South Africa’s anti-apartheid leader Desmond Tutu is urging the country’s parliament to reject a controversial bill that would make it illegal to divulge state secrets. The bill would punish those who publish classified information with up to 25 years in jail. Tutu says the law is “insulting” to South Africans, and that it would effectively […]
Tutu: South Africa State Secrets Bill ‘Insulting’
Posted November 22nd, 2011 at 5:40 am (UTC-5)
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China Urges Developed Nations to Shoulder Emissions Cuts
Posted November 22nd, 2011 at 5:30 am (UTC-5)
China is calling on developed nations to shoulder the responsibility of substantially reducing carbon emissions as it pledges to work with the international community to ensure the success of a major climate conference beginning next week. In a report released Tuesday, China said developed nations should be accountable for their greenhouse gas emissions during the […]
Egyptian Activists Call for Huge Rallies Tuesday as Crisis Deepens
Posted November 22nd, 2011 at 4:45 am (UTC-5)
Egyptian activists called for massive protests Tuesday to demand the country’s military rulers cede power to a civilian authority as uncertainty grew over parliamentary elections due to begin next week. The demonstrations are expected to be the largest since hundreds of thousands of Egyptians turned out in February to force former president Hosni Mubarak from […]
South Korea Passes Trade Agreement With The US
Posted November 22nd, 2011 at 4:35 am (UTC-5)
South Korea’s parliament has ratified a free trade agreement with the United States, in a contentious vote that erupted in violence in the parliament chamber. The bill passed on a vote of 151 to seven during a special parliamentary session Tuesday. Outnumbered opposition lawmakers reacted angrily to the move to force a vote, shouting protests […]
Libya to Name New Transitional Government Tuesday
Posted November 22nd, 2011 at 4:20 am (UTC-5)
Libya’s transitional Prime Minister Abdurrahim el-Keib is preparing to name a new cabinet that will govern until next year, when it plans to hold the country’s first elections since the ouster of dictator Moammar Gadhafi in August. Mr. Keib is expected to name the ministers of his government on Tuesday. Speaking Monday, he said he […]
Ai Weiwei Fans Post Nude Photos to Protest Pornography Charges
Posted November 22nd, 2011 at 3:35 am (UTC-5)
Fans of dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei are posting nude photographs of themselves on the Internet to show support for the controversial social critic, who is being investigated by Chinese authorities on charges of spreading pornography. More than 100 people posted nude pictures of themselves on a website called “Listen, Chinese Government: Nudity is not […]
Bomb Explodes Outside NW Pakistan Girls School
Posted November 22nd, 2011 at 2:55 am (UTC-5)
Police in northwestern Pakistan say a bomb has exploded outside a girls school, killing a policeman and wounding eight other people. Authorities said the blast happened Tuesday in the Mardan area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, near the Afghan border. Three of the wounded are policemen. Earlier this month, suspected militants blew up a girls school […]
Burmese President Cites Common Ground With Opposition Leader
Posted November 22nd, 2011 at 2:55 am (UTC-5)
Burma’s President Thein Sein says the government has found common ground to work with democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi for the well-being of the Burmese people. Thein Sein spoke to reporters Saturday at the East Asia Summit in Bali, Indonesia. He said the government and the political opposition want Burma to be stable, secure […]
U.S. Lawmakers Fail to Reach Deficit-Reduction Plan
Posted November 22nd, 2011 at 2:05 am (UTC-5)
The special U.S. congressional committee tasked with finding ways to trim the federal deficit by $1.2 trillion over the next decade has failed to reach an agreement. The co-chairs of the 12-member, Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction made the announcement in a statement Monday. Committee members said “despite our inability to bridge the committee’s […]
New Book Marks 48th Anniversary of U.S. Kennedy Assassination
Posted November 22nd, 2011 at 1:25 am (UTC-5)
As U.S. citizens reflect on the 48th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, a former member of the agency responsible for guarding the U.S. president tells VOA that the shooting exposed weaknesses in the security detail. Former U.S. Secret Service agent Gerald Blaine says a lack of manpower contributed to Mr. Kennedy’s […]
