Opposition activists in Syria say government warplanes bombed a gasoline station near Damascus Wednesday, reportedly killing dozens of people as they waited for fuel. Activists say the strike occurred in the eastern suburb of Mleiha — an area partly under rebel control. The blast ignited a huge fire which sent black smoke billowing into the […]
Syria Air Strike Hits Gas Station, Dozens Killed
Global Markets Higher As US Congress Averts Financial Crisis
World markets are opening 2013 on a high note, after the U.S. Congress reached a deal to avert an early 2013 financial crisis that threatened to send the world’s largest economy into recession. In the U.S., key stock markets all jumped 2 percent or more in the first half hour of trading Wednesday. Stocks also […]
Global Markets Higher As US Congress Averts Financial Crisis
World markets are opening 2013 on a high note, after the U.S. Congress reached a deal to avert an early 2013 financial crisis that threatened to send the world’s largest economy into recession. Asian stock markets welcomed the development in the first trading of the new year, with Hong Kong jumping 2.9 percent on Wednesday, […]
US Oil Rig Grounded Off Alaska
A huge Shell Oil drilling rig has run aground in a storm off the rugged coast of the remote U.S. state of Alaska. The U.S. Coast Guard said the Kulluk broke free from the ship handling it in rough seas in the Gulf of Alaska on New Year’s Eve and then was cut loose from […]
Thousands in Hong Kong Protest Against China-Backed Leader
Thousands of protesters in Hong Kong are calling for the city’s scandal-ridden chief executive to step down and demanding that China allow them to elect their own leaders. Police say about 17,000 protesters joined a New Year’s Day march through the city, holding signs and chanting slogans demanding the Beijing-backed chief executive Leung Chun-ying step […]
N. Korea’s Kim Calls for More Weapons, End to Confrontation
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has used a New Year speech to call for the development of more advanced weapons, as well as an “end to confrontation” on the Korean peninsula. In the surprise address broadcast Tuesday on state television, Mr. Kim called on his country to hold fast “to the ideals of independence, […]
C.A.R. Rebels Threaten Capital Despite Unity Offer
Residents are anxiously celebrating the new year in the Central African Republic where a tense standoff is under way between the government and rebels who are threatening to invade the capital, Bangui. A strict dusk to dawn curfew remains in place in Bangui Tuesday. Fighters for a coalition of three rebel groups, known as Seleka, […]
Central African Republic President Offers Unity Govt to Rebels
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 […]
Central African Republic Rebels Threaten to Enter Bangui
Rebels in the Central African Republic are warning that they could enter the capital Bangui soon, despite their agreement with the government to hold unconditional talks early next month. On Sunday, the streets of the capital were largely empty and residents said they were stockpiling food in the face of a possible rebel onslaught. The […]
Indian Rape Victim is Cremated
The body of the woman whose gang rape has triggered an outpouring of grief and anger across India has been cremated in a private ceremony. The young woman’s body was flown home from Singapore after her death Saturday. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia Gandhi, head of the ruling Congress party, were at the […]