Kyrgyz President Almazbek Atambaev says his government is strongly supporting a project to build a trans-Asia railway to connect his country with China and Uzbekistan. The more than $2-billion rail line is planned to run from Kashgar in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region to Andijon in Uzbekistan, where it would link to the Uzbek rail […]
Kyrgyz President Backs Trans-Asia Railway Project
Pakistani Doctor Jailed for Helping CIA in Bin Laden Hunt
Officials in Pakistan say the Pakistani doctor who helped the United States track down Osama bin Laden has been sentenced to 33 years in prison for treason. Shakeel Afridi was accused of running a fake vaccination campaign to help the CIA obtain DNA samples of the al-Qaida leader and members of his family to confirm […]
EU Leaders Focusing on Eurozone Crisis at Summit
Leaders of the 27 nations that comprise the European Union have opened a summit aimed at solving the bloc’s debt crisis. The dinner summit in Brussels Wednesday will be dominated by increasing calls for growth measures, the creation of jobs and stimulating the troubled eurozone economy, which has been hit with grim news. The EU […]
Mali Interim President Flown to Paris for Medical Tests
An aide to Mali’s interim president says the leader is being flown to Paris for medical tests, after being assaulted by protesters in the presidential palace. Chief of Staff Issa Togo confirmed to VOA that interim leader Dioncounda Traore departed for France on Wednesday. Togo said Mr. Traore was injured above the eye and forehead, […]
AU, Somali Troops Battle al-Shabab in Major Offensive
African Union and Somali officials say troops are locked in heavy fighting with al-Shabab fighters outside the capital, Mogadishu, in a fast-moving offensive to capture a key militant stronghold. A commander on the ground told VOA troops were advancing to the area of Elasha, the center of a sprawling camp with an estimated 400,000 refugees. […]
Iran, World Powers Exchange Proposals in Nuclear Talks
Iran and world powers exchanged proposals Wednesday at a Baghdad meeting aimed at resolving international concerns about potential military dimensions to the Iranian nuclear program. Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency says Iranian negotiators presented a five-point proposal addressing nuclear and non-nuclear issues on Wednesday, shortly after the world powers opened the meeting with their own […]
Secret Service Director: Colombia Scandal Not Representative of Agents
The director of the U.S. Secret Service says he believes last month’s scandal in Colombia involving agents and prostitutes does not represent a majority of the agency’s nearly 7,000 employees. Director Mark Sullivan told lawmakers Wednesday that although the alleged behavior of the agents was what he called “reckless,” he believes it was just some […]
Burmese Protesters Press Demands for Electricity
More than 1,000 Burmese protesters defied police and returned to the streets of Rangoon on Wednesday to demand an end to electricity blackouts in key Burmese cities. The protests, along with similar rallies Sunday and Monday in the city of Mandalay, are a rare departure from the norm in the Southeast Asian nation, which — […]
Eurozone Nations Preparing for Greece Exit
Sixteen nations in the euro currency union have started to assess what financial complications might occur if debt-ridden Greece leaves the monetary compact. Even as they voice the hope that Greece stays in the eurozone, European leaders have in recent days increasingly discussed the possibility that the Athens government may end its euro alliance and […]
UN Rights Chief Meets Zimbabwe President
The U.N. human rights chief says Zimbabwe’s longtime President Robert Mugabe blamed the country’s current problems on its past during talks in Harare. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay met with Mr. Mugabe on Wednesday. Pillay described the meeting as “very important” saying that during the talks President Mugabe outlined some of Zimbabwe’s […]