Somali official says French hostage likely killed

MOGADISHU, Somalia (AP) — A Somali intelligence official says that the French intelligence agent held hostage for more than three years by Islamic militants in Somalia was likely killed by his captors during the failed rescue attempt by French commandos.The official said Sunday that the home where the agent was held was destroyed in the attack Saturday, and that intelligence networks "do not have...

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190 Georgian 'political' prisoners walk free

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) — Nearly 200 people considered political prisoners by Georgia's new parliament walked free Sunday under an amnesty strongly opposed by President Mikhail Saakashvili.Many of the 190 prisoners had been arrested during anti-Saakashvili protests in May 2011, while others had been convicted of trying to overthrow the government or of spying for Russia. Relations with Moscow were...

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More than 130 nations begin mercury treaty talks

GENEVA (AP) — Delegates from more than 130 nations began a final round of negotiations on Sunday that are expected to lead to the creation of the first legally binding international treaty to reduce mercury emissions.The treaty would set enforceable limits on the emissions of mercury, a highly-toxic metal that is widely used in chemical production and small-scale mining, particularly artisanal gold...

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Violence in Northern Ireland for 3rd day over flag

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — Northern Ireland police used water cannons to fend off brick-hurling protesters in Belfast on Saturday as violent demonstrations over flying the British flag stretched into a third straight day.The Police Service of Northern Ireland said it was investigating reports that a number of shots were fired at police lines. A 38-year-man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted...

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Man arrested after shots fired at Northern Irish police in flag riots

BELFAST (Reuters) - Northern Irish police arrested a 38-year-old man on Saturday on suspicion of attempted murder after shots were fired at police officers during protests over the removal of the British flag from Belfast City Hall.Police used water cannon against more than 100 protesters hurling fireworks, smoke bombs and bricks in the eastern part of the city shortly after a demonstration outside...

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Spanish police seize ancient plundered vase

MADRID (AP) — The owner of an antique shop in Spain was arrested after police investigators found a vase there dating back to the late second century B.C., officials said Saturday.The antiquity had been illegally plundered from an Iberian era archeological site in the province of Alicante, an Interior Ministry statement said.Inspectors found it in a cardboard box during a routine search of the shop...

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Backward step for reform in Myanmar?

Myanmar's military has stepped up attacks on ethnic Kachin rebels in recent days with airstrikes. This move calls into question efforts by the United States and other international powers to richly and quickly reward the nominally civilian regime there for a series of gestures toward political reform.US State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland told reporters yesterday that the Obama administration...

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US drone strike in Pakistan kills influential Taliban commander

Key Pakistani Taliban commander Maulvi Nazir – considered a "good" Taliban by some among the Pakistani military – died in a US drone strike that left at least six dead on Thursday, according to local reports.According to Pakistan's Dawn newspaper, Taliban and local government officials confirm that Mr. Nazir and at least two of his deputies were killed when a US drone hit their vehicle in South Waziristan,...

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Russia plans biggest war games since Soviet era

The Russian navy has announced that it will hold its biggest war games since Soviet times in the Mediterranean and Black seas later this month.The ambitious exercises, which will involve ships from all four major Russian fleets, are a sign of growing confidence on the part of Russia's military as it begins to enjoy the benefits of President Vladimir Putin's huge budget allocations for renewing and...

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Gerard Depardieu's latest drama: a Russian passport

Vladimir Putin flourished his pen Thursday morning and signed what must be the oddest decree of his long years in power: an order granting a Russian passport to French actor and tax exile Gerard Depardieu.A terse announcement posted on the Kremlin website noted that Mr. Putin acted "to satisfy an application for citizenship of the Russian Federation by Gerard Xavier Depardieu, who was born in 1948...

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Backward step for reform in Myanmar?

Myanmar's military has stepped up attacks on ethnic Kachin rebels in recent days with airstrikes. This move calls into question efforts by the United States and other international powers to richly and quickly reward the nominally civilian regime there for a series of gestures toward political reform.US State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland told reporters yesterday that the Obama administration...

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New Constitution divides Egypt as economy falters

New constitutions are usually greeted with great fanfare. They're assumed to carry both the promise of a fresh start and signal that a chaotic transition has come to an end.But Egypt's new constitution is something else again. Signed into law on Dec. 26 by President Mohamed Morsi, the new charter has become a symbol of a sharply divided nation. Mr. Morsi's opponents charge the passage of the constitution...

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Progress watch 2012: Smart phones, jobs returning to America, and war crimes trials

Good news is hard to find. That's partly because, no matter what the topic, there's so much distracting bad news: ongoing violence in Syria, America's allegedly imminent fiscal demise, the National Hockey League lockout. From the front page to the sports page, so little looks good.It isn't just the cacophony of naysaying and fear that crowds out good news. It's also the nature of progress itself:...

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Secret cremation for gang-rape victim sparks anger against Indian government

Protests became violent today in Delhi as the youth wing of the opposition Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) pelted stones at police and tried to climb over barricades following news of the secret cremation of the body of the Delhi gang rape victim.The young woman was cremated on the outskirts of Delhi Sunday morning, in an effort to prevent the public from swarming the funeral site. However, this only...

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UN envoy: Without deal in Syria, think Somalia not Yugoslavia

• A daily summary of global reports on security issues.After a week of attempting to craft a peace plan that both President Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian opposition would agree to, the United Nations' envoy to Syria said the situation will not stabilize on its own and that a political deal is no closer.“People are talking about a divided Syria being split into a number of small states like Yugoslavia,”...

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Obama's pivot to Asia? Middle East will still demand attention in 2013.

Nearly four years ago, President Barack Obama addressed a packed, enthusiastic crowd at Cairo University and promised a "new beginning" between the United States and the Muslim world.In that speech, Mr. Obama outlined a vision for a new era of economic cooperation in the Middle East, one of steadfast US support for democracy, and of reset priorities."I've come here to Cairo to seek a new beginning...

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Bomb kills Afghan provincial police chief

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghan police say a roadside bombing has killed the police chief of a southern province. A police official in Nimroz province, Obaidullah, says the attack took place on Monday morning in the western province of Herat. Obaidullah, like many Afghans, only goes by one name. He says the vehicle with the chief of Nimroz province struck a bomb while driving back from Herat. The...

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Gov't: Building felled by NZ quake poorly built

SYDNEY (AP) — A six-story office building that collapsed and killed 115 people in New Zealand's devastating earthquake last year was poorly designed by an inexperienced engineer, inadequately constructed and should never have been issued a building permit, a government report said Monday. The Canterbury Television (CTV) building crumbled to the ground during the 6.1-magnitude earthquake that rocked...

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No sign of imminent rocket launch in North Korea

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea held off launching a long-range rocket Monday, the first day of a 13-day window during a frigid, snowy stretch of winter weather, a day after announcing it may delay the controversial liftoff. Pyongyang had made a surprise announcement earlier this month that it would launch a rocket mounted with a satellite one morning between Monday and Dec. 22, its second...

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Taliban attack Pakistan police station, kill 6

BANNU, Pakistan (AP) — Taliban militants armed with a rocket, hand grenades and automatic weapons attacked a police station in northwestern Pakistan on Monday, killing six people, police said. The attack occurred in the city of Bannu, which serves as a gateway to the North Waziristan tribal area, the main sanctuary for Taliban and al-Qaida militants in Pakistan. The city has been hit by repeated...

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