China envoy compares Japanese militarism to Voldemort
China’s ambassador to Britain has invoked Lord Voldemort, the villain of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series, in a diplomatic standoff between Beijing and Tokyo over the Japanese prime minister’s visit to a controversial war shrine. “In the Harry Potter story, the dark wizard Voldemort dies because the seven horcruxes, which contain parts of his soul, have been destroyed,” ambassador Liu Xiaoming wrote Wednesday in an op-ed in the Daily Telegraph newspaper.
Fox meat makes an ass of Wal-Mart’s China donkey product
Global retail giant Wal-Mart Stores has recalled a donkey meat product from some Chinese stores after tests found traces of other animals’ DNA, the company said Thursday, after authorities said it contained fox meat. The company would also independently DNA test all of its “high risk” meats in China, a procedure which is not required by retailers under Chinese food laws, the spokeswoman said. Wal-Mart would also cooperate with food officials in the eastern province of Shandong with their probe into the “adulteration incident”, said a statement posted on Sina Weibo, a Chinese Twitter equivalent. The Shandong Food and Drug Administration had previously said the “Five Spice Donkey Meat” product contained fox.
South Sudan fighting continues ahead of Ethiopia talks
Fighting is continuing unabated in South Sudan as the two sides prepare to begin peace talks in Ethiopia. A South Sudanese army spokesman told the BBC that clashes are continuing in Bor and parts of Unity state. Both the government and rebels have sent negotiating teams to the Ethiopian capital. So far the rebels have refused to end hostilities ahead of the talks. Aid agencies say supplies are urgently needed for the many thousands of people forced to flee their homes. Conditions have deteriorated in Awerial refugee camp on the banks of the Nile – now home to some 75,000 people who have fled the fighting in nearby Bor, the capital of Jonglei state, now in rebel hands. “There is no clean…
Read More →Israel raids on West Bank homes condemned
Human rights groups have reported a rise in Israeli military training exercises being held in Palestinian towns and villages. Israel was condemned by the groups on Thursday, after reports of soldiers taking up positions in Palestinians homes durin…
Read More →S. Sudan govt, rebels set for ceasefire talks
JUBA: South Sudan’s warring parties were on Wednesday set to begin peace talks aimed at bringing an end to a nearly three-week-old civil war that has already left thousands dead. Government and rebel officials confirmed their negotiating teams were either on their way or in the Ethiopian capital, and diplomats said they expected formal talks on a…
Read More →Rescue delayed for icebound ship in Antarctica
The latest attempt to rescue passengers on board a research ship that has been trapped in Antarctic ice for more than a week was delayed again Thursday after sea ice prevented a barge from reaching one of the rescue vessels. The Australian Maritim…
Read More →Hospital: Ariel Sharon’s health worsens
IAN DEITCH Associated Press= JERUSALEM (AP) — The medical condition of the comatose former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon sharply deteriorated Wednesday, the hospital treating him said. Sharon, 85, has been in a coma since 2006 when a devastating stroke incapacitated him at the height of his political power. His family has said that he sometimes opens his eyes and moves his fingers. Amir Marom, a spokesman for…
Read More →Russian officials identify suicide bomb suspect as Putin vows to annihilate terrorists
Russian officials believe that they know the identity of the man who blew himself up Sunday at a train station in the southern city of Volgograd, killing at least 18 people. The Moscow Times reported Wednesday that officials had identified the suspect as Pavel Pechyonkin, a Russian man who had converted to Islam and joined […]
Read More →South Sudan peace talks to open in Ethiopia
Dec. 31: A displaced family stand by their makeshift shelter at a United Nations compound which has become home to thousands of people displaced by the recent fighting, in the Jebel area on the outskirts of Juba, South Sudan. (AP) JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN –  Negotiators from South Sudan’s two warring sides are scheduled to arrive in […]
Read More →Saudis lament, ‘we have been stabbed in the back by Obama’
By Richard Miniter FoxNews.com Arabs don’t trust Obama either. As 2013 ends, President Obama has lost credibility with many people who trusted him at the start of the year. Thanks to the Healthcare.gov debacle, polls find support for the president among women and independents has dropped to the lowest ebb of his presidency. Obama’s words — […]
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