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Philippines Rescues Two Maids From Gadhafi Kin’s Residence

Posted September 19th, 2011 at 11:35 pm (UTC-5)
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Philippines officials say they are bringing home two Philippine maids who asked to be rescued from the Libyan home of a nephew of deposed leader Moammar Gadhafi. The foreign ministry said Tuesday the two women fled the residence Monday and were picked up by Philippine embassy cars that had taken up positions outside the Libyan […]

Romania’s ‘Mr. Jazz,’ Johnny Raducanu, Dies at 79

Posted September 19th, 2011 at 10:15 pm (UTC-5)
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Jazz musician Johnny Raducanu, dubbed “Mr. Jazz” of Romania, has died of a heart attack at age 79. Raducanu was born into a Roma family whose roots as musical performers date back more than 300 years. He was one of Romania’s most versatile jazz musicians and entertainers, mastering the bass and piano, and also composing […]

Tags: , , Posted in Europe

Palestinian President Vows to Press for UN Recognition

Posted September 19th, 2011 at 10:08 pm (UTC-5)
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Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has vowed to press ahead for U.N. membership for a Palestinian state by submitting an application to the Security Council on Friday, a move the United States has promised to block. Mr. Abbas arrived at United Nations headquarters in New York Monday and outlined his plan to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. The […]

Tags: , , , , Posted in Americas

Egypt Bars Hardline Islamist Political Party

Posted September 19th, 2011 at 10:00 pm (UTC-5)
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Egypt has barred the formation of a new political party by an Islamist group that once was involved in a violent insurgency against the government. Egyptian authorities Monday rejected the request by al-Gamaa al-Islamiyya because its proposed party is based on “purely religious” grounds, in violation of the country’s law on political organizations. Officials said […]

Tags: Posted in Middle East

Death Toll in Himalayan Quake Reaches 70

Posted September 19th, 2011 at 9:50 pm (UTC-5)
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Rescue workers in India are facing a second day of the grim search for victims of a magnitude 6.9 earthquake that killed at least 70 people and left many others missing in northeastern India, Nepal and the Chinese region of Tibet. After spending Monday battling heavy rains and landslides, rescuers hoped for a break in […]

Tags: , , , Posted in South Asia

S&P Cuts Italy’s Credit Rating

Posted September 19th, 2011 at 9:35 pm (UTC-5)
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Standard & Poors has cut Italy’s credit rating, citing weak economic growth and political uncertainty. The credit rating agency cut Italy’s rating one notch Monday — from A+ to A. S&P said the country’s shaky coalition government and differences in parliament limit Italy’s ability to act against its ballooning debt and ability to slash spending. […]

Tags: , , Posted in Europe

Greek Creditor Talks to Continue Tuesday

Posted September 19th, 2011 at 8:05 pm (UTC-5)
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Greek authorities hold another telephone call Tuesday with top international finance officials as Greece struggles to persuade lenders to grant it a loan installment to avoid default. Finance Minister Evangelos Venizelos said his talks Monday with the European Union, European Central Bank, and International Monetary Fund were “productive and substantive.” But before the telephone call, […]

Tags: , , , Posted in Economy

Yemeni Forces Kill 31 in Sana’a Clashes

Posted September 19th, 2011 at 7:55 pm (UTC-5)
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Yemeni security forces on Monday shot dead at least 31 pro-democracy protesters in the capital, Sana’a, continuing the worst violence since March in a seven-month uprising that seeks to drive President Ali Abdullah Saleh from power. In the southern city of Taiz, four more people were killed and 40 others wounded in clashes Monday. In […]

Tags: , , Posted in Middle East

Ban on Gays Opening Serving in US Military to End

Posted September 19th, 2011 at 7:35 pm (UTC-5)
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After years of court battles and contentious debate, the U.S. military on Tuesday formally ends its “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” policy, under which gays can serve as long as they do not openly acknowledge their sexual orientation. The policy was instituted during the Clinton administration as a compromise to the complete ban on homosexuals in […]

Tags: , , Posted in Americas

Zambians Prepare for Tuesday’s National Elections

Posted September 19th, 2011 at 7:01 pm (UTC-5)
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Zambians are preparing to cast ballots in a presidential election rematch between incumbent Rupiah Banda and opposition leader Michael Sata. Electoral commission spokesman Chris Akafuna told VOA Monday the commission has done everything it can to ensure the more than 6,000 polling stations will be stocked with materials, personnel and what he called “the most […]

Tags: , Posted in Africa