The U.N. mission in Guinea Bissau says the world body and its international partners are “very pleased” with the country’s presidential vote, as election workers count ballots in the coup-prone West African nation. A spokesman for the U.N. Integrated Peace-Building Office in Guinea-Bissau , Vladimir Monteiro, told VOA that turnout was low early during Sunday’s […]
Syrian TV: Four Killed in Fighting in Major Damascus Neighborhood
Posted March 19th, 2012 at 5:15 am (UTC-5)
State-run Syrian television says three people it calls terrorists were killed in during fighting Monday between rebels and government forces in an upscale Damascus neighborhood. The broadcast says one government soldier was also killed. Witnesses say they heard machine gun fire and rocket-propelled grenades exploding in al-Mezze — one of the most heavily guarded neighborhoods […]
3 Dead in Shooting at French Jewish School
Posted March 19th, 2012 at 4:50 am (UTC-5)
Police in southwestern France say one adult and two children are dead after a gunman opened fire at a private Jewish school in the city of Toulouse. Authorities say at least one other person was wounded outside the school, where children were being dropped off for classes Monday morning. A police spokesman said the shooter […]
World Bank Urges African Governments to Boost HIV Prevention
Posted March 19th, 2012 at 4:45 am (UTC-5)
The World Bank has called on African governments and international donors to increase efforts to prevent new HIV infections in order to control treatment costs. In a new report highlighting countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the bank says existing treatment programs could become unsustainable without a “dramatic” drop in new infections. It says the costs associated […]
East Timor President Concedes Election Defeat
Posted March 19th, 2012 at 4:00 am (UTC-5)
East Timor President Jose Ramos-Horta conceded defeat on Monday in his bid to win a second term in office. With more than 70 percent of the ballots counted, results show Francisco Guterres, from the main opposition Fretilin party, ahead with about 28 percent of the vote. He is followed by former military chief Jose Maria […]
Chinese Legislators Head Home Leaving Beijing Luxury Shelves Bare
Posted March 19th, 2012 at 3:05 am (UTC-5)
Chinese state media are reporting some high-end stores in Beijing were cleaned out of luxury goods during this month’s meetings of the nation’s legislature and top advisory body. The Communist Party-affiliated Global Times newspaper quotes a luxury industry expert who says he tried to buy a $44,000 Hermes diamond-decorated belt buckle but found the item […]
Amnesty Intl: NATO Has Not Investigated Civilian Deaths in Libya
Posted March 19th, 2012 at 2:40 am (UTC-5)
The human rights group Amnesty International says NATO has not paid compensation or properly investigated civilian deaths caused by its airstrikes in Libya last year. Amnesty says NATO took significant efforts to prevent civilian casualties. But the human rights group says that does not relieve NATO from the responsibility to investigate. The group says many […]
Thailand, U.S., Singapore Engaged in Cope Tiger Military Exercise
Posted March 19th, 2012 at 2:30 am (UTC-5)
The air forces of Thailand, the United States and Singapore are testing their readiness and ability to operate together in a large military exercise at Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base. U.S. exercise director Colonel Marc Caudill explained that during the two-week exercise, called Cope Tiger 12, more than 1,600 combined service members and civilians […]
Duch to Testify Against Former Khmer Rouge Bosses
Posted March 19th, 2012 at 2:25 am (UTC-5)
A notorious Khmer Rouge jailer is scheduled to testify Monday against the top three surviving members of the party that imposed a reign of terror on Cambodia during the late 1970s. Former prison warden Kaing Guek Eav, better known as Duch , is the only person so far to have been convicted by the international […]
North Korea Flexes Military Muscle; South Denounces Missile Plan
Posted March 19th, 2012 at 2:00 am (UTC-5)
Tensions rose Monday on the Korean peninsula, with Pyongyang releasing video of a major military exercise and Seoul accusing the North of using a planned satellite launch as a pretext for testing a nuclear weapon delivery system. The North Korean video shows leader Kim Jong Un meeting soldiers and watching what is described as a […]
