News — GuardiansPress

U.S. Embassy Calls Syria Bombings “Unacceptable”

May 11, 2012 by admin ·

The U.S. embassy in Beirut called a double bombing that killed 55 people in Syria on Thursday “reprehensible and unacceptable” but said it would not change U.S. demands that the Syrian government implement a UN-backed peace plan.

The bombings were the deadliest attacks in the Syrian capital, Damascus, since an uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began 14 months ago.

“The United States condemns in the strongest terms the attacks that took place today in Damascus,” the U.S. embassy said in statements posted on Twitter. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Foreign Policy, Humanities, International News ·

Philippines Says New China Ship Aggravates Sea Row

April 22, 2012 by admin ·

The Philippines on Friday accused China of escalating the countries’ 10-day standoff in the disputed South China Sea by sending a third patrol vessel to a shoal where both sides claim sovereignty.

The standoff at the Scarborough Shoal, sparked April 10 when the Philippines accused Chinese fishermen of poaching in its territory, is being closely watched to see how far Beijing will go in its increasingly assertive stance on territorial claims in the region. The South China Sea is home to a myriad of competing claims, also involving Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and Taiwan.

The latest Chinese patrol vessel was dispatched after the Philippines refused to withdraw its coast guard ship from Scarborough Shoal, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency said. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Foreign Affairs, News ·

Lawmakers File Motion Condemning China’s Claim

April 20, 2012 by admin ·

Call for inquiry into why armed forces did not assert nation’s sovereignty

Manila Congressmen Teodoro Casiño and Neri Colmenares filed a resolution in the House of Representatives condemning China’s claim to Scarborough Shoal, which lies 230km west of Subuc Bay in central Luzon.

“We do not want to go to war, but we must assert our sovereignty, through whatever means we can,” Casiño said.

The two also called for a congressional inquiry on the inability of the Armed Forces, the Philippine Navy, the Philippine Coast Guard to assert the country’s sovereignty over the shoal. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Diplomatic Ties, International News ·

Al Jazeera Obtains Secret Syria Files

March 19, 2012 by admin ·

Al Jazeera has gained access to confidential documents prepared for the Syrian president by his intelligence and security chiefs on the conflict raging across the nation.

The files provide an insight into President Bashar al-Assad’s strategy to suppress anti-government protests, including the lengths the government went to for protecting its strongholds.

The documents, running into hundreds of pages, pointed to a government that was desperate to keep control of the capital Damascus and included clear orders to stop protesters from getting into the city. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Documentary, Foreign Policy, News ·

US Says Iran Involved In Plot To Assassinate Saudi Ambassador

October 12, 2011 by admin ·

The Justice Department on Tuesday accused elements of the Iranian government of being involved in a plot to assassinate the Saudi ambassador to the United States, and Attorney General Eric Holder said the U.S. would hold Iran accountable.

Two people, including a member of Iran’s special operations unit known as the Quds Force, were charged in New York federal court. Holder said the bomb plot was a flagrant violation of U.S. and international law.

“We will not let other countries use our soil as their battleground,” Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan, said at a press conference in Washington with Holder and FBI Director Robert Mueller. [Read more...]

Filed Under: International News, Politics ·

US Debt Crisis: Deal Sought To Head Off Global Stock Plunge

July 24, 2011 by admin ·

US leaders struggled in urgent, weekend-long talks to avert an unprecedented government default, desperate to show enough progress to head off a plunge in stock prices when Asian markets open ahead of the American workweek.

President Barack Obama met Saturday with Republican and Democratic congressional leaders _ but only briefly_ the day after House Speaker John Boehner abruptly broke off his own once-promising compromise talks with the White House. Staff members kept up detailed efforts.

The goal now is to produce at least a framework agreement to raise the nation’s debt limit by Monday, congressional officials said. Even that would allow scarcely enough time for the House and Senate to clear legislation in time for Obama’s signature by the Aug. 2 deadline, a week from Tuesday. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Business, Economy, News, Stock Market ·

Earthquake, Tsunami Hit Japan

March 11, 2011 by admin ·

The biggest earthquake to hit Japan in 140 years struck the northeast coast on Friday, triggering a 10-metre tsunami that swept away everything in its path, including houses, cars and farm buildings on fire, media and witnesses said. At least one person was killed in Fukushima prefecture, north of Tokyo where four million homes were without power. The 8.9 magnitude quake caused many injuries, public broadcaster NHK said, sparked fires and the wall of water, prompting warnings to people to move to higher ground in coastal areas.

The Philippines, Taiwan and Indonesia all issued tsunami alerts, reviving memories of the giant tsunami which struck Asia in 2004. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued alerts for countries as far away as Colombia and Peru.

There were several strong aftershocks. In the capital Tokyo, buildings shook violently. An oil refinery near Tokyo was on fire, with dozens of storage tanks under threat. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Nature, News ·