Two death row inmates in Belarus whose cases were being reviewed by the U.N. Human Rights Committee have been executed for murder, despite the committee’s request to wait for results of the review. The U.N. Human Rights Committee says the executions in Belarus were a grave breach of the country’s international obligations. The men, identified […]
Belarus Executes Men Despite UNHRC Objections
Posted July 27th, 2011 at 12:05 pm (UTC-5)
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Locke Confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to China
Posted July 27th, 2011 at 11:55 am (UTC-5)
The U.S. Senate has confirmed Gary Locke as U.S. ambassador to China. The Senate voted unanimously on Wednesday to confirm U.S. President Barack Obama’s appointee. Locke, currently the U.S. Commerce Secretary, will become the nation’s first Chinese-American ambassador to China. He replaces Jon Huntsman, who left the post to launch a Republican bid for the […]
Maharaja’s Rolls-Royce Heads to Auction
Posted July 27th, 2011 at 11:30 am (UTC-5)
A Rolls-Royce Phantom, customized for hunting tigers in India during the British era, is heading to the auction house with experts predicting it could fetch up to $1 million. The built-to-order 1925 Torpedo Tourer or “Tiger Car” belonged to the Maharaja of Kota, Umed Singh II, who was an avid hunter in the western state […]
US Manufacturing Slows
Posted July 27th, 2011 at 11:20 am (UTC-5)
New orders to U.S. manufacturers for aircraft, autos, heavy machinery and other goods declined in June. Wednesday’s report from the Commerce Department says orders for manufactured goods intended to last at least three years were down by a sharp 2.1 percent. The decline in “durable goods” was largely due to a steep decline in orders […]
Yemeni Militants Demand Ransom for Missing Aid Workers
Posted July 27th, 2011 at 11:15 am (UTC-5)
Al-Qaida-linked militants in Yemen are demanding a $12 million ransom for the release of three French aid workers who went missing in May. Yemeni security officials and tribesmen revealed the demand on Wednesday. The two women and one man disappeared in the eastern city of Sayoun, where they had been working with a French-based relief […]
Famed U.S. Military Hospital Prepares to Close
Posted July 27th, 2011 at 11:10 am (UTC-5)
The U.S. Army’s flagship hospital in Washington, D.C., which has treated presidents and wounded service members from World War I to the war in Afghanistan, is holding a goodbye ceremony before it closes its doors for the last time. Walter Reed Army Medical Center retires its flags Wednesday as patients and staff prepare to move […]
Syria Activists: 11 Killed in Raid near Damascus
Posted July 27th, 2011 at 11:05 am (UTC-5)
Human rights activists in Syria say security forces have killed at least 11 people during a sweep south of the capital, Damascus. The activists said troops also arrested at least 250 people during Wednesday’s raid in the town of Kanaker. They say residents threw stones and burned tires to try to stop the advancing troops, […]
WFP Begins Food Airlifts to Somalia
Posted July 27th, 2011 at 11:00 am (UTC-5)
The U.N. World Food Program has begun emergency airlifts of food to the drought-stricken Horn of Africa. A WFP official has confirmed to VOA that the first plane, carrying more than 14 tons of food, landed Wednesday in the Somali capital, Mogadishu. This is believed to be the first airlift of food to Somalia since […]
US Stocks Fall
Posted July 27th, 2011 at 10:55 am (UTC-5)
U.S. stock market indexes fell sharply in Wednesday’s early trading as investors worried that partisan bickering in Washington might eventually result in a default on U.S. obligations. The Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated 1.1 percent, the S&P 500 fell 1.5 percent and the NASDAQ lost 2.1 percent. European stock markets were lower in afternoon trading. […]
Rights Group: Bangladesh Should Ensure Fair Trial for Mutiny Suspects
Posted July 27th, 2011 at 10:55 am (UTC-5)
Human Rights Watch is calling on Bangladesh to stop mass trials for the hundreds of border guards accused in the 2009 mutiny that left 74 people dead. The New York-based rights group says that those responsible for the deadly mutiny should be held accountable, but in military and civilian courts that meet international fair trial […]
