India defies sanctions, won't cut Iran oil imports

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

MUMBAI, India – India has joined China in saying it will not cut back on oil imports from Iran, despite stiff new U.S. and European sanctions designed to pressure Tehran over its nuclear program. "It is not possible for India to take any decision to reduce the import from Iran drastically because,...

Read More | comments

Tribal sources: Possible US air raids on Al Qaeda bases in Yemen kill up to 12

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

ZINJIBAR, Yemen – Air raids struck an Al Qaeda meeting and control post in southern Yemen, killing up to 12 people including a long-hunted regional militant leader, tribal officials said Tuesday. The four raids overnight appeared to have been carried out by US planes, one tribal official said. Al...

Read More | comments

Armed US drone strike kills 4 suspected Al Qaeda militants in Yemen

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

SANAA, Yemen – U.S. airstrikes targeting leaders from Yemen's active Al Qaeda branch killed four suspected militants, including a man suspected of involvement in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, officials said Tuesday. The missile strike was carried out by an armed drone, Pentagon sources tell Fox...

Read More | comments

Iraq's Sunni-backed lawmakers return to parliament

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

BAGHDAD – Iraq's parliament reconvened Tuesday after Sunni-backed lawmakers ended their boycott to protest alleged persecution of Sunni officials, a development that could restore some stability in the war-ravaged country. Last month the Sunni-backed Iraqiya...

Read More | comments

Former Royal Bank of Scotland boss stripped of knighthood

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

LONDON – One of Britain's most high-profile former bank bosses is being stripped of his knighthood for presiding over the near-collapse of the Royal Bank of Scotland, Sky News reported Tuesday. Sir Fred Goodwin -- now plain old Fred Goodwin -- was bestowed...

Read More | comments

Police catch suspect in 75 killings in northern Mexico for Zetas drug cartel

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

MONTERREY, Mexico – Police in northern Mexico have captured an alleged member of the Zetas drug gang who confessed to killing at least 75 people, including many who were pulled off of buses, authorities said Monday. Enrique Elizondo Flores told investigators...

Read More | comments

Syria claims 'terrorists' blow up pipeline

Monday, January 30, 2012

BEIRUT – Syria's state news agency says an armed "terrorist" group has blown up a gas pipeline. SANA said the pipeline carries gas from the central province of Homs to an area near the border with Lebanon. Further details on Monday's blast were not released. There have been several pipeline attacks...

Read More | comments

Syrian activists report gunfire near capital

Monday, January 30, 2012

BEIRUT – Syrian activists report hearing gunfire and explosions in suburbs of Damascus as the country's conflict moves ever closer to the capital. Monday's reports by the Local Coordination Committees, an opposition group, could not be independently confirmed. On...

Read More | comments

Magnitude 6.3 earthquake shakes Peru

Monday, January 30, 2012

LIMA, Peru – The U.S. Geological Survey says an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.3 has struck on the coast of central Peru. The quake was recorded at 11 minutes after midnight, nine miles from the city of Ica, which was badly damaged by a major 8.0 earthquake in August 2007 and also suffered...

Read More | comments

Fearing detention, American workers shelter at US embassy in Cairo

Monday, January 30, 2012

Several American workers facing prosecution at the hands of the Egyptian government took shelter at the U.S. embassy in Cairo on Sunday, fearing they could be detained. "A handful of U.S. citizens opted to stay at the U.S. embassy compound while waiting for permission to leave Egypt," State Department...

Read More | comments

Afghanistan plans talks with the Taliban in Saudi Arabia

Monday, January 30, 2012

KABUL – Afghan officials say they plan to meet Taliban representatives in Saudi Arabia in the near future in an attempt to put the government of President Hamid Karzai in a lead role in peace negotiations. So far, the Taliban have only publicly acknowledged...

Read More | comments

Officials say it may take 10 months to remove wrecked Costa Concordia

Monday, January 30, 2012

GIGLIO, Italy – The cruise ship that capsized off Italy's coast will take up to 10 months to remove, officials said, as rough seas off the Tuscan coast forced the suspension of recovery operations. Officials called off both the start of operations to remove...

Read More | comments

Israeli drone capable of reaching Iran crashes

Monday, January 30, 2012

JERUSALEM – The Israeli military says a drone that can fly as far as Iran has crashed in central Israel on a routine experimental flight. The military says there were no injuries in Sunday's crash, and it was investigating the incident. The Heron TP drone is also known locally as the Eitan. It has...

Read More | comments

Jury finds Afghan family guilty in 'honor' killings

Monday, January 30, 2012

KINGSTON, Ontario – A jury on Sunday found an Afghan father, his wife and their son guilty of killing three teenage sisters and a co-wife in what the judge described as "cold-blooded, shameful murders" resulting from a "twisted concept of honor" in a case...

Read More | comments

Chinese nationals missing after attack in Sudan

Sunday, January 29, 2012

BEIJING – More than 20 Chinese nationals are missing after militants attacked their remote worksite in a volatile region of Sudan, the Foreign Ministry and embassy said Sunday. The Foreign Ministry said the militants attacked Saturday and Sudanese forces launched a rescue mission Sunday in coordination...

Read More | comments

Spanair shutdown sparks disruptions

Sunday, January 29, 2012

MADRID – Thousands of passengers faced travel disruptions across Spain Saturday after domestic carrier Spanair canceled all of its flights late Friday night and prepared to file for bankruptcy protection. The collapse of the Barcelona carrier took place shortly after Qatar Airways walked away from...

Read More | comments

Iran says oil could reach $120 to $150 per barrel

Sunday, January 29, 2012

TEHRAN, Iran – The head of Iran's state oil company said Sunday that the price of crude will reach $120 to $150 per barrel, as officials in Tehran prepare to discuss a ban on crude sales to European Union countries in retaliation for an EU embargo. Head of the National Iranian Oil Company Ahmad Qalehbani...

Read More | comments

Syrian military launches offensive in clashes with army defectors

Sunday, January 29, 2012

BEIRUT – The Syrian military launched an offensive to regain control of suburbs on the eastern edge of Damascus Sunday, storming neighborhoods and clashing with groups of army defectors in fierce fighting that sent residents fleeing and killed at least...

Read More | comments

Iran issues warning as UN nuclear team arrives

Sunday, January 29, 2012

TEHRAN, Iran – A U.N. nuclear team arrived in Tehran early Sunday for a mission expected to focus on Iran's alleged attempt to develop nuclear weapons. The U.N. nuclear agency delegation includes two senior weapons experts -- Jacques Baute of France and...

Read More | comments

Palestinian leader blames Israel for failure of latest talks

Sunday, January 29, 2012

RAMALLAH, West Bank – The Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Sunday blamed each other for the impasse in newly launched peace efforts, raising doubts about whether the dialogue would continue just weeks after it began. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas...

Read More | comments

British police arrest 5 in London tabloid bribery probe

Sunday, January 29, 2012

LONDON – British authorities investigating potential cases of bribery of police arrested four current and former employees of News Corp.'s tabloid the Sun, the company said, deepening the media firm's problems in a scandal involving illicit reporting tactics. The focus on Sun employees expands a police...

Read More | comments

Japan, Russia to boost economic and security ties

Sunday, January 29, 2012

TOKYO – The foreign ministers of Japan and Russia agreed Saturday to strengthen economic and security cooperation but made no progress on resolving a long-standing territorial dispute that has kept the two nations from concluding a peace treaty. Foreign...

Read More | comments

US official's son detained in Egypt says he could face 5 years in jail

Sunday, January 29, 2012

CAIRO – Sam LaHood, son of the U.S. Transportation Secretary and one of several Americans barred from leaving Egypt last weekend, said Friday he could be facing five years in jail. LaHood, the director of the Egyptian program for the International Republican...

Read More | comments

Corruption seen as a top problem for Russia at World Economic Forum

Sunday, January 29, 2012

Russia is hugely represented here at the World Economic Forum. Bill Browder of Hermitage Capital takes issue with that. "There are so many examples of high level government crime in Russia that it's almost ridiculous that Russia is allowed to come here as a country displaying its wares. It's like inviting...

Read More | comments

Saudi women reportedly to be allowed in soccer stadium

Sunday, January 29, 2012

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – A government-run Saudi Arabian newspaper reports that for the first time in the conservative Muslim country, women will be allowed to attend soccer matches in one of the country's stadiums. Al-Sharq newspaper on Saturday quoted unnamed...

Read More | comments

Costa Concordia fuel removal stalled due to rough seas

Sunday, January 29, 2012

GIGLIO, Italy – Rough seas off Italy's Tuscan coast have forced a delay in the start of the operation to pump out half a million gallons of fuel from the grounded cruise liner Costa Concordia. The choppy waters also partially dislodged a barge owned by...

Read More | comments

UN nuclear officials want Iranian cooperation

Sunday, January 29, 2012

VIENNA -- The head of a U.N. nuclear team traveling to Iran on Saturday urged the country to work with his mission on probing Tehran's alleged attempts to develop an atomic arms program, adding such cooperation is long overdue. The unusually blunt comments...

Read More | comments

Six Costa Concordia passengers reportedly sue for $460 million

Sunday, January 29, 2012

MIAMI – Six passengers on the stricken Costa Concordia cruise ship filed a complaint against Carnival Cruise Lines, the parent company of ship owner Costa Cruises, demanding $460 million in compensation, the ANSA news agency reported Saturday. The lawyer acting for the six passengers, Marc Bern, said...

Read More | comments

Amid violence, Arab League halts observer mission in Syria

Sunday, January 29, 2012

BEIRUT – The Arab League halted its observer mission to Syria on Saturday, sharply criticizing the regime of President Bashar Assad for escalating violence in recent days that has killed at least 80 people across the country. The rising bloodshed has added...

Read More | comments

Search for bodies in Rio collapse continues

Sunday, January 29, 2012

SAO PAULO -- Firefighters have raised the death toll from the collapse of three buildings in Rio de Janeiro earlier this week to at least 16 people and say hopes of finding anyone alive beneath the rubble are slim. A Rio de Janeiro fire department official...

Read More | comments

Yemen: 5 killed in clashes with Al Qaeda militants

Sunday, January 29, 2012

SANAA, Yemen -- Yemeni security officials say fighting between government troops and Al Qaeda linked militants in the country's south has killed at least five people. The army has been trying for months to dislodge the militants from the towns and territory they seized last spring in Abyan province,...

Read More | comments

Topless protesters detained at Davos forum

Saturday, January 28, 2012

DAVOS, Switzerland -- Three topless Ukrainian protesters were detained Saturday while trying to break into an invitation-only gathering of international CEOs and political leaders to call attention to the needs of the world's poor. Separately, demonstrators...

Read More | comments

Yemeni president heads to US for medical treatment

Saturday, January 28, 2012

SANAA, Yemen – Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh headed to the United States on Saturday for medical treatment, his spokesman said, the latest stage in an effort to distance him from his country's policies to help ease a transition from his rule. Ahmed...

Read More | comments