A magnitude 6.3 earthquake has struck a remote region of western China, injuring at least 17 people. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake hit Saturday morning in China’s northern Xinjiang region, at a shallow depth of 18 kilometers. The USGS said a 6.3 quake is capable of causing severe damage, but it hit in […]
US Urges Albania to Heed EU Recommendations for Improvement
Posted June 29th, 2012 at 8:00 pm (UTC-5)
A senior U.S. official has urged Albania to heed European Union recommendations on the improvements needed to be in place in the Balkan country before it can start negotiations for a membership in the regional bloc. Philip Reeker, deputy assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia, has told the VOA Albanian Service that the […]
President Obama Visits Fire-Ravaged Colorado
Posted June 29th, 2012 at 5:25 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. President Barack Obama has surveyed the devastation caused by a massive wildfire in Colorado, calling the damage “enormous.” The president Friday saw charred homes and cars melted by fire in Colorado Springs, the state’s second largest city. The Waldo Canyon fire has killed at least one person, destroyed 346 homes and forced the evacuation […]
US, Russia Remain Divided Over Syria
Posted June 29th, 2012 at 5:05 pm (UTC-5)
Top U.S. and Russian diplomats have failed to reach an agreement on how to deal with the rising violence across Syria. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton held talks with her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov Friday in St. Petersburg, ahead of an international conference on the Syrian crisis. U.S. officials said the two failed to […]
U.S. Congressman Confident to Pass Ban Restricting Lobbying for Foreign Governments
Posted June 29th, 2012 at 3:35 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. Congressman Frank Wolf has expressed confidence that an amendment restricting former U.S. government officials from lobbying on behalf of certain foreign nations will soon become law. Wolf told VOA Friday that countries like China, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Iran, among others, need to be reminded that their government policies, or illegal human rights abuses, […]
British-Australian Woman Attempts Record Cuba-US Swim
Posted June 29th, 2012 at 1:40 pm (UTC-5)
British-Australian marathon swimmer Penny Palfrey has set out on a record attempt to become the first person to swim from Cuba to the U.S. state of Florida without a shark cage. The 49-year-old mother of three and grandmother of two dove into the sea off the Cuban capital, Havana, Friday morning. Before beginning the 166-kilometer […]
EU Leaders Agree on Debt Plan to Help Italy, Spain
Posted June 29th, 2012 at 1:35 pm (UTC-5)
European leaders have agreed to use the euro currency bloc’s bailout fund to directly boost the continent’s struggling banks — a move that immediately eased surging borrowing costs for debt-ridden Italy and Spain. Stock markets in Asia, Europe and the U.S. jumped sharply Friday after European Union summit leaders decided that they could send loans […]
India Says Pakistan Involved in 2008 Mumbai Attacks
Posted June 29th, 2012 at 1:30 pm (UTC-5)
India has again said that the 2008 Mumbai attacks could not have been carried out without “state support,” accusing longtime rival Pakistan of helping to coordinate the siege on India’s financial hub. Indian authorities arrested Indian-born Sayed Zabiuddin, who goes by Abu Hamza and Abu Jindal, on June 21 on suspicion of helping plan the […]
Militants Storm Eastern Afghan District, Killing 10
Posted June 29th, 2012 at 1:20 pm (UTC-5)
Officials in eastern Afghanistan say militants, including suicide bombers, stormed a remote district early Friday, sparking a gunbattle that killed 10 people. The Taliban took responsibility for the attack in the Kamdesh district of Nuristan province. The provincial governor’s spokesman Muhammad Zarin told VOA that at least 17 militants crossed the border from Pakistan and […]
Sudanese Police Use Tear Gas To Break Up Protest
Posted June 29th, 2012 at 12:35 pm (UTC-5)
Police in Sudan used tear gas Friday to break up the latest protests against austerity measures and the government of President Omar al-Bashir. Witnesses say the rallies — of anywhere from a few dozen to a few hundred people — took place in the capital Khartoum and the suburbs of Omdurman and Bahri. The tear […]
