Arab leaders are considering a draft resolution supporting special envoy Kofi Annan’s peace initiative for Syria, as they gather for a landmark summit in Baghdad. The measure drafted by Arab League foreign ministers for the summit’s approval calls for President Bashar al-Assad’s government to stop violent attacks on the opposition and allow peaceful protests. Mr. […]
US Commander Warns of Growing North Korean Threat
Posted March 29th, 2012 at 7:10 am (UTC-5)
The top commander of U.S. forces in South Korea says he is concerned about North Korea’s growing capability to carry out attacks through nonconventional means, such as cyber warfare and chemical weapons. Speaking to the House Armed Services Committee on Wednesday, General James Thurman said North Korea’s advances in computer hacking and biological weapons, combined […]
Struggling Japanese Utility to Seek Emergency Loan from Government
Posted March 29th, 2012 at 6:50 am (UTC-5)
The operator of Japan’s crippled Fukushima nuclear plant will ask for $12 billion to keep it afloat, effectively putting the government in control of the private utility. In addition to the bailout money, Tokyo Electric Power, or TEPCO, will also ask a government-backed fund for another $9 billion that will be used to compensate the […]
Arab Leaders Weigh Syria Resolution
Posted March 29th, 2012 at 6:45 am (UTC-5)
Arab leaders are considering a draft resolution supporting special envoy Kofi Annan’s peace initiative for Syria, as they gather for a landmark summit in Baghdad. The measure drafted by Arab League foreign ministers for the summit’s approval calls for President Bashar al-Assad’s government to stop violent attacks on the opposition and allow peaceful protests. Mr. […]
Indian PM Highlights Capital Needs of Developing Countries
Posted March 29th, 2012 at 6:45 am (UTC-5)
India’s prime minister has highlighted the need in developing countries to find funding at the summit of the so-called BRICS nations — the world’s five largest emerging economies. Speaking in New Delhi, Thursday at the conclusion of the one-day summit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the leaders and delegates discussed how to expand the World […]
Islamist Gunman Who Killed Seven in France Denied Burial in Algeria
Posted March 29th, 2012 at 6:20 am (UTC-5)
A Muslim leader in Toulouse, France says the family of a gunman accused of killing seven people there has been denied permission to bury him in his native Algeria. The Associated Press quotes Abdallah Zekri as saying the request to bury 23-year-old Mohamed Merah in Algeria was rejected for “reasons of public order”. Zekri says […]
Spanish Unions Holding General Strike Thursday
Posted March 29th, 2012 at 5:35 am (UTC-5)
Spanish unions are holding a general strike a day before Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announces a new austerity budget to meet strict guidelines set by Eurozone leaders. Spain’s Interior Ministry says at least 58 people have been arrested, largely for attempting to disrupt bus service early Thursday in Madrid. The strike is impacting public services, […]
US Says Chinese Attitude Aggravates Tensions in Tibet
Posted March 29th, 2012 at 4:55 am (UTC-5)
The United States says it is concerned about the situation in the Tibetan region, where another monk killed himself by self-immolation. VOA’s Tibetan Service reported Wednesday that a 20-year-old monk named Lobsang Sherab set himself on fire in the main street of Cha township in China’s southwestern Sichuan province. Sherab was a member of the […]
Indian PM Highlights Capital Needs of Developing Countries
Posted March 29th, 2012 at 4:25 am (UTC-5)
India’s prime minister has highlighted the need in developing countries to find funding, at the summit of the so-called BRICS nations — the world’s five largest emerging economies. Speaking in New Delhi, Thursday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said the leaders and delegates were discussing how to expand the World Bank’s capital base, as well as […]
Chinese Rights Advocate says Family Visited Jailed Lawyer Gao Zhisheng
Posted March 29th, 2012 at 4:25 am (UTC-5)
A religious-freedom watchdog group says relatives of a jailed Chinese human-rights lawyer visited him last week. ChinaAid says it learned from the wife of Gao Zhisheng that her father and brother-in-law visited him for a half-hour on Saturday at a prison in a remote part of the western Xinjiang region. It was the first time […]
