Iran State TV station FARS announced Saturday morning that four American dual-nationality prisoners were released from Iranian custody in a “prisoner swap” with the United States.
CARACAS, VenezuelaVenezuelan President Hugo Chavez has been shown on television for the first time in days with a video clip that shows him chatting with aides and relatives as he undergoes cancer treatments in Cuba. In the video, Chavez plays
(AP) ATHENS, Greece The Bank of Greece warned Tuesday that the country faces a worse-than-expected recession in 2012, with the economy set to shrink 5 percent. It also urged politicians to make a swift return to cost-cutting measures after the
Thousands of Armenians staged a procession to a hilltop memorial above the capital on Tuesday to mark the 97th anniversary of the genocide of their kin by Ottoman Turks during World War I. From early morning, crowds of people joined
Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist rival Francois Hollande stepped up their battle on Tuesday for the six million votes that went to the far right in the first round of France’s presidential election. Hollande won Sunday’s first round with 28.6 percent
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Saturday voted unanimously to authorize up to 300 unarmed military observers to travel to Syria and try to bring about compliance with the peace plan proposed by former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan,
When a U.S. drone went down in eastern Iran last December, President Obama asked the Iranians if they might return it–pretty please–but they just grinned and said “no.” Now, some five months later, they claim not only to have “recovered
This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com. Tensions continue to rise in the South China Sea Iceland’s scapegoat former PM Geir Haarde avoids jail Tensions continue to rise in the South China Sea I’ve been writing for several years about China’s
President Obama has picked Samantha Power to head up his new Atrocities Prevention Board. Ironically enough, the Board launches Monday, the same day President Obama speaks at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, where he will be introduced by author Elie
Bad news for pacifists–and Los Angeles Lakers fans: World Peace is likely to be suspended, for as many as ten games. Los Angeles Lakers forward Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest until the 2011 offseason) is to be punished by
Today, the National Journal reported that a senior State Department official has announced, “The war on terror is over.” “Now that we have killed most of al Qaida,” the source said, “now that people have come to see legitimate means
MOSCOW, April 23 (Reuters) – Russia’s MICEX-RTS exchange suspended trading on its main stock market section on Monday at 1156 GMT for one hour until the end of the main trading session, the exchange’s spokesman said. Read the rest of
The case of Lt. Michael Behenna has all the intrigue and suspense of a Brian Haig political thriller, with the main character a JAG defense attorney. Unfortunately, this is not a novel, but instead a true story of injustice. According
This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com. Socialist François Hollande wins in first round of France’s presidential elections Marine Le Pen gives ‘victory’ speech after French election Sarkozy gives defiant speech after French election A Hollande victory in France could change
By GREG KELLERAssociated PressPARISFrancois Hollande charged back into campaign mode Monday with momentum on his side to capture France’s presidency, after the Socialist won the most votes in the first round of voting that put him into a runoff with
US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta begins his first Latin America tour Monday, traveling to Colombia, Brazil and Chile to bolster bilateral military cooperation and regional security ties. Panetta is “looking to expand the defense and security cooperation with three important
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte tendered his government’s resignation to Queen Beatrix on Monday after the collapse of a parliamentary partnership with a far-right party. The resignation has been widely expected since the weekend when Rutte acknowledged that his government’s
By MIKE CORDER and TOBY STERLINGAssociated PressTHE HAGUE, NetherlandsThe Dutch government, one of the most vocal critics of European countries failing to rein in their budgets, quit Monday after failing to agree on a plan to bring its own deficit
United Nations ceasefire monitors were touring towns near the Syrian capital on Monday, an official said, as the European Union slapped new sanctions on the regime of Bashar al-Assad. Neeraj Singh, spokesman for an eight-member advance team of UN observers
BEIJING (Reuters) – Chinese President Hu Jintao vowed on Monday to bolster ties with North Korea and backed its young leader, Kim Jong-un, despite an international outcry over the North’s recent rocket launch and the possibility of a third nuclear
Asian markets slipped lower Monday as slightly improved manufacturing data from China failed to dampen fears of a slowdown in the world’s number two economy, as markets took a bearish view. Tokyo gave up early gains to close down 0.20
By JULIE PACEAssociated PressWASHINGTONPresident Barack Obama on Monday will announce a plan to impose sanctions against foreign entities and individuals who help authoritarian regimes use technology to crack down on dissidents, an administration official said. Obama signed an executive order
PYONGYANG, North KoreaNorth Korea promised Monday to reduce South Korea’s conservative government “to ashes” in less than four minutes, in an unusually specific escalation of recent threats aimed at its southern rival. The statement by North Korea’s military, carried by
By JAMEY KEATENAssociated PressPARISFrench President Nicolas Sarkozy’s career was on the line Sunday as voters turned out in solid numbers for the first round of France’s presidential election, a contest that could shake up Europe’s political landscape and approach to
BY SLOBODAN LEKICAssociated PressLUXEMBOURGThe European Union on Monday suspended its sanctions against Myanmar for a year following a wave of widely praised political reforms in the country, but will retain an embargo on arms sales, officials said. The EU wants
Retrieving a lost football is standard fare for many teenagers, but one Japanese schoolboy is getting his ball back all the way from Alaska, where it drifted following last year’s tsunami. Misaki Murakami, 16, lost his house and all its
