It’s official — President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden have been reelected to a second term. A joint session of the U.S. Congress counted the electoral votes Friday and certified Mr. Obama the winner 332 to Republican Mitt Romney’s 206. Even though the outcome of the 2012 presidential race was known on election […]
Congress Certifies Obama Reelected President
Water-Rich Meteorite Originated in Martian Crust
A piece of Mars that fell to Earth and was found in the Sahara desert in 2011 has revealed surprising new details about the Red Planet. Researchers from the University of New Mexico say the Martian rock represents a new class of meteorite they believe came from Mars’s crust. The scientists have determined that the […]
Fatah Holds First Rally in Gaza Since 2007
Tens of thousands of Palestinians from the Fatah faction held a mass rally in Gaza Friday for the first time since the rival Islamic militant group Hamas seized control of the territory in a brief civil war in 2007. The more moderate Fatah rules the West Bank, but as peace talks with Israel have deadlocked, […]
Record Interest in Auschwitz-Birkenau Death Camp
Officials at Poland’s World War Two Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp say the site hosted a record number of tourists in 2012. In a statement on the museum’s website Friday, officials said more than 1.4 million visitors toured the Holocaust memorial site in southern Poland last year. The visitors came from all over the world, including Poland, […]
Explosions Rock Damascus Neighborhoods
Opposition activists say Syrian warplanes bombed targets near Damascus on Friday, a day after an explosion in the capital left at least nine people dead. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says government shelling is underway in areas including Douma, a rebel stronghold. The state-run SANA news news agency says “terrorists” detonated explosives at […]
Fatah Holds Giant Rally in Gaza
Thousands of Palestinians have jammed into main squares of Gaza City for the first rally marking the founding of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah political group since 2007. Fatah supporters chanted and waved yellow and black flags, on Friday, as they marked the party’s 48th anniversary. The group was founded by the late Palestinian leader […]
Pakistani Girl Discharged from British Hospital
The Pakistani schoolgirl who was shot by the Taliban for her crusade for the education of girls has been discharged from the British hospital where she was being treated. The hospital said 15-year-old Malala Yousafzai was strong enough to be released from Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. The doctors said she would continue her recovery […]
South Korea, Japan Hold Diplomatic Talks
South Korea’s president-elect has met with an envoy of Japan’s new Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in a bid to start a process to mend bitter disputes. President-elect Park Geun-hye met Friday in the South Korean capital of Seoul with former Japanese finance minister Fukushiro Nukaga. Ms. Park said she hopes that as new governments take […]
Karzai, Obama to Discuss Future in Washington
Afghan President Hamid Karzai is scheduled to leave Monday for Washington to hold talks with President Barack Obama. U.S. State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland said Thursday “there’s a lot to talk about” during Mr. Karzai’s visit. She said the discussions are expected to touch on everything from post-2014 U.S. military and financial assistance to wider […]
$1.4 Billion Settlement with US for 2010 Gulf Oil Spill
The owner of the oil rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico in 2010 and caused the worst spill in U.S. history will pay more than $1 billion in fines. Under a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department, Transocean Deepwater acknowledged Thursday that it was criminally negligent when it failed to investigate evidence that […]