China’s largest microblogging service is unveiling a controversial new set of guidelines that aims to officially restrict what its users can post online. Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like service with 300 million users, has been under increasing government pressure in recent months to more aggressively censor its content. Earlier this week, it unveiled a wide-ranging user […]
Yemen Missile Strike Kills 8 Militants
Posted May 10th, 2012 at 4:15 am (UTC-5)
Missile strikes have killed eight suspected militants in an al-Qaida stronghold in Yemen, days after the U.S. announced it stopped a terrorist plot by the group’s Yemen branch. Local residents say the missile strikes occurred early Thursday in the southern town of Jaar, which is in a region used as a base by al-Qaida in […]
China Travel Agencies Suspend Tours to Philippines Amid Maritime Dispute
Posted May 10th, 2012 at 3:40 am (UTC-5)
Several Chinese travel agencies have suspended tours to the Philippines, amid an escalating, month-long standoff over a group of uninhabited islands in the South China Sea. The official Xinhua news agency said Thursday that China’s largest online travel service company, Ctrip.com, and several other travel agencies suspended tours to the Philippines and will not accept […]
Explosions Rock Syrian Capital
Posted May 10th, 2012 at 3:00 am (UTC-5)
Two powerful explosions have ripped through a Damascus neighborhood as U.N. monitors try to enforce a shaky cease-fire between the Syrian government and rebels. Syrian state-run media say dozens of people were killed or wounded in Thursday’s blasts, which were described as terrorists bombings. The SANA news agency showed photos of charred vehicles and human […]
Chinese State Media Defend Expulsion of Al-Jazeera Reporter
Posted May 10th, 2012 at 2:10 am (UTC-5)
Chinese state media are defending the government’s decision earlier this week to expel Al-Jazeera reporter Melissa Chan, who is believed to be the first foreign correspondent in 14 years to be kicked out of the country. A Thursday editorial in the Communist Party-affiliated Global Times acknowledged that authorities did not give a specific reason for […]
Explosions Rock Syrian Capital
Posted May 10th, 2012 at 2:00 am (UTC-5)
Two powerful explosions have rocked Damascus as U.N. monitors try to enforce a shaky cease-fire between the Syrian government and rebels. Witnesses say the blasts, which occurred early Thursday, sent plums of smoke billowing into the air, but the cause of the explosions was not immediately clear. In another development, activists reported intense government shelling […]
UN Chief Urges Sudan, South Sudan to Resume Negotiations
Posted May 10th, 2012 at 1:30 am (UTC-5)
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has called on Sudan and South Sudan to “disengage” and return to negotiations after recent reports of fighting along their border. Speaking to the U.N. General Assembly in New York Wednesday, Mr. Ban said another element in consolidating peace between the two countries is for each to address internal issues. “The […]
Algerians Voting in First Elections Since Arab Spring
Posted May 10th, 2012 at 1:25 am (UTC-5)
Algeria is holding its first elections since the Arab Spring, but distrust of promised government reforms could lead to low voter turnout. Voters are casting ballots, on Thursday, for the 462-member parliament. About half of the 44 political parties competing in races were just legalized this year. In April 2011, President Abdelaziz Bouteflika announced a […]
Federal Reserve Approves China’s First Takeover of U.S. Bank
Posted May 10th, 2012 at 1:10 am (UTC-5)
The U.S. Federal Reserve has given the go-ahead for state-owned Chinese banks to enter the U.S. banking market. The U.S. central bank on Wednesday approved an application by China’s biggest bank – the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China – to buy an 80 percent stake in the U.S. branch of the Bank of East […]
Rescuers in Indonesia Locate Wreckage of Russian Jetliner
Posted May 10th, 2012 at 12:25 am (UTC-5)
Indonesian rescue helicopters have spotted the wreckage of a Russian jetliner that disappeared Wednesday during a demonstration flight with up to 50 people on board. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said the crashed Sukhoi Superjet 100 was found Thursday on the edge of Mount Salak, a volcanic mountain range south of the capital, Jakarta. “The […]
