Police in southwestern Pakistan say a bomb in a parked car exploded next to a bus heading to a university, killing at least four students and wounding more than 40 other people. Authorities say the blast occurred Monday in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province. Officials tell VOA that a police van providing security for […]
SW Pakistan Blast Kills 4 Students, Wounds 40
Posted June 18th, 2012 at 12:30 pm (UTC-5)
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Afghan Activists Reject Minister’s Claims of Prostitution at Women’s Shelters
Posted June 18th, 2012 at 12:10 pm (UTC-5)
Afghan women’s rights activists are rejecting allegations by a government minister that shelters aimed at protecting women are instead used for prostitution. Justice Minister Habibullah Ghalib said Sunday the safe houses run by non-governmental organizations, so-called Peace Houses, have become brothels. He said, “we saw and investigated the Peace Houses, there isn’t any immoral activity […]
Syrian Activists: Violence Kills 56
Posted June 18th, 2012 at 12:05 pm (UTC-5)
Syrian activists say violence across the country Monday killed at least 56 people, as the Arab League’s secretary-general called for an international peacekeeping force to be deployed to Syria. The head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told VOA Monday that the heaviest fighting and shelling was in Homs city and in areas […]
China, Taiwan Move to Ease Tensions, Boost Ties
Posted June 18th, 2012 at 11:40 am (UTC-5)
China has announced new measures allowing Taiwanese to gain employment on the mainland, as Taiwan moves to complete the removal of tens of thousands of landmines planted in the 1950s on frontline islands near the Chinese coast. Official Chinese media say the employment initiatives grant qualified Taiwan residents, including students who graduate from mainland colleges, […]
G20 Leaders Meeting at Mexican Seaside Resort
Posted June 18th, 2012 at 11:30 am (UTC-5)
World leaders gathered Monday at the Mexican seaside resort of Los Cabos, with Europe’s debt crisis and the deepening violence in Syria atop their agenda at the two-day G20 summit. On the summit sidelines, U.S. President Barack Obama was set to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a new effort to seek bolder European […]
Death Toll Rises to 50 In Nigeria Violence
Posted June 18th, 2012 at 11:10 am (UTC-5)
Officials in northern Nigeria now say about 50 people were killed Sunday in the bombing of three Christian churches and subsequent rioting in Kaduna state. The suicide bombings in the cities of Zaria and Kaduna killed at least 21 people. Christian youths later took the streets in Kaduna, setting fire to mosques and shops and […]
India Holds Interest Rates Steady, Despite Slowing Growth
Posted June 18th, 2012 at 10:45 am (UTC-5)
India’s central bank kept interest rates unchanged Monday in a bid to curb inflation, despite pressure to cut rates to spur lagging economic growth. The Reserve Bank kept the rate at 8 percent, and the cash reserve rate for banks at 4.75 percent. The bank said a further rate cut could make inflation worse. It […]
Boko Haram Claims Nigeria Church Bombings
Posted June 18th, 2012 at 10:10 am (UTC-5)
The Islamist militant group known as Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for deadly attacks on Christian churches in northern Nigeria Sunday. The claim came in the form of an e-mail sent to journalists from the group’s purported spokesman, Abul Qaqa. It said the group carried out the bombings because Christians have enjoyed government support while, […]
European Stocks Fail to Sustain Rally After Greek Election
Posted June 18th, 2012 at 9:55 am (UTC-5)
Stocks in Europe gave up their initial gains Monday, failing to continue a rally seen in Asia after pro-bailout parties won enough votes in Greece’s parliamentary elections to form a government. Greece’s stock exchange was the exception, holding a 6-percent advance hours into trading. But elsewhere in Europe, fears about other struggling economies — especially […]
Gunmen Infiltrate Israel from Egypt
Posted June 18th, 2012 at 9:50 am (UTC-5)
Unidentified gunmen crossed into Israel from Egypt’s Sinai desert early Monday and killed a construction worker before Israeli troops returned fire and killed two of the attackers. Israel’s military says the gunmen ambushed two vehicles carrying workers involved in building a fence along the border. It said the assailants detonated a roadside bomb and opened […]
