A United Nations investigator says he will travel to Burma next week to evaluate progress on human rights since a nominally civilian government took office this year. Tomas Quintana told VOA’s Burmese service Tuesday that the details of his trip are not complete but that his main objective is to assess the human rights situation […]
UN Rights Investigator to Visit Burma Next Week
Posted August 16th, 2011 at 7:55 am (UTC-5)
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Bombings Kill Dozens Across Iraq
Posted August 15th, 2011 at 7:15 am (UTC-5)
Bomb blasts ripped through a number of Iraqi cities Monday, killing dozens of people. Iraqi officials say the worst violence was in the southern city of Kut where two explosions have killed at least 35 people and wounded 60 others. Police officials in the southern holy Shi’ite city of Najaf say two car bombs have […]
Reports: Pakistan Likely Granted China Access to Downed US Helicopter
Posted August 15th, 2011 at 2:45 am (UTC-5)
Published reports say Chinese engineers were likely given access to the wreckage of a stealth American helicopter that crashed during the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. U.S. officials have told reporters that Pakistan’s intelligence service allowed the engineers to photograph the helicopter, which contained special technology designed to allow the aircraft to elude radar. […]
US Republican Candidates Square off in Iowa Debate
Posted August 12th, 2011 at 10:25 am (UTC-5)
Eight declared candidates for the U.S. Republican Party’s presidential nomination used a nationally televised debate Thursday to blast President Barack Obama’s economic record, while also aiming their rhetoric at each other. The debate at the Iowa State University in the city of Ames was staged ahead of a key straw poll, or test vote, at […]
British Police Release Phone-Hacking Suspect on Bail
Posted August 11th, 2011 at 3:20 pm (UTC-5)
British police say a man arrested in connection with the phone-hacking scandal at the now-defunct News of the World newspaper has been released on bail. Greg Miskiw, a former senior editor for the newspaper, was released Thursday until a court date in October. He was the 12th person arrested as part of the investigation into […]
Nairobi Councilors Elect New Mayor
Posted August 11th, 2011 at 11:15 am (UTC-5)
Nairobi city councilors have elected George Aladwa of the Orange Democratic Movement as mayor of Kenya’s capital. Aladwa, who was acting mayor, got 57 votes to defeat his lone rival, James Gakuya of the Party of National Unity , who got 39 votes. Thursday’s poll marks the last time councilors will elect the mayor. Under […]
China Orders Halt to New Rail Projects as Wreck Probe Continues
Posted August 10th, 2011 at 2:30 pm (UTC-5)
(adding dropped word “from” in last sentence of graf 2. No other changes) China has ordered a halt to new railway projects and further speed reductions on existing bullet trains, as it struggles to reassure the Chinese public in the aftermath of a deadly wreck last month. The official Xinhua news agency announced the moves […]
Burma Seeks IMF Help to Modernize Currency Exchange System
Posted August 9th, 2011 at 7:05 am (UTC-5)
Burmese media say the government has asked the International Monetary Fund to help it reform a complex foreign exchange system that has become a barrier to economic growth. IMF officials confirmed to Reuters news agency this week that a team will travel to Burma in the second half of October to assist in the reforms. […]
Markets Drop; S&P Defends US Rating Cut
Posted August 8th, 2011 at 11:00 am (UTC-5)
Global financial markets dropped sharply Monday in reaction to an unprecedented downgrade of the U.S. government’s credit rating and continued concerns about government debt problems in Europe. U.S. stock markets dropped more than 3 percent in the first hours of trading Monday. Major indexes across Asia closed between 2 percent and nearly 4 percent lower, […]
UN Refugees Airlifts Aid Into Somali Capital
Posted August 8th, 2011 at 10:00 am (UTC-5)
The United Nations refugee agency has airlifted aid into Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, for the first time in five years. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees said the first emergency aid flight arrived on Monday, just two days after the Islamist militant group al-Shabab abruptly withdrew from the capital. The group has banned most foreign aid […]
