A suicide bomber kills three in eastern Afghanistan. Eight children among the dead in Syria's shelling near the Turkish (border). I'm Vincent Bruce reporting from Washington.
A suicide bomber has struck near a U.S. base in eastern Afghanistan, killing three Afghans. The Taliban claimed responsibility for the attack, which took place Wednesday near the facility, Forward Operating Base Chapman in Khost province. Authorities say the bomber detonated a van full of explosives while a guard was checking the (vehicle) near the entrance of the base.
Syrian opposition activists say government shelling in a northern province near the Turkish border has left at least 20 people dead, including eight children. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights released a video on Wednesday, showing what it said were victims of a government (assault) on a village in the Raqqa region.
Shinzo Abe has been confirmed as Japan's next prime minister. VOA correspondent Steve Herman reports from Tokyo.
With the Conservatives holding a solid majority in the more powerful 480-seat lower house, there was no doubt former prime minister Shinzo Abe would again be chosen to lead Japan. After the official tally was announced, Mr. Abe garnering 328 votes while his closest challenger, former Industry and Transport Minister Banri Kaieda of the Democratic Party receiving 57 votes, the LDP leader is declared elected as prime minister. Minutes later, in a (runoff) in the Upper House, Mr. Abe also bested the DPJ competitor 107 to 96. Steve Herman, VOA News, Tokyo.
More on these stories at voanews.com.
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has signed a decree, putting the country's (controversial) new constitution into effect, a move that sets the stage for elections in the lower house of parliament to be held within two months.
Indian authorities have launched a special investigation into the (gang-rape) and brutal beating of a 23-year-old medical student, an attack that sparked widespread protests. A government spokesman announced Wednesday that a judicial commission had been set up to review the police response to the December 16 attack in New Delhi. Anjana Pasricha has more from New Delhi.
The protests have eased and the government has reopened several metro stations and roads in New Delhi that had been shut to prevent the demonstrations. They were the biggest spontaneous protests witnessed in the Indian capital in recent times. But the issue of violence against women continues to (dominate) television debates and living room conversations. In New Delhi, police say the number of rapes has increased by 17 percent this year. Doctors said Wednesday the condition of the gang-rape victim in New Delhi has (deteriorated). She is on life support as she battles for survival since she was raped by a group of men and beaten with rods for almost an hour. A policeman who was injured during the protests died on Tuesday. Anjana Pasricha for VOA News, New Delhi.
Police have arrested six alleged attackers in that incident.
The Obama administration has formally proposed the sale of advanced spy drones to South Korea, in a push to boost the Seoul government's ability to protect itself from attacks by the heavily (militarized) North. Brad Glosserman, an analyst with an Hawaii-based security research group, tells VOA the South's new drone program will fill a gap in its ability to monitor security developments in North Korea.
"Rather than relying on either human intelligence on the ground, which is in North Korea extremely difficult, or (satellite) intelligence, which is essentially dependent upon the ability to put a bird in the air and get it over your targets at the appropriate time. You know absent that, the South Koreans are blind."
Analysts say congressional approval of the proposed sale is likely.
Less than a week remains before a still-recovering, U.S. economy confronts a draconian (austerity )regime of automatic, across-the-board tax increases and deep cuts to federal spending. Hopes of averting the so-called fiscal cliff by January, 1 are dimming with each passing day. Less than a week remains before a still-recovering, U.S. economy confronts that (draconian) austerity regime of the automatic cuts.
The world's longest high-speed rail line began in operations in China on this Wednesday. Trains on the new routes will travel at 300 kilometers an hour. It will reduce the travel time between Beijing to Guangzhou from more than 20 hours to just eight. The Chinese government is planning to build a network of high-speed railways by 2020.
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I'm Vincent Bruce, VOA News reporting from Washington.