Car Bomb Kills Four in Lebanon

Beirut, January 16 (RHC)-- At least four people have been killed and over 30 others injured in a car bomb explosion in Lebanon’s northeastern town of Hermel. The bombing was carried out at the town’s main square in front of a state building on Thursday. According to medical sources, the number of casualties is likely to rise.... More


Baghdad, January 16 (RHC)-- Shocking photos have been published showing U.S. Marines burning bodies of dead Iraqis in Fallujah in 2004. According to the website TMZ.com, researchers obtained a total of 41 pictures from Fallujah. "Two pictures show a Marine appearing to pour gasoline or some other flammable on the remains of what officials believe are two insurgents. Two other photos show the bodies on fire. You then see charred remains.”... More


Gaza City, January 16 (RHC)-- Israel has carried out a series of airstrikes on the besieged Gaza Strip, injuring at least five people. According to Palestinian medical sources, four children and a woman were wounded during the airstrikes on Thursday.... More


Washington, January 16 (RHC)-- U.S. lawmakers are seeking to block President Barack Obama’s plan to shift control of the country’s drone campaign from the CIA to the Pentagon. Congress has moved to insert a secret provision in the $1.1 trillion government spending bill introduced this week that would preserve the spy agency’s role in lethal operations overseas. ... More


Kabul, January 16 (RHC)-- Afghan President Hamid Karzai has strongly condemned a U.S. airstrike, which has killed at least eight civilians in the northeastern region of Afghanistan. Karzai said on Wednesday that seven children and a woman were among the victims of the aerial attack in Parwan Province.... More


Washington, January 16 (RHC)-- In the U.S., members of the White House panel reviewing government surveillance have publicly rejected some of the National Security Agency’s key claims in justifying warrantless, mass spying. ... More


San Juan, January 16 (RHC)-- Teachers in Puerto Rico are on their second day of a two-day strike across the U.S.-territorial island in protest against cuts to their pensions. The two-day walkout was launched on the first day of classes after winter break on Tuesday against government cuts that educators said will force many workers into poverty.... More


Mexican Clashes Leave 12 Dead

Mexico City, January 15 (RHC)-– At least 12 people, including 9 civilians and 3 soldiers, have been killed in recent clashes between vigilante groups and government forces in Mexico’s western Michoacan state.... More


Cairo, January 15 (RHC)-- Clashes with police left as many as 11 dead during the first day of voting in Egypt's vote on a constitutional referendum. The Muslim Brotherhood, whose members largely supported ousted President Mohamed Morsi, called to boycott the elections after being branded a "terrorist organization" and expelled from political circles in late December.... More


Santiago de Chile, January 15 (RHC)-- The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has urged developed countries to forge a pact on global financial stability to avoid financial crises that affect the entire world.... More


Washington, January 15 (RHC)-- The United States has lashed out at Israeli Minister of Military Affairs Moshe Ya'alon for making “offensive and inappropriate” comments about U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. ... More


Caracas, January 15 (RHC)-- This year the Venezuelan government plans to turn the country's budding community collectives, or communes, into self-sufficient units of production and "design a new political culture," a leading government official said Tuesday.... More


Vatican City, January 15 (RHC)-- The Vatican says Iran should be invited to the upcoming international conference on Syria crisis later this month. A statement issued by Vatican City said: “To build the basis for regional peace, Geneva II needs to ensure inclusive participation of all parties... within the region and beyond.” ... More


Washington, January 15 (RHC)-- A U.S. economic expert says that the supposed improvement in the U.S. employment rate is a complete fabrication. ... More


Ramallah, January 15 (RHC)-- Acting Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says he would not recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Abbas made the remarks during a speech in front of hundreds of Palestinians in the West bank city of Ramallah, adding Palestinians would not drop demands for a capital in East Jerusalem.... More


up