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New Powerful Earthquake Rocks Northern Italy

Posted May 29th, 2012 at 7:20 am (UTC-5)
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Another deadly earthquake has struck the same northern Italian region devastated by an earthquake just over a week ago. The U.S. Geological Survey says a 5.8 magnitude quake struck early Tuesday about 40 kilometers north-northwest of Bologna in the Emilia-Romagna region. Local news reports say at least nine people have been killed, while several others […]

Tags: , Posted in Europe

China, Philippines Agree to Show Restraint in Maritime Dispute

Posted May 29th, 2012 at 7:00 am (UTC-5)
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China and the Philippines have agreed to exercise restraint in their two-month-long standoff over a disputed island chain in the South China Sea. Philippine Defense Minister Voltaire Gazmin made the announcement Tuesday after meeting with his Chinese counterpart Liang Guanglie on the sidelines of a conference of Southeast Asian defense officials in Cambodia. “The reaction […]

Malian Authorities Question Dozens in Presidential Attack Probe

Posted May 29th, 2012 at 6:25 am (UTC-5)
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A Malian government spokesman says authorities have called in 50 people as part of an investigation into the attack last week on interim president Dioncounda Traore. Mr. Traore was injured when protesters overpowered guards at the presidential palace and attacked him in his office. Spokesman Hamadoune Toure told VOA the government would not disclose any […]

Tags: Posted in Africa

Annan Meets Syria’s Assad to Urge Compliance with Truce

Posted May 29th, 2012 at 5:55 am (UTC-5)
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International peace envoy Kofi Annan has begun talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus to urge compliance with a cease-fire that he mediated between government and rebel forces last month. A U.N. spokeswoman in the Syrian capital told VOA that Mr. Annan would raise two main issues in Tuesday’s meeting: his six-point peace plan […]

Tags: , Posted in Middle East

Airstrike Kills Senior Al-Qaida Leader in Afghanistan

Posted May 29th, 2012 at 4:50 am (UTC-5)
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Afghan and coalition forces say an airstrike has killed al-Qaida’s second-highest leader in Afghanistan. In a statement Tuesday, the coalition identified the leader as Sakhr al-Taifi, a Saudi also known as Musthaq and Nasim. It said he directed attacks against coalition and Afghan forces, traveled frequently between Afghanistan and Pakistan carrying out commands from senior […]

Tags: Posted in South Asia

Annan Meets Syria’s Assad to Urge Compliance with Truce

Posted May 29th, 2012 at 4:30 am (UTC-5)
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International peace envoy Kofi Annan has begun talks with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus to urge compliance with a cease-fire that he mediated between government and rebel forces last month. A U.N. spokeswoman in the Syrian capital told VOA that Mr. Annan would raise two main issues in Tuesday’s meeting: his six-point peace plan […]

Tags: , Posted in Middle East

Aung San Suu Kyi Set for First International Trip in Over 2 Decades

Posted May 29th, 2012 at 4:20 am (UTC-5)
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Burma’s long-time democracy icon and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi departs for Thailand Tuesday on her first international trip in 24 years. The newly elected parliamentarian had spent 15 of the past 22 years in detention for challenging the oppressive military leadership that ruled Burma for decades. She will arrive in the Thai capital, […]

Tags: , , , , Posted in East Asia Pacific

Sudan, South Sudan Set to Resume Talks

Posted May 29th, 2012 at 4:05 am (UTC-5)
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Sudan and South Sudan are set to resume peace talks that broke down last month because of fighting along their border. The African Union-led talks Tuesday in Ethiopia’s capital come as Sudan pledged to withdraw its troops from the oil-producing Abyei region. Sudan’s defense ministry announced the withdraw Monday, saying it was a goodwill gesture […]

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Danish Authorities Arrest Terror Suspects

Posted May 29th, 2012 at 3:20 am (UTC-5)
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Denmark’s Security and Intelligence Service says it has arrested two Danish-Somali brothers suspected of planning a terror attack. The agency said in a statement Tuesday the men are suspected of having discussed the target and type of weapons to be used, and that a “specific act of terrorism” has been averted. It also said one […]

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China’s Sina Weibo Unveils New Censorship System

Posted May 29th, 2012 at 2:55 am (UTC-5)
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China’s largest microblogging service has introduced new rules aimed at preventing the spread of online rumors and other content deemed inappropriate by Internet censors. Sina Weibo, a Twitter-like service with 300 million users, has been under increasing government pressure in recent months to more aggressively censor its content. It has rolled out a new set […]

Tags: , , Posted in East Asia Pacific