U.S. President Barack Obama has expressed “regret” for what he called an inadvertent verbal gaffe that caused a storm of controversy in Poland. Earlier this week, Mr. Obama used the term “Polish death camp” while honoring a Polish World War Two resistance hero, instead of referring to the camp as one operated by the Nazis […]
Obama Apologizes to Polish President for Holocaust Gaffe
Insurgents Attack Coalition Base in Afghanistan
Afghan officials say a suicide car bomber and other suspected insurgents attacked a NATO base outside the eastern city of Khost on Friday. A NATO spokesman tells VOA that 14 suspected insurgents were killed in clashes at the base before Afghan and coalition forces repelled the attackers. The French news agency says seven Afghan civilians […]
Eurozone Jobless Rate Hits Record 11 Percent
The unemployment rate in Europe’s 17-nation euro currency bloc has risen to a record 11 percent. The European Union said Friday that more than 17 million people were out of work in the eurozone as government austerity measures continue to take their toll on new hiring. The EU revised its March jobless rate up a […]
US Jobless Rate Rises Slightly; Job Creation Weaker Than Expected
The U.S. unemployment rate increased slightly (by one-tenth of a percentage point) to 8.2 percent in May. Friday’s report from the Labor Department also shows that the U.S. economy had a net gain of just 69,000 jobs, which is much less than most economists had predicted. Economists say job gains are needed to give consumers […]
Mali Tuareg Rebels Call off Alliance With Islamists
Tuareg rebels in Mali have called off an agreement with an Islamist group to create an independent, Islamic state in the north of the country. In an e-mailed statement Friday, a senior member of the Tuareg-led National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad said the rebels are pulling out of the agreement to maintain their […]
Report: Obama Ordered Cyber Attacks on Iran’s Nuclear Facilities
A prominent U.S. newspaper is reporting that U.S. President Barack Obama — in his first months in office — secretly ordered sophisticated attacks on the computer systems that run Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facilities. The New York Times cited anonymous sources close to the program who called the order a major expansion of America’s first […]
US Job Growth Expected to Improve for May
Economists expect to learn the U.S. economy added at least 150,000 new jobs in May when the government releases its monthly unemployment report Friday . The expected 150,000 mark would be an improvement over the 115,000 jobs added in April, bringing the average non-farm employment growth closer to the 176,000 a month average posted in […]
UN Rights Chief Calls for Independent Probe of Syrian Massacre
The U.N. human rights chief is calling for an independent investigation into last week’s slaughter of dozens of civilians in the Syrian town of Houla, even as activists on Friday reported the killing of at least 12 more civilians. Navi Pillay’s comments were provided in a statement to the U.N. Human Rights Council, which is […]
UN Chief Urges International Support for Somalia
United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon is urging the international community to strengthen security in Somalia as the country tries to move beyond its transitional government. Mr. Ban spoke Friday at a conference on Somalia held in Istanbul, focusing on helping the east African country establish a stable government and elect a new president by August […]
Early Count Shows Ireland Approves EU Fiscal Treaty
Unofficial results show voters in Ireland have approved the European Union’s debt-reduction treaty. Election workers are counting votes from Thursday’s referendum on the measure that would impose strict limits on debt and budget deficits in the 17-nation euro currency bloc. Ireland signed the treaty in March, joining most other EU countries, but is the only […]