German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Serbia has contributed to the tense situation in Kosovo and is therefore not yet ready to be a candidate for European Union membership. In a speech to the German parliament Friday, Mrs. Merkel said the path for Serbia into the EU can only happen after it normalizes relations with Kosovo. […]
Merkel: Serbia Not Ready for EU Candidacy
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 6:10 pm (UTC-5)
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US Renews Calls for Cuba to Release Alan Gross
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 5:10 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 […]
Cain to Make Saturday Announcement About Campaign
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 4:30 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 has denied the accusations, but said […]
UN Human Rights Panel Condemns Syria
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 4:15 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 […]
Egypt Announces Record-High Voter Turnout
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 4:05 pm (UTC-5)
Egyptian election officials say a record number of voters turned out to cast ballots this week in the first stage of the country’s post-revolution parliamentary elections. The election commissioner said Friday that turnout from Monday and Tuesday’s balloting in one-third of the country’s provinces was 62 percent. He said more than 8 million Egyptian’s cast […]
Russian Election Observers Fined for Election Violations
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 3:50 pm (UTC-5)
A Russian judge has found Russia’s only independent election monitoring group guilty of election violations for posting voters’ complaints online ahead of parliamentary elections on Sunday. A Moscow court fined the small, Moscow-based observer group, Golos, about $1,000 for compiling election law violations and posting them online. Golos, whose name means “vote,” has nearly 5,000 […]
Pakistan to Respond ‘Instantly’ to Any Border Aggression
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 3:15 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 […]
Election Official: Kabila Ahead in Early, Partial Vote Tallies
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 3:15 pm (UTC-5)
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. […]
Obama Welcomes Drop in National Unemployment
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 3:05 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. President Barack Obama has welcomed news that the national unemployment rate fell last month, but he warned of a “significant blow” to the economy if Congress fails to extend payroll tax cuts and renew unemployment benefits. The Labor Department on Friday said the unemployment rate for November was 8.6 percent, the lowest level in […]
Merkel: Serbia Not Ready for EU Candidacy
Posted December 2nd, 2011 at 3:05 pm (UTC-5)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Serbia has contributed to the tense situation in Kosovo and is therefore not yet ready to be a candidate for European Union membership. In a speech to the German parliament Friday, Mrs. Merkel said the path for Serbia into the EU can only happen after it normalizes relations with Kosovo. […]
