Pakistani officials say unidentified gunmen have killed six workers involved in United Nations-backed polio vaccination efforts in two different cities. Police say four female workers were killed in a series of coordinated attacks in the port city of Karachi Tuesday, a day after a male volunteer working on the joint local government-World Health Organization project […]
Schools Reopen in US Town Where Mass Shooting Occurred
Posted December 18th, 2012 at 11:30 am (UTC-5)
Students in Newtown, Connecticut, returned to school Tuesday, in the small northeastern town still reeling from one of the worst school shootings in U.S. history. Schools opened two hours late as parents, educators and police hoped to resume some normalcy four days after a gunman opened fired at an elementary school, killing 20 students and […]
Fresh Protests in Egypt Against Islamist-Backed Constitution
Posted December 18th, 2012 at 11:25 am (UTC-5)
Egypt’s main opposition coalition has launched new protests against a contentious Islamist-backed draft constitution that is set to go to a second round of voting on Saturday. Demonstrators gathered Tuesday outside half a dozen Cairo mosques, as the National Salvation Front staged multiple marches towards the presidential palace and Tahrir Square. Opponents say the proposed […]
US Leaders Edging Closer on ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Compromise
Posted December 18th, 2012 at 11:05 am (UTC-5)
U.S. leaders are edging closer to a compromise on contentious end-of-year mandates for sharp spending cuts in key government programs and tax increases for almost all American workers. Significant hurdles remain to a deal, but the outlines of an agreement seemed to be emerging Tuesday, even as U.S. President Barack Obama and his Republican opponents […]
Iraqi President in ‘Stable’ Condition After Stroke
Posted December 18th, 2012 at 8:55 am (UTC-5)
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani is reported to be in “critical but stable condition” after having been hospitalized for a stroke. Mr. Talabani’s office said he was taken to a Baghdad hospital late Monday and that the 79-year-old president remained under intensive medical supervision after treatment for blocked arteries. The Iraqi president has dealt with several […]
Six Chinese Officials Fired for ‘Mishandling’ School Attack
Posted December 18th, 2012 at 6:40 am (UTC-5)
Chinese authorities have fired six officials for their “improper handling” of last week’s knife attack at an elementary school in a central province that left 23 students injured. The official Xinhua news agency said Tuesday two school principals, two police officers, a local safety official, and a county education director were removed from their posts. […]
South Africa’s Zuma Retains ANC Leadership
Posted December 18th, 2012 at 6:00 am (UTC-5)
South African President Jacob Zuma will remain chairman of the ruling African National Congress party, after delegates at a party conference overwhelmingly supported him in a leadership vote. Nearly 4,000 delegates voted Tuesday, with three-quarters backing Mr. Zuma to head the party leading up to the country’s 2014 presidential election. The ANC has been in […]
US ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Talks Moving Toward Compromise
Posted December 17th, 2012 at 2:10 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. President Barack Obama and his political opponents in Congress are moving a bit closer to reaching a compromise over contentious year-end financial issues. No deal appears imminent, but officials say the leader of the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, Speaker John Boehner, met again with the president at the White House. For the first time […]
First Funerals Being Held For US School Rampage Victims
Posted December 17th, 2012 at 10:40 am (UTC-5)
A small town in the northeastern United States is beginning the grim task of holding the first funerals for the 20 children and six adults killed in a shooting rampage at an elementary school. Funerals for two six-year-old boys are being held Monday, the first for those gunned down at the Sandy Hook Elementary school […]
Iraq Attacks Kill 26, Many in Kurdish-Claimed Areas
Posted December 17th, 2012 at 10:20 am (UTC-5)
Iraqi authorities say bombings and shootings across the country have killed at least 26 people, about half of them in northern regions whose territory is disputed between autonomous Iraqi Kurds and Baghdad’s central government. In Monday’s deadliest attack, a car bomb killed seven people in a village near the northern city of Mosul in Iraq’s […]
