• “Friends of Syria” group determined to remove Assad

    WASHINGTON, June 6 (Xinhua) — Member states of the “Friends of Syria” on Wednesday reached an agreement on taking further measures, including asset freeze, arms embargo, among others, in a bid to remove Syria’s embattled President Bashar al-Assad from power. Expressing “deep dissatisfaction” with Assad’s “failure” to implement the peace…

    Read More »

  • System to elect Egytian parliament declared unconstitutional

    CAIRO, June 6 (Xinhua) — A report made by the commissioners of Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court said the voting system used to elect the current parliament earlier this year was unconstitutional. The number of seats allocated to individuals and party lists violate the principle of equal opportunities, official MENA news…

    Read More »
  • Politics

    U.S. State Secretary Arrives In Istanbul

    US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton arrives in Istanbul, Turkey on Wednesday, June 6, 2012. Clinton will attend the Second Meeting of the Coordinating Committee of Global Counterterrorism Forum (GCTF) set to be held in Istanbul on June 7-8. The Committee is the highest decision-making body of the Forum,…

    Read More »

  • Leftist party decides to oust 2 pro-N. Korean lawmakers

    A progressive party decided Wednesday to oust two pro-North Korean lawmakers at the center of political controversy in the new National Assembly session. The move by the beleaguered Unified Progressive Party (UPP) will apparently spur efforts by conservative lawmakers to deprive Reps. Lee Seok-gi and Kim Jae-yeon of their seats.…

    Read More »
  • Politics

    Shanghai Cooperation Summit kicks off

    The leaders of many Asian and Pacific countries arrived to China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Summit in China, June 5, 2012. On the sidelines of the Summit Chinese President Hu Jintao held talks with his Kyrgyz counterpart, Almazbek Atambayev, in Beijing on Tuesday,  raising a five-point proposal on promoting…

    Read More »
  • Politics

    US envoy on North Korea human rights to visit Seoul

    The United States envoy on North Korean human rights will visit Seoul later this week for talks with South Korean officials amid ongoing humanitarian concerns about the Stalinist state. The trip by Robert King comes amid reports that the human rights situation has deteriorated in recent months and concern from…

    Read More »
  • Politics

    Dispute over rant by DUP’s Lim intensifies

    The dispute involving the rant by Rep. Lim Su-kyung of the Democratic United Party (DUP) on North Korean defectors is escalating despite the lawmaker’s apology. Lim, a former pro-North Korean student activist, is drawing fire not only from the ruling Saenuri Party but also from conservative groups as a whole…

    Read More »
  • Politics

    Kim Doo-gwan to announce presidential bid in July

    Kim Doo-gwan Gov. Kim Doo-gwan of South Gyeonsang Province said Monday he is considering running for the presidency and will make a formal announcement in July. “The opposition camp must prevent the conservatives from winning power in the upcoming presidential elections, after they promised to realize regime change,” said Kim…

    Read More »

  • UAE to give Yemen food aid worth US$136 million

    DUBAI, June 3 (Xinhua) — The president of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan approved food aid worth 500 million Dirham (about 136 million U.S. dollars) to help the Yemeni people suffering from a year-long turmoil, local news agency WAM reported Sunday. “The gesture is…

    Read More »
  • Politics

    Turkish PM accuses Assad of behaving autocratic

    Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the Istanbul Conference on Somalia in Istanbul, Turkey, on June 1, 2012. <File Photo=Xinhua/Ma Yan> ANKARA, June 3 (Xinhua) — Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused on Sunday Syrian President Bashar al-Assad of behaving autocratic and harming peace, playing down the…

    Read More »