Afghan President Hamid Karzai has arrived in Pakistan for talks that are expected to focus on what role Islamabad can play as the Afghan government tries to broker peace with the Taliban. President Karzai’s visit is the first since al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was killed in a U.S. raid in the Pakistani city of […]
Afghan President in Pakistan for Talks on Taliban
Vietnam Plans Military Exercise Near Disputed Waters
Vietnam plans to hold live-fire naval exercises in the South China Sea, as the dispute over control of the region and its potentially rich mineral deposits continues to heat up. Hanoi said the exercise would be held Monday and warned civilian ships to stay out of the area near its Quang Nam province. The training […]
Syrian Forces Begin Operations in Northern City
Syrian state television says the nation’s army started operations on Friday to “restore security” in the northern city of Jisr al-Shughour near the Turkish border. State television says the army moved to gain control of the city at the request of residents, who the report says asked the military to arrest “armed gangs” the government […]
Gates Tells NATO Allies Not to Rush Out of Afghanistan
Outgoing U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has urged NATO allies not to rush out of Afghanistan as the United States prepares to begin its own withdrawal next month. Gates, who is retiring on June 30, attended his final meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels Thursday. He said substantial military progress is being made on […]
Yemen Braces for Rival Protests as Saleh Leaves Intensive Care
Yemen is preparing for rival protests Friday after officials said President Ali Abdullah Saleh has been moved out of intensive care at the Saudi military hospital where he is being treated for wounds suffered in last week’s attack on his compound. Saudi and Yemeni officials in Riyadh said Thursday that Mr. Saleh’s condition had stabilized […]
World Powers Pledge More Than $1B to Aid Libyan Opposition
International envoys have pledged more than one billion dollars to help Libya’s opposition council and Libyans affected by the country’s conflict. World powers announced the series of financial measures on Thursday as they met in the United Arab Emirates to plan for a Libya without its embattled leader, Moammar Gadhafi. Among the donors, Italy – […]
More EU Deaths Fuel Fight Over Contaminated Vegetables
Three more deaths pushed the death toll from Europe’s E. coli outbreak to 30 Thursday, ahead of a crucial meeting between European Union and Russian leaders. German officials say the latest fatalities included a 68-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman. The bacterial outbreak blamed on contaminated vegetables has now sickened more than 2,800 people, costing […]
US Defense Nominee Outlines War, Budget Priorities
The nominee for U.S. defense secretary, Leon Panetta, says his first task at the Pentagon will be to ensure the U.S. prevails in the conflicts it is engaged in, including in Iraq and Afghanistan. Panetta, who currently heads the Central Intelligence Agency, testified Thursday at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his nomination. Panetta […]
Number of Syrians Fleeing to Turkey Swells
Turkey’s foreign minister says the number of Syrians who have crossed into Turkey has swelled to 2,400, as Turkey is erecting encampments to handle the crisis. Ahmet Davutoglu commented Thursday as Syrians in a northern border region continued to flee amid fears of government retaliation. The refugees are looking to escape Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s […]
US Stocks Rise
U.S. stock market indexes rose in Thursday’s early trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 rose six-tenths of a percent and the NASDAQ gained three-tenths of a percent. European stock markets were higher in afternoon trading. London’s Financial Times 100 index gained seven-tenths of a percent, the CAC-40 in Paris moved up […]