Somali police say at least 4 civilians died in a roadside bombing in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. Police suspect the bombing Tuesday was intended for African Union Peacekeepers who are protecting the fragile Somali government from Islamist militants. The insurgent group al-Shabab is trying to topple the United Nations-backed government and turn Somalia into a […]
Pakistani Army Officer Detained for Links to Banned Group
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 11:10 am (UTC-5)
Pakistan’s military says an army officer has been detained for links to a banned Islamic extremist group. Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told VOA Tuesday that Brigadier Ali Khan was arrested for links with Hizb-ut-Tahrir. The detained army brigadier had been working at the Pakistani military headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. Abbas […]
UN: West African Drug Trafficking Is More Sophisticated
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 10:55 am (UTC-5)
A top United Nations official says drug traffickers are using a more sophisticated system to smuggle drugs from West Africa to Europe. Alexander Schmidt, the West African head of the U.N. Office on Drug Crime, says the amount of cocaine seized in western Africa has gone down, suggesting that smugglers are repositioning drug routes and […]
Highlights of Leon Panetta’s Career
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 10:55 am (UTC-5)
Leon Panetta’s career: –Director of the Central Intelligence Agency 2009 – present –Founder, Panetta Institute for Public Policy 1997 –President Bill Clinton’s White House Chief of Staff 1994 – 1997 –Director of the Office of Management and Budget 1993 –Member of the U.S. House of Representatives 1977 – 1993 –Chairman House Budget Committee 1989 – […]
Eurozone Ministers to Greece: No Bailout Payment without Spending Cuts
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 10:55 am (UTC-5)
The government of Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou faces a vote of confidence Tuesday in the midst of strikes and protests against further austerity measures. Mr. Papandreou is appealing to parliament to pass his package of spending cuts, tax hikes, and sale of state assets to stave off bankruptcy and default on the country’s debt. […]
China Defends Upcoming Visit by Indicted Sudanese Leader
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 10:45 am (UTC-5)
China is defending an upcoming visit by Sudan’s President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who has been indicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity. There has been widespread criticism from human rights groups that want the Sudanese leader arrested to face charges. Two warrants issued in 2009 and 2010 by the International Criminal Court accuse Bashir […]
Britain Arrests Teen Hacker For Attacks on Business, Intelligence
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 10:30 am (UTC-5)
British police say they have arrested a 19-year-old man believed to be responsible for cyber attacks against major businesses and intelligence agencies. Working with the FBI, police arrested the teen Monday night in Wickford, a town east of London. Investigators were examining material collected from a home there. Police say the arrest was made in […]
US First Lady Obama Tours Africa
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 10:20 am (UTC-5)
U.S. first lady Michelle Obama is in Johannesburg, South Africa where she met Tuesday with anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela. Mrs. Obama met with the 92-year-old former president at his home, after visiting the offices of the Mandela Foundation. While there, the Obama family viewed archival items such as Mr. Nelson’s prison desk and notebooks. The […]
Russian Plane Crash Kills 44, 8 Survivors
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 10:20 am (UTC-5)
Authorities are blaming pilot error for a plane crash in Russia’s northern republic of Karelia that killed 44 people after slamming into the ground and catching fire. Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Ivanov, who oversees Russia’s aviation industry, said Tuesday that it appears the pilot made a mistake while trying to land in heavy fog. The […]
US Stocks Rise
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 10:15 am (UTC-5)
U.S. stock market indexes rose in Tuesday’s early trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average advanced a third of a percent, the S&P 500 rose a half-percent and the NASDAQ gained six-tenths of a percent. European stock markets were higher in afternoon trading. London’s Financial Times 100 index gained eight-tenths of a percent, the CAC 40 […]
