The powerful uncle of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has met with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao after Beijing pledged earlier in the week to help Pyongyang develop two economic zones in North Korea. The talks Friday morning were the highest diplomatic exchanges between the two Communist countries since Kim Jong […]
Senior North Korean Official Meets with Chinese Leaders
Posted August 17th, 2012 at 3:55 am (UTC-5)
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Police Kill 30 at South Africa Mine
Posted August 17th, 2012 at 2:40 am (UTC-5)
South Africa’s police ministry says at least 30 people were killed Thursday, when officers opened fire on striking workers at a platinum mine. A ministry official said Friday that police opened fire with automatic weapons at the Lonmin PLC mine, about 120 kilometers northwest of Johannesburg. Around 3,000 people have walked off the job in […]
HRW: Action Needed to Prevent Needless Migrant Deaths in Mediterranean
Posted August 17th, 2012 at 2:05 am (UTC-5)
A Human Rights Watch report says coordinated action is needed to improve rescue operations in the Mediterranean for boat migrants making the “dangerous crossing” from North Africa to Europe. HRW says migrants who are in its words “fleeing persecution or seeking a better life” often make the journey in unseaworthy and dangerous boats. The organization […]
Japan Deporting 14 Chinese Activists
Posted August 17th, 2012 at 1:10 am (UTC-5)
Japan has decided to deport 14 Chinese activists who were arrested after landing on an island claimed by both Tokyo and Beijing. The activists landed on the island in the East China Sea on Wednesday, planting a Chinese flag and singing the country’s national anthem before being arrested and accused of violating Japanese immigration laws. […]
Gu Murder Trial Verdict Due Monday
Posted August 17th, 2012 at 12:25 am (UTC-5)
A Chinese court will issue its verdict next week in the murder trial of Gu Kailai, the wife of disgraced former Communist Party leader Bo Xilai. A local government official said Friday that the Intermediate People’s Court in Hefei, where Gu’s 7-hour trial was held on August 9, will issue its verdict Monday. Experts say […]
Syrian Border Residents Flee to Turkey
Posted August 16th, 2012 at 4:15 pm (UTC-5)
Hundreds are fleeing the Syrian border town of Azaz after the Syrian military dropped bombs on the rebelled-controlled area. VOA reporter Scott Bobb reported from Azaz Thursday that the death toll from Wednesday’s attack stood at more than 50 people and that at least 25 others were missing amid the chaos to evacuate. “I saw […]
Afghan Helicopter Crash Kills 7 Americans, 4 Afghans
Posted August 16th, 2012 at 2:25 pm (UTC-5)
NATO says a helicopter crash in southern Afghanistan has killed seven American service members and four Afghans. The coalition said three Afghan soldiers and one Afghan civilian interpreter died when the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter went down on Thursday. Afghan authorities say the helicopter crashed in the Shah Wali Kot district of Kandahar province. The […]
South Africa Police Fire on Striking Miners, Deaths Reported
Posted August 16th, 2012 at 2:05 pm (UTC-5)
South African police fired on striking workers at a platinum mine on Thursday, wounding and killing an unspecified number of people. Police fired water cannons and tear gas on the crowd before opening fire with automatic weapons at the Lonmin PLC mine. It is located about 120 kilometers northwest of Johannesburg. A spokesman with the […]
Mali Moves Ahead With Plan to Form Unity Government
Posted August 16th, 2012 at 1:55 pm (UTC-5)
Mali’s transitional leadership continues moving toward a larger unity government, although no date for its establishment has been set. Thursday marks the final day for candidates to submit applications for posts in the new government, including that of a newly created commissioner charged with overseeing the situation in the north. Islamist militants with ties to […]
WFP Airdrops Food to Refugees in South Sudan
Posted August 16th, 2012 at 1:40 pm (UTC-5)
((ADDS Available audio) The World Food Program has begun the first in a series of airdrops of food aid to refugees living on the border of Sudan and South Sudan. The airdrops were made Wednesday in Maban County in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state. The agency says the delivery consisted of 32 metric tons of […]
