U.S. President Barack Obama has unveiled a new defense plan reflecting billions of dollars in budget cuts and what he described as a “moment of transition” after a decade of war. The president outlined the strategic review at the Pentagon Thursday. Joining him were Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs […]
Obama Unveils New Military Shaped by Budget Cuts
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 11:40 am (UTC-5)
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Pakistani Taliban Kills 15 Abducted Security Officers
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 7:20 am (UTC-5)
(updates with ICRC worker kidnapped in grafs 9-11)) The Pakistani Taliban said Thursday that it has killed 15 paramilitary soldiers who were abducted late last month along the country’s restive border with Afghanistan. A Taliban spokesperson told reporters that the Pakistani troops were shot and dumped in the border tribal region of North Waziristan. Local […]
Bombings Kill 27 in Iraqi Capital
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 5:40 am (UTC-5)
Iraqi officials say multiple bombs have exploded in Shi’ite areas of the capital, Baghdad, killing at least 27 people and wounding more than 60 others. The blasts Thursday first hit the northern neighborhood of Sadr City. Officials say a bomb planted in a motorcycle exploded near a group of laborers who had gathered to seek […]
Auto Sales Rise
Posted January 4th, 2012 at 5:25 pm (UTC-5)
U.S.-based automakers say their sales rose sharply in 2011 as consumers gained confidence, interest rates remained low, and consumers replaced aging vehicles they held onto during the recession. General Motors says its sales rose 13 percent, as customers bought 2.5 million of its vehicles. Rival Ford posted an 11 percent gain, and sold just over […]
Obama Defies Republican Opposition, Names Consumer Watchdog
Posted January 4th, 2012 at 5:10 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. President Barack Obama angered Republicans Wednesday during a campaign stop in Ohio by using a recess appointment to name a new consumer watchdog official. President Obama said both Democrats and Republicans know Richard Cordray is qualified, but that Republicans held the nomination “hostage” because they disagree with the creation of the new Consumer Financial […]
Romney Wins Narrow Victory In Iowa
Posted January 4th, 2012 at 4:00 am (UTC-5)
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has won the Iowa caucuses, narrowly beating social conservative Rick Santorum in the first nominating contest of the 2012 presidential election. A Republican party official announced on Wednesday that longtime front-runner Romney beat recent favorite, Santorum, by only eight votes, making it one of the closest races in Iowa caucus […]
High Level US Diplomat Begins Asia Tour
Posted January 3rd, 2012 at 8:35 pm (UTC-5)
Senior U.S. diplomat Kurt Campbell has arrived in China, the first stop on a four-day tour that will also take him to South Korea and Japan. Campbell, the assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific affairs, made no comments on arrival at the airport in Beijing Tuesday, but the State Department had said […]
Israeli, Palestinian Negotiators Meet; No Word on Resuming Peace Process
Posted January 3rd, 2012 at 4:45 pm (UTC-5)
Israeli and Palestinian peace negotiators have ended their first official meeting in 15 months without saying if they are prepared to resume the stalled Mideast peace process. Israeli negotiator Yitzhak Molho and his Palestinian counterpart Saeb Erekat met Tuesday in the Jordanian capital Amman, initially in the presence of diplomats from Jordan and the Quartet […]
Despite Iran Warning, US Vows to Keep Ships in Persian Gulf
Posted January 3rd, 2012 at 3:05 pm (UTC-5)
The U.S. military says the United States will continue to deploy warships in the Persian Gulf, after Iran warned a U.S. aircraft carrier not to return to the region. “The deployment of U.S. military assets in the Persian Gulf region will continue as it has for decades,” Pentagon spokesman George Little said in a statement. […]
Republican Candidates Ready for Vote in Iowa
Posted January 3rd, 2012 at 2:35 pm (UTC-5)
Hours before the Iowa presidential caucuses, some Republican presidential candidates appealed to young voters for their support. At a high school outside the state capital, Des Moines, Texas Congressman Ron Paul promoted his anti-war stance. “There is no reason in the world that we cannot be strict constitutionalists, strong national defense and say that we […]
