U.S. presidential candidate Mitt Romney got a boost for his bid for the Republican Party nomination with a solid win in the Florida (state)) primary race. Romney, a former Massachusetts governor, won 47 percent of the vote, far ahead of his closest rival, former House speaker Newt Gingrich, who garnered 31 percent. The Florida Republican […]
Grossman: US Determined to Get Afghans to Talk to Afghans
Posted January 31st, 2012 at 8:00 pm (UTC-5)
The U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, Marc Grossman, says the United States is using “all of its contacts in the region” in order to get Afghans talking to Afghans. In an interview with VOA Tuesday, Grossman did not confirm that the U.S. government is talking to the Taliban at this point, and disagreed […]
UN Humanitarian Official to Visit South Sudan
Posted January 31st, 2012 at 7:45 pm (UTC-5)
The United Nations is sending a senior official for humanitarian affairs on a mission to South Sudan. In a statement Tuesday, the world body announced that Valerie Amos, U.N. Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, will visit Central Equatoria and Jonglei states from Wednesday to Friday. The statement says during her mission […]
UN Team Ends Talks in Iran Amid Tensions Over Nuclear Work
Posted January 31st, 2012 at 7:40 pm (UTC-5)
Inspectors from the United Nations nuclear watchdog have completed a three-day visit to Iran with no apparent breakthrough on Tehran’s controversial atomic energy program after Western powers imposed tough, new economic sanctions. The semi-official Fars news agency Tuesday called the talks between Iranian officials and the visiting team “constructive,” saying the two sides had agreed […]
West, Arabs Urge UN Action on Syria as Assad’s Forces Hit Hard
Posted January 31st, 2012 at 7:05 pm (UTC-5)
Arab and Western states have urged the United Nations Security Council to swiftly act to halt Syria’s escalating violence and endorse an Arab plan for President Bashar al-Assad to cede power after his government crushed rebel positions in the Damascus suburbs. Arab League Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby urged the council Tuesday to take “rapid and decisive […]
Egyptian Justice Minister Refuses Letter From US Ambassador on Travel Ban
Posted January 31st, 2012 at 6:55 pm (UTC-5)
Egypt’s justice minister sent back a letter Tuesday from the U.S. ambassador asking him to lift the travel ban on Americans working with pro-democracy groups in the country. Justice Minister Adel Abdel-Hamid said the letter should have gone to the judges investigating the groups, not to him. He also said the letter should not have […]
Obama’s Drone Strikes Remark Stirs Controversy
Posted January 31st, 2012 at 6:50 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. President Barack Obama’s public acknowledgement that the United States uses drone strikes against militants inside Pakistan has brought condemnation from Pakistan and calls from a human rights group to clarify legal justifications for such a use. In an interview with VOA Tuesday, a Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman called the U.S. missile strikes illegal, counterproductive […]
Massive Anti-Wade Protest Held in Senegal’s Capital
Posted January 31st, 2012 at 6:30 pm (UTC-5)
Police in Senegal have fired tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters in the capital Dakar who are calling on President Abdoulaye Wade to give up his controversial bid for a third term. Hundreds of thousands of Senegalese, mostly young people, staged what was to be a peaceful demonstration Tuesday. But by night protests […]
Republican Candidates Battle for Florida Votes
Posted January 31st, 2012 at 6:20 pm (UTC-5)
After days of often bitter campaigning, Republican voters in Florida are choosing their candidate to run for president. The first polls close at 0000 UTC. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, who is far ahead in polls, expressed confidence before voting started. The Florida Republican primary election Tuesday comes just over a week after he was […]
UN: Mediterranean is Deadliest Stretch of Water for Migrants
Posted January 31st, 2012 at 5:50 pm (UTC-5)
The United Nations refugee agency says the Mediterranean Sea is the deadliest stretch of water for migrants and refugees seeking to escape poverty and oppression. In a new report, U.N. officials estimate that 1,500 people died last year while trying to cross the sea from Africa to Europe. They say this is just an estimate, […]
