Pakistan has released eight Afghan Taliban prisoners, including the minister of justice during the Taliban’s rule of Afghanistan in the late 1990’s. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Monday that among those released were former Afghan Justice Minister Mullah Nooruddin Turabi and former Helmand province Governor Abdul Bari, as well as two other former […]
Pakistan Releases More Afghan Taliban Prisoners
Posted December 31st, 2012 at 1:40 pm (UTC-5)
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23 Killed as Iraq Bombings Target Pilgrims
Posted December 31st, 2012 at 12:25 pm (UTC-5)
Iraqi authorities say a wave of bombings across the country has killed at least 23 people in the latest apparent effort by militants to undermine confidence in the security forces. In Monday’s deadliest attack, insurgents blew up several houses in the town of Musayyib, south of Baghdad, killing seven people. In Baghdad’s Karrada district, a […]
Sydney Fireworks Dazzle as Asia-Pacific Greets New Year
Posted December 31st, 2012 at 10:35 am (UTC-5)
A gigantic fireworks display has lit up Sydney harbor as Australia and other Asia-Pacific nations become the first to welcome the new year. An estimated 1.5 million people gathered around the Sydney harbor on a warm summer night to see the $6.9 million fireworks show, with some camping out for much of the day to […]
Central African Republic President Offers Unity Govt to Rebels
Posted December 30th, 2012 at 2:30 pm (UTC-5)
The Central African Republic’s President Francois Bozize says he is willing to enter into a coalition government with the rebels who have taken control of a third of his country and are poised outside the capital. Mr. Bozize made his comments in a press conference Sunday following his meeting with visiting African Union chief Thomas […]
Brahimi: Without Diplomacy, Syria Conflict May Kill 100,000
Posted December 30th, 2012 at 1:35 pm (UTC-5)
International peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has warned 100,000 people could die in Syria in the next year unless world powers press the Syrian government and rebels to negotiate an end to their 21-month conflict. Speaking Sunday in Cairo, Brahimi said the warring sides are not speaking to each other, despite his recent intensified diplomatic efforts […]
19 Killed in Pakistan Blast
Posted December 30th, 2012 at 4:30 am (UTC-5)
Officials in southwestern Pakistan say a bomb blast has hit a convoy of three buses, killing at least 19 Shi’ite Muslim pilgrims. Authorities say 25 other people were wounded Sunday – some seriously – in the remotely-triggered explosion in Baluchistan province’s Mastung district. One bus was destroyed and another badly damaged. Officials say the bus […]
4 Killed in Plane Crash in Moscow
Posted December 29th, 2012 at 2:20 pm (UTC-5)
A Russian passenger plane slid off a runway and and crashed onto a highway outside a Moscow airport Saturday, killing four of the eight crew members on board. The Russian-made TU-204 aircraft was flying back from the Czech Republic as it tried to land at Vnukovo Airport. After sliding off the runway, the plane broke […]
Peace Envoy in Moscow for Talks on Syria
Posted December 29th, 2012 at 7:05 am (UTC-5)
The joint U.N.-Arab League peace envoy has met Russia’s foreign minister in Moscow in an end-of-the-year bid to find a resolution to the crisis in Syria. Lakhdar Brahimi and Russia’s Sergei Lavrov met Saturday in Moscow where the peace envoy talked about his recent round of discussions with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian […]
Indian Rape Victim Dies in Singapore Hospital
Posted December 29th, 2012 at 12:45 am (UTC-5)
The Indian student brutally gang-raped earlier this month on a bus in New Delhi has died in a Singapore hospital. A statement from the Hospital said the 23-year-old woman “died peacefully” early Saturday. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said he is “deeply saddened” by the young woman’s death. He said the emotions the case has […]
Obama, Congressional Leaders Meet For Fiscal Cliff Talks
Posted December 28th, 2012 at 3:40 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. President Barack Obama is meeting at the White House with top congressional leaders, in a bid to avert the “fiscal cliff” of automatic tax hikes and federal spending cuts. The president called the meeting with the leadership in the House and Senate days before the changes are set to begin January 1. If there […]
