A huge Shell Oil drilling rig has run aground in a storm off the rugged coast of the remote U.S. state of Alaska. The U.S. Coast Guard said the Kulluk rig broke free from one ship handling it in rough seas in the Gulf of Alaska on New Year’s Eve and then was cut loose […]
60 Crushed to Death in Ivory Coast
Posted January 1st, 2013 at 10:05 am (UTC-5)
Officials in Ivory Coast say at least 60 people were crushed to death during a stampede at a New Year’s celebration in Abidjan. At least 50 others were injured in the incident, which took place early Tuesday in the Plateau district, at a stadium where people had gathered to watch fireworks. AIP television in Ivory […]
Thousands in Hong Kong Protest Against China-Backed Leader
Posted January 1st, 2013 at 7:50 am (UTC-5)
Thousands of protesters in Hong Kong are calling for the city’s scandal-ridden chief executive to step down and demanding that China allow them to elect their own leaders. Police say about 17,000 protesters joined a New Year’s Day march through the city, holding signs and chanting slogans demanding the Beijing-backed chief executive Leung Chun-ying step […]
60 Crushed to Death in Ivory Coast
Posted January 1st, 2013 at 7:25 am (UTC-5)
Officials in Ivory Coast say at least 60 people were crushed to death in a stampede early Tuesday in Abidjan. Rescuers say another 200 were injured in the incident, which took place at a stadium where people had gathered to watch a New Year’s fireworks display. There was no initial word on what caused the […]
Gunmen Kill 7 in NW Pakistan
Posted January 1st, 2013 at 7:00 am (UTC-5)
Police in northwestern Pakistan say gunmen have ambushed a vehicle carrying aid workers, killing seven people. Authorities said the victims in the attack Tuesday were Pakistani citizens and included at least five female teachers. The shooting happened in Swabi, about 75 kilometers northwest of Islamabad. The driver of the vehicle was also wounded in the […]
In New Year’s Speech, Burma’s President Vows More Transparent Communication
Posted January 1st, 2013 at 5:50 am (UTC-5)
Burmese President Thein Sein has vowed to do a better job of communicating with the nation, as he delivered his first ever New Year’s speech on Tuesday. In a five-minute radio address, the reformist leader promised a new campaign of more direct, transparent communication with the people, saying mutual trust was key to the country’s […]
New Year’s Celebrations Unfold Around the World
Posted January 1st, 2013 at 1:35 am (UTC-5)
Burma’s largest city, Rangoon, staged a large New Year’s Eve party for the first time, as the country emerges from a decades-long military dictatorship that typically banned large public gatherings. In the southern Philippines, the festive mood was overshadowed by the devastation from a typhoon that killed more than 1,000 people in early December. And […]
NYT Reporter ‘Forced Out’ of China Following Visa Issue
Posted January 1st, 2013 at 1:20 am (UTC-5)
China has forced the departure of a New York Times journalist after failing to renew his visa, prompting fresh accusations that Beijing is retaliating against foreign media because of coverage critical of the Communist Party. The Times says correspondent Chris Buckley “was forced to leave mainland China” Monday after authorities declined to issue him a […]
N. Korea’s Kim Calls for More Weapons, End to Confrontation
Posted January 1st, 2013 at 12:25 am (UTC-5)
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has used a New Year speech to call for the development of more advanced weapons, as well as an “end to confrontation” on the Korean peninsula. In the surprise address broadcast Tuesday on state television, Mr. Kim called on his country to hold fast “to the ideals of independence, […]
