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DRC: Senior Kabila Advisor Dies in Plane Crash

Posted February 12th, 2012 at 2:30 pm (UTC-5)
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A plane crash in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has killed a close advisor to President Joseph Kabila, along with at least one other person. Augustin Katumba Mwanke died when a private jet apparently overshot the runway at Bukavu airport. The pilot was also killed. The country’s finance minister, Matata Ponyo, and South Kivu Governor […]

Tags: , , Posted in Africa

Al-Qaida Leader Voices Support for Syrian Uprising

Posted February 12th, 2012 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
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Al-Qaida’s leader has voiced support for the Syrian uprising against President Bashar al-Assad and called on Muslims from neighboring countries to come to the aid of Syrian anti-government rebels. In a video posted Sunday on an Islamist website, Ayman al-Zawahri urged Muslims in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey to join the uprising against what he […]

Tags: , , , Posted in Middle East

Arab League Calls for UN Peacekeepers in Syria

Posted February 12th, 2012 at 1:40 pm (UTC-5)
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The Arab League has agreed to open contacts with the Syrian opposition and ask the U.N. Security Council to form a joint peacekeeping force for Syria, as the regional bloc steps up efforts to end the bloodshed there. The Syrian government quickly rejected the league decisions. The 22-member league, which suspended Syria over the violence […]

Tags: , , , Posted in Middle East

Workers Begin Removing Fuel From Italian Shipwreck

Posted February 12th, 2012 at 12:40 pm (UTC-5)
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Salvage workers have begun pumping fuel from the cruise ship that ran aground last month off the coast of Italy. Italian officials say it will take 28 consecutive days of pumping to empty the 15 fuel tanks. Since the Costa Concordia ran aground on January 13, fears have swirled about fuel leaks and resulting contamination […]

Tags: , Posted in Europe

Tibetan Nun Dies from Self-Immolation in China

Posted February 12th, 2012 at 12:15 pm (UTC-5)
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An 18-year-old Tibetan Buddhist nun is reported to have died after setting herself on fire in China’s southwestern Sichuan province. Tibetan activists identified the nun as Tenzin Choedon, who was quickly taken away by Chinese security forces. Her nunnery, located in Aba county, east of Tibet, was immediately sealed off. The nun’s death brings the […]

Music Industry Pays Tribute to Whitney Houston

Posted February 12th, 2012 at 12:00 pm (UTC-5)
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The music industry is celebrating the life of Grammy Award-winning singer and actress Whitney Houston who was found dead at a Los Angeles hotel Saturday. Houston’s death comes on the eve of the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, where the six-time Grammy winner had gathered with hundreds of artists for Sunday’s program. The organizers of […]

Tags: , , , , , Posted in US

Greek Parliament to Vote on Austerity Measures

Posted February 12th, 2012 at 11:50 am (UTC-5)
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Greece’s parliament on Sunday began debating draft austerity measures demanded by the European Union in exchange for a new bailout loan. The lawmakers are expected to vote on the measure later Sunday or early Monday. The Greek Cabinet approved a draft of the austerity bill late Friday. If passed, it will authorize Prime Minister Lucas […]

Tags: , , , , Posted in Europe

Al-Qaida Leader Voices Support for Syrian Uprising

Posted February 12th, 2012 at 11:20 am (UTC-5)
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Al-Qaida’s leader has voiced support for the Syrian uprising against President Bashar al-Assad and called on Muslims from neighboring countries to come to the aid of Syrian anti-government rebels. In a video posted Sunday on an Islamist website, Ayman al-Zawahiri urged Muslims in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey to join the uprising against what he […]

Tags: , , , Posted in Middle East

Arab League Meets on Syria; Head of Mission Resigns

Posted February 12th, 2012 at 10:35 am (UTC-5)
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The Arab League says the Sudanese general who led the group’s observer mission to Syria has resigned, as the regional bloc meets in Cairo to consider a new, expanded monitoring team that would include United Nations peacekeepers. League officials said they accepted General Mohammed Ahmed al-Dabi’s resignation Sunday, and nominated former Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdel […]

Tags: , , , Posted in Middle East

Head of Arab Mission to Syria Quits; New Envoy Proposed

Posted February 12th, 2012 at 8:15 am (UTC-5)
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The Arab League says it has accepted the resignation of the Sudanese general who led the group’s observer mission to Syria, and will nominate a former Jordanian foreign minister as the new special envoy for the Syrian crisis. Officials said General Mohammed Ahmed al-Dabi stepped down Sunday, as foreign ministers from the 22-member Arab League […]

Tags: , , , Posted in Middle East