U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and top U.S. military leaders are urging Senate lawmakers to approve signing on to an international sea treaty that has long faced opposition out of concern it would undermine U.S. sovereignty. Testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday, Secretary Clinton called joining the U.N. Convention on the Law […]
Clinton, US Military Leaders Urge Senate to Approve Sea Treaty
Posted May 23rd, 2012 at 12:05 pm (UTC-5)
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Pakistani Doctor Jailed for Helping CIA in Bin Laden Hunt
Posted May 23rd, 2012 at 11:50 am (UTC-5)
Government officials 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 his […]
EU Leaders to Focus on Economic Growth at Brussels Summit
Posted May 23rd, 2012 at 11:50 am (UTC-5)
Leaders of the 27 nations that make up the European Union will gather in Brussels Wednesday for a summit aimed at solving the bloc’s debt crisis. The bloc’s focus has shifted from austerity to pro-growth policies since the election of Socialist Francois Hollande as president of France and the political stalemate in Greece, where voters […]
International Donors Pledge $4 Billion in Aid to Yemen
Posted May 23rd, 2012 at 11:20 am (UTC-5)
International donors have pledged $4 billion in aid to Yemen to help the impoverished state boost the fight against Islamist militants and develop the Yemeni economy. British Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt says a group of mostly Arab and Western nations and international organizations made the pledges on Wednesday at a “Friends of Yemen” donor […]
US Regulators Looking at the Leadup to Facebook Stock Opening
Posted May 23rd, 2012 at 11:15 am (UTC-5)
Days after social media giant Facebook started publicly selling its stock, financial regulators in the U.S. are taking a closer look at whether key information about the company’s financial prospects was provided to large investors in advance of the sale, but withheld from others. In the days leading up to the start of trading in […]
Pakistan, India Sign Pipeline Deal With Turkmenistan
Posted May 23rd, 2012 at 11:00 am (UTC-5)
India and Pakistan have signed a long-awaited natural gas deal with the Central Asian nation of Turkmenistan, paving the way for the construction of a multi-billion dollar pipeline through Afghanistan. Top Indian and Pakistani officials traveled to Turkmenistan to formalize the natural gas sales and purchase agreements on Wednesday. Under the agreements, Turkmenistan, with the […]
AU, Somali Troops Battle al-Shabab in Major Offensive
Posted May 23rd, 2012 at 10:50 am (UTC-5)
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. […]
Doctors: 120 Afghan Girls Poisoned
Posted May 23rd, 2012 at 10:30 am (UTC-5)
Doctors in northern Afghanistan say they are treating more than 120 Afghan girls for possible poisoning after they became sick at school. The head of Takhar Province’s education department Abdul Wahab Zafari said the students noticed what he called “a certain smell” in the school before becoming sick on Wednesday. One of the girls said […]
World Powers Offer Proposal in Iran Talks
Posted May 23rd, 2012 at 9:55 am (UTC-5)
Six world powers have opened talks with Iran in Baghdad with a proposal aimed at resolving international concerns about potential military dimensions to the Iranian nuclear program. An EU spokesman said Wednesday the six-nation proposal addresses the group’s concern about Iran’s enrichment of uranium to 20 percent purity. Iran says its enrichment work is meant […]
Six Dead in Syria, Government Shelling Intensifies
Posted May 23rd, 2012 at 8:55 am (UTC-5)
Activists say Syrian government forces have pounded targets in the opposition stronghold of Rastan, and at least six people have been killed elsewhere, during violence related to the country’s anti-government unrest. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights tells VOA that Rastan came under intense shelling early Wednesday as government forces tried to push rebels from […]
