Hundreds of protesters affiliated with the Occupy movement are gathering outside the U.S. Capitol Tuesday to “Occupy Congress.” The protesters braved cold, damp weather to cluster outside barricades in front of the Capitol, chanting “We are the 99 percent.” Scores of police officers blocked them from moving onto the Capitol steps, and police arrested at […]
Russia to Test if US Radar Caused Failed Space Probe
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 12:00 pm (UTC-5)
Russia says the failure of its space probe that was intended to travel to a moon of Mars could have been caused by radiation from U.S. radars. Space official Yuri Koptev said Tuesday he will head a government commission that will test whether the Phobos-Grunt probe was affected by U.S. radars. He says an experiment […]
Gunmen Kill VOA Reporter in Pakistan
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 11:55 am (UTC-5)
Gunmen in northwest Pakistan have shot and killed a reporter working for the Voice of America. Mukarram Khan Aatif, who filed reports for VOA’s Deewa Radio, was attacked Tuesday at a mosque near his home in Shabqadar. The town is located roughly 35 kilometers from Peshawar, the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. Local police say two […]
Rawlings Says Africans Should Try Own War Crimes Suspects
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 11:35 am (UTC-5)
Ghana’s former president Jerry Rawlings says African countries, not the International Criminal Court (ICC), should try any African leaders accused of war crimes. Mr. Rawlings, now an African Union envoy, made the comments Monday at the opening session of the Pan African Parliament in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa. Former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo and […]
Report: Captain Refused Orders to Return to Italian Cruise Ship
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 11:30 am (UTC-5)
An audio recording of an exchange between the Italian Coast Guard and the captain of a capsized Italian cruise ship reveals the captain refused orders to get back on the ship. A leading Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera, published a transcript Tuesday of the dramatic exchange. In the conversation, a Coast Guard official demands that […]
Investors Flock to European Debt Offerings
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 11:10 am (UTC-5)
Investors ignored the credit downgrades for European governments on Tuesday and rushed to buy notes offered by debt-ridden Spain and Greece, as well as bonds sold by the eurozone’s bailout fund. One of the world’s three main credit rating companies, Standard & Poor’s, downgraded the credit standing of nine European countries and the bailout fund […]
French Judge Seeks Access to Guantanamo
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 11:00 am (UTC-5)
A French judge has requested permission from the United States to visit the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to investigate claims by former French inmates that they were tortured. Judge Sophie Clement said Tuesday she wants access to all documents relating to the arrest and transfer of three Frenchmen who were held there. […]
Yemeni Foreign Minister Warns of Possible Election Delay
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 10:55 am (UTC-5)
Yemen’s foreign minister says next month’s planned election to replace embattled President Ali Abdullah Saleh may be delayed because of security problems in the country. In an interview broadcast Tuesday on al-Arabiya television, Abu Bakr al-Qirbi said it will be “difficult” hold the election on February 21 if Yemen does not resolve its security issues. […]
Obama, Jordan’s King Abdullah to Discuss Mideast Crises
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 10:50 am (UTC-5)
U.S. President Barack Obama is meeting Jordan’s King Abdullah at the White House Tuesday at a time of numerous crises in the Middle East. Announcing the meeting last week, White House spokesman Jay Carney named the Israeli-Palestinian peace process as one of the main topics of discussion. Jordan has been mediating talks to bring the […]
Nearly 50 Killed in South Sudan Clashes
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 10:50 am (UTC-5)
Officials in South Sudan say nearly 50 people have been killed in a revenge attack sparked by clashes between rival communities. Authorities say the fighting began late Monday when armed men from the Murle tribe stormed a Lou Nuer village in Duk county, in the northern part of Jonglei state. This is the second attack […]
