U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that U.S. officials will be heavily influenced by the views of Burmese pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi as they consider whether to ease economic sanctions on the Southeast Asian nation. McConnell, for decades a leading force behind the sanctions, also said he sees definite evidence of […]
McConnell Says Suu Kyi’s Views Will Drive Sanctions Decision
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 10:45 am (UTC-5)
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Gunmen Kill VOA Reporter in Pakistan
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 10:40 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 […]
Hundreds Protest Kazakh Election Results
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 10:05 am (UTC-5)
Hundreds of people protested Tuesday in Kazakhstan against the alleged rigging of elections that gave a huge parliamentary majority to President Nursultan Nazarbayev’s ruling party. Supporters of the opposition All-National Social Democratic Party rallied in the city of Almaty, voicing their displeasure with the results of Sunday’s election. There was no sign of violence, and […]
Tuareg Rebels Attack Town in Northern Mali
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 9:55 am (UTC-5)
Witnesses say Tuareg rebels have attacked a town in northern Mali, sparking a fight with government troops. Tuesday’s clashes occurred in the town of Menaka, where Tuareg nomads launched assaults in an effort to take control. Witnesses say fighting continued until about midday when military reinforcements were brought in. Hundreds of ethnic Tuaregs recently returned […]
Damascus Rejects Qatar’s Call For Arab Troops
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 9:50 am (UTC-5)
Syria has rejected a Qatari proposal to send Arab troops to the country to stop 10 months of unrest, saying such a move would worsen the situation and open the door for foreign interference. In a statement Tuesday, the Syrian foreign ministry says Damascus will oppose any attempt to undermine its sovereignty and wants Arab […]
Turkish Leaders, Turkish Cypriots Mourn Former Leader Denktash
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 9:20 am (UTC-5)
Turkish leaders have joined thousands of residents in northern Cyprus to bid farewell to Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash, who died Friday after a long illness. Turkish President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan were among mourners filing past Denktash’s coffin Tuesday at the presidential palace on the Turkish Cypriot side of the […]
China Rejects US Diplomat’s Human Rights Critique
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 9:00 am (UTC-5)
China’s foreign ministry is rejecting claims made by the U.S. ambassador to Beijing that China’s human rights record is deteriorating in the face of pro-democracy protests in the Middle East. Ambassador Gary Locke told a U.S. television show (the Charlie Rose Show) late Monday that China’s human rights climate is “in a down period and […]
Oil Drilling Begins in Somalia’s Puntland
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 8:40 am (UTC-5)
A Canadian oil company says it has begun drilling for oil at two locations in Somalia’s semi-autonomous Puntland region. In a statement Tuesday, Vancouver-based Africa Oil says Horn Petroleum, a unit of the company, is drilling wells in the Dharoor Valley and at Shabeel. It says both prospects are located along a rift system that […]
Philippine Police Arrest Suspect in Kidnapping of US Missionary Couple
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 8:40 am (UTC-5)
Philippine police say they have arrested an Islamic militant suspected of involvement in the 2001 kidnapping of an American missionary couple. Security officials said Tuesday the man, known as “Abu Ismael,” was captured on the remote southern island of Basilan. They said he is a member of the Abu Sayyaf terror group, which is linked […]
Dutch Company: Fuel Extraction From Wrecked Ship to Take Weeks
Posted January 17th, 2012 at 8:40 am (UTC-5)
A Dutch company that specializes in salvage operations says it will take weeks to remove the fuel from a cruise ship that capsized off Italy’s coast. The company says it plans to conduct a survey of the ship on Tuesday before the extraction process begins. “It is a race against time to empty the fuel […]
