Sunday, December 2, 2012

Suicide bombers attack U.S. base in Afghanistan

Suicide bombers attack U.S. base in Afghanistan

Suicide bombers attack U.S. base in Afghanistan

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 12:17 AM PST

JALALABAD, Afghanistan (Reuters) - Suicide attackers detonated bombs and fired rockets outside a major U.S. base in Afghanistan on Sunday, killing five people in a brazen operation that highlighted the country's security challenges ahead of the 2014 NATO combat troop pullout. Local police officials said bodies in Afghan police and military uniforms were scattered around the entrance of the airfield in the eastern city of Jalalabad after a two-hour battle. A Taliban spokesman said the militant group had launched the 6 a.m. assault. The Taliban, who have been fighting U.S. ...

At least three dead after Japan tunnel collapse: TV

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 01:13 AM PST

Police officers and firefighters gather in front of the Sasago Tunnel on the Chuo Expressway in OtsukiTOKYO (Reuters) - A tunnel on a major highway in central Japan collapsed on Sunday, killing at least three people and starting a blaze, Japanese media reported. Attempts to rescue those still trapped inside the smashed tunnel, which began spewing smoke after concrete ceiling panels fell onto the road, have been interrupted for fear they might trigger another collapse. Three bodies have been found so far, television networks Fuji and Asahi said. The fire service earlier said at least seven people were unaccounted for in the 4.7 km (2. ...

Syrian rebels bombed, opposition open to peacekeepers

Posted: 01 Dec 2012 04:01 PM PST

Man carrying a shovel, walks near buildings damaged after what activists said was a Syrian Air Force fighter jet operated by those loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, fired missiles in DariaBEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian jets bombed rebel-held areas of Damascus on Saturday, residents said, as the opposition indicated it could accept an international peacekeeping force if President Bashar al-Assad is forced from power. Warplanes attacked the Damascus suburbs of Kafar Souseh and Darraya, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an opposition-linked group. The air strikes follow intensified rebel activity in the capital, Assad's seat of power, as well as stormings of government military bases in recent weeks. ...

Kuwait elects new parliament, stocks rally

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 12:30 AM PST

Newly elected member of Parliament Yousef Zalzaly, a Shi'ite Muslim, is greeted by supporters after the final results of the election were announced in Kuwait cityKUWAIT (Reuters) - Kuwaitis have elected a parliament including many newcomers which may prove more government-friendly than its predecessor but could lack legitimacy in the eyes of some due to a low voter turnout. Kuwait's stock index rose to a six-week high with retail investors more confident the government would be able to follow through on plans to develop the economy. About 39 percent of the 422,569 eligible voters cast ballots, according to a Reuters calculation based on voting figures posted on Sunday on an Information Ministry website. ...

In rare case, Beijing court sentences petitioner interceptors

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 12:32 AM PST

BEIJING (Reuters) - A Beijing court has sentenced 10 people to up to 18 months in jail for illegally detaining petitioners from another city, state media reported on Sunday, in a rare case of the judiciary taking on the shadowy men who operate on the margins of the law. Those convicted were hired by authorities from Changge city in central Henan province to stop petitioners airing their grievances in Beijing, the People's Daily said on its website, citing a Beijing newspaper. They held them in rented houses in a Beijing suburb where the petitioners said they were beaten, the report said. ...

"Al Qaeda-linked" Yemeni among four Pakistan drone strike dead

Posted: 01 Dec 2012 11:50 AM PST

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (Reuters) - A missile fired from a drone killed four people, including a Yemeni fighter linked to al-Qaeda, when it hit their car in northern Pakistan on Saturday evening, intelligence and tribal sources said. The strike at Sheen Warsak village in South Waziristan followed another drone attack in the same area two days earlier. A Yemeni fighter called Abdul Rehman, allied to al-Qaeda, was among the dead, government and intelligence sources said. ...

Iran stations defense staff at North Korea military site: Kyodo

Posted: 01 Dec 2012 07:39 PM PST

TOKYO (Reuters) - Iran has stationed defense staff in North Korea since late October apparently to strengthen cooperation in missile and nuclear development, Japan's Kyodo News agency reported on Sunday, citing a Western diplomatic source. The report came as North Korea said on Saturday it would carry out its second rocket launch of 2012 between December 10 and December 22, near the first anniversary of the death of young leader Kim Jong-un's father. The Iranian mission, Kyodo said, is made up of four experts from Iran's Ministry of Defense and firms close to it. ...

Congo rebels quit Goma, saying it's "for peace"

Posted: 01 Dec 2012 04:36 PM PST

M-23 rebel fighters are transported on trucks as they withdraw from GomaGOMA, Democratic Republic of Congo (Reuters) - Hundreds of rebel fighters, singing and brandishing weapons, pulled out of Congo's eastern border city of Goma on Saturday, raising hopes for negotiations to end the insurgency. The withdrawal of the M23 rebel movement from Goma on Lake Kivu, a strategic hub in Democratic Republic of Congo's war-scarred east, was agreed in a deal brokered by presidents of the Great Lakes states under Uganda's leadership a week ago. Kieran Dwyer, spokesman for the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations in New York, said the U.N. ...

Mursi calls December 15 referendum, Islamists rally

Posted: 01 Dec 2012 03:42 PM PST

Pro-Mursi protesters chant slogans in support of Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi in CairoCAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt's President Mohamed Mursi called a December 15 referendum on a new constitution, hoping to end protests over a decree expanding his powers, as at least 200,000 of his Islamist supporters rallied in Cairo on Saturday. Approval of the constitution drafted by an assembly stacked with Mursi's Islamist allies will override the November 22 decree that temporarily shielded Mursi from judicial oversight and triggered statements of concern from Western governments. ...

US-Afghan base attacked in eastern Afghanistan

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 12:43 AM PST

Taliban suicide bombers attacked a joint U.S.-Afghan air base in eastern Afghanistan early Sunday, detonating explosives at the gate and sparking a gunbattle that lasted at least two hours with American helicopters firing down at militants before the attackers were defeated.

Egypt: Islamists protest ahead of court ruling

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 12:03 AM PST

Supporters of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi rally in front of Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. Tens of thousands of people waving Egyptian flags and hoisting large pictures of the president are demonstrating across Egypt Saturday in support of Morsi and Islamic law. The rally, organized by the Muslim Brotherhood, is seen as a test of strength for Islamists seeking to counteract large opposition protests held this past week by liberal and secular groups who the Brotherhood say do not represent the vast majority of Egyptians. (AP Photo/Mohammed Asad)Several thousand supporters of Egypt's Islamist president are protesting in front of the Supreme Constitutional Court ahead of an expected ruling on the legitimacy of the panel that drafted a new constitution.

Italy votes for center-left candidate for premier

Posted: 01 Dec 2012 09:51 PM PST

Italians are choosing a center-left candidate for premier for elections early next year, an important primary runoff given the main party is ahead in the polls against a center-right camp in utter chaos over whether Silvio Berlusconi will run again.

7 missing after tunnel collapse outside Tokyo

Posted: 01 Dec 2012 09:26 PM PST

Police vehicles are parked at the entrance as smoke billows out of the Sasago Tunnel on the Chuo Expressway in Koshu, Yamanashi Prefecture, central Japan, Sunday morning, Dec. 2, 2012. A part of the tunnel collapsed Sunday morning, possibly involving several vehicles and injuring several people, local media said. (AP Photo/Kyodo News) JAPAN OUT, MANDATORY CREDIT, NO LICENSING IN CHINA, FRANCE, HONG KONG, JAPAN AND SOUTH KOREAAt least seven people were feared missing after parts of a tunnel collapsed Sunday on a highway west of Tokyo, trapping vehicles as smoke from a fire inside initially prevented rescuers from approaching.

Workers missing as dam collapses in Cambodia

Posted: 01 Dec 2012 11:52 PM PST

Four workers are missing and presumed drowned after an under-construction dam partially collapsed in western Cambodia, officials said Sunday.

Slovenes choose leader amid uncertainty

Posted: 02 Dec 2012 12:44 AM PST

A police helicopter casts light on riot police as they secure the area near the parliament building in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, Nov. 30, 2012. Thousands joined anti-government protests in Slovenia on Friday as tensions soared ahead of this weekend's presidential runoff in the small, economically struggling EU nation. (AP Photo/Matej Leskovsek)Small, crisis-hit EU member Slovenia is choosing a president in an atmosphere of uncertainty and growing discontent with cost-cutting measures designed to avoid an international bailout.

North Korea gears up to launch long-range rocket

Posted: 01 Dec 2012 08:42 PM PST

FILE - In this April 8, 2012 file photo, a North Korean soldier stands in front of the country's Unha-3 rocket, slated for liftoff between April 12-16, at Sohae Satellite Station in Tongchang-ri, North Korea. Rocket sections are apparently being trucked into North Korea's northwest launch site, but some analysts are asking whether it's just a calculated bluff meant to jangle the Obama administration and influence South Korean voters ahead of Dec. 19 presidential elections in three weeks. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder, File)North Korea is gearing up to fire a long-range rocket this month in a defiant move expected to raise the stakes of a global standoff over its missile and nuclear programs.

Mexico swears in president amid violent protests

Posted: 01 Dec 2012 06:44 PM PST

Mexico's incoming President Enrique Pena Nieto spreads out his arms after being sworn in at the inauguration ceremony in National Congress, in Mexico City, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2012. Pena Nieto took the oath of office as Mexico's new president on Saturday, bringing the old ruling party back to power after a 12-year hiatus amid protests inside and outside the congressional chamber where he swore to protect the constitution and laws of the land. (AP Photo/Alexandre Meneghini)Enrique Pena Nieto took the oath of office as Mexico's new president Saturday vowing to restore peace and security and take on the vested interests that have hindered economic prosperity.

Kuwait boycott bloc hails lower turnout

Posted: 01 Dec 2012 10:22 PM PST

Kuwaiti citizens wait in line to cast their vote at a polling station in Rumaithiya, Kuwait on Saturday, Dec. 1st, 2012. The general election to appoint a new Parliament is the fifth since mid-2006, and the second this year.(AP Photo/Gustavo Ferrari)Opposition groups in Kuwait are hailing their election boycott as a success after officials said voter turnout on Saturday was sharply lower than during the last parliamentary races earlier this year.

Syrian Internet largely restored after blackout

Posted: 01 Dec 2012 09:59 AM PST

In this Friday, Nov. 30, 2012 photo, Syrian women and children watch a demonstration after Friday prayers in the Bustan Al-Qasr district of Aleppo, Syria. After months of fighting, thousands of residents have returned to the city as they attempt to return to their daily lives while heavy fighting is still taking place along the front lines in the city. Public demonstrations have unfolded after several weeks of silence as residents demand an end to the violence in Aleppo. (AP Photo/Narciso Contreras)Internet and telephone service were restored across much of Syria on Saturday following a two-day, nationwide communications blackout that came during some of the worst fighting to hit the capital since July.

Mexico inaugurates new President Peña Nieto, but takes on 'old' party reputation

Posted: 01 Dec 2012 04:00 AM PST

Mexican President-elect Enrique Peña Nieto takes office today, but when Mexicans chose him as president in July, they voted for more than just a presidential platform. Voters elected to bring back to power a party that ran the state for 71 years through a combination of corruption and cronyism, and, at its worst, with a repressive authoritarian hand.
Posted by Harshad at 1:26 AM

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