TheRepublic.com - International relations News

Extremists claim responsibility for Niger attacks

Thu, 23 May 2013 22:20:29 -0400

NIAMEY, Niger - Suicide bombers in Niger detonated two car bombs simultaneously, one inside a military camp in the city of Agadez and another in the remote town of Arlit at a French-operated uranium mine, killing 26 people and injuring 30, according to officials in Niger and France. A surviving attacker took a group of soldiers hostage, and authorities were attempting to negotiate their release.

Nixon library hosts reunion for Vietnam POWs

Thu, 23 May 2013 19:59:41 -0400

YORBA LINDA, California - U.S. Navy Lt. Commander Doug Burns was on a night reconnaissance mission searching for enemy trucks when he was shot down by anti-aircraft fire and taken prisoner during the Vietnam War.

Muslim hard-liners ID suspect in London attack

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:07:47 -0400

LONDON - A man seen with bloody hands wielding a butcher knife after the killing of a British soldier on the streets of London was described as a convert to Islam who took part in demonstrations with a banned radical group, two Muslim hard-liners said Thursday.

Clashes in Lebanon feed fear of Syria spillover

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:19:50 -0400

BEIRUT - Lebanese supporters and opponents of Syrian President Bashar Assad fired heavy machine guns and lobbed mortar shells at each other Thursday in some of the worst fighting in the port city of Tripoli in years.

Obama cites need to support emerging democracies

Thu, 23 May 2013 14:40:15 -0400

WASHINGTON - President Barack Obama says supporting transitions to democracy in unstable regions like the Middle East will remain a key part of his strategy for fighting terrorism.

S. Sudan leader: Int'l court 'humiliates' Africa

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:34:05 -0400

JUBA, South Sudan - South Sudan's president is criticizing the International Criminal Court, saying the court is designed to humiliate African leaders.

US, Israel raise hopes for Mideast peace restart

Thu, 23 May 2013 13:15:09 -0400

JERUSALEM - The United States and Israel raised hopes Thursday for a restart of the Middle East peace process, despite little tangible progress so far from U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's two-month-old effort to get Israelis and Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

UN chief visits Goma, Congo

Thu, 23 May 2013 12:55:30 -0400

GOMA, Congo - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stressed Thursday that security must go hand-in-hand with development in Congo's troubled eastern city of Goma, arriving just hours after a rebel group halted fighting to allow the visit to proceed.

Violence in Somalia scares investors, aid workers

Thu, 23 May 2013 11:40:50 -0400

MOGADISHU, Somalia - A spate of attacks by Islamic insurgents in Somalia's capital is forcing investors, businessmen and aid workers to have second thoughts about expanding operations in Mogadishu.

Russia wary of deeper nuclear arms cuts

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:19:11 -0400

MOSCOW - Russia's top military officer on Thursday voiced skepticism about deeper nuclear arms cuts, saying they should require parallel reductions in non-nuclear precision weapons.

El Salvador presses pope on Romero beatification

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:52:17 -0400

VATICAN CITY - El Salvador's president gave Pope Francis a relic of assassinated Archbishop Oscar Romero on Thursday amid mounting indications that the Vatican might soon move to beatify him.

US mayors group holds technology summit in Philly

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:46:04 -0400

PHILADELPHIA - The U.S. Conference of Mayors is holding a summit in Philadelphia on technology and innovation.

Hillary Clinton accepts humanitarian award in NYC

Wed, 22 May 2013 23:22:04 -0400

NEW YORK - Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton touted the efforts of a group combatting malnutrition and blindness during an awards speech in New York City.

Kerry: US, allies ready to step up aid to rebels

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:04:42 -0400

AMMAN, Jordan - The U.S. and several key allies looked again Wednesday for a strategy to end Syria's civil war, their united efforts unable at the moment to stem the Assad regime's military gains and Washington still unwilling to join those providing the rebels with lethal military aid.

IAEA report: Iran expands nuclear technology

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:28:36 -0400

VIENNA - The U.N. atomic agency on Wednesday detailed rapid Iranian progress in two programs that the West fears are geared toward making nuclear weapons, saying Tehran has upgraded its uranium enrichment facilities and advanced in building a plutonium-producing reactor.

House committee passes Iran sanctions legislation

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:27:18 -0400

WASHINGTON - A new push to thwart Iran's nuclear ambitions by crippling the country's economy gathered momentum on Capitol Hill Wednesday with approval of legislation by the House Foreign Affairs Committee that would impose even tougher economic sanctions against Tehran.

4-nation Pacific Alliance trade bloc forges ahead

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:27:04 -0400

BOGOTA, Colombia - The presidents of Colombia, Peru, Chile and Mexico meet in the western city of Cali on Thursday in hopes of completing a nascent trade bloc that looks to the European Union as a model and aims to further open their trade with Asia.

Amid signs of turmoil, S Sudan says oil will flow

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:39:23 -0400

JUBA, South Sudan - Following a lengthy Cabinet meeting, South Sudan's government spokesman said Wednesday that the country will continue to export oil through Sudan and that there had been only a temporary slowdown in production.

Palestinians have little faith in Kerry effort

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:08:29 -0400

RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinians believe the U.S. effort to restart peace talks is doomed, and they're preparing instead to resume their campaign of seeking membership in key international organizations as soon as next month, officials told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

Irishman charged with 1982 IRA Hyde Park bombing

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:06:54 -0400

DUBLIN - British prosecutors have charged a 61-year-old Irishman with the 1982 IRA attack on the queen's cavalry in Hyde Park, a nail-bombing at a top London tourist attraction that left four soldiers and seven horses dead.

Alabama voters to get more info on campaign money

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:56:33 -0400

MONTGOMERY, Alabama - Alabama voters will soon be able to learn about candidates' contributions and expenditures without scrolling through page after page of campaign finance reports on their computers.

EU bid to label Hezbollah wing terror group

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:44:55 -0400

BRUSSELS - The European Union is reassessing whether to declare the Lebanese party Hezbollah's military wing a terrorist organization, a move it has long shied from despite pressure from the U.S., officials said Wednesday.

Chinese premier visits Pakistan, praises ties

Wed, 22 May 2013 12:15:47 -0400

ISLAMABAD - China's premier signed economic agreements and praised Pakistan in glowing terms as he began a two-day visit Wednesday, underscoring the importance of the longstanding alliance to the two Asian powers.

African Union celebrates 50th year

Wed, 22 May 2013 10:38:28 -0400

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - African nations this week mark the 50th year since the founding of a continentwide organization that spearheaded efforts to liberate Africa from colonial masters. Now leaders want to map out the next 50 years of political and economic integration.

Japan approves joining int'l child abduction pact

Wed, 22 May 2013 07:40:14 -0400

TOKYO - Japan's parliament on Wednesday approved joining an international child custody treaty amid foreign pressure for Tokyo to address concerns that Japanese mothers can take children away from foreign fathers without recourse.