The head of the United Nations monitoring mission in Syria told the Security Council Tuesday his team has been repeatedly targeted by gunfire but is committed to staying in the war-torn country. Major General Robert Mood of Norway said Tuesday that questions about canceling the mission were premature, noting “We are not going anywhere.” U.N. […]
US Probe Calls for Punishment of Troops in Quran Burning
Posted June 19th, 2012 at 8:45 pm (UTC-5)
A U.S. military investigation into the burning of Qurans at Bagram Air Base near the Afghan capital, Kabul, last February has recommended disciplinary action against up to seven troops. U.S. military officials said Tuesday no final decision has been made yet on the findings of the probe. According to the officials, one member of the […]
Obama: Europe’s Economic Crisis Entirely Solvable
Posted June 19th, 2012 at 8:45 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. President Barack Obama says he is confident European leaders can resolve the continent’s economic problems, saying these are not dysfunctional and unproductive countries. Speaking to reporters after the G20 summit in Los Cabos Mexico Tuesday, Mr. Obama says all of Europe’s problems are entirely solvable. He described the economic crisis as a complex combination […]
Egypt’s Mubarak on Life Support as Protests Swell
Posted June 19th, 2012 at 8:25 pm (UTC-5)
Egyptian security sources say ousted President Hosni Mubarak is unconscious and on a respirator after he was rushed from prison to a military hospital following a stroke. Earlier reports by the state news agency MENA said Mubarak’s doctors had declared the former leader “clinically dead” when he arrived at Maadi Hospital in southern Cairo after […]
EU Set to Ease Greek Bailout Terms
Posted June 19th, 2012 at 8:15 pm (UTC-5)
The European Union says it is set to ease the strict austerity conditions of Greece’s financial bailout, possibly agreeing to changes in the rescue package in the next few months. With Greece on the verge of forming a new coalition government after Sunday’s parliamentary elections, one EU official anonymously said given the country’s worsening economic […]
Chief Monitor: UN Team Repeatedly Targeted in Syria
Posted June 19th, 2012 at 7:40 pm (UTC-5)
The head of the U.N. monitoring mission in Syria, General Robert Mood of Norway, told the Security Council Tuesday his team was repeatedly targeted by gunfire before his decision to suspend operations in the country. U.N. diplomats present at the briefing on Syria said General Mood told the 15-member council that his 300-strong unarmed team […]
Delegates at Rio Environmental Summit Draft Agreement
Posted June 19th, 2012 at 7:15 pm (UTC-5)
Delegates in Rio de Janeiro have agreed on a draft document for world leaders to sign at this week’s Rio Plus 20 environmental summit. The draft calls for protecting the health of the globe while working to lift billions out of poverty through conserving natural resources instead of squandering them. Very few details from the […]
Aung San Suu Kyi Thanks Britain for Years of Support
Posted June 19th, 2012 at 6:45 pm (UTC-5)
Burma’s opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi thanked the British people for two-and-a-half decades of support during the start of her visit to Britain Tuesday, on her 67th birthday. She left the country and her husband and sons there 24 years ago when she returned to Burma to take care of her sick mother. She […]
US: 17 Governments Complicit in Human Trafficking
Posted June 19th, 2012 at 6:40 pm (UTC-5)
The U.S. State Department says 17 countries are doing almost nothing to fight human trafficking and may be complicit in such crimes. In its annual human trafficking report, the State Department calls those 17 nations countries of origin, transit, or destinations for such crimes as sex slavery, forced labor, and recruiting child soldiers. At a […]
Conflicting Reports on Mubarak’s Death
Posted June 19th, 2012 at 6:30 pm (UTC-5)
Egyptian security sources say ousted President Hosni Mubarak is unconscious and on a respirator, contradicting earlier reports by the country’s state news agency that said his doctors had declared the former leader clinically dead. Military officials acknowledged early Wednesday that Mubarak had suffered a stroke, but said he is currently “using artificial respiration” and that […]
