A strong earthquake has struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The U.S. Geological Survey says the 6.6 magnitude quake struck late Saturday afternoon 56 kilometers from the town of Palu at a relatively shallow depth of 20 kilometers. There are no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The French news agency reports panicked residents in […]
Burma Forms Commission to Probe Sectarian Violence
Posted August 18th, 2012 at 5:25 am (UTC-5)
Burma has formed a commission to investigate deadly sectarian violence in western Rakhine state between Buddhists and the Muslim Rohingya minority in which dozens of people were killed and tens of thousands were displaced. The state New Light of Myanmar newspaper said Saturday that the 27-member commission is mandated to find the circumstances behind the […]
4 Killed in U.S. Drone Strike in Pakistan
Posted August 18th, 2012 at 5:10 am (UTC-5)
Pakistani security officials say a U.S. drone attack in a tribal region has killed at least four people. Authorities say two missiles were fired Saturday in the attack in North Waziristan, a region near the Afghan border considered a stronghold of Taliban and al-Qaida militants. Drone strikes are a contentious issue between Washington and Islamabad. […]
4 Killed in Afghanistan Blast
Posted August 18th, 2012 at 4:10 am (UTC-5)
Officials in western Afghanistan say a bomb blast has killed four people. A Herat province spokesman says 12 people were wounded by the blast Saturday, including three policemen. Authorities say the bomb exploded in a Shindand district market.
UN Appoints New Envoy to Syria
Posted August 18th, 2012 at 3:00 am (UTC-5)
The United Nations on Friday confirmed that veteran Algerian diplomat Lakhdar Brahimi will take over as international envoy to Syria, replacing former U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan, who is stepping down at the end of the month. Brahimi was Algeria’s foreign minister from 1991 to 1993 and later became a U.N. envoy in Afghanistan and Iraq. […]
UN Chief Condemn’s Iran’s Anti-Israel Rhetoric
Posted August 18th, 2012 at 1:45 am (UTC-5)
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon sharply rebuked Iran’s supreme leader and president Friday, describing their latest anti-Israel rhetoric as “offensive and inflammatory.” At a rally Friday, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahamadinejad told thousands of screaming worshippers at Tehran University that a new Middle East would have no trace of Americans or Israelis. Earlier this week, Iranian media […]
