Rights activists say Syrian forces have again attacked the central area of Houla where more than 100 people were massacred last week. The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, told VOA on Thursday that three people were killed in overnight shelling by government troops. He said a 14-year-old boy was […]
Four Dead as Syrian Troops Shell Massacre Town
Posted May 31st, 2012 at 1:20 pm (UTC-5)
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Putin Takes First Trip Abroad Since Inauguration
Posted May 31st, 2012 at 12:50 pm (UTC-5)
Russian President Vladimir Putin is in Belarus on his first trip out his country since being sworn in for a controversial third term earlier this month. Mr. Putin is holding talks Thursday with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Russia and Belarus have long been close allies, but Russia’s apparent attempts to take control of economic assets […]
Europe’s Chief Banker Says Eurozone ‘Unsustainable’
Posted May 31st, 2012 at 12:30 pm (UTC-5)
Europe’s chief banker says the current operation of the 17-nation euro currency bloc is “unsustainable” and that it must create a new vision of how it will manage its affairs in the coming years. The head of the European Central Bank, Mario Draghi, said the financial institution has done what it could to combat the […]
Former British PM’s Media Director to Contest Charges
Posted May 31st, 2012 at 12:05 pm (UTC-5)
The lawyer for British Prime Minister David Cameron’s former media chief says his client will “vigorously contest” the perjury charges against him. Andy Coulson, also a former editor of Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World, was arrested Wednesday and charged with perjury by Scottish police. He was picked up at his home in London and […]
Dragon Space Cargo Capsule Splashes Down in Pacific
Posted May 31st, 2012 at 11:50 am (UTC-5)
The SpaceX Dragon cargo ship has completed a historic journey to the International Space Station, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean after becoming the first commercially operated vehicle to travel to the orbiting outpost. The Dragon arrived back on Earth Thursday, after its successful demonstration flight. The International Space Station crew released the Dragon capsule […]
Witnesses Report Massive Chinese Crackdown in Tibetan Capital
Posted May 31st, 2012 at 11:45 am (UTC-5)
A leading Tibetan exile group is reporting a massive security clampdown in the Tibetan capital, Lhasa, as Chinese security forces push to control community life in the aftermath of two Tibetan self-immolations on Sunday. The Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy quotes witnesses as saying that scores — and perhaps hundreds — of people […]
Kenyan, Somali Forces Seize Key Town from Al-Shabab
Posted May 31st, 2012 at 10:45 am (UTC-5)
Somali government and Kenyan troops have seized the town of Afmadow from al-Shabab militants, pushing the battle line closer to the rebels’ biggest remaining stronghold in southern Somalia. Somali military spokesman Mohamed Farah told VOA that forces surrounded the town for days before capturing it on Thursday. “Today we shelled some identified areas of the […]
Four Dead as Syrian Troops Shell Massacre Town
Posted May 31st, 2012 at 10:20 am (UTC-5)
Rights activists say Syrian forces have again attacked the central area of Houla where more than 100 people were massacred last week. The head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, told VOA on Thursday that three people were killed in overnight shelling by government troops. He said a 14-year-old boy was […]
German Hostage in Nigeria Killed in Rescue Attempt
Posted May 31st, 2012 at 10:10 am (UTC-5)
Nigerian security officials say a German man kidnapped in January, allegedly by an al-Qaida-linked group, has been killed during a rescue attempt. Officials say Edgar Fritz Raupach was killed by his captors as security forces tried to free him during a raid in the northern city of Kano. VOA’s Hausa Service reports the raid was […]
US Jobless Claims Rise; Growth Slows
Posted May 31st, 2012 at 9:55 am (UTC-5)
The number of people signing up for unemployment aid in the United States rose by 10,000 last week, evidence that the U.S. job market remains sluggish. Thursday’s report from the Labor Department says 383,000 people filed first-time claims. Continued problems in the job market are one result of slow U.S. economic growth, which hit a […]
