Two earthquakes in Afghanistan’s northeastern Hindu Kush region killed at least three people early Monday, and authorities say dozens of others are trapped beneath the rubble of collapsed homes. The first earthquake, with a magnitude of 5.4, struck in northern Baghlan province, causing landslides that destroyed more than 20 houses in the remote Burka district. […]
US Doctors Pinpoint Cells in Which Cervical Cancer Originates
Posted June 11th, 2012 at 6:10 pm (UTC-5)
A team of U.S. medial researchers say they have found the specific cells in which cervical cancer, the third most common cancer in women, originates. Scientists writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences say their findings could lead to new ways to treat or even prevent the disease. The doctors discovered a […]
Troops, Riot Police Patrol NW Burma after Deadly Rioting
Posted June 11th, 2012 at 5:55 pm (UTC-5)
A tense calm settled over Burma’s western Rakhine state Monday, as riot police intervened to curtail a week of deadly violence between Muslims and Buddhists, and the United Nations began evacuating workers from the region. Ethnic Rohingya Muslims, speaking to VOA’s Burmese service, described scenes of devastation and fear in the border town of Maungdaw. […]
Market Euphoria Fades on Spanish Bank Rescue
Posted June 11th, 2012 at 5:10 pm (UTC-5)
The initial euphoria on world financial markets about Europe’s $125 billion bailout of Spanish banks faded quickly Monday as investors reconsidered terms of the rescue package. Stock indexes in Tokyo and Hong Kong surged more than 2 percent, and markets in London, Frankfurt and Paris moved up sharply in early trading. By the end of […]
Balkan Leaders Boycott Serbian Presidential Inauguration
Posted June 11th, 2012 at 5:05 pm (UTC-5)
Balkan leaders boycotted Monday’s inauguration of Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic over his recent controversial remarks about the 1995 massacre of Muslims in Bosnia-Herzegovina’s eastern town of Srebrenica. Only Montenegro’s president attended the inaugural ceremonies in Belgrade. The leaders of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia stayed home. Earlier this month, Mr. Nikolic, a former far-right nationalist, […]
Syrian Uses Helicoptors Against Rebels: UN
Posted June 11th, 2012 at 4:55 pm (UTC-5)
U.N. monitors say the Syrian government is using helicopters for air attacks against rebel strongholds, and there are fears that many civilians are trapped in besieged cities. The United States and the U.N. both voiced deep concern about the latest violence in Syria. U.N. and Arab League envoy Kofi Annan says he is “gravely concerned” […]
NATO Orders Restrictions on Afghan Air Strikes
Posted June 11th, 2012 at 4:35 pm (UTC-5)
NATO says it has agreed to restrict the use of airstrikes in Afghan residential areas following last week’s deadly strike in the east that Afghan officials say killed 18 civilians. Coalition officials told reporters Monday that troops would continue to conduct operations against insurgents who hide in residential compounds but that “when there is concern […]
Libya Delays Election Amid Security Concerns
Posted June 11th, 2012 at 4:15 pm (UTC-5)
Libya has postponed a landmark election until next month, prepare better for the nation’;s first vote since longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi was de4posed and killed in last year’s armed rebellion. The U.N. mission in Libya praised the decision to delay the national-assembly election from June 19 until July 7, saying this will provide enough time […]
US Pulls NATO Supply Routes Negotiators Out of Pakistan
Posted June 11th, 2012 at 3:55 pm (UTC-5)
The U.S. military is pulling negotiators out of Pakistan after they failed to reach an agreement with Pakistani officials on reopening NATO supply lines into Afghanistan. Pentagon spokesman George Little told reporters Monday that the negotiating team had been in Pakistan for about six weeks. He said that in the absence of a deal to […]
Russian Police Raid Opposition Leaders’ Homes Before Protest
Posted June 11th, 2012 at 2:15 pm (UTC-5)
Russian police and investigators have raided the homes of several opposition leaders on the eve of a planned protest against President Vladimir Putin. The Federal Investigative Committee says the searches targeted the organizers of an anti-Putin rally held last month. They were Alexei Navalny and Sergei Udaltsov, who both spent 15 days in jail last […]
