Syrian security forces have stepped up their assault on rebel positions in the northwestern city of Aleppo, the country’s commercial hub. Opposition activists say troops with tanks and helicopter gunships pounded rebel-controlled neighborhoods on Saturday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says at least 12 people have been killed in Saturday’s fighting, including 10 soldiers. […]
Hyde Park Completely Open After Safety Concern
Posted July 28th, 2012 at 7:30 am (UTC-5)
Police say Hyde Park is completely open after investigating reports of a suspicious package. Authorities earlier cleared part of the park in central London Saturday, the first day of Olympic compition. A senior officer told a VOA correspondent a suspicious package was found near the Russia House Exhibition Center, a display sponsored by the Russian […]
AIDS Conference Ends in Washington
Posted July 28th, 2012 at 6:45 am (UTC-5)
The 19th International AIDS Conference in Washington has ended, after a week of events focused on finding ways to end the epidemic. More than 20,000 delegates, including entertainers, high-level politicians and people who work on the front lines of AIDS research attended the six-day event. The funding of AIDS research was high on the agenda, […]
Alert for Suspicious Package in London’s Hyde Park
Posted July 28th, 2012 at 6:30 am (UTC-5)
Police began clearing portions of Hyde Park in central London Saturday morning, the first day of Olympic competition. London police told VOA that a portion of the park near the Albert Memorial was cleared after a suspicious package was discovered. A senior officer told a VOA correspondent the suspicious package was found near the Russia […]
Government Troops Continue Assault on Syria’s Largest City
Posted July 28th, 2012 at 6:05 am (UTC-5)
The Syrian army has stepped up its assault on the country’s largest city, pounding rebel-controlled neighborhoods with tanks and helicopter gunships. Artillery rained down on the district of Salaheddin and other rebel neighborhoods in the city of Aleppo Saturday, as residents took refuge in basements or fled the city for the countryside. Pro-government media have […]
Syrian Activists: Government Attacks Continue in Aleppo
Posted July 27th, 2012 at 2:55 am (UTC-5)
Syrian opposition activists say government forces are continuing a ground and aerial bombardment of the nation’s largest city, Aleppo, in what the United States says it fears could become a massacre. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said President Bashar al-Assad’s forces were firing machineguns from helicopters in several Aleppo neighborhoods Friday. It reported […]
Zambia President Weakening Opposition with Gov’t Appointments, Says Opposition
Posted July 27th, 2012 at 2:50 am (UTC-5)
A Zambian opposition leader says President Michael Sata is giving cabinet-level positions to members of his rival political party in an effort to weaken it. Nevers Mumba, the leader of the Movement for Multiparty Democracy, tells VOA that President Sata hopes the appointments will influence the new cabinet ministers to vote in the government’s favor. […]
Chinese Politician’s Wife Charged with Murder
Posted July 26th, 2012 at 11:20 pm (UTC-5)
Chinese prosecutors have charged the wife of former senior Communist Party official Bo Xilai and a family aide with the murder of a British businessman. China’s official news media say Bo Gu Kailai and Zhang Xiaojun were charged Thursday with the intentional homicide of Neil Heywood in the eastern city of Hefei. The trial date […]
London Readies For Olympic Games Opening
Posted July 26th, 2012 at 11:10 pm (UTC-5)
London is welcoming around 10,000 athletes, hundreds of thousands of visitors and a worldwide television audience for the formal opening of the Olympic Games Friday. Organizers have dealt with a series of last-minute problems, including scrambling to deploy enough security personnel, after a private contractor reported problems putting together a large enough force. Britain’s Queen […]
US: Syrian Forces Preparing for a ‘Massacre’ in Aleppo
Posted July 26th, 2012 at 10:40 pm (UTC-5)
The United States says it is concerned that Syrian forces are preparing to carry out a massacre in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Thursday there are columns of tanks outside the city that seem to be massing for an attack. She said Syrian forces already have hit the city with […]
