An internal investigation into the Penn State University child abuse scandal found that university leaders, including late head football coach Joe Paterno, “concealed critical facts” about former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse of young boys. Former FBI director Louis Freeh was hired by university trustees to look into the scandal after Sandusky was arrested. […]
Internal Report: Penn State Officials Concealed Abuse
100 Dead in Nigeria Fuel Truck Fire
At least 100 people were killed after a gasoline tanker crashed in southern Nigeria and exploded. A VOA reporter on the scene says the truck, carrying about 33,000 liters of fuel, collided with another vehicle in southern Rivers state Thursday. Authorities say most of the victims rushed to the scene to scoop up the spilled […]
UN Helicopters Attack Rebel Targets in DRC
United Nations helicopters have attacked positions of the rebel group M23 in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. A spokesman for the U.N. mission in Congo, Madnodje Mounoubai, told VOA that the helicopters shelled M23 positions on Thursday, and returned to base. The French news agency reports explosions were heard around two villages (Nkokwe and […]
Great Lakes Countries Hope to ‘Eradicate’ Rebels in DRC
Central African countries say they will work to “eradicate” rebel groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, including M23, which seized several towns in the region last week. The 11-nation International Conference on the Great Lakes Region issued a statement after a special meeting in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa. Ministers condemned actions by M23 […]
Militants Attack Village in NW Pakistan
Pakistani officials say dozens of militants from Afghanistan crossed into Pakistan and attacked a village in the country’s northwest. At least eight militants were killed in ensuing clashes with security forces, while at least two soldiers were wounded. In other violence, gunmen killed nine policemen at a security compound in eastern Pakistan, the second attack […]
Syrian Ambassador to Iraq Defects; Joins Opposition
Syria’s ambassador to Iraq has defected and joined the opposition to President Bashar al-Assad’s rule. In a statement broadcast on the Arabic-language television network al-Jazeera, Nawaf Fares urged members of the military to join him, saying there is no honor in killing one’s own people. He also said the government has used the ruling Ba’ath […]
New Signs of Europe’s Weak Economy
There is new evidence of Europe’s weak economic fortunes. The value of the euro used by the 17-nation currency union fell to a two-year low against the U.S. dollar — below $1.22 in Thursday trading. Meanwhile, the jobless rate in debt-ridden Greece reached a new high in April of more than 22 percent — up […]
Dozens Killed in Nigeria Fuel Truck Fire
Nearly 100 people were killed after a gasoline tanker crashed in Nigeria’s southern oil-producing Niger Delta region Thursday. Police say the truck tipped over in southern Rivers state and people rushed to the scene to scoop up the spilled fuel. The tanker then caught fire, leaving more than 92 people dead and several seriously injured. […]
Gunmen Kill 9 Policemen at Compound in Pakistan
Gunmen have killed nine policemen at a security compound in eastern Pakistan, the second deadly attack claimed by the Pakistani Taliban in that region in recent days. Police say gunmen on motorcycles raided the compound early Thursday in the city of Lahore and opened fire wounding three policemen. Police say they suspect the same gunmen […]
Some Rights Groups Skeptical About US Easing of Burma Sanctions
Some rights groups are reacting with skepticism to the United States’ decision to formally lift economic sanctions against Burma. On Wednesday, Washington announced it was allowing U.S. companies to invest in the Southeast Asian nation for the first time in 15 years, in response to economic and political reforms underway there. The move does not […]