Is Afghanistan Buying Iranian Oil with US Funds?
Comstock/Thinkstock(JERUSALEM) — Afghanistan may be spending U.S. money to purchase fuel from Iran, according to a story in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.If that’s the case, the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) say…
South Korea Warns North Korea to Cancel Nuclear Test
PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images(SEOUL, South Korea) — South Korea is not going to take another nuclear test by North Korea lightly.South Korean President Lee Myung-bak on Thursday warned of “very grave consequences” if Pyongyang conducts another nuclear…
Syria and Allies Condemn Israeli Air Strike
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — There was still no word from the Israeli government Thursday confirming an air strike earlier in the week that targeted a truck convoy in Syria that U.S. officials say was carrying missiles to the Hezbollah in Lebano…
Israel and Syria Differ on Target of Israeli Air Strike
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(DAMASCUS, Syria) — In spite of evidence to the contrary, the Syrian government on Wednesday accused Israel of conducting an air strike against one of its military facilities in Damascus the day before.According to a report by Sy…
Did Chinese Hackers Attack “The New York Times” Repeatedly?
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — China is denying accusations by The New York Times that hackers in the country repeatedly infiltrated the newspaper’s computer systems over the past four months.The Times reported on Wednesday that Chinese hackers st…
Chuck Hagel Says US Patience for Iran Is Limited
Junko Kimura/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — Responding to written questions by the Senate Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel suggested that the Obama administration would be ready to get tough with Iran if diplomacy fails to c…
China’s Filthy Air Prompts Mask Rush, Sale of Fresh Air in Cans
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(BEIJING) — For the fourth time this year, a murky haze has descended over north China, leaving residents of Beijing choking on toxic smog. China’s air hasn’t been this bad since 1954, according to the state-run People’s Da…
South Korea Launches Rocket Carrying Satellite into Orbit
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(SEOUL, South Korea) — It looks like the third time’s a charm for South Korea. The country said on Wednesday that it successfully launched a rocket carrying a satellite into orbit after two previous failed attempts.The 140-…
Group Charges Syrian Government with Executing Scores of Men
JOSEPH EID/AFP/Getty Images(DAMASCUS, Syria) — An opposition group is accusing the Syrian government of war atrocities after the bodies of dozens of men were reportedly pulled from a river in the northern city of Aleppo.The British-based Syrian Observ…
US Navy Minesweeper Stuck on Philippines Reef to Be Cut into Pieces
Naval Aircrewman (Tactical Helicopter) 3rd Class Geoffrey Trudell/US Navy(NEW YORK) — Unable to tow the minesweeper USS Guardian off a reef in the Philippines, the Navy has decided that the only way to free the ship without causing further damage to t…
Iran Uses Machine to Amputate Criminal’s Finger in Public
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Three black-masked men stood on either side of a blind-folded, bearded man and held him as they guided his right hand towards what looks like a saw blade on the side of a large machine. A bloody finger flops of…
Detailed Maps of North Korea Now on Google Maps
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(TOKYO) — The world’s most reclusive country is officially on the map — at least on Google Maps. The tech giant unveiled its most detailed view of North Korean streets on Tuesday, offering a rare glimpse into the hermit kingdom….
Is Syrian President’s Wife Pregnant?
MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP/Getty Images(BEIRUT) — Amid all the instability in Syria comes word that President Bashar al-Assad’s wife is pregnant.If the report in the Beirut-based al-Akhbar newspaper is true, it would be the fourth child for the president and A…
Investigation into Boeing’s Dreamliner Shifts to Monitoring System
Duncan Chard/Bloomberg via Getty Images(TOKYO) — The investigation into Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner is now shifting from the battery maker to the company that manufactures its monitoring system.On Monday, Japan’s Transport Ministry said its inspectors and…
Iran, Russia Denounce Missile Batteries on Turkey’s Border with Syria
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — NATO’s deployment of Patriot missile batteries in some areas of Turkey’s border with Syria has not just disturbed Damascus but also its close allies, Russia and Iran.Last year, NATO members approved the batteries as …
Another Factory Fire Kills More Garment Workers
Design Pics/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Another garment factory has burned in Bangladesh and killed seven more workers sewing clothes for Western customers, according to groups that monitor working conditions there. It is the latest in a rash of deadly fir…
Google Earth Used to Spot North Korean Labor Camp
One Free Korea/Google Earth(WASHINGTON) — North Korea appears to be both a threat and an enigma. In recent days, it has boasted that its ballistic missiles are a threat to the United States, but hard information is difficult to get from that very clos…
North Korea Warns of Action Against South Korea over UN Sanctions
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(SEOUL, South Korea) — North Korea is warning South Koreans there will be “strong physical counter-measures” taken if South Korea participates in the tougher sanctions recently passed by the United Nations. The threat…
Latest North Korean Diatribe Worrisome to US
PEDRO UGARTE/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) — The White House is taking the latest threat from North Korea more seriously than previous statements from Pyongyang due to last year’s successful long-range missile test.On Thursday, the North Korean Nationa…
Bombing in Northern Iraq Kills 35, Wounds 100
iStockphoto/Thinkstock(BAGHDAD) — A bombing targeting a mosque in northern Iraq late Wednesday brought back painful memories of when sectarian tensions were at their worst in the country during the nine-year war.Authorities in the town of Tuz Khurmato…