A boat carrying more than 250 people, most of them from the Middle East and South Asia, has sunk off the coast of Indonesia’s main island of Java and more than 200 passengers are still missing. So far only 33 people have been rescued. Authorities say bad weather is hampering rescue efforts. Indonesian police blamed […]
Ferry With 250 Aboard Sinks Off Indonesia, Dozens Missing
Panetta: Libyan Government Will Build Democracy
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta pledged U.S. support to Libya on Saturday during a visit to the capital, Tripoli. The Pentagon chief offered the help to the country’s transitional leaders who are struggling to create a cohesive democratic society. He met with Prime Minister Abdurrahim el-Keib and the country’s defense minister . The talks came […]
Arab League Panel Considers U.N. Action Against Syria
An Arab League ministerial committee has proposed asking the U.N. Security Council to adopt a peace plan aimed at ending Syria’s anti-government unrest. The panel agreed to the proposal during a meeting in Doha Saturday. The group will present the plan at an Arab League foreign ministers meeting in Cairo on Wednesday. Qatar’s Prime Minister […]
Ferry Sinks Off Indonesia, Dozens Missing
A boat carrying more than 200 people, most of them from the Middle East and South Asia, has sunk off the coast of Indonesia’s main island of Java and dozens of the passengers are still missing. So far only 33 people have been rescued. Indonesian police blamed the accident Saturday on overcrowding on the wooden […]
More than 400 Dead in Storm in Philippines
Rescue efforts are under way in the southern Philippines, which has been pounded by a powerful but slow-moving storm that may have swept entire villages out to sea. Typhoon Washi struck the region of Mindanao, blanketing the area with heavy rain and high winds. The storm also triggered a series of deadly flash floods and […]
More Election Protets in Russia
Hundreds of demonstrators demanding a rerun of Russia’s December 4 parliamentary elections gathered Saturday in central Moscow to protest alleged election fraud in December 4 polls won by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s ruling United Russia party. The turnout was much smaller than the nationwide protests last Saturday, which drew tens of thousands of people to […]
Obama Praises US Mission in Iraq, Thanks Troops
President Barack Obama says the U.S. mission in Iraq is an “extraordinary achievement” that sets an example for how Americans should work together to solve the country’s domestic issues. During his weekly address Saturday, Mr. Obama expressed gratitude to the 1.5 million Americans who have served in Iraq since 2003, and to the families of […]
9 Killed in Two Days of Clashes in Egypt
Violent clashes between security forces and protesters have rocked Egypt for a second day. At least nine people have been killed and more than 300 wounded in the two days of violence. Soldiers chased and beat rock-throwing protesters who tried to gather in Cairo’s Tahrir Square on Saturday. A VOA reporter saw police using metal […]
US Lawmakers Approve Government Funding
U.S. lawmakers have avoided a partial government shutdown by voting in favor of a bill to fund federal operations through September 2012. The Senate approved the roughly $1 trillion spending bill Saturday by a vote 67 to 32, one day after it passed the House of Representatives. A shutdown would have forced government departments to […]
Turkish PM Lashes Out at France Over Genocide Bill
A French bill that would make it a crime to deny that the mass killing of Armenians in 1915 was genocide is drawing criticism from Turkey. Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan lashed out at France Saturday, during a news conference in Ankara with the chairman of Libya’s National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul-Jalil. Mr. Erdogan […]