World | Journal Gazette

G-8 backs Syrian talks; Assad exit not in declaration

SHAWN POGATCHNIK — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other G-8 leaders attempted to speak with one voice Tuesday on seeking a negotiated Syrian peace settlement - yet couldn't publicly agree whether this means President Bashar Assad must go.

US, Taliban to launch talks

Karen DeYoung — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

After more than a decade of war in Afghanistan, and nearly three years of sputtering and unsuccessful attempts at talks, the United States will open formal negotiations with the Taliban this week aimed at ending insurgent attacks, officials said Tuesday.

Protesters fill the streets in Brazil’s biggest city

BRADLEY BROOKS | Associated Press — Wed, 19 Jun 2013 03:07:08 EST

SAO PAULO - Tens of thousands of Brazilians again flooded the streets of the country's biggest city to raise a collective cry against a longstanding lament - people are weighed down by high taxes and high prices but get low-quality public services and a system of government infected with corruption.

US, Taliban to start talks on ending Afghan war

PATRICK QUINN — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 18:41:22 EST

KABUL, Afghanistan The Taliban and the U.S. said Tuesday they will hold talks on finding a political solution to ending nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan, as the international coalition formally handed over control of the country's security to the Afghan army and police.

Dozens die in attack on Iraq mosque

Sameer N. Yacoub — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:33:36 EST

Most of the casualties were students from the nearby Imam al-Sadiq University for Islamic Studies.

Summit exposes G-8 rift on Syria

JULIE PACE — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Deep differences over Syria's fierce civil war clouded a summit of world leaders Monday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin defiantly rejecting calls from the U.S., Britain and France to halt his political and military support for Syrian leader Bashar Assad's regime.

Deadly blast rocks Afghan capital amid security transition

Associated Press — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

KABUL, Afghanistan - A large bomb exploded in the Afghan capital on Tuesday, killing at least three people on the day the international military coalition hands over responsibility for fighting the Taliban insurgency to the nascent national army and police they have been training.

Suicide attack kills 11 people in Iraq

SAMEER N. YACOUB — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 06:51:37 EST

BAGHDAD (AP) Iraqi authorities say a suicide bomber has blown himself up amid worshippers in a Shiite mosque in Baghdad, killing eleven people and wounding 25. Police officials said that the Tuesday occurred during midday prayers.

Caution rules Iran's leader

Jason Rezaian — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

This capital city was calm Sunday after a long night of street celebrations after the surprise victory of president-elect Hassan Rowhani, a cleric whose moderate views have inspired hope among Iranians eager for new personal freedoms and quick social change.

In Iraq, bombing binge slays 51

SINAN SALAHEDDIN — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

A blistering string of apparently coordinated bombings and a shooting across Iraq killed at least 51 and wounded dozens Sunday, spreading fear throughout the country in a wave of violence that is raising the prospect of a return to widespread sectarian killing a decade after a U.S.-led invasion.

Bomb in Syrian capital kills or wounds 20 troops

Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

BEIRUT - Syrian activists say a car bomb attack targeting a checkpoint near a military airport in the capital has killed or wounded more than 20 soldiers.

N. Korea proposes senior-level talks

Chico Harlan — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

North Korea on Sunday proposed wide-ranging "senior-level" talks with the United States, an offer it said Washington should accept without setting any "preconditions" about denuclearization.

Gunmen in Pakistan kill 2 anti-polio workers

RIAZ KHAN — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 10:36:48 EST

Gunmen killed two anti-polio workers Sunday in northwest Pakistan, police said, the latest violence directed at efforts to eradicate the disease from the country.

In Iran, reformists dancing in the streets

ALI AKBAR DAREINI and BRIAN MURPHY — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Wild celebrations broke out on Tehran streets that were battlefields four years ago as reformist-backed Hasan Rowhani capped a stunning surge to claim Iran's presidency on Saturday, throwing open the political order after relentless crackdowns by hard-liners to consolidate and safeguard their grip on power.

Turkish police evict protesters in park

ELENA BECATOROS and JAMEY KEATEN — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Turkish riot police firing tear gas and water cannons took less than half an hour Saturday to bring to an end an 18-day occupation of an Istanbul park at the center of the strongest challenge to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 10-year rule.

Egypt breaks off diplomatic relations with Syria

HAMZA HENDAWI — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Egypt's Islamist president announced Saturday that he was cutting off diplomatic relations with Syria and closing Damascus' embassy in Cairo, decisions made amid growing calls from hard-line Sunni clerics in Egypt and elsewhere to launch a "holy war" against Syria's embattled regime.

North Korea proposes high-level talks with US

Associated Press — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:21:27 EST

PYONGYANG, North Korea - North Korea's top governing body on Sunday proposed high-level nuclear and security talks with the United States in an appeal sent just days after calling off talks with rival South Korea.

Earthquake strikes south of Mexican capital

Associated Press — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:23:41 EST

MEXICO CITY - A moderate earthquake hit southern Mexico early Sunday, shaking buildings in the capital of Mexico City and sending frightened people into the streets.

24 dead in new wave of Iraq attacks

Associated Press — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:26:33 EST

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Officials say 10 apparently coordinated car bombs and a shooting across Iraq have killed at least 24 and wounded dozens.

Separate attacks in Pakistan kill dozens

Haq Nawaz Khan and Tim Craig — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Militants in the resistive Baluchistan province destroyed a national monument honoring the country's founder, bombed a bus carrying female college students and the hospital they were taken to, then took over part of the hospital in a battle that raged for hours.

Riot police end Istanbul park protest

Elena Becatoros and Jamey Keaten — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 22:43:09 EST

ISTANBUL - Turkish riot police firing tear gas and water cannon took less than half an hour on Saturday to bring to an end an 18-day occupation of an Istanbul park at the center of the strongest challenge to Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's 10-year tenure.

Iran reformists dance in streets for new president

Ali Akbar Dareini and Brian Murphy — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 22:47:32 EST

TEHRAN, Iran - Wild celebrations broke out on Tehran streets that were battlefields four years ago as reformist-backed Hasan Rowhani capped a stunning surge to claim Iran's presidency on Saturday, throwing open the political order after relentless crackdowns by hard-liners to consolidate and safeguard their grip on power.

Iran: moderate candidate wins presidential vote

Associated Press — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 12:45:39 EST

TEHRAN, Iran Iran's interior minister says moderate candidate Hasan Rowhani has won the presidential vote, handing a victory to the cleric who gained support of many reform-minded Iranians looking to claw back a bit of ground after years of crackdowns.

Syria rebels want US to send heavy armaments

Loveday Morris — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Syrian rebels on Friday described the U.S. decision to provide them with arms as a "late step" and called for shipments to include heavy weaponry capable of tipping the balance of power on the battlefield.

Defying government, Turkish protesters to stay in park

Associated Press — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 05:03:07 EST

ISTANBUL - A Turkish activist says protesters have agreed to press on with their 2-week-long sit-in at a cherished Istanbul park, despite government appeals and warnings for the standoff with authorities to end.

Bus bomb kills 11 in Pakistan

Associated Press — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 08:34:24 EST

QUETTA, Pakistan A bomb tore through a bus of female university students in southwestern Pakistan Saturday, killing 11, officials said. As family and friends gathered at the hospital another blast went off, followed by a flurry of bullets that sent bystanders running for cover.

Militants destroy house used by Pakistan's founder

Associated Press — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 04:02:56 EST

QUETTA, Pakistan - Militants destroyed a historic house associated with the country's founder early Saturday, shooting dead a guard, in a southwestern hotbed of ethnic nationalist insurgency, a police officer said.

Moderate candidate has early lead in Iran

NASSER KARIMI and BRIAN MURPHY — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Iran's reformist-backed presidential candidate surged to a wide lead in early vote counting today, a top official said, suggesting a flurry of late support could have swayed a race that once appeared solidly in the hands of Tehran's ruling clerics.

Turkey yields on park to cool unrest

Selcan Hacaoglu and Ben Holland — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan delivered his most conciliatory speech since anti-government demonstrations began two weeks ago, saying plans to develop an Istanbul park are on hold and the message from protesters has been received.

Radio host fired after peppering Australia prime minister on partner’s sexuality

Michael Heath — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 10:56:35 EST

SYDNEY - An Australian radio host was fired after quizzing Prime Minister Julia Gillard repeatedly about her partner's sexuality, prompting her to warn that such probing could discourage women from entering public life.

US to offer military aid in Syria

Karen DeYoung and Anne Gearan — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

The United States has concluded that Syrian government forces used chemical weapons to kill at least 100 people, crossing a "red line" and prompting President Barack Obama to provide direct military support to the rebels for the first time, the White House said Thursday.

Turkish leader warns, meets with protesters

ELENA BECATOROS and JAMEY KEATEN — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Turkey's prime minister was meeting with anti-government protesters early today, hours after giving them his "final warning" to end their occupation of a central Istanbul park that has become a flashpoint for the largest political crisis of his 10-year rule.

Search turns up 400-page diary of adviser to Hitler

RANDALL CHASE — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Federal authorities have recovered about 400 handwritten pages from the wartime diary of a key Nazi adviser to Adolf Hitler after a 17-year search for the documents, officials said Thursday.

Upgraded Holocaust exhibit opens at former death camp

William Booth — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

For decades, the Communist-era memorial to Jewish victims at the barracks known as Block 27 in the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex of death camps stood dilapidated and mostly ignored.

US says Assad used chemical weapons

JULIE PACE and MATTHEW LEE — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:50:02 EST

WASHINGTON The United States has conclusive evidence that Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime has used chemical weapons against opposition forces seeking to overthrow the government, crossing what President Barack Obama has called a "red line" that would trigger greater American involvement in the crisis, the White House said Thursday.

UN: 93,000 confirmed killed in Syria, toll likely much higher

Sarah el Deeb and John Heilprin — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 09:40:22 EST

BEIRUT - Syria's spiraling violence has resulted in the confirmed killings of nearly 93,000 people but the real number is likely to be far higher, the United Nations' human rights office said Thursday.

Malaysia warns Myanmar immigrants against violence

Associated Press — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Malaysia's government on Thursday warned immigrants from neighboring Myanmar not to restart sectarian clashes that recently killed four people.

French rail workers take cue from air traffic controllers, go on strike

Thu, 13 Jun 2013 03:41:59 EST

PARIS - After two days of air traffic controller strikes, French rail workers are now walking off the job to protest a reorganization of the national rail and train companies.

Iraq increasingly drawn into Syrian battlefield

ADAM SCHRECK — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Signs are growing that stretches of Iraq and Syria are morphing into a single battlefield for militants, exacerbating Iraq's slide into renewed deadly chaos a year and a half after U.S. troops pulled out.

17 killed in Kabul explosion

Associated Press — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

A Taliban suicide bomber struck outside Afghanistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday, killing 17 people in the deadliest attack in Kabul in over a year and a half.

Clashes in Istanbul extend into night

Elena Becatoros and Suzan Fraser — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 17:51:54 EST

ISTANBUL – Protesters and Turkey’s prime minister both refused to back down Tuesday in what could become the final battle for Istanbul’s Taksim Square, the symbol of nationwide grievances against his government.

Myanmar state airline grounds MA60s after landing mishaps

Associated Press — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 13:05:46 EST

YANGON, Myanmar – Myanmar’s state airline said Tuesday it will stop flying its Chinese-made MA60 planes following its second accident with the turboprop model in less than a month.

Blast hits near US embassy in Afghanistan

Amir Shah — Tue, 11 Jun 2013 08:07:52 EST

KABUL, Afghanistan - A suicide car bomber struck outside the Afghan Supreme Court in Kabul on Tuesday, killing at least eight people and wounding 20, police and health officials said.

World pollution on a 'dangerous trajectory’

Steven Mufson — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 09:38:59 EST

Global emissions of carbon dioxide from energy use rose 1.4 percent to 31.6 gigatons in 2012, setting a record and putting the planet on course for temperature increases well above international climate goals, the International Energy Agency said in a report scheduled to be issued Monday.

Novelist excelled in 2 genres

Associated Press — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Scottish writer Iain Banks, who alternately wowed and disturbed readers with his dark jokes and narrative tricks, has died, his publisher said Sunday. He was 59.

Insurgent attack hits Kabul airport, NATO

PATRICK QUINN and RAHIM FAIEZ — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Insurgents today attacked the military side of Kabul's international airport, which houses a NATO headquarters, and explosions and gunfire were occurring, Afghan army and police said.

After tension, 2 Koreas talk in historic town

FOSTER KLUG and YOUKYUNG LEE — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Government delegates from North and South Korea held a marathon session of preparatory talks Sunday at a "truce village" on their heavily armed border aimed at setting ground rules for a higher-level discussion on easing animosity and restoring stalled rapprochement projects.

11 years for Nobel laureate's in-law

ISOLDA MORILLO — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

A court sentenced the brother-in-law of China's imprisoned Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo to 11 years in prison Sunday - an unusually harsh punishment for a business dispute that the activist's wife immediately decried as a vendetta against the whole family.

Japanese, US troops to train in California

JULIE WATSON — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Japanese troops will converge on California's southern coast in the next two weeks as part of a military exercise with U.S. troops aimed at improving that country's amphibious attack abilities.

AP sources: US close to OK on arming Syrian rebels

BRADLEY KLAPPER — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 22:45:57 EST

WASHINGTON Moved by the Assad regime's rapid advance, the Obama administration could decide this week to approve lethal aid for the beleaguered Syrian rebels and will weigh the merits of a less likely move to send in U.S. airpower to enforce a no-fly zone over the civil war-wracked nation, officials said Sunday.

Suicide car bomb kills 7 in Baghdad

Associated Press — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 03:05:12 EST

BAGHDAD - A suicide car bomber rammed his explosives-laden vehicle into an Iraqi army checkpoint in a Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad on Sunday morning, killing at least seven people and wounding 18 others, officials said.

Roadside bombs kill 2 soldiers in Pakistan

Associated Press — Sun, 09 Jun 2013 03:03:48 EST

PESHAWAR, Pakistan - Two roadside bombs killed two soldiers in a restive northwestern region of Pakistan on Sunday while a gun attack in the country's south killed two more, officials said.

South Africa: Mandela taken to hospital

Associated Press — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 03:06:39 EST

JOHANNESBURG - Former South African President Nelson Mandela is in serious but stable condition after being taken to a hospital to be treated for a lung infection, the government said Saturday, prompting an outpouring of concern from admirers of a man who helped to end white racist rule.

Bus inferno kills dozens in China

Associated Press — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 12:00:23 EST

BEIJING - An express bus burst into flames on an elevated roadway in southeastern China on Friday, killing at least 42 people and injuring 33 others, state media reported.

After going to ballet, Putins announce split

Associated Press — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 03:00:00 EST

Vladimir Putin pulled off one of his most audacious pieces of stagecraft, attending a ballet with his rarely seen wife, then emerging smiling and announcing their marriage is over.