Winter is here to stay for at least for six more weeks, according to a furry little resident of a small town called Punxsutawney in Pennsylvania. A groundhog dubbed Punxsutawney Phil emerged from his cozy tree stump home early Thursday, as he does each year, and he saw his shadow. Tradition has it that if […]
US Groundhog Predicts Six More Weeks of Winter
NATO Chief: Afghan Roadmap Stands Despite US, French Announcements
NATO Secretary General Anders-Fogh Rasmussen says the coalition’s timeline for the security transition in Afghanistan still stands, despite recent announcements from the United States and France. U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and French President Nicolas Sarkozy have each suggested the coalition should end its combat role in 2013, more than a year ahead of previous […]
Indian Supreme Court Cancels Controversial Telecom Licenses
India’s Supreme Court has ordered the government to cancel 122 telecommunications licenses awarded in 2008 that are at the center of one of the country’s largest corruption scandals. Thursday’s court ruling is expected to somewhat disrupt the nation’s cell phone market as customers of the affected companies are forced to switch to licensed services. Experts […]
DRC: Kabila Party Loses Seats, Retains Majority
Official election results in the Democratic Republic of Congo show that President Joseph Kabila’s party lost ground in November’s parliamentary polls. The figures, released Thursday by Congo’s Independent National Electoral Commission, show that the ruling DDRP party won 63 seats — enough to retain its status as the largest bloc in parliament. Parties aligned with […]
Hundreds Rescued from Papua New Guinea Ferry Disaster
Scores of passengers are still missing after a ferry sank early Thursday off the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. Nerae Marimahu, a spokeswoman with the Pacific nation’s National Maritime Safety Authority in Port Moresby, told VOA the MV Rabaul Queen sank about 16 kilometers off Cape Fortification. She said it was not immediately clear […]
Pakistan Says Willing to Push Afghan Insurgents Towards Peace
Pakistan says it is willing to push Afghan insurgents to make peace, if asked to do so by the Afghan government. Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar told reporters in Islamabad Thursday that “we are willing to do whatever the Afghans want or expect.” Khar made the comments a day after visiting Afghanistan, where she […]
North Korea Issues Demands for Talks with South Korea
North Korea says South Korea must honor a set of preconditions before it resumes dialogue with its decades-long democratic rival. The North’s powerful National Defense Commission released the demands in the form of a questionnaire Thursday through the official Korean Central News Agency. One of the items on the list calls for Seoul to apologize […]
Britain Names New Ambassador to Somalia
Britain has appointed its first ambassador to war-torn Somalia in more than two decades. The announcement came Thursday, as British Foreign Secretary William Hague made a landmark visit to the Horn of Africa country. Matt Baugh will serve as London’s new senior envoy to Somalia. But British officials say he will be based in neighboring […]
Palestinian Protesters Throw Shoes at UN Chief During Gaza Visit
Dozens of Palestinian protesters hurled shoes, sticks and stones at the convoy of United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as it entered the Gaza Strip on Thursday. Around 40 protesters briefly prevented Mr. Ban’s armored vehicle from entering Gaza as it crossed from southern Israel. Most of the protesters were relatives of Palestinians who are held […]
Egyptians Protest Lack of Security Following Soccer Disaster
Egyptian activists are taking to the streets Thursday to protest the failure of police to prevent violence at a soccer match that left at least 74 people dead and hundreds injured in the northern city of Port Said. The protesters are angry that most riot police in the stadium appeared to stand idly by as […]