The U.S. space shuttle Atlantis entered Earth’s orbit Friday on a mission to the International Space Station — the 135th and final flight of the 30-year-old shuttle program. After days of rainy forecasts and cloudy weather, an estimated crowd of 1 million people watched the historic lift-off in and around the Kennedy Space Center in […]
Shuttle Atlantis Enters Earth Orbit on Final Mission
Posted July 8th, 2011 at 2:25 pm (UTC-5)
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Nearly Half a Million Protest in Syrian Flashpoint City, 13 Killed Nationwide
Posted July 8th, 2011 at 1:35 pm (UTC-5)
Nearly half a million people jammed the streets of the flashpoint Syrian city of Hama as activists said at least 13 people were killed nationwide Friday in the continuing backlash against President Bashar al-Assad. At least six deaths took place in the Damascus suburb of Dumair, where activists say security forces shot demonstrators. They say […]
US Stocks Drop after Unemployment Report
Posted July 8th, 2011 at 1:20 pm (UTC-5)
U.S. stock prices dropped Friday after a government report showed an increase in unemployment in a still-struggling economy. The Dow Jones Industrial average was down nearly one percent in mid-day trading, the broader S&P 500 index fell more than one percent and the NASDAQ lost nine-tenths of one percent. European stock prices had shown gains […]
Forces Told ‘Shoot on Sight’ to End Karachi Violence
Posted July 8th, 2011 at 12:25 pm (UTC-5)
Pakistani security forces have been ordered to shoot on sight when confronting disorders in Karachi, where days of political and ethnic violence have left up to 85 people dead. About 1,000 additional police and paramilitary forces were deployed in Karachi on Friday with new orders to shoot any armed “miscreants” they encounter. Interior Minister Rehman […]
US Unemployment Climbs to Year’s Highest Level
Posted July 8th, 2011 at 11:45 am (UTC-5)
The unemployment rate in the United States increased to 9.2 percent in June, the highest level this year. Friday’s report from the Labor Department showed that American employers added only 18,000 jobs in June, the smallest increase in nine months and another indication that the U.S. economy is still struggling to recover from a deep […]
British Police Arrest PM’s Former Aide, Ex-Editor in Tabloid Scandal
Posted July 8th, 2011 at 11:25 am (UTC-5)
British police have arrested Prime Minister David Cameron’s former communications chief and a former editor as part of an investigation into alleged widespread phone hacking by the News of the World tabloid. London’s police department said it detained the former Cameron media advisor, Andy Coulson, on Friday for suspected corruption and conspiring to intercept communications. […]
UN Security Council Votes to Bolster South Sudan
Posted July 8th, 2011 at 11:20 am (UTC-5)
The world’s newest nation will have the support of United Nations peacekeepers. The U.N. Security Council Friday unanimously approved the deployment of up to 7,000 military personnel as well as 900 international police for South Sudan. The fledgling nation is set to declare its independence Saturday with a ceremony in the soon-to-be capital of Juba. […]
Yemen’s Wounded President Appears on TV
Posted July 7th, 2011 at 3:05 pm (UTC-5)
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh delivered his first video address on Thursday since traveling to Saudi Arabia to be treated for injuries from an attack on his palace compound last month. During the recorded address, Mr. Saleh said he was burned in the attack and has undergone more than eight operations in Saudi Arabia, which […]
Tanks Surround Flashpoint Syrian City, Residents Flee
Posted July 7th, 2011 at 2:50 pm (UTC-5)
Syrian human rights activists say hundreds of people are fleeing the central city of Hama for fear of a military crackdown by security forces. A Syrian activist monitoring developments in Hama told VOA in a telephone interview that dozens of families left the city Thursday. She said military forces have surrounded the city with tanks, […]
At Least 49 Killed in Pakistani City of Karachi
Posted July 7th, 2011 at 2:25 pm (UTC-5)
Police say at least 49 people have been killed in political and ethnic violence in Pakistan’s southern port city of Karachi in the last three days. Gunmen opened fire on buses Thursday, with more than 22 people killed in the latest unrest throughout the city. Police blame clashes between rival political groups in Sindh province, […]
