Gun battles are raging between Syrian forces and rebels in several neighborhoods of Damascus after a bomb killed three members of President Bashar al-Assad’s government Wednesday in a high-level meeting. Syrian state television says a bomb struck the National Security building in Damascus, killing Defense Minister Daoud Rajha and Deputy Defense Minister Assef Shawkat, brother-in-law […]
Gun Battles Rage After Attack on Syrian Officials
Posted July 18th, 2012 at 11:20 am (UTC-5)
Leave a comment
IMF: Eurozone Crisis at ‘Critical Stage’
Posted July 18th, 2012 at 11:15 am (UTC-5)
The International Monetary Fund says the eurozone’s debt crisis has reached a “critical stage,” and that European leaders need to move quickly toward greater financial unity. The IMF’s executive board said Wednesday that the 17-nation currency union needs to adopt a cross-border banking union, guaranteeing deposits and imposing central financial controls. The Washington-based lending agency […]
European Media: Ethiopian PM in Critical Condition
Posted July 18th, 2012 at 11:15 am (UTC-5)
European media are reporting that Ethiopia’s longtime Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is hospitalized in critical condition, contrary to statements by the government. News reports say the prime minister is hospitalized at Saint Luc Hospital in Brussels. The hospital on Wednesday declined to say if Mr. Meles is there. In interviews with VOA, government officials and […]
Militants Destroy 22 NATO Trucks in Afghanistan
Posted July 18th, 2012 at 10:50 am (UTC-5)
The Taliban says it detonated a bomb Wednesday in northern Afghanistan that destroyed at least 22 trucks carrying supplies to NATO forces. The bomb exploded in Samangan province and caused the fuel tankers and supply vehicles to catch fire. Afghan officials say the trucks were parked overnight and were on their way from Uzbekistan to […]
Panetta: Syria “Spinning Out of Control”
Posted July 18th, 2012 at 10:30 am (UTC-5)
U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta says the bombing in Damascus that killed several high-level officials on Wednesday is evidence that the situation in Syria is “rapidly spinning out of control.” Panetta called for the international community to bring “maximum pressure” on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to step down. In Moscow, Russian defense minister Sergei Lavrov […]
Bombing Kills Syrian Defense Minister, Other Top Officials
Posted July 18th, 2012 at 10:25 am (UTC-5)
Syrian state television says a bomber has struck the National Security building in Damascus, killing Defense Minister Daoud Rajha and Deputy Defense Minister Assef Shawkat, brother-in-law to President Bashar al-Assad. Syrian General Hassan Turkmani, a former defense minister, is also reported to have died of injuries sustained in Wednesday’s bombing. The rebel Free Syrian Army […]
Roadside Bomb Kills 14 Shi’ites in Pakistan
Posted July 18th, 2012 at 10:15 am (UTC-5)
Pakistani officials say a roadside bomb has killed at least 14 people in the country’s northwest. Wednesday’s blast struck a minibus carrying Shi’ite Muslims in the Sepa area of Orakzai tribal agency, along the Afghan border. Three women and three children were among those killed. The Pakistani Taliban claimed responsibility for the bombing. The group […]
Suicide Bombing Kills Syrian Defense Minister
Posted July 18th, 2012 at 10:00 am (UTC-5)
Syrian state television says a bomber has struck the National Security building in Damascus, killing Defense Minister Daoud Rajha and Deputy Defense Minister Assef Shawkat, brother-in-law to President Bashar al-Assad. Syrian General Hassan Turkmani, a former defense minister, is also reported to have died of injuries sustained in Wednesday’s bombing. The rebel Free Syrian Army […]
State TV: Suicide Bombing Kills Syrian Defense Minister
Posted July 18th, 2012 at 8:55 am (UTC-5)
Syrian state television says a suicide bomber has struck the National Security building in Damascus, killing Defense Minister Daoud Rajha and Deputy Defense Minister Assef Shawkat, brother-in-law to President Bashar al-Assad. At least one rebel group has claimed responsibility for the attack that seriously wounded several other officials taking part in a high-level meeting Wednesday. […]
South African School Children Sing to Nelson Mandela
Posted July 18th, 2012 at 8:45 am (UTC-5)
Twelve million South African schoolchildren sang Happy Birthday to anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela as he turned 94 on Wednesday. Mr. Mandela, who is retired from public life, is spending the day with his family in his southeastern village home of Qunu. Meanwhile, people around the world are dedicating 67 minutes of the day to volunteer […]
