China has expelled Al-Jazeera’s lone English-language reporter in Beijing and is refusing to allow the pan-Arab news network to replace her. The Qatar-based network says that it “had no other choice” but to close its English-language Beijing bureau, after China failed to renew the accreditation of Melissa Chan or allow for her replacement. The Foreign […]
UN Observers Head for Homs
Posted May 8th, 2012 at 7:05 am (UTC-5)
The United Nations mission in Syria’s capital has set out for the battered city, Homs, as observers continue to monitor the fragile truce between the government and rebels. The U.N. mission moved north from their base in Damascus Tuesday to join up with other monitors, just hours after parliament elections. Major opposition groups have dismissed […]
US Foils Al-Qaida Airliner Bomb Plot
Posted May 8th, 2012 at 7:00 am (UTC-5)
FBI experts are examining the bomb intended for use in an al-Qaida plot aimed at destroying a U.S.-bound passenger jet. U.S. government officials announced Monday that the al-Qaida branch in Yemen intended to put a suicide bomber aboard a U.S.-bound jet with explosives concealed in the individual’s underwear. The plot was detected and the bomb […]
Mortar Attack Kills 7 in Somali Capital
Posted May 8th, 2012 at 6:50 am (UTC-5)
Witnesses say a mortar attack in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, has killed seven people. The witnesses said Tuesday that the victims of the overnight shelling included a family with two children. Security in Mogadishu has improved since Somali and African Union troops pushed al-Shabab militants out of the city. But attacks still continue, including a […]
China Expels Al-Jazeera English Reporter
Posted May 8th, 2012 at 6:40 am (UTC-5)
Al-Jazeera says it has been forced to close its English language news operation in China after authorities refused to renew the media credentials and visa of its only correspondent in Beijing. The Qatar-based television network said Monday that it “had no other choice” than to close its Beijing bureau after China failed to renew the […]
Thailand’s ‘Uncle SMS’ Dies in Jail
Posted May 8th, 2012 at 5:55 am (UTC-5)
A Thai grandfather sentenced to 20 years in prison for sending text messages that were considered insulting to the country’s royal family has died while in jail. The lawyer of Ampon Tangnoppakul said Tuesday his 62-year-old client died at a correctional hospital after complaining of stomach pains. His cause of death is not known. In […]
Clinton Urges More Pakistani Action Against Terrorism
Posted May 8th, 2012 at 5:50 am (UTC-5)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says Pakistan should do more to combat terrorism, and that the United States is committed to going after Pakistan-based terror groups that threaten the U.S., Afghanistan and other allies. After talks Tuesday in New Delhi with her Indian counterpart S.M. Krishna, Clinton told reporters the United States and India […]
Greece’s Syriza Party Tries to Form Government
Posted May 8th, 2012 at 5:50 am (UTC-5)
Greece’s radical left party, Syriza, will try to form a unity government after mainstream conservatives failed to cobble together a coalition. The head of Greece’s conservative New Democracy party, Antonis Samaras, announced Monday he was unable to form a coalition government after rejections from several party leaders. The New Democracy party won the most votes […]
China Says Ready for ‘Escalation’ in Maritime Dispute With Philippines
Posted May 8th, 2012 at 4:20 am (UTC-5)
China says it is ready to respond to “any escalation” by the Philippines, as a tense, month-long standoff continues over a disputed group of islands in the South China Sea. The state-run Xinhua news agency on Tuesday quoted Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying as saying Beijing is not optimistic about the dispute over the Scarborough […]
US, China to Cooperate on Cyber Security
Posted May 8th, 2012 at 3:25 am (UTC-5)
Senior Chinese and U.S. defense officials have agreed to cooperate on cyber security threats, despite recent accusations that China is behind several cyber attacks against U.S. networks. The announcement came Monday as China’s Defense Minister Liang Guanglie met in Washington with his U.S. counterpart, Leon Panetta. Panetta said it was important for both countries to […]
