Russia’s upper house of parliament has approved a bill that dramatically raises fines for people involved in unauthorized rallies, hours after the lower house passed the measure. The Federation Council voted 132 to one Wednesday in favor of the bill with one abstention. To become law, it needs the signature of President Vladimir Putin, whose […]
Russia’s Upper House Passes Bill to Increase Protest Fines
Posted June 6th, 2012 at 9:25 am (UTC-5)
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US Defense Secretary: No End to Drone Strikes in Pakistan
Posted June 6th, 2012 at 9:00 am (UTC-5)
The United States has no plans to curtail drone attacks on Pakistani soil, saying its right to target terrorist leaders “is about our sovereignty.” U.S. Defense secretary Leon Panetta issued the defense of the strikes Wednesday, during a visit to New Delhi. He said Washington has always made it very clear that it will defend […]
Syrian Troops Kill 7 in Coastal Area
Posted June 6th, 2012 at 8:50 am (UTC-5)
A Syrian rights group says government troops have killed at least seven people in a second day of fighting with rebels in a previously calm coastal region where no U.N. observers have been deployed. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said military helicopters and tanks opened fire on several towns in the northwestern province […]
Suicide Bombings Kill 22 in Southern Afghanistan
Posted June 6th, 2012 at 8:20 am (UTC-5)
Officials in southern Afghanistan say suicide bombers have killed at least 22 civilians near a NATO air base. Authorities say two bombers struck a parking area packed with truck drivers and others waiting to get into the facility in Kandahar province Wednesday. One attacker on a motorcycle set off the first blast, and as people […]
Vietnamese Dissident Gets 5 Years in Jail for Leaflets
Posted June 6th, 2012 at 7:20 am (UTC-5)
A court in southern Vietnam has sentenced a dissident to five years in prison for distributing anti-government material. Report say 53-year-old Phan Ngoc Tuan was found guilty Wednesday of collaborating with “reactionary groups and individuals” to spread documents defaming the Communist state. The court in Ninh Thuan province also ordered Tuan to serve three years […]
Chinese Environmental Officials to Stop Counting ‘Blue Sky Days’
Posted June 6th, 2012 at 5:30 am (UTC-5)
Chinese authorities say they will no longer use the imprecise method of counting “blue sky days” as a measure of air quality in the country’s heavily polluted capital city. The state-run China Daily newspaper on Wednesday quoted a senior environmental official in Beijing as saying that the measurement was “only an average figure and can […]
Syria’s Assad Names New PM
Posted June 6th, 2012 at 5:25 am (UTC-5)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has appointed the agriculture minister from his outgoing Cabinet as the country’s new prime minister Wednesday state television said Mr. Assad had asked Riad Farid Hijab to form a government, marking the next step of what the president has called a political reform process. Syria’s parliamentary election on May 7 was […]
Suicide Bombings Kill 22 in Southern Afghanistan
Posted June 6th, 2012 at 5:20 am (UTC-5)
Officials in southern Afghanistan say suicide bombers have killed at least 22 civilians in an attack on a parking lot where trucks wait to supply a nearby NATO air base. Authorities say a bomber on a motorcycle set off the first blast Wednesday in Kandahar, and as people rushed to help the victims, a second […]
Study Details Political Caste System in North Korea
Posted June 6th, 2012 at 4:25 am (UTC-5)
A U.S.-based human rights group has released a report detailing how North Korea ranks its citizens based on their family’s loyalty to the Kim dynasty in what it says amounts to an oppressive political caste system. The study released Wednesday by the U.S. Committee for Human Rights in North Korea says all of the country’s […]
US, Indian Defense Chiefs Hold ‘Productive’ Talks
Posted June 6th, 2012 at 4:10 am (UTC-5)
The Pentagon says U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta had a “productive meeting” with his Indian counterpart, ahead of a policy speech on U.S.-India defense ties. Before the talks Wednesday in New Delhi, the Pentagon said Panetta and Indian Defense Minister A.K. Antony would discuss strengthening military cooperation between the two countries. The U.S. defense chief […]
