U.S. ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter is to step down later this summer after serving almost two years in the diplomatic post. A U.S. officials said Tuesday that Munster had been considering to stay for another year but decided to move on. The official denied speculations that the move was related to poor a relationship […]
US Lawmakers Welcome Passport Issuance for Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi
Posted May 8th, 2012 at 5:45 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. lawmakers have welcomed the news that Burma has issued a passport to opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, allowing her to travel abroad for the first time in 24 years. Senator John Kerry, a Democrat from Massachusetts, expressed hope Tuesday that Burma’s democratic leader can visit the United States, as he recalled meeting her […]
Russian Duma Confirms Medvedev as PM
Posted May 8th, 2012 at 5:05 pm (UTC-5)
Russia’s lower house of parliament has approved Dmitry Medvedev as prime minister after he was nominated by newly inaugurated President Vladimir Putin. Lawmakers voted to confirm Mr. Medvedev 299 to 144. He has swapped jobs with Mr. Putin, who, until his inauguration Monday, was prime minister for four years. The job swap has angered many […]
US Official: Al-Qaida Bomber No Longer a Threat
Posted May 8th, 2012 at 4:10 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. authorities are confident a suspected al-Qaida suicide bomber is no longer a threat to the American people. The Obama administration’s top counter-terrorism advisor, John Brennan, spoke Tuesday on the U.S. television network ABC, a day after U.S. officials said al-Qaida’s branch in Yemen intended to put a suicide bomber on a U.S.-bound jet with […]
Karzai: Afghan Civilian Deaths Could Undermine US Pact
Posted May 8th, 2012 at 4:10 pm (UTC-5)
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has warned that civilian casualties inflicted by NATO airstrikes could undermine the recently signed strategic partnership with the United States. A statement issued by the presidential office late Monday said that “if the lives of Afghan people are not safe, the document would lose its meaning.” The Afghan leader was referring […]
US Says Natural Gas Pipelines Under Cyber Attack
Posted May 8th, 2012 at 2:40 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. security officials say that the country’s natural gas pipeline operators have been targeted in a series of cyber attacks over the last several months. The country’s Homeland Security agency said Tuesday the attacks involve “sophisticated spear-phishing” — fake emails that appear to be legitimate to employees at the natural gas companies –designed to try […]
Aid Group: Afghanistan No Longer Worst Place in World for Mothers
Posted May 8th, 2012 at 1:45 pm (UTC-5)
Save the Children says for the first time in two years Afghanistan is not the worst place to be a mother in the world. In its annual report released Tuesday, the international aid group ranked Afghanistan number two after Niger due to improvements in maternal and child health. The index looks at factors such as […]
Ukraine’s Tymoshenko Plans to End Hunger Strike
Posted May 8th, 2012 at 1:40 pm (UTC-5)
The daughter of jailed former Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko says her mother will end her hunger strike, after agreeing to be hospitalized and treated by a German doctor. Yevgenia Tymoshenko says her mother will be transferred Wednesday to a hospital in the city of Kharkiv, where she is imprisoned. Ms. Tymoshenko has been on […]
Turkish Security Forces Detain 28 Rebels, Kill 5
Posted May 8th, 2012 at 1:35 pm (UTC-5)
Turkish police say they have detained 28 people in simultaneous raids across six provinces in connection with probes into an outlawed Kurdish rebel group. The National Police Department said Tuesday police conducted raids against Kurdistan Communities Union in Sanliurfa, Diyarbakir, Istanbul, Eskisehir, Mus and Ankara. The detainees include Fatma Izol, head of the Sanliurfa branch […]
Envoy: Syrian Troops Intensify Mass Arrests
Posted May 8th, 2012 at 1:25 pm (UTC-5)
International envoy Kofi Annan says that Syrian troops appear to be intensifying mass arrests and torture in rebellious communities. Diplomats say Mr. Annan made the comments on Tuesday in a closed briefing to the U.N. Security Council via video conference from Geneva. He later told reporters that the United Nations cannot allow Syria to descend […]
