South Korea says it has chosen a North Korean defector to head a government unit in charge of educating its citizens on unification with the North. The Unification Ministry said Tuesday that economist Cho Myung-chul will be formally appointed later this week to a two-year term as head of the ministry-affiliated Education Center for Unification. […]
S. Korea Appoints a North Korean Defector to Key Post
Posted June 7th, 2011 at 9:05 am (UTC-5)
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Syrian Town Braces for Possible Government Crackdown
Posted June 7th, 2011 at 9:05 am (UTC-5)
Syrian residents in a town near the Turkish border are bracing for possible violence on Tuesday after the government pledged a forceful response to what it called a massacre of security forces. Government officials said Monday that armed gangs had killed 120 law enforcement officers during clashes over the past few days in Jisr al-Shughour. […]
Lagarde Seeks India’s Backing for Top IMF Job
Posted June 7th, 2011 at 8:50 am (UTC-5)
French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde has failed to receive public support from India in her bid to become the next head of the International Monetary Fund. Lagarde met Tuesday with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee in New Delhi as part of a global tour that has included a stop in […]
Taiwan Protesters Pelt US Mission with Fish
Posted June 7th, 2011 at 8:45 am (UTC-5)
Fishermen in Taiwan have pelted the de facto U..S. embassy in Taipei with dead fish, to protest the death of a Taiwanese fishing captain killed last month in a crossfire between the U.S. Navy and Somali pirates. The protesters, members of the Taiwan Fishermen’s Rights Association, demanded a public apology from the United States for […]
UN: 100,000 Flee Tension in Sudan’s Abyei Region
Posted June 7th, 2011 at 8:35 am (UTC-5)
The United Nations refugee agency says the number of people who have fled Sudan’s disputed Abyei region has reached 100,000. A spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees told VOA most of them are seeking refuge in Warrap state, south of Abyei. U.N. officials believe many displaced persons are still hiding in the bush […]
Afghanistan Wants 50 Taliban Off UN Blacklist
Posted June 7th, 2011 at 8:35 am (UTC-5)
The Afghan government is asking the United Nations to remove 50 Taliban members from a U.N. blacklist, in an effort to promote peace talks with insurgents and end the 10-year war. Officials with the U.N. committee overseeing sanctions against al-Qaida and the Taliban say they are weighing the request and will make a decision in […]
Fierce Fighting as Clashes in Southern Yemen Kill 19
Posted June 7th, 2011 at 8:30 am (UTC-5)
Clashes in Yemen’s south have killed at least 19 people, as the violence and unrest that has engulfed the nation for months shows no signs of ending. Yemeni forces clashed with Islamist militants in the southern city of Zinjibar Tuesday, leaving 15 people dead more than a week after the militants seized control of the […]
New Zealanders Mourn Death of Once-Fugitive Sheep
Posted June 7th, 2011 at 7:55 am (UTC-5)
New Zealanders are mourning the loss of Shrek, a marino sheep who became a beloved national hero after it was discovered in 2004 that he had evaded the shearing sheds for six years. Shrek’s owner, John Perriam, says the 16-year-old sheep was euthanized Monday because of several age-related illnesses. Shrek broke away from the herd […]
European Stocks Higher in Midday Trading
Posted June 7th, 2011 at 7:40 am (UTC-5)
European stock prices are higher in midday trading Tuesday. London’s Financial Times index is up about one-quarter of one percent. The CAC 40 in Paris is up about one-half of one percent, and trading on the DAX index in Frankfurt is up more than one-half of one percent. In New York, the S&P futures contract […]
Gates Says NATO Forces Ready for Decisive Blow in Afghanistan
Posted June 7th, 2011 at 7:35 am (UTC-5)
U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates says U.S.-led NATO forces in Afghanistan are on track to deliver a “decisive blow” against the Taliban. Gates spoke Tuesday in Kabul as he wrapped up a four-day trip to visit American troops in southern and eastern Afghanistan. The trip is his last to the country before he steps down […]
