NATO airstrikes have rocked Libya’s desert town of Bani Walid, one of the last remaining strongholds for Moammar Gadhafi’s supporters. News organizations say loud explosions were heard over the town on Saturday, after allied aircraft roared overhead. Meanwhile, a VOA correspondent ) near the town says provisional government fighters have been going house-by-house in an […]
NATO Airstrikes Rock Gadhafi Stronghold in Libya
U.S. Space Agency Launches Lunar Satellites
The U.S. space agency, NASA, has launched its twin GRAIL lunar satellites meant to examine the gravitational field and internal structure of the moon. The launch of the Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory, or GRAIL, followed several weather-related delays Thursday and Friday. Saturday’s launch took place in the second and final of two “launch windows” […]
Fresh Violence Kills 13 in Central Nigeria
A Nigerian official says at least 13 people are dead after an attack overnight in central Nigeria where dozens have been killed in ethnic and religious violence since August. A spokesman for the central Plateau state, Pam Ayuba, said Saturday the attack targeted a village near the restive city of Jos. The attack comes a […]
More than 100 Killed in Tanzania Ferry Accident
Officials say at least 107 people were killed when an overloaded ferry sank near Zanzibar off the coast of Tanzania. State minister Mohammed Aboud says the ferry was carrying 600 people Saturday when it capsized and sank between Zanzibar and Pemba Island. At least 250 people have been rescued, but hundreds of people are still […]
Ongoing Clashes in Gadhafi Stronghold Kill 3 in Libya
Provisional government fighters in Libya continued to fight Moammar Gadhafi loyalists Saturday in the former leader’s stronghold of Bani Walid. The National Transitional Council said three of its fighters were killed Saturday, and a VOA correspondent in the city said rockets from Gadhafi forces and snipers continued to ring out in the area. Ambulances were […]
Arab League Chief in Syria for Talks with Assad
Arab League chief Nabil Elaraby is in Syria for talks with the country’s embattled President Bashar al-Assad, a day after activists said government forces killed several protesters. Originally, Elaraby was expected to visit Syria Wednesday, but the visit was delayed at Syria’s request. The leader of the 22-member pan-Arab body is expected to convey concerns […]
G8 Nations Discuss Aid After Arab Spring Uprisings
Finance ministers and central bankers from the world’s most developed nations are meeting in Marseilles, France for a second day of discussions on ways to revive the faltering global economy. The officials from the Group of Seven nations plus Russia tacked a second day of talks Saturday onto Friday’s G7 meeting to pledge assistance to […]
Egypt on High Alert After Israeli Embassy Violence
Egypt’s security forces are on high alert Saturday following a night of violence in which protesters raided the Israeli Embassy in Cairo. The Egyptian government also is holding a crisis meeting about the incident. Protesters converged on the embassy Friday, tearing down sections of the graffiti-covered security wall. After entering the building, some protesters threw […]
Ongoing Clashes in Gadhafi Stronghold Kill 3 in Libya
Provisional government fighters in Libya continued to fight Moammar Gadhafi loyalists Saturday in the former leader’s stronghold of Bani Walid. The National Transitional Council said three of its fighters were killed Saturday, and a VOA correspondent in the city said rockets from Gadhafi forces and snipers continued to ring out in the area. The NTC […]
Tanzanian Ferry Capsizes, Dozens Killed, Hundreds Missing
A Zanzibar official says at least 40 people have died and hundreds are missing after an overloaded ferry sank near Zanzibar off the coast of mainland Tanzania. State minister Mohammed Aboud says the ferry was carrying 600 people Saturday when it capsized and sank between Zanzibar and Pemba Island. At least 250 people have been […]