Ethiopia says Prime Minister Meles Zenawi is taking “sick leave” but will remain in power while he deals with an unspecified illness. Government spokesman Bereket Simon spoke to reporters in Addis Ababa Thursday, following media reports that the Ethiopian leader was critically ill at Saint Luc Hospital in Brussels, Belgium. Bereket specifically denied reports on […]
US Economic Signals Point Down
Posted July 19th, 2012 at 10:55 am (UTC-5)
There are new signs that the already-sluggish American economy is losing strength. The government said Thursday that the number of unemployed workers making first-time claims for financial benefits jumped last week, up 34,000 to 386,000. Economists say the closely watched figure has to consistently fall below 375,000 to push the country’s high 8.2 percent jobless […]
Ethiopia’s PM Meles ‘on Sick Leave’
Posted July 19th, 2012 at 10:00 am (UTC-5)
The Ethiopian government says Prime Minister Meles Zenawi has been prescribed a “sick leave” by his doctor, and will return to work when he has recuperated. A statement released in Addis Ababa Thursday did not say what is ailing Mr. Meles, where he is, or when he might return. European media reports have said the […]
Bulgaria Releases Video of Suspected Suicide Bomber
Posted July 19th, 2012 at 9:50 am (UTC-5)
Authorities in Bulgaria have released video footage of a man they suspect carried out Wednesday’s deadly suicide attack on a bus carrying Israeli tourists. Bulgaria’s Interior Minister Tsvetan Tsvetanov said Thursday that the suspected bomber, wearing shorts and carrying a backpack, looked like any other tourist. While the suspect has not been identified, Tsvetanov said […]
Huge Iceberg Breaks Off from Greenland Glacier
Posted July 19th, 2012 at 7:10 am (UTC-5)
A NASA satellite has captured images of a huge iceberg breaking off from one of the largest glaciers in the Arctic territory of Greenland. The iceberg, which measures twice the size of New York City’s Manhattan island , broke off Greenland’s Petermann Glacier earlier this week. Images from NASA’s Aqua satellite showed the iceberg separating […]
Former Egyptian VP, Intelligence Chief Suleiman Dies in US
Posted July 19th, 2012 at 6:10 am (UTC-5)
Omar Suleiman, Egypt’s longtime intelligence chief and a top aide to ousted president Hosni Mubarak has died. He was 76. Egypt’s official MENA news agency said Suleiman died early Thursday at a hospital in the United States, but did not give further details. An aide said he was undergoing tests at a facility in Cleveland. […]
Tanzania Ferry Accident Leaves 31 Dead
Posted July 19th, 2012 at 5:50 am (UTC-5)
Officials in Tanzania say at least 31 people have died and more than 100 others are missing after a ferry sank off the coast of Zanzibar. The vessel went down Wednesday in choppy waters after leaving the commercial capital Dar es Salaam. A police spokesman said rescuers resumed their search for survivors Thursday, but that […]
Fighting Continues in Syrian Capital as UN Vote Looms
Posted July 19th, 2012 at 4:55 am (UTC-5)
Fighting between Syrian rebels and government forces has continued in the capital Thursday, a day after a bombing killed the country’s defense minister and two other officials during a high-level meeting. Rebels claimed responsibility for the blast Wednesday in Damascus, saying it represented the beginning of the end of President Bashar al-Assad’s regime. British Prime […]
Ethiopian PM’s Health Still in Question
Posted July 19th, 2012 at 4:20 am (UTC-5)
A founding member of Ethiopia’s ruling party is accusing opposition groups and European media of exaggerating the health problems of Prime Minister Meles Zenawi. There have been conflicting reports about the condition of the longtime prime minister, who has not been seen in public for two weeks. In an interview with VOA, Sibhat Nega of […]
First US Space Shuttle Goes on Public Display
Posted July 19th, 2012 at 4:10 am (UTC-5)
Thursday marks the beginning of a new mission for the U.S. space shuttle Enterprise, as it goes on public display at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York City. The nation’s first space shuttle is housed in an inflatable dome, suspended about 300 centimeters in the air above the deck of the […]
