Unemployment in Greece has risen to a near-record high, even as workers prepare for a two-day general strike to protest the latest government plan to cut salaries and eliminate 30,000 civil service jobs. Greece said Tuesday that its jobless rate hit 16.5 percent in July, just a shade below the record set in May. Young […]
NATO Warns Kosovo Serbs to Remove Roadblocks
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
The commander of NATO-led peacekeepers in Kosovo says he is disappointed with the Serbs’ failure to comply with the NATO deadline to remove a series of roadblocks. In a statement Tuesday, General Erhard Drews said he will wait for the outcome of a Wednesday meeting of Kosovo Serb leaders to discuss whether to lift the […]
Freed Israeli Soldier Back Home, Palestinians Celebrate Return of Prisoners
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 1:55 pm (UTC-5)
An Israeli soldier released by Hamas militants who held him for five years has received a joyous reception in his hometown, while tens of thousands of Palestinians in Gaza celebrated Israel’s release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the soldier. An Israeli military helicopter flew freed Sergeant Gilad Shalit to the northern Israeli […]
Rights Group Deplores Chinese Policies Against Tibetans
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 1:35 pm (UTC-5)
A top human rights group says the news that a Tibetan Buddhist nun set herself on fire and died shows a “new level of desperation” against Chinese policies in the region. An Amnesty International official, Sam Zarifi, said Tuesday Chinese authorities should heed the demands of Tibetans to freely practice their religion and enjoy their […]
Kenyan Troops Advance in Somalia, Pursuing Al-Shabab
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 1:20 pm (UTC-5)
Kenyan forces have entered a second part of southern Somalia as part of operations against militant group al-Shabab. Officials and witnesses confirmed to VOA Tuesday that Kenyan troops, backed by helicopters, moved through the border town of El-Waq on Monday and are now in Somalia’s Gedo region. Kenyan troops have also been seen near the […]
US Stocks Mixed in Tuesday’s Midday Trading
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 1:10 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. stocks were mixed in Tuesday’s midday trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained seven-tenths of a percent, the S&P 500 advanced one percent, while the NASDAQ fell seven-tenths of a percent. European stock prices were mixed at the close of trading. London’s Financial Times index lost half a percent to close at 5,410. The […]
Bomb Kills 8 in Southeastern Turkey
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 12:55 pm (UTC-5)
A roadside bomb has killed at least five policemen and three civilians in southeastern Turkey. The bomb, on a road in the Guroymak district of Bitlis province, exploded Tuesday as a police vehicle was passing by. The civilian victims included a young girl. Three other people were seriously hurt. Authorities suspect Kurdish separatists were behind […]
UN Discusses New Eritrea Sanctions
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 12:50 pm (UTC-5)
The U.N. Security Council is set to consider new sanctions against Eritrea for alleged attempts to destabilize neighboring countries. The 15-nation Council was due on Tuesday to begin discussing proposals to ban investment in Eritrea’s mining industry, and to impose additional travel bans and asset freezes on Eritrean leaders. In 2009, the Security Council enacted […]
Obama Slams Republicans, Offers Them 2nd Chance
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 12:25 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. President Barack Obama is blasting Republican lawmakers on the second day of his bus tour, accusing them of killing jobs and raising taxes on working people. Mr. Obama spoke Tuesday at a community center in Jamestown, North Carolina to rally support for his $447 billion jobs bill. The president said he was giving lawmakers […]
Clinton in Libya, Pledges More US Aid
Posted October 18th, 2011 at 12:25 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Libya for a previously unannounced visit with the country’s new rulers, while Libyan provisional government fighters launched an assault on the last remaining stronghold of former leader Moammar Gadhafi. Clinton arrived Tuesday in the capital of Tripoli, where she pledged millions of dollars in new aid for […]
