Nepal’s interim government has decided to postpone elections set for this week until next year, after opposition parties threatened to boycott the vote. Communication Minister Raj Kishore Yadav said Tuesday the Cabinet decided to hold parliamentary elections between mid-April and mid-May of next year. He said the date will be set after discussions with all […]
Study: After-School Activities Influence Teens’ Mental Health
Posted November 20th, 2012 at 5:45 pm (UTC-5)
The choice of an after-school activity might lead to better mental health… or depression. The finding comes from two new studies that looked at teens’ extracurricular activities and the youngsters’ states of mind. An analysis of teens involved in arts programs such as music, drama and painting found that they were more likely than teens […]
Church of England Votes Against Women Bishops
Posted November 20th, 2012 at 4:50 pm (UTC-5)
The Church of England has narrowly voted against legislation which would permit women to serve as bishops. The legislation needed the approval of a two-thirds majority among members of the General Synod, which comprises bishops, clergy and lay members. The measure passed in separate votes by the House of Bishops and the House of Clergy […]
US Central Bank Chief Warns of ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Peril
Posted November 20th, 2012 at 4:00 pm (UTC-5)
The U.S. central bank chief is warning President Barack Obama and Congress that failure to reach a compromise on government spending and taxes by year’s end would pose a “substantial threat” to the country’s fragile economic recovery. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke stepped up his warnings Tuesday that the White House and lawmakers risk sending […]
Aid Groups: Crisis in DRC to Grow
Posted November 20th, 2012 at 3:25 pm (UTC-5)
Aid groups say a humanitarian crisis in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo will likely intensify, now that rebels have taken the city of Goma. The World Food Program says aid workers are now taking shelter in its compound in Goma, which is protected by U.N. peacekeepers. It says its operations for internally displaced people […]
Tibetan Man Dies in Self-Immolation in China’s West
Posted November 20th, 2012 at 2:35 pm (UTC-5)
A Tibetan man has died after setting himself on fire to protest Chinese rule of Tibet. Tibetan sources tell VOA’s Tibetan Service that 35-year-old Tsering Dhondup self-immolated near a mining site in northwestern China’s Gansu province. More than 300 monks are reported to have assembled to pray for him. Sources say Dhondup often called for […]
Happiness May Lead to Wealth
Posted November 20th, 2012 at 1:35 pm (UTC-5)
Money may not buy you happiness, but happiness can improve your financial bottom line. A study by researchers from University College London finds that young people who report a higher level of happiness and satisfaction with their lives earn higher levels of income later in life. The impact is significant: using a 5-point scale, a […]
US Housing Construction Advances to Four-Year High
Posted November 20th, 2012 at 1:30 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. housing construction surged in October to its highest level in more than four years. The American housing market has perhaps been the weakest link in the country’s sluggish, but steady recovery from its worst economic downturn since the Great Depression in the 1930s. Millions of homeowners lost their homes to bank foreclosures, often after […]
Former Croatian PM Jailed for Corruption
Posted November 20th, 2012 at 12:35 pm (UTC-5)
A Croatian court has convicted and sentenced former prime minister Ivo Sanader to 10 years in prison for corruption. Judges at the Zagreb court found Sanader guilty of accepting more than $6 million in bribes from a Hungarian oil company in exchange for retaining controlling rights in Croatia’s state-run oil company. The court also sentenced […]
Eurozone Finance Chiefs Resuming Greek Bailout Talks
Posted November 20th, 2012 at 11:40 am (UTC-5)
Eurozone finance chiefs are meeting in Brussels in another effort to decide whether to release more bailout money to debt-ridden Greece. Greece hopes the finance ministers on Tuesday will approve a $40 billion rescue segment the Athens government says it needs to avoid a default on its financial obligations. The payment is part of Greece’s […]
