-
South Asia
Pakistani protesters condemn US drone attack that killed Taliban leader
The drone attack that killed a Pakistan Taliban deputy leader this week was a clear signal that despite President Barack Obama’s promise last week of new transparency in the drone program, the CIA will still launch secret attacks on militants in north Pakistan and the administration will not have to…
Read More » -
South East Asia
Myanmar’s gov’t and Kachin rebels edge toward cease-fire
Myanmar’s government and ethnic Kachin rebels have ended three days of peace talks with a tentative deal to de-escalate fighting and continue a political dialogue. The two sides signed a seven-point agreement Thursday in the Kachin state capital, Myitkyina, in an effort to end nearly two years of fighting. There…
Read More » -
West Asia
Syrian President Assad says ‘confident in victory’ in civil war
Syrian President Bashar Assad said in an interview broadcast Thursday that he is “confident in victory” in his country’s civil war, and he warned that Damascus would retaliate for any future Israeli airstrike on his territory. Assad also told the Lebanese TV station Al-Manar that Russia has fulfilled some of…
Read More » -
Society
Indonesian President Yudhoyono receives World Statesman Award
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia, center, is presented with a World Statesman Award by former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, left, and Appeal of Conscience Foundation President Rabbi Arthur Schneier, right, Thursday, May 30, 2013 in New York. <AP Photo/Jason DeCrow>
Read More » -
West Asia
Another bomb attack kills 33 in Iraqi sectarian fighting
Officials in Iraq are growing increasingly concerned over an unabated spike in violence that claimed at least another 33 lives on Thursday and is reviving fears of a return to widespread sectarian fighting. Authorities announced plans to impose a sweeping ban on many cars across the Iraqi capital starting early…
Read More » -
South Asia
An Indian Charlie Chaplin impersonator performs in front of tourists
People watch as Indian artist Somnath Sobhavane, a Charlie Chaplin impersonator performs near the Gateway of India monument in Mumbai, India, Monday, May 27, 2013. <AP Photo/Rajanish Kakade>
Read More » -
West Asia
Jerusalem municipality demolishes illegal Palestinian houses
A man watches a Palestinian house demolition in the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina, Wednesday, May 29, 2013. Palestinian homes built without a construction permit are often demolished by order of the Jerusalem municipality. Palestinians claim that it is impossible to obtain permits. Israeli police detain a Palestinian boy,…
Read More » -
West Asia
Turkey launches construction of 3rd Urasian continental bridge
Turkey launched the construction of a third bridge over the Bosporus Strait in Istanbul with 10,000 people attending the ground breaking ceremony on Wednesday. The grand ceremony was attended by Turkish President Abdullah Gul, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other top government officials, who claimed it as the world’s…
Read More » -
South East Asia
Sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslims reignited in Myanmar
Hundreds of Buddhist men on motorcycles, screaming and waving iron rods and sticks, roamed the streets. A crowd threw rocks at buildings. A movie theater reportedly burned. This town in northeastern Myanmar near the Chinese border is the latest region to fall prey to the country’s spreading violence and intimidation…
Read More » -
West Asia
Int’l conference to find political solutions to Syria crisis kicks off in Iran
An international conference on the Syria crisis kicked off in the Iranian capital of Tehran on Wednesday with the participation of more than 40 representatives from countries and international organizations across the globle. Addressing the opening ceremony of the meeting, the Iranian Foreign Minster Ali-Akbar Salehi expressed hope that the…
Read More »