Rescue efforts are under way in the southern Philippines, which has been pounded by a powerful but slow-moving storm that may have swept entire villages out to sea. Typhoon Washi struck the region of Mindanao, blanketing the area with heavy rain and high winds. The storm also triggered a series of deadly flash floods and […]
More than 400 Dead in Storm in Philippines
Posted December 17th, 2011 at 7:30 pm (UTC-5)
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Russia Seizes Iran-Bound Radioactive Material
Posted December 16th, 2011 at 5:30 pm (UTC-5)
Russian authorities say they have seized radioactive material at a Moscow airport from the luggage of a passenger traveling to Iran. The Customs Service issued a statement Friday, saying the radioactive isotope Sodium 22 was seized at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport some time ago from an Iranian citizen. The agency said the discovery involved 18 […]
Italian Parliament Set to Vote on Austerity Plan
Posted December 16th, 2011 at 9:10 am (UTC-5)
The Italian government faces a crucial parliamentary vote of confidence Friday over an austerity package intended to help the third largest economy in the eurozone get its finances in order. The lower house of parliament was voting on a $39 billion austerity package Friday, with the upper house voting next week. Prime Minister Mario Monti’s […]
Somali Speaker Rejects Ouster Effort
Posted December 15th, 2011 at 9:30 am (UTC-5)
The speaker of Somalia’s parliament has rejected an effort to oust him from power, in the war-torn country’s latest political crisis. Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Adan spoke to VOA a day after fistfights broke out in parliament between his opponents and supporters. On Tuesday, lawmakers opposed to Adan voted to remove him as speaker, by […]
US May Freeze $700 million in Aid to Pakistan
Posted December 14th, 2011 at 5:10 pm (UTC-5)
The U.S. Congress is expected later this week to pass a measure that would freeze up to $700 million in aid to Pakistan because of fears that Islamabad is not doing enough to combat the spread of homemade bombs. U.S. lawmakers are concerned that militants in Afghanistan are using fertilizer produced in Pakistan to develop […]
Rights Activists Say Syrian Army Defectors Kill 8 Troops in Retaliatory Attack
Posted December 14th, 2011 at 11:15 am (UTC-5)
Gunmen thought to be army defectors killed at least eight Syrian troops Wednesday in a retaliatory attack after security forces killed a group of civilians. The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the defectors ambushed a military convoy traveling through the village of al-Asharna, near Hama. Hours earlier, rights activists said Syrian security forces […]
US May Freeze $700 million in Aid to Pakistan
Posted December 14th, 2011 at 9:40 am (UTC-5)
The U.S. Congress is expected later this week to pass a measure that would freeze up to $700 million in aid to Pakistan because of fears that Islamabad is not doing enough to combat the spread of homemade bombs. U.S. lawmakers are concerned that militants in Afghanistan are using fertilizer produced in Pakistan to develop […]
Malaysian Sultan Becomes Country’s Oldest Monarch
Posted December 13th, 2011 at 7:10 am (UTC-5)
Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam has been installed as Malaysia’s new king, becoming the country’s oldest ever constitutional monarch. The 84-year-old Sultan Abdul Halim took his oath of office in a traditional ceremony at the state palace in the capital of Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday. Sultan Abdul Halim becomes the first Malaysian king to twice ascend […]
Taiwan Court Jails Ex-Soldier in Wrongful Execution Case
Posted December 12th, 2011 at 4:15 pm (UTC-5)
A Taiwan court has sentenced a retired soldier to jail for 18 years for the rape and murder of a five-year-old girl, more than a decade after another soldier was wrongfully executed for the crime. Taipei’s District Court said Monday it would have imposed a stiffer sentence for 35-year-old defendant Hsu Rong-chou, but said evidence […]
Bullets Mailed to Italy’s Justice Minister, Rome’s Mayor
Posted December 12th, 2011 at 1:25 pm (UTC-5)
Italian authorities say packages containing bullets have been mailed to Italy’s justice minister and the mayor of Rome, in the latest cases of threatening letters sent to European government and banking offices in recent days. Italian police, on the alert for suspicious mail, discovered two packages containing the bullets at Rome postal facilities on Monday. […]
