A top aide to United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is visiting western Burma, where security forces are presiding over an uneasy calm following days of deadly sectarian clashes between Buddhists and Muslims. U.N. officials told VOA that Vijay Nambiar, the international body’s top envoy for Burma, arrived Wednesday in western Rakhine state. Nambiar is visiting […]
UN Envoy Arrives in Strife-Torn Western Burma
Posted June 13th, 2012 at 1:45 pm (UTC-5)
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Pakistan FM Denies ‘Price Gouging’ on Higher NATO Tariffs
Posted June 13th, 2012 at 1:15 pm (UTC-5)
Pakistani officials say Islamabad’s demand for higher tariffs on NATO supplies are not blocking talks on reopening NATO supply routes to Afghanistan. Pakistani Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar told reporters Wednesday that suggestions Pakistan is involved in what she called a “price-gouging debate right now” are “wrong and must be dispersed [dispelled] as soon as […]
Russian Editor: Official Threatened Reporter
Posted June 13th, 2012 at 1:10 pm (UTC-5)
The editor of a prominent Russian opposition newspaper has accused the country’s top investigator of threatening to kill one of the newspaper’s journalists. Dmitry Muratov, editor of Novaya Gazeta, claimed in an open letter that Investigative Committee chief Alexander Bastrykin made the threat against reporter Sergei Sokolov. Muratov wrote that Bastrykin’s threat concerned a June […]
Mali Rebels, Militants Clash in North
Posted June 13th, 2012 at 12:35 pm (UTC-5)
Tuareg rebels and Islamist militants have clashed in northern Mali, just days after breaking off a brief alliance against the government. A local official in the city of Timbuktu told VOA the two sides exchanged gunfire at a checkpoint on Wednesday, injuring at least two people. Parliament member Baba Haidara said the fighting began after […]
US, India Hail Intensifying Cooperation
Posted June 13th, 2012 at 12:25 pm (UTC-5)
Top U.S. and Indian officials meeting in Washington say both nations increasingly share a vision for the future, downplaying key differences between the two leading democracies. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hosted Indian Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna at the State Department Wednesday, praising Indian cooperation on trade and security matters. “We are forging a […]
Attacks Targeting Shi’ite Pilgrims Kill 72 in Iraq
Posted June 13th, 2012 at 12:15 pm (UTC-5)
At least 72 people have been killed in a coordinated wave of attacks across Iraq targeting Shi’ite Muslim pilgrims gathered for annual religious processions. Nearly 260 others were wounded, in one of the bloodiest days since U.S. troops withdrew from the country. Most of the bombs exploded in Baghdad and the southern Iraqi cities of […]
A Whole New Web: .blog, .bank among Proposed New Internet Suffixes
Posted June 13th, 2012 at 12:05 pm (UTC-5)
The Internet suffix .com is set to face competition after Wednesday’s unveiling of nearly 2,000 applications for new web address endings. The U.S.-based organization that oversees website domain names announced the requests in London Wednesday. The proposed suffixes include .web, .app, .blog, .bank and other domains specific to particular industries, locations and products. The unprecedented […]
Greek Election a Referendum on Its Eurozone Membership
Posted June 13th, 2012 at 11:45 am (UTC-5)
Greece’s parliamentary elections on Sunday have effectively become a referendum — will Athens keep its eurozone membership or become the first to quit the 17-nation currency bloc? It is a simple question, but one with potentially far-reaching implications for Greece, the rest of Europe and the world economy. The Greek government has piled up debt […]
184 Arrested in Poland During Euro 2012 Violence
Posted June 13th, 2012 at 11:30 am (UTC-5)
Polish police have detained 184 people involved in clashes between Russians and Poles before and during their match at the 2012 Euro Football championship in Warsaw. The first clashes took place Tuesday during a march by thousands of Russian fans to National Stadium for “Russia Day,” which marks the fall of the Soviet Union. Violent […]
ICC Mulls Sentence in DRC Child Recruiting Case
Posted June 13th, 2012 at 10:55 am (UTC-5)
The International Criminal Court is considering the punishment for a Congolese warlord convicted of using child soldiers. ICC judges in The Hague began a sentencing hearing on Wednesday for Thomas Lubanga. The court’s top prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, has said he will seek “close to the maximum,” which ranges from 30 years to life. The ICC […]
