Regional leaders have approved Burma’s bid to chair the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in 2014. Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa told reporters the government heads agreed to the bid on the first day of their annual summit in Bali Thursday. Human rights groups and some foreign governments have opposed the bid, arguing that Burma […]
ASEAN Leaders Meet; Security and Burma at Forefront
Posted November 17th, 2011 at 4:00 pm (UTC-5)
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5 Killed in Syria, Pressure Mounts on Government
Posted November 17th, 2011 at 3:40 pm (UTC-5)
Syrian rights groups say security forces killed five more people across the country Thursday, one day after an armed opposition group attacked a military base in an escalation of tensions over an eight-month government crackdown on protesters. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told VOA that security forces killed two people in and around […]
New Italian PM Unveils Deficit-Cutting Plans Amid Protests
Posted November 17th, 2011 at 3:40 pm (UTC-5)
Italy’s new prime minister, Mario Monti, has unveiled a major austerity program, saying Italy’s ability to resolve its debt crisis is critical to the future of the euro. Mr. Monti addressed the upper house of parliament, the Senate, ahead of a confidence vote on Thursday. The lower house is scheduled to cast its votes on […]
Europe’s Debt Crisis: Spain, France Face Higher Borrowing Costs
Posted November 17th, 2011 at 3:25 pm (UTC-5)
The long reach of the European debt crisis touched Spain and France Thursday, with both countries forced to pay more to finance their governments. Spain, Europe’s fourth biggest economy, paid its highest borrowing costs since 1997 to sell nearly $5 billion in bonds. Madrid was forced to pay almost 7 percent interest, the point at […]
Angola Pledges Help to Portugal With Financial Crisis
Posted November 17th, 2011 at 2:50 pm (UTC-5)
Angola’s President Jose Eduardo dos Santos says his country is ready to help former colonial power Portugal with its financial crisis. Mr. dos Santos spoke to reporters Thursday after meeting in the Angolan capital, Luanda, with Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho. The Angolan economy has grown rapidly in recent years, boosted by oil exports, […]
Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan to Discuss ‘Eurasian Union’ Agreement
Posted November 17th, 2011 at 2:35 pm (UTC-5)
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev says he hopes Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus will sign an agreement for a “Eurasian Union” aimed at further economic integration. Mr. Medvedev is scheduled to hold talks on Friday in Moscow with his Belarusian and Kazakh counterparts — Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus and Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan. The leaders will discuss […]
DRC Opposition Candidate Denies Calling for Violence
Posted November 17th, 2011 at 2:25 pm (UTC-5)
A Congolese presidential candidate has denied calling for violence ahead of elections, but has reiterated his claim that he is the country’s true leader. In an interview with VOA Thursday, Etienne Tshisekedi talked about comments he made last week, in which he proclaimed himself president and urged supporters to free alleged political detainees from prisons. […]
More Suspected US Missiles Hit Pakistan
Posted November 17th, 2011 at 2:20 pm (UTC-5)
Pakistani officials say U.S. drones have fired missiles at a compound in the country’s northwest tribal region, killing eight suspected militants. Thursday’s drone attack took place in the Razmak area of North Waziristan along the Afghan border, a major hub for Taliban and al-Qaida-linked militants. Officials say at least two other militants were wounded. It […]
Indonesia Airline Places Largest Ever Boeing Order
Posted November 17th, 2011 at 2:10 pm (UTC-5)
Indonesia’s Lion Air has signed a deal to buy 230 Boeing 737 airplanes for a list price of nearly $22-billion, the U.S. firms largest commercial order, by both dollar volume and total number of airplanes. The agreement, announced Thursday, sees Lion Air, Indonesia’s largest commercial carrier, purchasing 201 Boeing 737Max aircraft and 29 extended-range 737-900s. […]
Occupy Movement Marks Two Months of Protests
Posted November 17th, 2011 at 2:05 pm (UTC-5)
Hundreds of Occupy movement protesters are rallying in New York Thursday, as part of a national day of action supported by other demonstrations across the country. In New York’s financial district, the situation intensified as hundreds of anti-capitalist demonstrators pushed back against police and dismantled barriers that officers had erected around Wall Street. Thursday is […]
