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Politics
South Africans participate rally to pray for Nelson Mandela’s recovery
People hold a photo of South Africa’s anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela during a rally in Pretoria, South Africa, on June 27, 2013. Former South African President Nelson Mandela’s health has improved but he remains in a critical condition, the Presidency said on Thursday. <Xinhua/NEWSis/Li Qihua> Ruling party supporters, sing as…
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Culture
A seven-week-old Snow Leopard cub plays at Tulsa Zoo, USA
Nico, the seven week old Snow Leopard cub, plays in a room at the Tulsa Zoo on Wednesday, June 26, 2013. <AP Photo/NEWSis/Tulsa World, John Clanton> Nico, the seven week old Snow Leopard cub, looks up at news photographers in a room at the Tulsa Zoo on Wednesday, June 26,…
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Politics
Kevin Rudd re-elected as Australia’s PM after being ousted 3 years ago
Kevin Rudd was sworn in as Australian prime minister on Thursday three years and three days after he was ousted from the same job in an internal government showdown. His office could not immediately confirm whether Rudd would replace his predecessor Julia Gillard in a visit to Indonesia that had…
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East Asia
‘Super moon’ rises over Singapore’s Bay Garden clearing from haze
A full moon sets behind a building of the Forbidden City in Beijing, capital of China, June 23, 2013. The moon looks 14 percent larger and 30 percent brighter than usual on Sunday. The scientific term for the phenomenon is “perigee moon”, but it is also known as a “super…
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East Asia
Hong Kong allows whistle-blower Snowden to go for third country
Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden – an admitted leaker of state secrets – was expected to fly from Moscow to Cuba and Venezuela en route to possible asylum in Ecuador. Snowden, also a former CIA technician, fled Hong Kong on Sunday to dodge U.S. efforts to extradite him…
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South Asia
US-Taliban to hold talks on ending Afghan war
The Taliban and the U.S. said Tuesday they will hold talks on finding a political solution to ending nearly 12 years of war in Afghanistan, as the international coalition formally handed over control of the country’s security to the Afghan army and police. The Taliban met a key U.S. demand…
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East Asia
G8 leaders call for coalition government in Syria
President Barack Obama, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other G-8 leaders took a united stance Tuesday on seeking a negotiated Syrian peace settlement to forge a “united, inclusive and democratic” government – but couldn’t agree on whether this means President Bashar Assad must go. Their declaration at the end of…
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Central Asia
G8 leadership remains divided on Syria conflict
Deep differences over Syria’s fierce civil war clouded a summit of world leaders Monday, with Russian President Vladimir Putin defiantly rejecting calls from the U.S., Britain and France to halt his political and military support for Syrian leader Bashar Assad’s regime. But there were also fissures among the three Western…
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East Asia
North Korea proposes senior-level talk with US
After months of threatening to wage a nuclear war, North Korea did an about-face Sunday and issued a surprise proposal to the United States, its No. 1 enemy: Let’s talk. But the invitation from North Korea’s National Defense Commission, the powerful governing body led by leader Kim Jong Un, comes…
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Business
Germany creates 8 billion euros fund on recent flooding
Germany will create a fund of up to 8 billion euros ($10.6 billion) to pay for the damage caused by recent flooding, Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday. The country, which has Europe’s biggest economy, won’t raise taxes to cover the costs and will raise borrowing, Merkel said after meeting Germany’s…
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