Syria says an Arab League vote to suspend its membership is “an extremely dangerous step” in violation of the organization’s charter. Damascus accuses Arab states of acting at the behest of U.S. incitement. Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said Monday that while the suspension legally requires a unanimous vote, several Arab League members had rejected the […]
Syria: Arab League Suspension ‘Dangerous’, ‘Illegitimate’
Posted November 14th, 2011 at 6:55 am (UTC-5)
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Suicide Bomber Killed in Kabul Near Jirga Site
Posted November 14th, 2011 at 6:40 am (UTC-5)
Afghan officials say security forces have killed a suspected suicide bomber in Kabul near the site of this week’s upcoming assembly of tribal elders, or loya jirga. Authorities say the man, shot dead Monday, was carrying a bag of explosives. The Taliban in Afghanistan said Sunday it has acquired the security plans for the loya […]
Ai Weiwei Lawyer Accuses Beijing of Blocking Tax Settlement
Posted November 14th, 2011 at 6:20 am (UTC-5)
A lawyer for world-renowned artist Ai Weiwei says Chinese authorities have thrown up new obstacles to a settlement of his client’s tax case. Lawyer Pu Zhiqiang told reporters Monday that tax officials are demanding that a $1.3 million deposit be paid directly into a tax bureau bank account, rather than a certificate of deposit as […]
UN Chief Urges World Leaders to Create Climate Fund
Posted November 14th, 2011 at 5:55 am (UTC-5)
The United Nations Secretary-General is urging world leaders to create a fund to fight the effects of climate change. Ban Ki-moon spoke Monday in Bangladesh at a meeting of about 30 countries highly affected by climate change. The representatives of the countries are meeting in Dhaka to agree on a united front ahead of U.N. […]
Taliban: Have Afghan Security Plan
Posted November 14th, 2011 at 5:55 am (UTC-5)
The Taliban in Afghanistan says it has acquired the security plans for an upcoming meeting of tribal elders where the elders are expected to make decisions on future ties with the U.S. Afghan officials have dismissed the documents, published on a Taliban website, as fake. They say the material is a scare tactic, designed to […]
Explosion Hits Militant-Held Area in Somalia
Posted November 14th, 2011 at 5:20 am (UTC-5)
Witnesses in Somalia say a large explosion has hit near an area held by al-Shabab militants outside of Somalia’s capital. The witnesses said the blast happened Sunday near Afgoye, about 30 kilometers from Mogadishu. They described a light in the sky followed by a heavy explosion. Kenya’s military has threatened to carry out airstrikes on […]
Asian Markets Rebound
Posted November 14th, 2011 at 5:05 am (UTC-5)
Asian stock markets are trading sharply higher Monday, buoyed by good news from Italy, Greece, China and Japan. Investors appear optimistic that new leadership in Italy and Greece will make progress on resolving Europe’s debt crisis. Markets also responded positively to a new report that indicated Japan’s economy has expanded for the first time in […]
Obama Links US Economic Future to Asia
Posted November 14th, 2011 at 4:55 am (UTC-5)
U.S. President Barack Obama has tied America’s economic future to that of Asia, stressing that the United States is, and always will be, a Pacific nation. Concluding a summit of Asia-Pacific leaders in Hawaii Sunday, Mr. Obama focused on his efforts to reduce his nation’s stubborn unemployment rate by doubling exports. He said the fast-growing […]
APEC Leaders Skip Aloha Shirts
Posted November 14th, 2011 at 4:25 am (UTC-5)
News photographers covering this year’s APEC summit were denied the hoped-for spectacle of seeing some of the world’s most powerful leaders decked out in colorful Hawaiian shirts. U.S. President Barack Obama followed Japan’s lead, set last year, by skipping the tradition of having APEC leaders pose for a group picture clad in the host country’s […]
Rights Groups Challenge Burmese Claim on Political Prisoners
Posted November 14th, 2011 at 4:15 am (UTC-5)
Human rights groups are expressing skepticism over claims by Burma’s new human rights commission that as few as 300 of the nation’s suspected 2,000 political prisoners are still incarcerated. A Thailand-based rights group told VOA’s Burmese service it is aware of more than 1,600 political prisoners still in jail in Burma. Amnesty International’s Southeast Asia […]
