The United Nations General Assembly is expected to reconfirm Ban Ki-moon for a second five-year term as the world’s top diplomat. The vote in the 192-nation assembly is expected Tuesday afternoon. Last week, the Security Council endorsed the bid of Mr. Ban, a 67-year-old former South Korean foreign minister. Mr. Ban said he was “deeply […]
UN Secretary-General Expected to Win 2nd Term
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 9:55 am (UTC-5)
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Car Bombs Kill 25 Outside Iraqi Governor’s House
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 9:50 am (UTC-5)
Iraqi officials say two car bomb blasts in the city of Diwaniyah have killed at least 25 people and wounded 30 others. Authorities said the attack happened Tuesday at a police checkpoint outside the home of the provincial governor in Diwaniyah, about 150 kilometers south of the capital, Baghdad. Officials say most of the victims […]
US Defense Nominee Has Extensive Budget Background
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 9:35 am (UTC-5)
Leon Panetta is a U.S. government official and former Democratic congressman with extensive budget experience. The chief of the Central Intelligence Agency until he was named to run the Pentagon, Panetta headed the White House budget office under President Bill Clinton and also served as chairman of the House of Representatives Budget Committee for four […]
Senate to Vote on Panetta Confirmation
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 9:25 am (UTC-5)
The U.S. Senate is scheduled to vote to confirm Leon Panetta as the new secretary of defense on Tuesday. Panetta, the current director of the Central Intelligence Agency, would succeed Robert Gates, who plans to retire next week. Earlier this month, Panetta told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on his nomination that his first […]
Jordan’s Information Minister Quits in Media Freedom Dispute
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 9:25 am (UTC-5)
Jordan’s information minister says he has resigned from his post because of proposed laws that restrict media freedoms in the country. Taher Edwan quit his post Tuesday ahead of a debate on a new press and publications draft law. He said the draft law is a setback to the government’s reform plan and restricts Jordanians’ […]
Indian State Halts Land Takeover for Steel Plant
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 9:20 am (UTC-5)
The eastern Indian state of Orissa has temporarily halted plans to acquire land for a South Korean steel plant after protest by locals. The South Korean steel giant POSCO wants to build a $12 billion facility on some 1,250 hectares of tribal land. A local official says the land acquisition process for POSCO has been […]
Pakistani Army Officer Detained for Links to Banned Group
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 9:10 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, which is banned in Pakistan. The detained army brigadier had been working at the Pakistani military headquarters in the […]
NATO Says Compound Attack on ‘Legitimate Target’
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 8:50 am (UTC-5)
NATO acknowledged another strike on Sunday that caused civilian casualties and one on Friday that hit a column of rebel military vehicles. Bracken said the Sunday incident was caused by a “weapon malfunction” and the Friday incident was a case of mistaken identity. NATO also said Tuesday it has lost contact with an unmanned helicopter […]
Pakistani Army Officer Detained for Links to Militant Group
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 8:20 am (UTC-5)
Pakistan’s military says an army officer has been detained for links to a banned militant group. Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas confirmed the arrest Tuesday but did not specify the name of the militant group. The detained army brigadier had been working at the Pakistani military headquarters in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. News […]
China Warns Vietnam of Possible Military Response in South China Sea
Posted June 21st, 2011 at 8:10 am (UTC-5)
China’s state-controlled media are warning Vietnam that Beijing will “take whatever measures necessary,” including military action, to protect its interests in the South China Sea. The Global Times newspaper, in an editorial Tuesday, issued Beijing’s sternest public warning yet to Vietnam as regional tensions rise over conflicting maritime claims to territories thought to be rich […]
