Democratic Republic of Congo President Joseph Kabila has taken an early lead in the vote count from this week’s presidential election. Mathieu Mpita, a spokesman for Congo’s Independent National Election Commission, told VOA Friday that President Kabila has 1.5 million votes so far, while veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi is running second with 996,000 votes. […]
Election Official: Kabila Ahead in Early, Partial Vote Tallies
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 9:55 pm (UTC-5)
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ESA Abandons Attempts to Contact Stranded Russian Space probe
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 9:40 pm (UTC-5)
The European Space Agency says it is abandoning efforts to contact an unmanned Russian space probe that failed to reach its intended course to Mars. The agency issued a statement Friday saying that it is halting attempts to contact the probe which has been stranded in Earth orbit since its November 9 launch. The spacecraft […]
Panetta: Israel Must Work to End Regional Isolation
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 8:50 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has urged Israel to make diplomatic efforts to rebuild regional support and stop the Jewish state’s growing isolation from traditional partners like Turkey and Egypt. In remarks that he was due to deliver in Washington on Friday evening, Panetta said the United States continues to be committed to safeguarding Israel’s […]
Rwanda Journalist Killed in Uganda
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 8:20 pm (UTC-5)
Police in Uganda say a Rwandan journalist has been shot and killed at a bar in Kampala. Police say Charles Ingabire, the editor of the online publication Inyenyeri News, was killed in the early hours of Thursday by an unknown assailant. Officials say Ingabire had fled from Rwanda to Uganda for political reasons. He was […]
US Renews Calls for Cuba to Release Alan Gross
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 7:45 pm (UTC-5)
The United States is renewing calls for Cuba to release imprisoned U.S. contractor Alan Gross, who on Saturday will have served two years behind bars on state security charges. White House spokesman Jay Carney Friday called for Havana to free the contractor immediately, saying it is “past time” for Gross to be allowed to return […]
Chavez Opens Summit of Regional Leaders
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 7:15 pm (UTC-5)
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has opened a two-day summit of Latin American leaders to inaugurate a new regional bloc that excludes the United States and Canada. The regional leaders gathered in Caracas Friday as the 33-member Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, or CELAC, was launched. Unlike the Washington-based Organization of American States, CELAC […]
Pakistan to Respond ‘Instantly’ to Any Border Aggression
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 7:15 pm (UTC-5)
The head of Pakistan’s military has ordered his country’s forces to respond instantly to any future aggression along the border with Afghanistan without waiting for instructions from high command. Pakistani military sources confirmed to VOA Friday that General Ashfaq Kayani has told his soldiers to fully retaliate “irrespective of the cost and consequences” to any […]
UN Human Rights Panel Condemns Syria
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 6:40 pm (UTC-5)
The United Nations top human-rights body has voted to condemn Syria for “gross” and “systematic” violations of human rights during its crackdown on protest. The resolution passed by the U.N. Human Rights Council on Friday also establishes the post of a special investigator to probe human rights abuses in Syria. However, it stops short of […]
US Experts Question Report on China Nuclear Arsenal
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 6:35 pm (UTC-5)
Arms control experts are questioning the findings of a U.S. university professor and his students who say China’s nuclear arsenal may be many times larger than official estimates. The study examines China’s vast network of tunnels designed to hide the country’s missile and nuclear arsenal. Students at Georgetown University, led by their professor, Philip Karber, […]
Cain to Make Saturday Announcement About Campaign
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 6:15 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain says he will make an announcement about the future of his campaign on Saturday. Cain’s presidential bid has suffered under allegations of sexual harassment and claims of a 13-year affair with a woman in his home state of Georgia. The former pizza executive denies the accusation, but has said […]
