Qatar’s prime minister has conceded that the Arab League observer mission in Syria has made “mistakes,” and that United Nations assistance is needed to improve the monitoring of government compliance with a plan to end the violence. After meeting U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in New York, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani said he is seeking […]
Qatar Says Arab Monitors in Syria Made Mistakes
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 7:05 pm (UTC-5)
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Netherlands Puts Farmers On Flood Alert
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 7:05 pm (UTC-5)
Authorities in the Netherlands have warned farmers in several northern provinces to leave their homes and farms because strong winds and heavy rain have raised concerns of possible coastal flooding. Coen Vaarkamp, a spokesman for Groningen region’s emergency authority, said the high water levels are a threat to houses in the area. “If the water […]
2 Britons, 2 Afghans Held in Afghanistan After Over Unregistered Weapons
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 7:05 pm (UTC-5)
Afghani authorities on Thursday put on display for the media two Britons and two Afghan nationals arrested two days earlier in the capital, Kabul, while driving with unregistered weapons. Government spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said the four, all employees of a private security company Garda World, were detained in possession of 30 AK-47 assault rifles and […]
US Republican Presidential Hopefuls Focus on New Hampshire
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 6:15 pm (UTC-5)
As the U.S. Republican Party presidential nomination race moves to New Hampshire, the two frontrunners are turning their verbal fire toward President Barack Obama. At campaign events Thursday, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney and former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum accused the president of steering the United States away from its tradition of self-reliance and free […]
Britain’s Foreign Secretary Meets Burma’s Opposition Leader
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 5:55 pm (UTC-5)
Britain’s Foreign Secretary William Hague will formally meet Burma’s main opposition leader Friday, the second day of his historic visit to Burma. Hague had a private dinner with Aung San Suu Kyi Thursday evening, ahead of the formal visit. Earlier in the day, he met with President Thein Sein and other top officials in the […]
Pakistan Holds Funeral for 15 Soldiers Killed by Taliban
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 5:35 pm (UTC-5)
Pakistan held funeral services Thursday for 15 paramilitary soldiers abducted and killed by the Taliban in the country’s northwest. A spokesman for the Islamic militant group said it killed the soldiers, kidnapped December 22 in the Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, in revenge for continued military operations against the militants near the Afghan border. […]
India Deploys Commandos to Protect Tigers
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 4:35 pm (UTC-5)
The Indian government on Thursday deployed a team of commandos to two major wildlife sanctuaries in the south to protect tigers from hunters and poachers. The government said a 54-member “Special Tiger Protection Force” began patrolling tiger reserves in Bandipur and Nagarhole, straddling the border of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states, after three months of […]
EU to Open Representative Office in Burma
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 4:35 pm (UTC-5)
The European Union says it will open a representative office in Burma in the near future. Michael Mann, a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton, told VOA Tuesday that an agreement has been reached with the Burmese government to open an office in Rangoon. “It won’t be a full EU delegation or anything […]
Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi: This Will Be Telling Year
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 4:15 pm (UTC-5)
Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi is urging supporters not to lose hope. Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party has faced some criticism for its decision to participate in April’s elections. But the long-time democracy advocate tells the Associated Press there have been changes for the better even though the country’s […]
Karzai Demands Transfer of Bagram Prison to Afghan Control
Posted January 5th, 2012 at 3:35 pm (UTC-5)
Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Thursday demanded that the U.S. detention center at Bagram Air Base be transferred fully to the Afghan government’s control within a month. Mr. Karzai issued the order after a briefing on a report detailing what his office called “many cases of violations of [the] Afghan Constitution and other applicable laws […]
