Calm has reportedly returned to the east African nation of Eritrea a day after a group of mutinous soldiers attempted to take over the country’s information ministry. More than 100 dissident soldiers stormed the ministry in Asmara early Monday, ordering state television announcers to read a statement calling for the release of political prisoners and […]
Syria Activists: Car Bomb Toll at Least 42
Posted January 22nd, 2013 at 11:40 am (UTC-5)
Syrian rights activists say the death toll from a suicide car bombing in the central province of Hama late Monday has risen to at least 42 people. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the attack targeted a building used by pro-government militiamen in the town of Salamiyah. It said civilians were among the […]
Japan Moves to Stimulate Its Stalled Economy
Posted January 22nd, 2013 at 11:00 am (UTC-5)
Japan’s central bank is embarking on an American-like plan to stimulate the country’s stalled economy by pumping more money into it. The Bank of Japan, under pressure from the new government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, agreed Tuesday to double its inflation target to 2 percent and stimulate the world’s third largest economy for an […]
Car Bombs Kill 16 in Iraq
Posted January 22nd, 2013 at 6:30 am (UTC-5)
A wave of car bombings in and around the Iraqi capital has killed at least 16 people. The blasts Tuesday included an attack near an army base in Taji, 25 kilometers north of Baghdad, which killed six people and wounded at least 20 others. Another car bomb killed five people, including two soldiers, near a […]
Charles Taylor Appeals War Crimes Case
Posted January 22nd, 2013 at 4:55 am (UTC-5)
Former Liberian president Charles Taylor is appealing his war crimes conviction and 50-year sentence for acts of terrorism, murder, rape and recruiting child soldiers during Sierra Leone’s decade-long civil war. The U.N.-backed Special Court of Sierra Leone in The Hague began hearing two days of oral arguments Tuesday. Taylor’s lawyers argued for eliminating or shortening […]
British Women Gets Death Sentence for Drug Smuggling in Bali
Posted January 22nd, 2013 at 4:25 am (UTC-5)
An Indonesian court has sentenced a British woman to death for attempting to smuggle drugs into the resort island of Bali. Fifty-six-year-old Lindsay Sandiford cried when she heard the sentence Tuesday, but did not comment as she was escorted back to jail. Although Indonesia has notoriously strict drug laws, the sentence was harsher than expected. […]
Japanese Lawmaker in China for Talks on Island Dispute
Posted January 22nd, 2013 at 2:45 am (UTC-5)
A Japanese ruling party envoy is in China for talks aimed at reducing tensions over a bitter territorial dispute. Natsuo Yamaguchi arrived Tuesday in Beijing, where he is delivering a letter from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Yamaguchi hopes to meet with new Chinese leader Xi Jinping and other senior leaders during his four-day visit. […]
17 Die from Cold in Afghan Refugee Camps
Posted January 22nd, 2013 at 2:40 am (UTC-5)
The rights group Amnesty International says 17 people have died from cold weather conditions in Afghan refugee camps, and it warns against a repeat of last year, when 100 people died in the camps due to a lack of assistance. Amnesty made the announcement Tuesday, saying that most of the 17 who died in the […]
Israelis Vote in Election Favoring Netanyahu
Posted January 22nd, 2013 at 1:40 am (UTC-5)
Israelis are voting Tuesday in a parliamentary election that is expected to bring a third term for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Opinion polls leading up to the vote have shown an alliance of Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud party and the nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party winning the most seats. The centrist, main opposition Labor party and the […]
US, China Reach Deal on Tightening UN Sanctions on North Korea: Diplomats
Posted January 22nd, 2013 at 1:30 am (UTC-5)
Diplomats at the United Nations say the United States has reached a deal with China on tightening international sanctions against North Korea for its December rocket launch. The diplomats say the U.S. circulated a draft resolution to the 15-member U.N. Security Council. It could vote as early as Tuesday to punish North Korea for the […]
