Iranian lawmakers have called for a special investigation into the death of a dissident blogger detained by the country’s cyber police last year. In a report published Sunday, Iran’s parliamentary committee on national security and foreign policy said a new investigation is needed because of signs that Sattar Beheshti died of shock and other wounds […]
Iranian Lawmakers Demand Special Probe of Blogger’s Death
Posted January 6th, 2013 at 10:35 am (UTC-5)
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South African Presidency says Mandela’s Health Improving
Posted January 6th, 2013 at 9:45 am (UTC-5)
South Africa’s presidency says former president Nelson Mandela has recovered from his recent lung infection and surgery to remove gallstones. A statement from President Jacob Zuma’s office says Mr. Mandela has made steady progress and continues to improve. Mr. Mandela has been receiving treatment at his Johannesburg home. The 94-year-old anti-apartheid icon was hospitalized for […]
Tentative Deal in North American Hockey Lockout
Posted January 6th, 2013 at 9:45 am (UTC-5)
North America’s professional hockey league could resume play in the coming weeks, after owners and the player’s union reached a tentative labor agreement. National Hockey League Commissioner Gary Bettman announced the agreement early Sunday, saying “there is still a lot of work to be done but the basic framework of the deal has been agreed […]
India Rape Victim’s Father Wants to Publicize Daughter’s Name
Posted January 6th, 2013 at 9:40 am (UTC-5)
The father of the Indian woman who was brutally gang-raped and later died from severe injuries says he wants to reveal his daughter’s identity in order to embolden other sexual crime victims. The father told Britain’s Sunday People newspaper that his daughter “didn’t do anything wrong” and that “she died while protecting herself.” He said […]
Syria’s Assad Offers Dialogue, Slams Rebels in Rare Speech
Posted January 6th, 2013 at 9:30 am (UTC-5)
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has made a rare public speech reiterating support for a political solution to his country’s civil war, while also denouncing opposition forces as “terrorists” and urging his people to fight them. In his first national address since last June, Mr. Assad appeared at the Damascus Opera House on Sunday, telling a […]
Police Search for Missing in Fire Australia Wildfires
Posted January 6th, 2013 at 9:15 am (UTC-5)
Raging wildfires are continuing to burn through southern Australia, where concerns are focused on about 100 people who may be missing. Australian firefighters, using helicopter and planes, are battling the blazes across the state of Tasmania, where the fires flared Friday after a record summer heat wave that pushed temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius. Acting […]
Canadian Who Sheltered Americans During Iran Hostage Crisis Dies
Posted January 6th, 2013 at 7:30 am (UTC-5)
(corrects year in graph 5 to 1979) John Sheardown, a former Canadian diplomat who sheltered fugitive American Embassy staffers in his Tehran home during the Iran hostage crisis more than three decades ago, has died. He was 88 years old. Sheardown had been treated for Alzheimer’s disease and other ailments before his death December 30 […]
Israel to Build Syrian Border Fence
Posted January 6th, 2013 at 7:10 am (UTC-5)
Israel’s prime minister has proposed construction of a security fence in the Golan Heights to separate territory controlled by Israel from Syria. Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday at the weekly cabinet meeting the new fence is needed because “the Syrian army has backed off and global jihad operatives have taken its place.” The prime minister said […]
Afghan President Meets With US Senate Delegation
Posted January 6th, 2013 at 6:40 am (UTC-5)
Afghan President Hamid Karzai has met with a delegation of U.S. senators in Kabul ahead of his talks with President Barack Obama in Washington. The delegation was headed by Senator Carl Levin, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee. The Afghan president’s office says the meeting Saturday focused on a range of issues, including the […]
Syria’s Assad Gives First Speech in Months
Posted January 6th, 2013 at 6:30 am (UTC-5)
Syria’s president has called for national mobilization to fight against rebels he says are “al-Qaida terrorists.” Bashar al-Assad said Sunday in his first speech in months that there is “no joy while security and stability are absent” on Syrian streets. Mr. Assad, who spoke at the opera house in central Damascus, said Syrian forces are […]
