More than 50 people, including 13 children, have been killed in the town of Houla in Homs province, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. The killings came as Friday prayers ended in Syria, and protesters spilled on to streets in major cities including Damascus and Aleppo, calling for the resignation of President Bashar al-Assad. […]
Private Spacecraft Docks with ISS
Posted May 25th, 2012 at 1:05 pm (UTC-5)
The commercial SpaceX Dragon spacecraft made history Friday, becoming the first privately-owned vehicle to reach the International Space Station. Astronauts aboard the ISS used the station’s robotic arm to grab and dock the capsule. Station crew members will open it on Saturday. This is the first time a private company has launched a spacecraft to […]
Car Bombing in Turkey Kills Policeman, Nearly 20 Civilians
Posted May 25th, 2012 at 11:00 am (UTC-5)
Suspected suicide attackers have set off a car bomb near a police station in central Turkey, killing one policeman and wounding nearly 20 civilians. Turkey’s interior minister, Idris Naim Sahin, says two suspects sped through a checkpoint Friday and detonated the bomb outside a police station in the town of Pinarbasi in Kayseri province. Sahin […]
Muslim Brotherhood Candidate Apparently Ahead in Egypt
Posted May 25th, 2012 at 6:10 am (UTC-5)
(New information in graphs 1 – 2 )) Preliminary counts from Egypt’s first free presidential race indicate the Muslim Brotherhood’s candidate may have a narrow lead over a handful of other strong contenders. Egyptian newspapers say partial results trickling in on Friday indicate Mohamed Morsi emerged as the top vote-getter, in some regions, in Wednesday […]
French President Says Afghan Exit to be Coordinated with NATO
Posted May 25th, 2012 at 6:10 am (UTC-5)
French President Francois Hollande says the imminent withdrawal of his country’s troops from Afghanistan will be coordinated closely with Afghanistan and other NATO allies. Mr. Hollande, on an unannounced visit to Afghanistan, spoke with French troops stationed at a military base in in the Nijrab district of eastern Kapisa province. He arrived in Kabul earlier […]
Pakistan Rejects US Criticism of Jailing Doctor Who Helped Catch Bin Laden
Posted May 24th, 2012 at 8:15 pm (UTC-5)
Pakistan on Thursday rejected U.S. criticism of the jailing of a Pakistani doctor who helped the United States track down Osama bin Laden, as a U.S. congressional panel agreed to cut aid to Pakistan to protest his imprisonment. A court in the northwestern Khyber tribal region sentenced Shakil Afridi to 33 years in prison for […]
Egypt’s Brotherhood Claims Early Lead as Vote Count Begins
Posted May 24th, 2012 at 6:10 pm (UTC-5)
As Egyptians wrapped up two days of voting in a historic presidential election, early indicators showed the Muslim Brotherhood’s Islamist candidate taking the lead among the five presumed front-runners. A spokesman for the Brotherhood’s Mohamed Morsi said Thursday the candidate was ahead in nationwide exit polls conducted by the organization’s campaign workers. All five front-runners […]
World Powers Report ‘Some Progress’ as Iran Nuclear Talks Wrap Up
Posted May 24th, 2012 at 9:35 am (UTC-5)
A spokesman for six world powers holding nuclear talks with Iran in Baghdad says negotiators have made some progress but were wrapping up with no word of a breakthrough in resolving the Iranian nuclear dispute. EU spokesman Michael Mann told VOA that the negotiations which extended into a second day on Thursday were “tough.” Speaking […]
AU, Somali Troops Make ‘Strong Progress’ Against al-Shabab
Posted May 23rd, 2012 at 4:05 pm (UTC-5)
African Union and Somali officials say their troops have made “strong progress” in a fast-moving offensive to capture a key al-Shabab rebel stronghold northwest of the capital, Mogadishu. A statement issued Wednesday said troops were advancing to the area of Elasha in the strategic Afgoye corridor between Mogadishu and the regional capital, Baidoa, and that […]
EU Leaders Focusing on Eurozone Crisis at Summit
Posted May 23rd, 2012 at 2:30 pm (UTC-5)
Leaders of the 27 nations that comprise the European Union have opened a summit aimed at solving the bloc’s debt crisis. The dinner summit in Brussels Wednesday will be dominated by increasing calls for growth measures, the creation of jobs and stimulating the troubled eurozone economy, which has been hit with grim news. The EU […]
