Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko is warning the opposition not to march against Sunday’s parliamentary elections, which opponents call a sham. Mr. Lukashenko called the opposition “cowards” who have nothing to say to the people. He said the world should admire what he called the “boring” elections in Belarus that he said are carried out with […]
Lukashenko Warns Opposition Not to March Against Parliamentary Vote
Posted September 23rd, 2012 at 4:35 pm (UTC-5)
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Belarus Holds Elections Boycotted by Opposition
Posted September 23rd, 2012 at 10:00 am (UTC-5)
Election officials in Belarus say a parliamentary election has reached the minimum required voter turnout of 50 percent. The country’s election commission says the threshold was reached late Sunday, in a vote opposition parties are calling a sham. The main opposition parties in Belarus boycotted the poll. President Alexander Lukashenko’s is widely expected to maintain […]
Belarus Holds Elections Boycotted by Opposition
Posted September 23rd, 2012 at 4:30 am (UTC-5)
Voters in Belarus are choosing a new parliament Sunday in elections the opposition is calling a sham. The vote is widely expected to maintain President Alexander Lukashenko’s grip on the country. Main opposition parties called for a boycott of the election. Mr. Lukashenko has ruled the former Soviet country for 18 years. Human rights bodies […]
Islamic Wing Opens at Louvre in Paris
Posted September 22nd, 2012 at 1:10 pm (UTC-5)
One of the world’s best-known museums is opening a wing dedicated to Islamic art, its first major addition in a generation. The Louvre in Paris opened its Islamic wing Saturday, featuring thousands of Islamic artifacts dating from the 7th to the 19th century. The artifacts come from around the world, demonstrating the breadth of Islamic […]
US Broadcaster to Cease Some Moscow Radio Service
Posted September 22nd, 2012 at 11:50 am (UTC-5)
U.S.-funded media outlet Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty says it will stop medium-wave radio broadcasting while continuing its online service later this year, to comply with a new Russian law. Senior official Julia Ragona ((Vice President of Content, Distribution, and Marketing) said Saturday that the organization is making the change November 10, when a new Russian […]
Ecuador Weighs Sending WikiLeaks’ Assange to Sweden
Posted September 22nd, 2012 at 2:40 am (UTC-5)
Ecuador is considering how to make WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange available to Swedish justice officials to answer sex crimes allegations. Ecuador Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino told reporters Friday officials are weighing whether Assange’s statement could be taken at their embassy in London. Patino says they could also ask Britain if Assange could be transferred to […]
Sentences in Turkey’s “Sledgehammer’ Conspiracy trial
Posted September 21st, 2012 at 12:30 pm (UTC-5)
A Turkish court has convicted 330 active and retired military officers of charges they planned to overthrow the government. The court issued the verdicts Friday, initially sentencing the coup leaders – former army commander Cetin Dogan, former air force chief Ibrahim Firtina and former navy chief Ozden Ornek – to life behind bars. It then […]
French High Court Clears Way for More Bullfights
Posted September 21st, 2012 at 11:40 am (UTC-5)
France’s highest court Friday rejected a challenge from animal rights groups asking that the practice of bullfighting be banned throughout the country. The groups argued bullfighting should be banned based on French laws that prohibit cruelty to animals. But the French Constitutional Court cited sections of the country’s constitution that allows for exceptions to such […]
Georgian Official Steps Down Over Prison Abuse
Posted September 20th, 2012 at 2:55 pm (UTC-5)
Georgia’s interior minister has resigned, amid continuing protests over alleged prisoner abuse that was filmed and aired on Georgian television this week. Bacho Akhalaia said in a statement Thursday that he is resigning because he feels personal responsibility that he failed to eradicate what he called the “horrible” practice of torture in prisons. Before taking […]
Chinese Premier Criticizes Long-standing EU Arms Embargo
Posted September 20th, 2012 at 11:50 am (UTC-5)
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has pledged that Beijing will maintain its efforts to help resolve the eurozone debt crisis, but criticized a long-standing EU ban on arms sales to China. Mr. Wen spoke in Brussels Thursday at a European Union summit with China. Mr. Wen initially spoke favorably of strengthening ties between China and the […]
