A United Nations report says more than 3,000 civilians died in Afghanistan’s conflict last year, the worst annual toll in the decade-long war. The U.N. Assistance Mission in Afghanistan said Saturday that 3,021 civilians were killed in 2011, an 8 percent increase over the previous year, and the fifth year in a row that the […]
UN: Afghan Civilian Deaths Up for 5th Straight Year
Posted February 4th, 2012 at 10:10 am (UTC-5)
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UN Security Council To Vote On Syria, As Bloodshed Intensifies
Posted February 4th, 2012 at 10:00 am (UTC-5)
The United Nations Security Council begins a meeting Saturday on a resolution on the violence in Syria as the bloodshed intensified in the flashpoint city of Homs leaving more than 200 people dead. Human rights activists say Syrian security forces launched a barrage of mortars and artillery on the Khalidiya neighborhood of Homs, where there […]
UN Tribunal Sentences Khmer Rouge Jailer to Life in Prison
Posted February 3rd, 2012 at 6:10 pm (UTC-5)
The United Nations-backed war crimes tribunal in Cambodia has ordered the Khmer Rouge’s main jailer to spend the rest of his life in prison for crimes it says were “among the worst in recorded human history.” The ruling extends a lower court’s 19-year sentence that has been appealed by prosecutors as too lenient. The president […]
Militants Kill 7 Pakistani Soldiers in Northwest
Posted February 3rd, 2012 at 2:10 pm (UTC-5)
Pakistan’s military first launched operations against Islamist militants in Kurram last July, and the fighting has yet to die down. It follows a series of similar military operations in the country’s mountainous northwest aimed at stopping the Pakistani Taliban, known as the Tehrik-i-Taliban . The TTP is responsible for many attacks targeting civilians, foreigners and […]
US Labor Market Surges, Jobless Rate Falls
Posted February 3rd, 2012 at 12:00 pm (UTC-5)
The U.S. says its labor market surged last month, with nearly a quarter million workers added to payrolls, and that its unemployment rate fell to 8.3 percent, the lowest in almost three years. In its closely watched monthly report, the government said Friday that 243,000 jobs were added in January, a month after the world’s […]
UN: Somalia Famine Over, but Millions Still Need Food Aid
Posted February 3rd, 2012 at 7:50 am (UTC-5)
The United Nations has officially declared an end to the famine in Somalia, but warns that nearly a third of the war-torn country’s population is still in need of food aid. The U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) said Friday that because of a good harvest and humanitarian aid, parts of southern Somalia have improved […]
UN Talks on Syria Stall Again; Hama Marks 1982 Massacre
Posted February 2nd, 2012 at 8:20 pm (UTC-5)
Ambassadors to the United Nations Security Council have failed to reach agreement on a draft European-Arab resolution to end the bloodshed in Syria, after a third straight session of talks. U.N. envoys said Thursday the latest revisions are now being drafted for them to send to their capitals for consideration. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said […]
Egyptian Protesters Denounce Military, Security Forces After Soccer Disaster
Posted February 2nd, 2012 at 1:00 pm (UTC-5)
Thousands of Egyptians in Cairo have protested to denounce the country’s military rulers and security forces for failing to prevent a soccer riot that killed 74 people and injured hundreds more in the northern city of Port Said. Some protesters gathered Thursday in central Cairo’s Tahrir Square while others marched to the nearby Interior Ministry, […]
NATO Ministers Look to Speed Up Afghan Transition
Posted February 2nd, 2012 at 12:40 pm (UTC-5)
NATO’s top official is backing a plan to hand over lead security responsibilities in Afghanistan to Afghan forces sooner than originally envisioned. But he cautioned there are no plans to leave Afghanistan early. NATO Secretary-General Anders-Fogh Rasmussen spoke Thursday, before entering a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels. He said starting in mid-2013, Afghan […]
New Twists in Showdown Between Pakistan’s Top Court, PM
Posted February 2nd, 2012 at 11:15 am (UTC-5)
Long-simmering political tensions are starting to boil again in Pakistan, where the country’s highest court appears closer to forcing the prime minister from office. The Supreme Court Thursday ordered Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani to appear February 13 to face charges of contempt. If found guilty, Mr. Gilani could be removed and sent to prison. […]
