A rebel group seeking to create an independent secular state in northern Mali has met for the first time with the West African mediator for the Malian crisis. Three leaders from the Tuareg-led National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, or MNLA, held talks Saturday with the mediator, Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore. Mr. Compaore’s […]
Mali Rebels Meet With West African Mediator
Posted June 9th, 2012 at 2:25 pm (UTC-5)
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25 Killed in Syria, Russia OK With An Assad Departure
Posted June 9th, 2012 at 12:55 pm (UTC-5)
Activists say at least 25 people were killed in anti-government related violence in Syria Saturday, while Russia said it would not object to the departure of Syria’s president, under certain conditions. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 17 people were killed as government forces pounded targets in the southern city of Dara’a. […]
Sharapova Wins First French Open
Posted June 9th, 2012 at 12:45 pm (UTC-5)
Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova won her first French Open title with a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Sara Errani of Italy on the red clay at Roland Garros in Paris Saturday. Sharapova is now the 10th woman in tennis history to win all four Grand Slam tournaments. She has also captured Wimbledon, the U.S. Open […]
Taliban Target French Troops; Hollande Says Afghan Pullout to Proceed
Posted June 9th, 2012 at 12:40 pm (UTC-5)
France says it will stick to its plans to pull out of Afghanistan by the end of the year, despite a deadly bombing that killed four of its soldiers. French President Francois Hollande offered apologies to the families of the four dead men Saturday and said the planned withdrawal would go ahead as scheduled. He […]
Muslim-Buddhist Clash in Burma Kills 7
Posted June 9th, 2012 at 12:30 pm (UTC-5)
Security forces have been deployed in western Burma, near the border with Bangladesh, to restore peace after an outbreak of ethnic violence that left at least seven people dead. Police and military units restored calm and established a curfew in Rakhine state on Saturday, after overnight rioting between ethnic Rohingya, who are Muslims, and local […]
US Prosecutors to Probe Security Leaks
Posted June 9th, 2012 at 12:10 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder has assigned two federal prosecutors to lead investigations into recent leaks of classified government information. The two attorneys will be directing separate investigations currently being conducted by the FBI. In a statement , Holder said the unauthorized disclosure of classified information “will not be tolerated.” He said the attorneys will […]
North Korea Denies Plans for Nuclear Test
Posted June 9th, 2012 at 12:00 pm (UTC-5)
North Korea says it has no plans to conduct a nuclear test, despite what it says are South Korean attempts to provoke one. The North Korean foreign ministry made the announcement Saturday, saying South Korea is trying to drum up an excuse to increase sanctions on the impoverished North. Satellite photos taken in April show […]
Ivory Coast Official: Gunmen Came From Liberia
Posted June 9th, 2012 at 11:55 am (UTC-5)
A senior Ivorian defense official says the gunmen that killed seven U.N. peacekeepers on Friday in western Ivory Coast came from neighboring Liberia. Paul Koffi Koffi says the raid highlighted the need for Ivorian troops to carry out cross-border operations in Liberia to improve security. The peacekeepers, all from Niger, died in an ambush near […]
Pakistan Rejects US Rhetoric on ‘Safe Havens’
Posted June 9th, 2012 at 10:30 am (UTC-5)
Pakistan is reacting strongly to U.S. allegations it is letting militants use Pakistani soil as a safe haven and base of operations. The Foreign Ministry slammed Washington and comments by U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Saturday, charging that Panetta “is oversimplifying some very complex issues.” It also said the allegations raised by Panetta during a […]
25 Killed in Syria, International Pressure Mounts
Posted June 9th, 2012 at 10:10 am (UTC-5)
Activists say anti-government related violence left at least 25 people dead in Syria on Saturday, as Russia, a strong backer of Damascus, said the country appeared to be on the “brink of civil war.” The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights tells VOA at least 17 people were killed in government shelling in the southern city […]
