European leaders have agreed to use the euro currency bloc’s bailout fund to directly boost the continent’s struggling banks — a move that immediately eased surging borrowing costs for debt-ridden Italy and Spain. Stock markets in Asia, Europe and the U.S. jumped sharply Friday after European Union summit leaders decided that they could send loans […]
EU Leaders Agree on Debt Plan to Help Italy, Spain
Posted June 29th, 2012 at 10:25 am (UTC-5)
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Russia Supports Assad, Blast Rocks Damascus
Posted June 28th, 2012 at 2:45 pm (UTC-5)
Russia says Syria needs a period of political transition but has rejected calls for President Bashar al-Assad to relinquish power in a possible unity government. Meanwhile, there has been a powerful explosion near the country’s main court in Damascus. Thursday’s developments came as neighboring Turkey deployed troops and anti-aircraft batteries to the Syrian border following […]
Islamists Militants Stream Into Northern Mali Town After Victory
Posted June 28th, 2012 at 12:40 pm (UTC-5)
Islamist militants are streaming into the northern Mali town of Gao, one day after ousting a Tuareg rebel group in clashes that killed at least 20 people. The al-Qaida-linked militant group known as MUJAO (The Unity Movement for Jihad in West Africa) took complete control of Gao from the MNLA ( National Movement for the […]
European Leaders Start Two-Day Economic Summit in Brussels
Posted June 28th, 2012 at 12:20 pm (UTC-5)
European leaders have started their 20th summit on the continent’s unrelenting debt crisis, with new pressure to calm international financial markets wary about the fate of the euro currency and ease the financial burden for debt-ridden Spain and Italy. Much of the focus at the start of the Brussels summit Thursday was on Germany, with […]
US Supreme Court OKs Obama’s Health-Care Plan
Posted June 28th, 2012 at 11:30 am (UTC-5)
The U.S. Supreme Court handed President Barack Obama a major victory Thursday, upholding the key part of his controversial health care plan in a 5-4 decision. The so-called “individual mandate” requires Americans to purchase health insurance or face a financial penalty. Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the court’s more liberal justices, writing in his […]
Raging Wildfires Spread in Colorado, Threaten the State’s Second Largest City
Posted June 27th, 2012 at 6:05 pm (UTC-5)
Flames are spreading quickly across Colorado where firefighters are battling to save homes and lives. Officials said Wednesday the Waldo Canyon Fire had doubled in size to more than 6,200 hectares. They said the flames are so intense that it is difficult to assess the damage. The fire has forced some 32,000 people to evacuate […]
Spain Warns of Increasing Debt Costs
Posted June 27th, 2012 at 2:45 pm (UTC-5)
With Spain’s economy sliding at a faster pace, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is warning that the government will not be able to sustain its high borrowing costs for much longer. Mr. Rajoy told parliament Wednesday that European leaders need to adopt strong banking and fiscal ties when they hold a two-day summit, starting Thursday in […]
Clashes in N. Mali Kill 20
Posted June 27th, 2012 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
Witnesses in northern Mali say clashes between Islamist militants and Tuareg rebels Wednesday killed at least 20 people. A VOA reporter said the al-Qaida-linked MUJAO militant group was able to seize control of Gao from the separatist group MNLA. There were exchanges of heavy weapons fire throughout the day. After the fighting, he said militants […]
Gunmen Attack Pro-Assad Syrian TV Station
Posted June 27th, 2012 at 10:20 am (UTC-5)
Syrian state media say gunmen have stormed the headquarters of a pro-government television station, killing seven employees, while United Nations investigators are accusing President Bashar al-Assad’s forces of committing rights violations on “an alarming scale.” Wednesday’s pre-dawn attack on the al-Ikbariya satellite channel near Damascus killed three journalists and four security guards. The station is […]
125 Rescued from Capsized Refugee Boat Off Australian Coast
Posted June 27th, 2012 at 7:20 am (UTC-5)
Australian authorities have rescued most of the people on board a crowded refugee boat that overturned Wednesday in the Indian Ocean. Rescuers saved 125 people from where the ship capsized, about 200 kilometers north of Australia’s remote Christmas Island. Authorities say one body has been recovered, and as many as 20 people could still be […]
