December 31, 2013
New Year’s Celebrations Ringing in 2014
Fireworks are crackling through the night skies across the globe as revelers celebrate the first moments of 2014. Crowds gathered in public spaces in major cities across the Asia-Pacific region to ring in the new year with music, fireworks and…
December 31, 2013
IOC ‘confident’ Games will be safe after Volgograd blasts
The International Olympic Committee president says he has confidence that Russian authorities will deliver a "safe and secure" Games in Sochi. Thomas Bach wrote to President Vladimir Putin to express condolences for the "despicable" attacks that…
December 31, 2013
Huge fire after US oil train derails in North Dakota
Wagons from a mile-long train carrying crude oil have burst into flames as they derailed after a collision in the US state of North Dakota. A plume of thick black smoke could be seen many miles away and explosions were heard. No injuries were…
December 31, 2013
Israel releases Palestinian prisoners
Israeli authorities have freed a group of 26 Palestinian prisoners as part of a US-brokered agreement to resume direct peace talks. The prisoners were greeted by cheering crowds on their return to the West Bank and Gaza. Israel approved the…
December 24, 2013
Amid Darkness in the World, Jesus Brings Light so says Pope Francis
Pope Benedict has urged the world's 1.2 billion Catholics to rejoice this Christmas because "Jesus is the light who brightens the darkness" and brings peace. The pontiff delivered his first Christmas Eve homily as pope during a Mass at St. Peter's…
December 24, 2013
Bomb Blast Hits Egyptian Police Building
A powerful bomb has ripped through a police headquarters in Egypt's Nile Delta region. Authorities say at least 13 people were killed and 130 were wounded. Officials say most of the blast victims in the city of Mansoura were police. They believe a…
December 24, 2013
Clashes in Gaza between Israel, Palestinians
Israel has launched a series of attacks in the Gaza Strip, in apparent retaliation for the cross-border killing of an Israeli civilian by a Gaza sniper. Israel said it launched the attacks from the air and on the ground, targeting what it called…
December 24, 2013
Snowden: “Mission Accomplished”
Former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden says his mission is "already accomplished," after revealing details of the NSA's surveillance programs. Snowden, who is living under temporary asylum in Moscow, told the Washington Post said…
December 24, 2013
Syrian Airstrikes HIt Aleppo for 10th Day
Syrian government air strikes on rebel-held areas of Aleppo continued for a tenth straight day, leaving at least 15 people dead. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Syrian aircraft dropped so called "barrel bombs" on the…
December 19, 2013
US Transfers 2 Guantanamo Detainees to Sudan
The United States has sent two detainees who were held at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility back to their native Sudan. The U.S. has sped up efforts to transfer detainees out of Guantanamo, roughly half of the remaining 158 detainees have been…