newspaper […]
Egypt Defends Raids on Civil Society Groups
Posted January 1st, 2012 at 7:20 pm (UTC-5)
Two Egyptian ministers have defended last week’s raids on the offices of 10 human rights and pro-democracy organizations, rejecting denunciations from the United States, the United Nations and Germany. Planning and International Cooperation Minister Faiza Aboul Naga and Justice Minister Adel Abdel-Hamid Abdullah said Sunday that prosecutors were justified in investigating the groups because they […]
Egypt Defends Raids on Civil Society Groups
Posted January 1st, 2012 at 7:05 pm (UTC-5)
Two Egyptian ministers have defended last week’s raids on the offices of 10 human rights and pro-democracy organizations, rejecting denunciations from the United States, the United Nations and Germany. Planning and International Cooperation Minister Faiza Aboul Naga and Justice Minister Adel Abdel-Hamid Abdullah said Sunday that prosecutors were justified in investigating the groups because they […]
Home-Brewed Liquor Kills 15 in India
Posted January 1st, 2012 at 6:00 pm (UTC-5)
Officials in eastern India said Sunday at least 15 people died after consuming a batch of tainted homemade liquor over the weekend. The officials said some 24 others are being treated in hospitals in the Krishna district in Andhra Pradesh state. The victims, mostly poor laborers, became sick after buying cheap alcohol from bootleggers for […]
