U.S. plans to transfer some Guantanamo detainees

U.S. plans to transfer some Guantanamo detainees


U.S. plans to transfer some Guantanamo detainees

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 10:45 PM PST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration will announce plans later on Tuesday to acquire an Illinois prison and to send a limited number of detainees there from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. official said.


Cyclone buffetts Fiji, four killed

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 10:45 PM PST

CANBERRA (Reuters) - A cyclone has struck the Pacific island nation of Fiji, killing four people, causing major flooding and blackouts, and driving almost 4,000 people into emergency shelters, Fiji media reported on Tuesday.


Suicide bomb blast near hotel in Kabul (AP)

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 09:58 PM PST

The body of a blast victim is carried away from the site in Kabul December 15, 2009. A large explosion rocked Kabul's main diplomatic and government residential district on Tuesday morning as President Hamid Karzai was expected to attend an anti-corruption conference in the Afghan capital. REUTERS/Ahmad Masood  (AFGHANISTAN - Tags: CIVIL UNREST)AP - A suicide bomb explosion Tuesday in Afghanistan's capital damaged a hotel frequented by foreigners, a government official said. The extent of casualties was not immediately clear.



Thais probe destination for seized NKorean weapons (AP)

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 10:01 PM PST

An unidentified detained crew member of a seized plane carrying 35 tons of weapons from North Korea, left, is escorted to criminal court to seek court detention in Bangkok, Thailand Monday, Dec. 14, 2009. The crew of a cargo plane loaded with war weapons from North Korea was ordered Monday to remain in a Thai prison for 12 days for further investigations. Members of the five-man crew, four from Kazakhstan and one from Belarus, were charged Sunday with illegal arms possession and refused bail. (AP Photo/Apichart Weerawong)AP - Thai authorities focused Tuesday on the mammoth task of inspecting 35 tons of weapons seized from a cargo plane loaded in North Korea, as details of the aircraft's alleged shady past emerged but its ultimate destination remained a mystery.



Berlusconi joins long list of targeted politicians (AP)

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 10:00 PM PST

AP - The souvenir-flinging man who attacked Italian premier Silvio Berlusconi joins a long list of gatecrashers, shoe-throwers and other security breachers who have embarrassed, bruised and even killed leaders worldwide.


Report: UN-backed Congo troops killing civilians (AP)

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 09:49 PM PST

Congolese army soldiers patrol in Mboko village in south-Kivu in November 2009. Kinshasa has sent a battalion of 600 commandos trained by Belgium to the northwest of the country to try to quell violence in the country's northwest, sources said on Sunday.(AFP/File/Adia Tshipuku)AP - U.N. peacekeepers in Congo are violating the laws of war and should immediately stop backing Congolese troops who have deliberately killed hundreds of civilians in an operation to oust rebels in eastern Congo, Human Rights Watch said.



Deadly car bombs hit central Baghdad

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 09:54 PM PST

A pair of car bombs exploded Tuesday in highly guarded central Baghdad locations, killing four people and injuring 14 others, the Ministry of Information said.


Will carbon trading work?

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 08:41 PM PST

Carbon trading -- with its mix of free-market principles and government regulation -- holds global appeal as a way for businesses to reduce emissions. But lack of a global market for carbon trade and questions over surveillance and accounting for pollution offsets raises questions about its viability.


Iraqi government: Iranian refugees to be moved from camp

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 02:26 PM PST

More than 3,000 Iranian dissidents are set to be moved Tuesday from their refugee camp in northeastern Iraq to a hotel in Baghdad, the Iraqi government said Monday.


Source: 'Alarming' secret document details Iran's nuclear goals

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 02:21 PM PST

A secret document that appears to show that Iran was working on building nuclear weapons as recently as 2007 is "alarming" and "part of a body of evidence backing up deep concerns over Iran's nuclear program," a Western diplomatic source with knowledge of the papers told CNN on Monday.


Survey: Negative views in Honduras of leaders

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 09:47 PM PST

Hondurans divided over an ongoing political crisis agree on one thing -- they don't think very highly of their leaders, according to a new survey.


Thousands flee erupting Philippine volcano

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 10:16 PM PST

MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine authorities started evacuating about 50,000 people from around the country's most active volcano on Tuesday as it spewed burning mud and rocks.


U.S. to outline plan for some Guantanamo detainees

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 10:16 PM PST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration will announce plans later on Tuesday to acquire an Illinois prison with the intent to send a limited number of detainees there from the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, an official said.


Four civilians killed in Kabul blast

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 10:16 PM PST

KABUL (Reuters) - Four civilians were killed in a blast that shook the centre of the Afghan capital on Tuesday, a National Security Directorate officer at the scene said.


Japan to put off decision on U.S. base row

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 10:16 PM PST

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama will put off a decision on a row with Washington over a U.S. airbase, a delay that risks fanning U.S. mistrust and voters' doubts about his leadership.


Car bombs kill four, wound 15 in Baghdad - police

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 10:16 PM PST

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Three car bombs exploded in central Baghdad on Tuesday, killing four people and wounding 15, police said.


Explosions rock downtown Baghdad, killing 4 (AP)

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 10:26 PM PST

An Iraqi man walks through debris at the scene of last Tuesday's massive bomb attack near the new Finance Ministry in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, Dec. 14, 2009. The U.S. military says it warned Iraqi officials about possible attacks in Baghdad the same day that bombers struck government sites in the country's capital last week. (AP Photo/Khalid Mohammed)AP - A series of car bombs ripped through downtown Baghdad early Tuesday, killing four people and wounding as many as 15 near the heavily fortified Green Zone, Iraqi police officials said.



Blast in Kabul diplomatic district, four killed (Reuters)

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 10:36 PM PST

Reuters - At least four civilians were killed on Tuesday by a suicide car bomb outside a hotel used by foreigners in Kabul's main diplomatic area and across the street from the home of a former vice president.


Large blast rocks Afghan capital

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 10:35 PM PST

Explosion in Kabul comes as Afghan president prepares to hold anti-corruption meeting.


Deaths as car bombs hit Baghdad

Posted: 14 Dec 2009 10:32 PM PST

At least four people killed in series of blasts in the centre of the Iraqi capital.