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Online Tool Launched to Preserve Hmong Language

Posted April 5th, 2012 at 5:10 pm (UTC-5)
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Almost every day, Chue Her sits down at his computer, pulls out his Hmong-English dictionary and starts typing 10 to 20 words into an online translator. He hopes his contribution to Microsoft’s translation project will be the key to reviving the Hmong language that he worries is disappearing. “I believe if we don’t have the […]

Obama Signs Bill Easing Rules on Small Businesses

Posted April 5th, 2012 at 4:35 pm (UTC-5)
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U.S. President Barack Obama has signed into law a bill making it easier for new businesses to raise money from investors. Mr. Obama said at a White House signing ceremony Thursday that credit is tight in the current economy, making it almost impossible for new businesses to get started. He called the new law a […]

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UN Chief: Syria Crisis Deepening as Deadline Nears

Posted April 5th, 2012 at 4:30 pm (UTC-5)
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U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says Syria’s conflict is deepening and attacks by government forces on civilian areas show no sign of abating, despite assurances from Damascus that it has begun withdrawing troops ahead of a U.N. deadline to end the violence. Mr. Ban Ki-moon told the General Assembly Thursday that the Syrian people had been […]

Tags: , , , Posted in Middle East

Africa, Asia to Lead Future Urban Population Growth

Posted April 5th, 2012 at 2:40 pm (UTC-5)
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A new report says Africa and Asia will see the fastest urban population growth in the next four decades. A United Nations study issued Thursday says Africa’s urban population will increase almost three times, from 414 million to more 1.2 billion by 2050, and that’s Asia’s will grow from just under 2 billion to 3.3 […]

Tags: , , Posted in Africa

Russian Arms Dealer to be Sentenced

Posted April 5th, 2012 at 2:20 pm (UTC-5)
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Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout is to appear in a New York court Thursday to learn how long he will spend in prison on terrorism charges. Bout’s sentence could be anywhere from 25 years to life for his November 2011 conviction for trying to sell arms to Colombian rebels to use against Americans. Bout’s lawyer […]

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Malawi President Hospitalized

Posted April 5th, 2012 at 1:05 pm (UTC-5)
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Malawi’s vice president has asked the nation to pray for President Bingu wa Mutharika, who was rushed to a hospital in the capital Lilongwe on Thursday. Diplomatic sources say the 78-year-old leader collapsed earlier on Thursday after a suffering a heart problem. The government did not immediately confirm the illness or the president’s condition. In […]

Tags: , , , Posted in Africa

Greece Mourns Suicide of Pensioner Hit by Austerity Cuts

Posted April 5th, 2012 at 1:00 pm (UTC-5)
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A Greek pensioner who shot himself to death on Athens’ main square this week said he took his life because the government’s financial austerity measures left him virtually penniless. The retired pharmacist’s extreme action quickly made him a fateful symbol of the debt-ridden country’s economic plight. Greek newspapers published excerpts from a suicide note from […]

Tags: , , , Posted in Economy, Europe

US Gives New Aid to Horn After Poor Rains Predicted

Posted April 5th, 2012 at 12:20 pm (UTC-5)
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The United States is directing new humanitarian aid to the Horn of Africa, two days after a prediction of below-average rainfall in the region. The U.S. government said Thursday it will provide almost $50 million in additional aid to refugees and drought-affected communities in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. The three countries are still recovering from […]

Tags: , , , Posted in Africa

Envoy Says Syria Cease-fire Firm for April 12

Posted April 5th, 2012 at 12:20 pm (UTC-5)
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“Clearly, the violence is still continuing. Alarming levels of casualties and other abuses continue to be reported daily. Military operations in civilian population centers have not stopped.” The U.N. Security Council called on Damascus to “implement urgently and visibly” its commitments, including compliance with an April 10 deadline to pull its forces out of urban […]

Tags: , , , Posted in Middle East

Pakistan’s PM Criticizes US Bounty on Militant

Posted April 5th, 2012 at 12:10 pm (UTC-5)
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Pakistan is criticizing the U.S. decision to place a $10 million bounty on the founder of a militant group blamed for attacks in India. Hafiz Mohammad Saeed founded Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, which allegedly plotted the 2008 terrorist attack in India’s financial hub, Mumbai, that killed 166 people — including six Americans. The United States announced the […]

Tags: , , Posted in South Asia