An Iranian ambassador says the U.S. hikers who have been detained in the country for two years on spying charges may be released “very soon.” In an interview with the Associated Press Thursday, Hassan Dannaie Fir, Iran’s envoy to Iraq, says the “general atmosphere” is that Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal will be freed from […]
Iranian Envoy Says US Hikers May Be Freed Soon
Posted August 4th, 2011 at 10:15 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment
Kenya Minister Denies Funding Somali Terror Group
Posted August 4th, 2011 at 10:10 am (UTC-5)
Kenya’s tourism minister has rejected a United Nations report that accuses him and other prominent Kenyans of unwittingly funding activities of Somali insurgent group al-Shabab. Najib Balala told VOA Wednesday that he has not financed al-Shabab and denied having links to the al-Qaida-linked group. Balala said Wednesday that he does not believe in the Islamist […]
AU Postpones Drought Donor Conference
Posted August 4th, 2011 at 10:10 am (UTC-5)
The African Union has postponed a conference to raise money for the millions affected by drought and famine in the Horn of Africa. An AU statement Thursday said the conference in Ethiopia’s capital has been moved from August 9 to August 25. The statement did not give a reason for the delay. The Associated Press […]
Haitians Bracing for Stalled Tropical Storm Emily
Posted August 4th, 2011 at 10:05 am (UTC-5)
Haitians living in makeshift tent camps are bracing for possible life-threatening flashfloods and mudslides as a result of Tropical Storm Emily. Some rain was already falling on southern Haiti early Thursday, but the center of the storm paused offshore, 170 kilometers southeast of Port-au-Prince. Hundreds of thousands of people in Haiti live in flimsy shanties, […]
Aide to Egypt’s Mubarak, Police Officers, Make Second Court Appearance
Posted August 4th, 2011 at 10:00 am (UTC-5)
Former President Hosni Mubarak’s interior minister and six police commanders have been returned to an Egyptian court to face charges of ordering security forces to shoot at protesters during the uprising that ousted Mr. Mubarak in February. Former interior minister Habib al-Adly and the police officers appeared in a Cairo courtroom on Thursday, a day […]
Turkey Names New Commanders in Military Shakeup
Posted August 4th, 2011 at 9:55 am (UTC-5)
Turkey has named four new generals to lead its armed forces, after the country’s top military commanders resigned last week. They had quit to protest the arrests of fellow officers accused of plotting coups. President Abdullah Gul Thursday approved the appointment of a new chief of staff, as well as new commanders to head the […]
US Stocks Fall
Posted August 4th, 2011 at 9:55 am (UTC-5)
U.S. stock market indexes fell sharply in Thursday’s early trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average retreated 1.2 percent, the S&P 500 lost 1.4 percent, and the NASDAQ slid 1.6 percent. European stock markets were lower in afternoon trading. London’s Financial Times 100 index fell 1.7 percent, the CAC-40 in Paris moved down 1.3 percent, and […]
India’s Sonia Gandhi to Undergo Surgery Abroad
Posted August 4th, 2011 at 9:45 am (UTC-5)
India’s ruling Congress Party says its leader, Sonia Gandhi, has traveled abroad to undergo surgery for an undisclosed medical condition. A party spokesman told reporters Thursday that Gandhi could be away for two to three weeks. He did not say what the operation was for, but local media reports say it could be taking place […]
India: Forces Kill 3 Suspected Militants in Indian-Controlled Kashmir
Posted August 4th, 2011 at 9:30 am (UTC-5)
Indian officials say their forces killed at least three suspected militants in separate incidents in Indian-controlled Kashmir. Officials said Thursday that two suspected militants died in Kupwara district when they allegedly tried to cross the Line of Control, which divides the disputed Himalayan region between India and Pakistan. Indian forces killed another militant in a […]
Pakistani Navy Officers Face Court Martial on Base Attack
Posted August 4th, 2011 at 9:05 am (UTC-5)
Three senior Pakistani navy officers are facing court martial in connection with a brazen Taliban attack on a navy base in May that left 10 military personnel dead. Senior navy officials told the media on condition of anonymity Thursday that the officers are facing charges because they were responsible for security at the PNS Mehran […]
