Opposition groups in Kuwait say they have successfully boycotted a parliamentary election held under a new electoral law. Election officials say the turnout for Saturday’s election was lighter than usual with about 39 percent of eligible voters participating. Turnout for a parliamentary vote earlier this year was nearly 60 percent. Kuwaitis voted for all 50 […]
China Imprisons Local ‘Interceptors’
Posted December 2nd, 2012 at 5:10 am (UTC-5)
Chinese state media are reporting that a Beijing court has imprisoned 10 men for illegally detaining citizens who tried to lodge complaints with the central government. Under China’s “petitioning” system, people can request that the central government investigate abuses by local officials at a complaints office in the capital. However, Beijing’s Chaoyang District Court found […]
Pentagon Plans to Expand Intelligence Gathering
Posted December 2nd, 2012 at 4:55 am (UTC-5)
A leading U.S. newspaper says the Defense Department has an “ambitious” plan to assemble an espionage network, rivaling the Central Intelligence Agency in size. The Washington Post reported late Saturday the project is aimed at transforming the Defense Intelligence Agency into a spy service focused on emerging threats and more closely aligned with the CIA […]
Taliban Attacks NATO Base in Afghanistan
Posted December 2nd, 2012 at 3:20 am (UTC-5)
Afghan officials say suicide bombers attacked a U.S. and NATO military air base in the eastern region of the country Sunday morning. Officials say the attackers detonated two explosives-packed vehicles outside the airport entrance in Jalalabad, as several other attackers tried to break into the base. Authorities say one Afghan security official was killed and […]
Report: Iraq Is Major Weapons Route to Syria
Posted December 2nd, 2012 at 2:15 am (UTC-5)
A report in a prominent U.S. newspaper says the air corridor over Iraq has become a main supply route for weapons for the beleaguered government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The New York Times, in a story posted on its website late Saturday, said the American effort to stem the flow of Iranian arms to […]
7 Missing in Japan Tunnel Collapse
Posted December 2nd, 2012 at 2:05 am (UTC-5)
Japanese say at least seven people are missing after part of a highway tunnel collapsed early Sunday west of Tokyo. Television reports showed black smoke billowing from the 4.7 kilometer Sasago tunnel in Yamanashi prefecture, about 80 kilometers west of Tokyo. Firefighters put out the flames at 11 am , about three hours after the […]
Explosions Heard at US Base in Afghanistan
Posted December 2nd, 2012 at 12:30 am (UTC-5)
Afghan officials say a series of explosions and gunfire have rocked a U.S. and NATO military air base in eastern Afghanistan. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for the attack Sunday in Jalalabad. There was no immediate information about casualties. Details about the ongoing assault are still emerging.
Explosions Heard in Major Afghan City
Posted December 2nd, 2012 at 12:00 am (UTC-5)
A series of explosions and gunfire have rocked the Afghan city of Jalalabad. The Taliban has claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack. Some reports say the blasts took place at an airbase used by the U.S. military. Details about the assault are still emerging.
Congo Plane Crash Kills 30 Near Brazzaville
Posted December 1st, 2012 at 11:05 pm (UTC-5)
Emergency workers in the Republic of Congo say a cargo plane slammed into homes near Brazzaville’s airport Friday, killing at least 30 people. The victims include all six crew members of the Soviet-era cargo plane, as well as local people killed when the plane skidded off the runway and plowed into a residential area. Armenia’s […]
Japanese Highway Tunnel Collapses
Posted December 1st, 2012 at 10:25 pm (UTC-5)
Japanese police say a highway tunnel collapsed early Sunday west of Tokyo, trapping an undetermined number of vehicles. The incident at the Sasago tunnel occurred in the Tokyo-bound lanes of the Chuo Expressway, about 80 kilometers west of the capital. There are early reports that some vehicles are on fire, but police had no estimates […]
