NATO officials say five Polish soldiers have been killed in a roadside bomb attack in eastern Afghanistan, marking the deadliest single attack of the Afghan war for the coalition member. Local Afghan officials said an improvised explosive device went off Wednesday near the convoy of troops in Ghazni province. The Taliban immediately claimed responsibility. Polish […]
Roadside Bomb Kills 5 Polish Soldiers in Afghanistan
European Central Bank Makes Massive Loans to 523 Banks
The European Central Bank is lending a record amount of money to banks in the 17 nations that use the euro in hopes of limiting the widespread effects of the governmental debt crisis. The central bank said Wednesday it would make $638 billion in three-year loans to 523 banks in an effort to encourage them […]
Egypt Scoffs ‘Foreign Interference’ After Clinton Comments
Egypt’s foreign minister says his country will not accept foreign interference in its internal affairs. This follows U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s harsh condemnation of the recent treatment of women there. Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr said Wednesday Cairo was seeking “clarification” concerning statements made by foreign officials. On Monday, Clinton said the violence […]
Somali Pirates Release Italian Ship After 11 Months
Somali pirates have released an Italian oil tanker and its crew after nearly 11 months in captivity. An Italian government statement Wednesday said Prime Minister Mario Monti expressed deep satisfaction with the release of the Italian-owned Savina Caylyn and its crew. The statement gave no details about the ship’s release, or whether a ransom was […]
Kenyan Air Strike Kills 17 al-Shabab Militants
Kenya’s military says an air strike in southern Somalia has killed 17 al-Shabab militants. Army spokesman Emmanuel Chirchir said the air raid was carried out late Tuesday on a village south of the town of Kismayo, an al-Shabab stronghold. Witnesses say at least seven civilians died in the attack. A man told VOA his pregnant […]
Chinese Villagers Win Rare Compromise In Standoff with Provincial Government
Officials have given in to the demands of residents of a village in southern China who barricaded their community more than a week ago. Protest leaders in Wukan, in southern Guangdong province, say a senior provincial official promised Wednesday the release of three village leaders who were detained earlier in the standoff over controversial land […]
Afghanistan Opens First Major Train Service
Afghan operators ran the first train down Afghanistan’s first major railroad Wednesday, paving the way for expanding trade in and out of the landlocked country. Deputy Public Works Minister Noor Gul Mangal said the cargoless train arrived in the northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif after a 75-kilometer trial run from the border with Uzbekistan. The Asian […]
Two Rwandans Sentenced to Life for Genocide
The U.N. tribunal for Rwanda has sentenced two former politicians to life in prison for their roles in the country’s 1994 genocide. Mathieu Ngirumpatse and Edouard Karemera were president and vice president of Rwanda’s then-ruling MRND party at the time of the genocide. The tribunal found them guilty on charges of genocide, war crimes, and […]
Syrian Opposition Urges UN to Act After ‘Massacre’
The opposition Syrian National Council has urged the United Nations Security Council and the Arab League to take action after reports that government troops “massacred” more than 200 people in two days. The opposition council on Wednesday called for an emergency U.N. meeting to discuss the recent killings in Zawiyah mountain, Idlib and Homs. It […]
Late Czech Republic Leader Lies in State
Flags flew at half staff as the body of former Czech president Vaclav Havel was taken to Prague Castle, where he will lie in state ahead of his funeral on Friday. Thousands of people lined the streets of old town Prague as the late president’s body was transported to the castle. Many people applauded as […]