Tuesday, December 25, 2012

U.N. General Assembly voices concern for Myanmar's Muslims

U.N. General Assembly voices concern for Myanmar's Muslims

U.N. General Assembly voices concern for Myanmar's Muslims

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 08:18 PM PST

Muslim woman, displaced by recent violence in Kyukphyu township, cries after arriving at Thaechaung refugee camp outside of SittweUNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. General Assembly expressed serious concern on Monday over violence between Rohingya Muslims and Buddhists in Myanmar and called upon its government to address reports of human rights abuses by some authorities. The 193-nation General Assembly approved by consensus a non-binding resolution, which Myanmar said last month contained a "litany of sweeping allegations, accuracies of which have yet to be verified." Outbreaks of violence between ethnic Rakhine Buddhists and the Rohingyas have killed dozens and displaced thousands since June. ...

U.N. approves new debate on arms treaty opposed by U.S. gun lobby

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 06:13 PM PST

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. General Assembly voted overwhelmingly on Monday to restart negotiations on a draft international treaty to regulate the $70 billion global trade in conventional arms, a pact the powerful U.S. National Rifle Association has been lobbying hard against. U.N. delegates and gun control activists have complained that talks collapsed in July largely because U.S. President Barack Obama feared attacks from Republican rival Mitt Romney before the November 6 election if his administration was seen as supporting the pact, a charge U.S. officials have denied. ...

Two killed as passenger plane lands in Myanmar rice field

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 10:35 PM PST

YANGON (Reuters) - Two people were killed and 10 wounded in northeast Myanmar on Tuesday when a passenger plane missed an airport runway in heavy fog and landed in a rice paddy, state television said. The pilot of the Air Bagan plane touched down beyond Heho airport in Shan state, killing an 11-year-old passenger and a motorcyclist on the ground, MRTV said. Four foreigners and the pilot were among the injured. The plane was carrying 63 passengers, 51 of whom were foreigners. MRTV said. Air Bagan is one of five airlines operating domestic routes in Myanmar. ...

Venezuela's Chavez improving after surgery: officials

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 08:31 PM PST

Supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez holds a picture of him, as she attends a mass to pray for Chavez's health in CaracasCARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is improving after a cancer operation in Cuba and has started exercising, officials said on Monday, amid doubts over whether the former soldier is in good enough health to continue governing. Vice President Nicolas Maduro said he had spoken by phone with Chavez, who was walking and doing exercises as part of his treatment. "We've gotten the best present we could get this Christmas: a phone call from our commander president," Maduro said on state television. ...

Japan's policy veteran Motegi likely to serve as trade minister: media

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 06:00 PM PST

TOKYO (Reuters) - Incoming Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is likely to pick policy veteran Toshimitsu Motegi as trade minister, who will also take charge of energy and other key economic policies, media reported on Tuesday. Motegi, 57, a former policy affairs chief for the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), will tackle energy problems after last year's Fukushima nuclear crisis, as well as issues such as the U.S.-led Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade pact, public broadcaster NHK said. ...

Egypt to announce result of constitution vote on Tuesday

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 11:53 AM PST

Policemen stand guard near a banner outside the constitutional court put up by supporters of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi as they stage a sit-in, in CairoCAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt will announce on Tuesday the official results of a vote on its new constitution, the head of the elections committee told state media on Monday, a step which paves the way for the formation of a new parliament in about two months. The creation of a new constitution is a vital step in Egypt's transition to democracy almost two years after the fall of military-backed strongman Hosni Mubarak. But the opposition says the text, crafted mostly by President Mohamed Mursi's Islamist allies, fails to guarantee personal freedom and the rights of women and minorities. ...

Catholic Church urges Irish to oppose abortion law

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 04:03 PM PST

Cardinal Sean Brady speaks to members of the media outside Armagh cathedral in northern IrelandDUBLIN (Reuters) - The head of Ireland's Catholic Church urged followers in his Christmas Day message to lobby against government plans to legalize abortion. Ireland, the only EU member state that currently outlaws the procedure, is preparing legislation that would allow limited access to abortion after the European Court of Human Rights criticized the current regime. ...

Kuwait to host Syria crisis meeting, envoy meets Assad

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 10:18 AM PST

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad meets International peace envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi in DamascusBEIRUT (Reuters) - Kuwait will host an international conference next month to tackle Syria's humanitarian crisis, the ruling emir said on Monday, as foes of President Bashar al-Assad voiced frustration with international efforts to end the civil war. In Damascus, special international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi met Assad but the Syrian opposition vented its anger at what it called a "silence" over the unabated killing of civilians by government forces, most recently in the central town of Halfaya. ...

Russian prosecutors seek innocent verdict in Magnitsky's death

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 11:51 AM PST

Friends and relatives follow the coffin of Magnitsky during his funeral at a cemetery in MoscowMOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian prosecutors on Monday dropped their accusations against the only person being tried in connection with the prison death of anti-corruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, asking a court to find a former prison official not guilty. The surprise move in the trial of Dmitry Kratov came in the midst of a row between Moscow and Washington over U.S. legislation meant to punish Russians seen as linked to the death of Magnitsky and other alleged human rights violations. ...

Kuwait urges Iran to address worries on nuclear plant

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 10:59 AM PST

Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah waves as he enters the National Assembly to open the first session of the 12th National Assembly in Kuwait CityMANAMA (Reuters) - Kuwait urged neighboring Iran on Monday to cooperate more with the U.N. nuclear watchdog to allay Gulf Arab concerns about the safety of an Iranian nuclear power plant that lies just across the waterway from the emirate. The emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah, said a recent shutdown at the Bushehr plant indicated Tehran had to work with the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy (IAEA) to ensure the safety of the facility near the coastal town of Bushehr. ...

Worshippers rejoice in Jesus' Bethlehem birthplace

Posted: 25 Dec 2012 12:19 AM PST

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal, center, holds the Baby Jesus as he and clergy arrive to pray at the Grotto, traditionally believed by Christians to be the birthplace of Jesus Christ, at the Church of the Nativity, in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, early Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012. (AP Photo/Abed Al Hashlamoun, Pool)BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Pilgrims celebrate Christmas Day Mass in the ancient Bethlehem church where tradition holds Jesus was born, candles illuminating the sacred site and joyous prayer filling its halls.

Thousands enjoy merry Christmas in Bethlehem

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 03:16 PM PST

Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal waves to the crowds before Christmas celebrations in the West Bank town of Bethlehem, Monday, Dec. 24, 2012. Twal, the top Roman Catholic cleric in the Holy Land, has celebrated the United Nations' recent recognition of a Palestinian state in his annual pre-Christmas remarks.(AP Photo/Adel Hana)BETHLEHEM, West Bank (AP) — Thousands of Christians from the world over packed Manger Square in Bethlehem Monday to celebrate the birth of Jesus in the ancient West Bank town where he was born.

AP Interview: Egypt liberal objects to charter

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 03:00 PM PST

Egyptian opposition leader Hamdeen Sabahi talks during an interview with the Associated Press at his office in Cairo, Egypt, Monday, Dec. 24, 2012. Sabahi said there will be continued resistance to the constitution even though it passed, contending that the majority of Egyptians are not Islamists. (AP Photo/Nasser Nasser)CAIRO (AP) — One of Egypt's leading opposition figures on Monday pledged continued resistance to his country's Islamist-oriented constitution even if it is declared to have passed, contending that the process was fundamentally illegitimate.

UN envoy worried after talks with Syria's Assad

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 04:19 PM PST

In this photo released by the Syrian official news agency SANA, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, right, meets with UN Arab League deputy to Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi in Damascus, Syria, Monday, Dec. 24, 2012. The international envoy tasked with pushing to end Syria's civil war said the situation is still "worrying" after discussing the crisis with President Bashar Assad on Monday. The remarks gave no indication of progress toward a negotiated solution to the conflict. (AP Photo/SANA)BEIRUT (AP) — The international envoy to Syria said after talks with the country's leader Monday that the situation was "worrying" and gave no indication of progress toward a negotiated solution for the civil war.

At Christmas Eve Mass, pope urges space for God

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 03:12 PM PST

Pope Benedict XVI is helped on to the altar by Bishop Guido Marini, right, during the Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, Monday, Dec. 24, 2012. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)VATICAN CITY (AP) — Pope Benedict XVI marked Christmas Eve with Mass in St. Peter's Basilica and a pressing question: Will people find room in their hectic, technology-driven lives for children, the poor and God?

8 dead after Christmas Day fires in Philippines

Posted: 25 Dec 2012 12:16 AM PST

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — Authorities in the Philippines say at least eight people are dead after two separate Christmas Day fires in the capital region. One of the blazes left about 1,500 people homeless when it razed their shantytown.

Airliner lands on Myanmar road in fog; 2 killed

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 11:41 PM PST

In this photo taken Nov. 9, 2011, an Air Bagan plane takes off as tourists arrive at Heho airport in Heho, Shan State, Myanmar. The Myanmar's domestic airline's Fokker-100, not the same type of plane shown in the photo, made an emergency landing in central Myanmar Tuesday, Dec. 25, 2012, on a road, killing two people and injuring 11, officials said. The Air Bagan flight was carrying 65 passengers from Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, to Heho, the gateway to a popular tourist destination, Inle Lake. (AP Photo/Khin Maung Win)YANGON, Myanmar (AP) — An Air Bagan flight packed with Christmas tourists crash-landed on a road in central Myanmar on Tuesday, killing two people and injuring 11, officials said.

VP says he spoke with Chavez, who is up, walking

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 09:12 PM PST

Pierre Denis, who works at Venezuela's embassy, carries an image of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez after holding a Mass to pray for Chavez's health in Petion-Ville, Haiti, Friday, Dec. 21, 2012. Chavez is recovering in Cuba from surgery, his fourth operation related to pelvic cancer since June 2011. (AP Photo/ Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro said late Monday night that he had spoken by telephone with President Hugo Chavez and that the leader is up and walking following cancer surgery in Cuba.

Afghan policewoman kills US adviser in Kabul

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 07:58 AM PST

Afghan policemen watching down from top of the Kabul police headquarters, following the killing of an American advisor in Kabul, Afghanistan, Monday, Dec. 24, 2012. An Afghan policewoman killed an American adviser at the Kabul police headquarters on Monday, a senior Afghan police official said. (AP Photo/Musadeq Sadeq)KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — An Afghan policewoman walked into a high-security compound in Kabul Monday and killed an American contractor with a single bullet to the chest, the first such shooting by a woman in a spate of insider attacks by Afghans against their foreign allies.

New poll shows Israel's leader losing altitude

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 10:22 PM PST

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends the weekly cabinet meeting in his Jerusalem office, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2012. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner, Pool)JERUSALEM (AP) — A new poll shows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu poised for an election victory but losing support to a rival who opposes Palestinian statehood.

Could the US learn from Australia's gun-control laws?

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 09:43 AM PST

Almost two weeks after a shooting spree stunned Australia in 1996, leaving 35 people dead at the Port Arthur tourist spot in Tasmania, the government issued sweeping reforms of the country's gun laws. There hasn't been a mass shooting since. Now, after the recent shooting at a Connecticut elementary school, Australia's National Firearm Agreement (NFA), which saw hundreds of thousands of automatic and semi-automatic weapons bought back then destroyed, is being examined as a possible example for the US, to mixed reaction in Australia.Recommended: Think you know Asia? Take our geography quiz.

Lebanese border means little in Syria's civil war

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 08:44 AM PST

The four rain-filled bomb craters all visible within 100 yards of Mahmoud Ismael's house starkly illustrate how Lebanon's northern border has become an active frontline in Syria's civil war, drawing in rival Lebanese Shiite and Sunni factions.

Egypt finishes constitutional vote, but irregularities delay final results

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 08:37 AM PST

Egyptian judges were investigating opposition accusations of voting irregularities today before declaring the result of a referendum set to show that a contentious new constitution has been approved.

Letters To God: Kenyans appeal for peaceful election

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 06:10 AM PST

Five years after a disputed presidential election unleashed interethnic violence that scarred this East African nation, Kenyans are bracing for a new election amid fears of a fresh outbreak of bloodletting.

Muslim scholars and clerics: suicide bombings are un-Islamic.

Posted: 24 Dec 2012 05:00 AM PST

Suicide bombers in Afghanistan have shown little restraint: Wedding parties and even mosques and children have witnessed gruesome targeting by the Taliban against civilians.
Posted by Harshad at 1:17 AM

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