Rescuers continue searching Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbor for survivors of a ferry boat collision that killed 36 people who were headed to watch a holiday fireworks show. The ferry, belonging to the Hong Kong Electric Company, sank within minutes of colliding with another passenger boat late Monday, leaving little time for passengers to put on […]
Activists Report Continued Syria Shelling Amid UN Concerns
Posted October 2nd, 2012 at 5:25 am (UTC-5)
Syrian activists are reporting continued deadly shelling by government forces, a day after U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern about the ongoing aerial and artillery attacks. Activists said shelling in the Damascus suburb Douma killed two people Tuesday, and that government forces blasted other rebel strongholds outside the capital. The Local Coordination Committees said attacks […]
Report: Great Barrier Reef Has Lost Half its Coral in Three Decades
Posted October 2nd, 2012 at 3:55 am (UTC-5)
A new study has found that Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest living organism, has lost more than half its coral in the past three decades. Scientists from the Australian Institute of Marine Science say damage from cyclones and a population explosion of predatory “crown of thorns” starfish are mostly to blame for devastating […]
Rights Group Urges Burma to Drop Charges Against Peace Activists
Posted October 2nd, 2012 at 3:15 am (UTC-5)
Human Rights Watch is urging Burma to drop charges against activists who led protests to mark the United Nations’ International Peace Day without government permission. The New York-based group said Tuesday that up to 13 activists face possible charges for organizing last month’s peaceful demonstrations, which called for an end to violence against ethnic minority […]
Two S.Korean Nuclear Reactors Shut Down Due to Malfunction
Posted October 2nd, 2012 at 12:55 am (UTC-5)
Two South Korean nuclear power reactors have been shut down following apparently unrelated malfunctions. Officials say there is no danger of a radiation leak. South Korean nuclear operators say the Shingori-1 reactor, near the city of Busan, was shut down early Tuesday following a control rod malfunction. A short time later, the number 5 reactor […]
US Slams ‘Harsh’ Sentence Against Cambodia Gov’t Critic
Posted October 2nd, 2012 at 12:25 am (UTC-5)
The United States says it is “deeply concerned” at the conviction of a prominent Cambodian land rights campaigner who was sentenced to 20 years in prison on insurrection charges. In a statement Monday, the State Department characterized the sentence against Mam Sonando as “harsh” and called on the Cambodian government to immediately release the 71-year-old. […]
