The sluggish U.S. labor market added just 80,000 new jobs in June, as the country’s jobless rate stayed at 8.2 percent. Some economists had projected that the American jobs market might regain more strength. But the government reported Friday that the American economy has now added an average of only 75,000 jobs a month over […]
Top General Said to Defect From Syria
Posted July 6th, 2012 at 6:40 am (UTC-5)
A top Syrian general and one-time confidante of President Bashar al-Assad is said to have defected from Syria and is believed to be in Turkey, a potentially serious blow to Mr. Assad’s regime. Sipan Hassan of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights told VOA his activist group learned from journalists and security sources in Syria […]
Obama Announces WTO Action Against China for US Car Duties
Posted July 5th, 2012 at 4:55 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. President Barack Obama says his government will fight to hold China accountable for practices harming American automakers. Speaking at a campaign stop near Toledo, Ohio Thursday, Mr. Obama said Americans need a “fair playing field.” He announced a new complaint with the World Trade Organization on more than $3 billion in allegedly unfair Chinese […]
UN Monitor Chief in Syria Says Violence ‘Unprecedented’
Posted July 5th, 2012 at 12:40 pm (UTC-5)
The head of the United Nations monitoring mission in Syria says violence there has reached “unprecedented” levels, and that a cease-fire must be implemented in order for his unarmed observer teams to resume their mission, which was suspended last month. Major General Robert Mood’s comments Thursday came as Syrian troops battled anti-government rebels across the […]
Turkey Locates Bodies of Downed Jet’s Pilots
Posted July 4th, 2012 at 1:20 pm (UTC-5)
Turkey’s military says the bodies of both pilots of an F-4 jet shot down by Syrian forces last month have been found at the bottom of the eastern Mediterranean sea as violence continued across Syria. Relations between Ankara and Damascus deteriorated after Syria shot down the Turkish reconnaissance plane on June 22, with Turkey warning […]
Americans Celebrate Independence Day
Posted July 4th, 2012 at 11:10 am (UTC-5)
Americans celebrating the nation’s Independence Day Wednesday are facing more extreme heat, continued power outages from Friday’s violent storms in the east and a threat of more fires in the country’s dry west. Tens of millions of people are lining parade routes and attending picnics, concerts and family gatherings to mark the 4th of July […]
Burma’s VP Resigns in Reshuffle That Could Boost Reforms
Posted July 4th, 2012 at 10:35 am (UTC-5)
Burma has confirmed the resignation of a conservative vice president as part of a Cabinet reshuffle that reformist lawmakers hope will reduce the influence of anti-reform figures in the government. The speaker for Burma’s two houses of parliament announced the departure of Vice President Tin Aung Myint Oo for health reasons on Wednesday, as the […]
Syrian Opposition Meeting Ends in Chaos
Posted July 3rd, 2012 at 11:00 pm (UTC-5)
An Arab League-sponsored conference in Cairo aimed at uniting the fractured Syrian opposition ended in chaos Tuesday when the Kurdish delegation stormed out. Some witnesses report fistfights and loud arguments. The Kurds complained that they are being marginalized as the opposition tries to unite in preparation for a post-Assad Syria. The delegates did issue a […]
Syrian Opposition Meeting Ends in Chaos
Posted July 3rd, 2012 at 8:15 pm (UTC-5)
An Arab League-sponsored conference in Cairo aimed at uniting the fractured Syrian opposition ended in chaos Tuesday when the Kurdish delegation stormed out. Some witnesses report fistfights and loud arguments. The Kurds complained that they are being marginalized as the opposition tries to unite in preparation for a post-Assad Syria. The delegates did issue a […]
Iraq Attacks Kill 40
Posted July 3rd, 2012 at 5:50 pm (UTC-5)
Bombings across Iraq Tuesday killed at least 40 people and wounded nearly 100 others. The bloodiest attack was in the southern Iraqi city of Diwaniya, where a bomb hidden in a vegetable truck exploded at a crowded market, killing 25 people. Authorities declared a partial curfew in the city. Earlier Tuesday, at least four people […]
