Official election results in the Democratic Republic of Congo show that President Joseph Kabila’s party lost ground in the November parliamentary polls. The figures, released Thursday by Congo’s Independent National Electoral Commission, show that the ruling DDRP party won 63 seats — down from 111 in the previous parliament. The DDRP remained the largest bloc […]
DRC: Kabila Party Loses Seats, Retains Majority
Posted February 2nd, 2012 at 8:45 am (UTC-5)
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Hundreds Rescued from Papua New Guinea Ferry Disaster
Posted February 2nd, 2012 at 7:50 am (UTC-5)
Scores of passengers are still missing after a ferry sank early Thursday off the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. Nerae Marimahu, a spokeswoman with the Pacific nation’s National Maritime Safety Authority in Port Moresby, told VOA the MV Rabaul Queen sank about 16 kilometers off Cape Fortification. She said it was not immediately clear […]
Egypt’s Military Ruler Vows Justice; 74 Dead in Soccer Riot
Posted February 1st, 2012 at 8:30 pm (UTC-5)
The head of Egypt’s ruling military council has vowed to track down those responsible for violence at a soccer match that killed at least 74 people and injured hundreds more in the northern city of Port Said, on the Mediterranean coast. Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi spoke early Thursday to a sports television channel owned by […]
New Clashes Erupt in Senegal Capital
Posted February 1st, 2012 at 2:50 pm (UTC-5)
Senegal police clashed with rock-throwing students in the capital, Dakar, on Wednesday following the death of a student during riots a day earlier. Officers fired tear gas to disperse a group of students protesting near the University of Dakar. Calm was restore but the city remained tense late Wednesday. Unrest began sweeping the country on […]
US: Obama Proposing Home Loan Relief
Posted February 1st, 2012 at 1:20 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. President Barack Obama is offering beleaguered American homeowners a chance to refinance their housing loans to take advantage of near-record-low borrowing costs. Mr. Obama said Wednesday the value of millions of homes has sharply fallen during the country’s economic downturn, leaving many homeowners with loans that are bigger than the value of their houses […]
UN Nuclear Experts Plan Another Visit to Tehran
Posted February 1st, 2012 at 12:35 pm (UTC-5)
The United Nation’s nuclear agency’s chief inspector says he had a “good” visit to Iran and plans to make another trip in the “very near future” to discuss Iran’s controversial nuclear program. Speaking Wednesday in Vienna after returning from Tehran, Herman Nackaerts said his team of International Atomic Energy Agency experts had three days of […]
Pakistan Dismisses Allegations of Afghan Taliban Support
Posted February 1st, 2012 at 10:20 am (UTC-5)
Pakistan has dismissed a leaked NATO report that accuses it of secretly assisting the Taliban. According to the classified report, Pakistan’s military intelligence agency, the ISI, is supporting the Afghan Taliban, and the insurgents believe victory is inevitable once NATO troops leave in 2014. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry called the report’s findings “frivolous” and said Islamabad […]
Russia Says Resolution on Syria Has No Chance of UN Approval
Posted February 1st, 2012 at 9:45 am (UTC-5)
A Russian diplomat says a Western and Arab-backed plan to resolve Syria’s escalating government-rebel conflict has no chance of U.N. Security Council approval because Moscow believes the document does not rule out foreign military intervention. Russia is a veto-wielding Security Council member and objects to Western and Arab calls for the body to pass a […]
Massive Anti-Wade Protest Held in Senegal’s Capital
Posted January 31st, 2012 at 1:55 pm (UTC-5)
Hundreds of thousands of Senegalese are staging a peaceful demonstration in the capital, Dakar, calling on President Abdoulaye Wade to give up his controversial bid for a third term. A local journalist tells VOA that at one point the exuberant crowd, made up largely of young people, held up their arms and sang, “Society is […]
Pakistan Repeats Condemnation of Drone Strikes Following Obama’s Remarks
Posted January 31st, 2012 at 12:55 pm (UTC-5)
Pakistan has repeated its condemnation of U.S. drone strikes a day after President Barack Obama for the first time publicly acknowledged the use of such attacks against militants in Pakistan. Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Basit told VOA on Tuesday that the U.S. missiles strikes are a violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty. He called the attacks […]
