Back to news index
As Homs battles, Turkey readies Syria move
(Reuters)
Reuters - Syrian forces thrust into the rebellious city of Homs on Wednesday, killing as many as 100 civilians by the accounts of opposition activists, and Turkey appeared to be preparing a new diplomatic push against President Bashar al-Assad.
Signs build that Iran sanctions disrupt food imports
(Reuters)
Reuters - More evidence emerged on Tuesday of the crippling impact of new sanctions on Iran, with international traders saying Tehran is having trouble buying rice, cooking oil and other staples to feed its 74 million people weeks before an election.
Tear gas fired at Maldives protesters
(Reuters)
Reuters - The ousted president of the Maldives, credited with bringing democracy to the Indian Ocean island resort, said on Wednesday he was forced out of power at gunpoint, prompting clashes between police and angry supporters.
Insight: In Sudan, glimpses of an Arab spring
(Reuters)
Reuters - A few weeks ago, a leading opposition activist sat down in a downtown Khartoum office to talk to a journalist. The young man immediately removed the battery from his cellphone.
Sexual abuse silence "deadly" for Church: Vatican official
(Reuters)
Reuters - Hiding behind a culture of "omerta" -- the Italian word for the Mafia's code of silence -- would be deadly for the Catholic Church, the Vatican's top official for dealing with sexual abuse of minors by clergy said Wednesday.
Haiti Papers Over the Past: The Rebranding of 'Baby Doc' Duvalier
(Time.com)
Time.com - The government of Michel Martelly -- friend of Sean Penn and other U.S. celebrities -- has decided not to pursue the ex-dictator-for-life for crimes against humanity -- just corruption
NATO extends Baltic air patrols
(AP)
AP - NATO has decided to extend an operation to protect the airspace of Baltic members Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania with fighter jets, officials said Wednesday.
Ahmadinejad seeks rebound in Iranian elections
(AP)
AP - There's a Persian saying used to describe an under-the-radar political effort: "Driving at night with the lights off." Allies of embattled President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may be doing just that as they campaign in Iran's hinterlands in hopes of scoring a comeback in next month's parliamentary elections.
Mexican navy finds 10 bodies in mass grave sites
(AP)
AP - A suspected member of the Zetas drug gang has led Mexican authorities to a mass grave site at two ranches in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz, the navy said Wednesday.
6-week-old lone elephant calf dies in Zimbabwe
(AP)
AP - Conservationists in Zimbabwe said Wednesday round-the-clock efforts to save a baby elephant, separated from his mother on a busy highway, have failed. The six-week-old calf who has been hand fed for three weeks has died, apparently from pneumonia.
US, Japan closer to moving many Okinawa Marines
(AP)
AP - Japan and the United States agreed Wednesday to proceed with plans to transfer thousands of U.S. troops out of the southern Japanese island of Okinawa, leaving behind the stalled discussion about closing a major U.S. Marine base there.
Canadian population growth fastest in G8: census
(Reuters)
Reuters - The Canadian population grew by 5.9 percent over five years to 33.5 million people in 2011, the fastest growth rate in the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations, the country's five-year census revealed on Wednesday.
U.S., Japan decouple Marines Guam move from Okinawa base
(Reuters)
Reuters - Japan and the United States agreed on Wednesday to decouple the transfer of thousands of U.S. Marines to Guam from the southern Japan island of Okinawa from plans to relocate a base on Okinawa, a step forward in resolving an irritant in relations.
The Merkel-Sarkozy 'odd couple' becomes a campaign duo
(The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - A German chancellor stumping for a standing French president is not something the French have seen before.
Rio's Olympic Preview: Erupting Manhole Covers
(Time.com)
Time.com - Will the Brazilian megacity's crumbling infrastructure spoil the World Cup and the Olympics?
Tour de France champ Alberto Contador vows to challenge doping verdict (+video)
(The Christian Science Monitor)
The Christian Science Monitor - Three-time Tour de France champion Alberto Contador signaled today his intention to appeal the doping conviction handed down yesterday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) after a grueling 18-month legal battle.