World

UN chief rails against leaders with 'bloody hands' in Syria

Published on Tue, 09/20/2016 - 4:24pm
UNITED NATIONS — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon railed Tuesday against leaders who keep "feeding the war machine" in Syria as he bowed out of the world stage, while President Barack Obama said there was no military solution to the five-year conflict and described a globe in the throes of a contest between authoritarianism and democracy.
 

Bombing in northwest Pakistan mosque kills 24, wounds 28

Published on Fri, 09/16/2016 - 9:27am
KHAR, Pakistan — A suicide bomber attacked a Sunni mosque in northwest Pakistan on Friday, killing at least 24 worshippers and wounding 28 others, officials said. Several children were also among those killed or wounded in the deadly attack.
 

North Korea rushes to get supplies, shelter to flood victims

Published on Fri, 09/16/2016 - 9:26am
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ONSONG, North Korea — North Korean soldiers and relief teams rushed to clear roads and railway tracks, build shelters and provide food and sanitation Friday to tens of thousands of residents in a remote part of the country near the Chinese border that was devastated by heavy downpours and flash floods when a typhoon pounded their villages last week.
 

Obama's vow to lift economic sanctions welcomed in Myanmar

Published on Thu, 09/15/2016 - 1:59pm
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YANGON, Myanmar — Myanmar economists and businessmen on Thursday welcomed President Barack Obama's announcement that the U.S. will lift economic sanctions and restore long-lost trade benefits to the Southeast Asian country as it emerges from half a century of oppressive military rule.
 

8,000-year-old female figurine uncovered in central Turkey

Published on Thu, 09/15/2016 - 1:55pm
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ISTANBUL — Archaeologists have uncovered a rare stone figurine of a woman dating back 8,000 years at a dig in Turkey's central province of Konya that an expert says is one of only handful of statuettes of the era ever found in one piece.
 
Stanford University Professor Ian Hodder told The Associated Press in an email that the 17-cm (7-inch) figurine, found at the Catalhoyuk site, is unique because it is carved from stone, unlike most which are made from clay.
 

Russia urges Syrian rebels to separate from 'terrorists'

Published on Wed, 09/14/2016 - 4:36pm
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BEIRUT — Russia said Wednesday that separating Syrian rebels from 'terrorists' is a "key task" to ensure that the Russia-U.S.-brokered cease-fire continues to hold in Syria, where a relative calm has prevailed since the truce went into effect two days ago.
 
Russian Lt. Gen. Victor Poznikhir said rebels had violated the truce 60 times since it came into force sunset Monday. For their part, opposition forces said they had recorded some 28 various violations by government troops on Tuesday.
 

US, Israel sign massive military aid deal; $38B, 10 years

Published on Wed, 09/14/2016 - 4:34pm
WASHINGTON — The United States on Wednesday signed an unprecedented new security agreement with Israel that will give the Israeli military $38 billion over 10 years.
 
The deal, the largest such agreement the U.S. has ever had with any country, amounts to $3.8 billion a year beginning in budget year 2019, compared with $3.1 billion the U.S. gave Israel annually under the current 10-year deal that expires in 2018.
 

In long and bloody Syria war, this truce may be different

Published on Wed, 09/14/2016 - 4:19pm
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BEIRUT — Five years of failed efforts to quell the fighting in Syria have persuaded many observers that the war, inconclusive and catastrophic on a historic scale, may not be resolvable. A truce earlier this year took effect, soon started to fray, then vanished. But some things are different this week as a cease-fire brokered by the United States and Russia took effect.
 
The reasons for pessimism are clear.
 

After a decade, UN chief disappointed in many world leaders

Published on Tue, 09/13/2016 - 4:53pm
UNITED NATIONS — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he's disappointed by many world leaders who care more about retaining power than improving the lives of their people — and can't understand why Syria is being held hostage to "the destiny" of one man, President Bashar Assad.

Syria cease-fire enters into effect, but rebels don't commit

Published on Mon, 09/12/2016 - 4:57pm
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BEIRUT — A cease-fire came into effect in Syria at sunset Monday in the latest attempt led by the United States and Russia to bring some quiet in the 5 1/2-year civil war.