The International Committee for the Red Cross has brought some 300 people out of Tripoli to be reunited with family members in eastern Libya, under rebel control. A VOA correspondent on scene says the ship pulled into Benghazi harbor Friday on the first of three journeys the Red Cross has arranged to bring home those […]
Red Cross Ferry Takes 300 From Libyan Capital
Indonesian Playboy Editor Released
The former editor of Playboy Indonesia is a free man again after the country’s Supreme Court overturned his conviction for indecency. Erwin Arnada walked out of prison Friday after serving part of a two-year sentence for publishing pictures of scantily-clad women. Arnada had been imprisoned since last October. His lawyer had appealed the verdict, but […]
Bomb Attack Kills 2 in Southern Thailand
Three bombs planted at an irrigation site in southern Thailand blew up Friday, killing at least two people. Police say the first two bombs detonated, killing two workers in Narathiwat province. Several others were wounded. Officials said police responding to the scene tried to defuse a third device, but it also exploded. The attacks wounded […]
More Difficulties for Japan’s Crippled Power Plant
A drone aircraft being used to take air samples at Japan’s crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant crash landed on the roof of the Unit 2 reactor. A spokesman for the plant operator, Tokyo Electric Power Company, said Friday that the drone’s engine malfunctioned and that the cause was under investigation. The U.S. made drone […]
US Markets Down
U.S. stock market indexes fell sharply in Friday’s early trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500 both fell nine-tenths of a percent while the NASDAQ lost one percent. European stock markets were higher in afternoon trading. London’s Financial Times 100 index and the CAC-40 in Paris moved up half a percent, and […]
Pakistan, India to Cooperate on Counterrorism, Trade
Nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan have wrapped up two days of peace talks, with both nations pledging to work together to fight the “scourge” of terrorism and boost trade. The talks between Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao and her Pakistani counterpart Salman Bashir, which ended Friday in Islamabad, also focused on the disputed region of […]
Greece Wins Aid Deal Contingent on Austerity Measures
Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou has won a deal from European leaders and the IMF for a second financial bailout but must now convince lawmakers to agree to tough austerity measures to secure the funds. Mr. Papandreou said the new bailout was similar in size to the first rescue package of $160-billion, which is being […]
Protesters, Security Forces Face Off in Syria; 3 Dead
Thousands of protesters took to the streets across Syria Friday in another round of demonstrations aimed at overthrowing President Bashar Assad. Activists report at least three people were killed when security forces fired on protesters in a suburb of Damascus. The demonstrators gathered throughout the north and around the capital, Damascus, despite a heavy military […]
Indian Sailors Held by Pirates Return Home
Six Indian sailors freed after being held for nearly a year by Somali pirates have returned home. Family members met the sailors during an emotional reunion at the New Delhi airport Friday. Pirates freed the crew, which included 11 Egyptians, four Pakistanis and one Sri Lankan — after receiving a $2.1 million ransom, negotiated with […]
UN Cites ‘Shocking’ Rise is Somali Refugees
The United Nations says tens of thousands of people are fleeing Somalia, making a difficult and dangerous journey to safety in Kenya. The U.N. refugee agency said Friday about 20,000 refugees have left Somalia for Kenyan camps in the past two weeks. UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming has described both the increase in refugees and their […]