U.S. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney continued his tough talk on China Monday, mocking Beijing’s plans to send an unmanned rocket to the moon. At a campaign speech in Florida, Romney also boasted about the success of the U.S. Olympic team, which finished with 16 more medals than second-place China. “This is still the greatest […]
Romney Taunts China on Olympic Medal Count, Space Program
Posted August 14th, 2012 at 2:30 am (UTC-5)
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Two More Tibetans Reportedly Self-Immolate
Posted August 13th, 2012 at 12:25 pm (UTC-5)
Tibetan exile sources tell VOA (Tibetan service) that two more Tibetans have set themselves on fire to protest Chinese rule in their homeland. They say the self-immolations took place Monday evening local time in the Ngaba region of Sichuan province, neighboring Tibet. No other information was immediately available. The latest immolations bring to about 50 […]
Australia Considers Plan to Deport Asylum Seekers
Posted August 13th, 2012 at 7:35 am (UTC-5)
Australia is considering a plan to reopen detention centers in the Pacific island nations of Papua New Guinea and Nauru, in order to deter asylum seekers from attempting a dangerous sea journey to reach the country. A panel of experts told lawmakers Monday that Australia should also increase its annual refugee quota to 20,000 to […]
UN Chief Urges North, South Korea to Ease Tensions
Posted August 13th, 2012 at 5:10 am (UTC-5)
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged North and South Korea to ease tensions on the peninsula. Mr. Ban’s comments came during a meeting Monday with South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan in Seoul. “The most important thing is that the countries concerned, North and South Korea, should solve the problems through dialogue and widen exchanges […]
Mass of Marine Rock Afloat Off New Zealand
Posted August 10th, 2012 at 5:30 pm (UTC-5)
The New Zealand air force has spotted a mass of volcanic rock nearly the size of Belgium afloat in the Pacific about 1,000 kilometers northeast of Auckland. Witnesses say the strange phenomenon, first spotted Thursday, resembles a polar ice shelf and is made up of golf ball-size lightweight pumice expelled from an underwater volcano. Authorities […]
Bo Xilai’s Wife Admits to Murder
Posted August 10th, 2012 at 2:10 pm (UTC-5)
Chinese state media say the wife of politician Bo Xilai has confessed to the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood and vowed to accept her sentence. Xinhua state news agency reported Gu Kailai’s statement Friday, quoting her as saying the case has been “like a huge stone” weighing on her for more than half a […]
Bo Xilai’s Wife Admits, Apologizes for Murder
Posted August 10th, 2012 at 12:25 pm (UTC-5)
Chinese state media say the wife of politician Bo Xilai has confessed to the murder of a British businessman and apologized for what she called a “tragedy.” Xinhua news agency reported her statement Friday, shortly after four Chinese police officers admitted they tried to help her cover up the murder. A court official in the […]
Tibetan Nomad Self-Immolates in China
Posted August 10th, 2012 at 7:35 am (UTC-5)
The London-based rights group Free Tibet says a Tibetan nomad in central China has become the third person this week to set himself on fire to protest Chinese rule. Free Tibet Director Stephanie Brigden tells VOA the 24-year-old man, named Jopa, set himself on fire Friday in the township of Meruma in Aba county in […]
Japan Recalls S. Korean Ambassador over Visit to Disputed Islands
Posted August 10th, 2012 at 6:05 am (UTC-5)
Japan has recalled its ambassador to South Korea to protest South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak’s visit to a group of islands claimed by both countries. Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said Friday that Mr. Lee’s visit was “utterly unacceptable,” and would have a “strong impact” on South Korean-Japan relations. “In protest, we are temporarily pulling […]
Relief Efforts Continue in Flood-Hit Manila
Posted August 10th, 2012 at 4:00 am (UTC-5)
Aid groups are appealing for emergency funding to assist the victims of the recent devastating floods in the Philippine capital, as the death toll from the disaster rose to 60. Over 2.4 million people have been affected by the floods, which left as much as 80 percent of Manila underwater. The waters have now begun […]
