Yemenis voted Tuesday to seal President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s exit from power, electing his deputy as the new head of state tasked with steering the country away from the brink of civil war. Vice President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi – the sole, consensus candidate – said the vote paves the way to move on after […]
Mugabe Turns 88, Vows to Stay in Power
Posted February 21st, 2012 at 8:05 am (UTC-5)
Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe turned 88 years old Tuesday with a declaration that he is healthy and has no intention of stepping down any time soon. In an interview aired on state media Monday night, the Zimbabwean leader said he is “fit as a fiddle” and “not yet” ready to retire, adding that at his […]
Iran: IAEA Inspectors Will Not Visit Nuclear Facilities
Posted February 21st, 2012 at 7:00 am (UTC-5)
Iran says the goal of a visiting team of senior United Nations nuclear officials is not to inspect Iran’s nuclear facilities but to hold talks with Iranian officials. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast said Tuesday the aim is to pursue a framework for dialogue and cooperation between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency. He […]
Strauss-Kahn Detained for Questioning in French Prostitution Probe
Posted February 21st, 2012 at 6:50 am (UTC-5)
Former International Monetary Fund chief Dominique Strauss-Kahn has been detained by French police investigating an alleged prostitution ring. The 62-year-old Strauss-Kahn turned himself in for questioning at a French police station in the northern city of Lille early Tuesday. Prosecutors say he faces possible charges of “complicity in pimping” and “misuse of company funds.” Specifically, […]
Rights Group Calls on Somali Fighters to Protect Children
Posted February 21st, 2012 at 6:40 am (UTC-5)
An international human rights group says Somali militants and the country’s transitional government have “failed to protect” children from fighting between the two sides. New York-based Human Rights Watch says, in a Tuesday report, that the Islamist group al-Shabab has increasingly recruited children and targeted them for forced marriage and rape. It also says al-Shabab […]
Afghans Protest After Reports of Quran Desecration by NATO Troops
Posted February 21st, 2012 at 6:10 am (UTC-5)
A crowd of at least 2,000 angry protesters gathered outside the main U.S. military base in Afghanistan Tuesday, following reports that foreign troops inside the facility had improperly disposed of copies of the Quran. Some of the protesters chanted anti-U.S. slogans, hurled stones, and set small fires outside the Bagram Airbase, north of Kabul, as […]
Activists: Syrian Forces Kill 12 in Homs
Posted February 21st, 2012 at 5:55 am (UTC-5)
Activists say Syrian government forces have killed at least 12 people in heavy shelling of a rebel-held district in the flashpoint city of Homs. Activists say at least one child was among the victims in the artillery barrage Tuesday on the neighborhood of Baba Amro. The casualty figures could not be independently verified because Syria […]
Vietnam Says Cases of Viral Disease on the Rise
Posted February 21st, 2012 at 5:50 am (UTC-5)
Vietnamese health officials say nine infants have died from a virulent form of hand, foot and mouth disease in the first six weeks of 2012. The fatalities are among over 6,000 reported cases of the viral disease since the beginning of January, seven times higher than during the same period in 2011. The Health Ministry […]
Hong Kong Appeals Historic Domestic Workers’ Residency Case
Posted February 21st, 2012 at 5:15 am (UTC-5)
Hong Kong’s government is appealing a landmark court ruling that could eventually lead to foreign maids winning permanent residency in the territory. Hong Kong’s mini-constitution allows foreign residents to apply for permanent residency after they have lived in the city for seven years — a right denied to Hong Kong’s nearly 300,000 foreign domestic helpers. […]
Activists: Syrian Forces Kill at Least 7 in Homs
Posted February 21st, 2012 at 4:45 am (UTC-5)
Syrian government forces have killed at least seven people in heavy shelling of a rebel-held district in the flashpoint city of Homs. Activists say at least one child was among the victims in the artillery barrage Tuesday on the neighborhood of Baba Amro. The casualty figures could not be independently verified because Syria restricts operations […]
