http://www.voanews.com Voice of America is an international news and broadcast organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries http://www.voanews.com/img/voa/rssLogo_VOA.gif http://www.voanews.com en-US 2012 - VOA 60 Thu, 20 Jun 2013 03:23:44 -0400 Pangea CMS – VOA The fragile health of former South African president Nelson Mandela has been making headlines in recent days. But a new exhibition in Paris takes a step back -  looking at Mandela's evolution from political prisoner to one of the world's most beloved and respected politicians. Produced by the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, the show kicks off a year of cultural events in France featuring South Africa. Incidentally, the French capital recently made Mandela an honorary citizen. ... http://www.voanews.com/content/paris-exhibit-captures-mandela-journey/1684921.html http://www.voanews.com/content/paris-exhibit-captures-mandela-journey/1684921.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 11:36:46 -0400 Arts & Entertainment webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) Members of the body-baring feminist group Femen are on trial in Tunisia for indecency and violating public morality in their bid to launch a "feminist spring" in Muslim countries. After the trial's opening session on Wednesday, the court adjourned proceedings until June 12. The group and its tactics have stirred controversy even among feminists.   The tactic was classic Femen: Three young woman painted with graffiti staged a topless protest before being hauled away by ... http://www.voanews.com/content/feminist-activists-are-on-trial-in-tunisia/1675907.html http://www.voanews.com/content/feminist-activists-are-on-trial-in-tunisia/1675907.html Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:01:28 -0400 Middle East webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) http://www.voanews.com/content/feminist-activists-are-on-trial-in-tunisia/1675907.html#relatedInfoContainer A United Nations war crimes court has acquitted two key allies of former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. The men were accused  of involvement in murder and other crimes committed by soldiers during the1990s Balkan wars. Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic hugged their lawyers after being found not guilty by the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Stanisic is the former chief of Serbia's secret police in the 1990s, and was once considered the country's second most ... http://www.voanews.com/content/un-court-acquits-two-serbs-of-war-crimes/1671484.html http://www.voanews.com/content/un-court-acquits-two-serbs-of-war-crimes/1671484.html Thu, 30 May 2013 12:12:06 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) http://www.voanews.com/content/un-court-acquits-two-serbs-of-war-crimes/1671484.html#relatedInfoContainer With France's first gay marriage celebrated this week in the southern city of  Montpellier, it seems the country may have finally turned the page on a bitterly divisive issue that sparked massive protests and violence. Or maybe not. Vincent Autin and Bruno Bioleau made history on Wednesday, becoming the first same-sex couple to marry legally in France. The two men wore dark suits and held hands, as they were married in a civil ceremony at  Montpellier town hall. Gay activists ... http://www.voanews.com/content/gay-marriage-is-law-in-france-but-debate-continues/1671419.html http://www.voanews.com/content/gay-marriage-is-law-in-france-but-debate-continues/1671419.html Thu, 30 May 2013 11:10:44 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) http://www.voanews.com/content/gay-marriage-is-law-in-france-but-debate-continues/1671419.html#relatedInfoContainer By the middle of this century, two-thirds of the world's population will live in cities, posing a major environmental challenge. But a new report shows how developing "green" cities can generate growth and lead to a more sustainable planet.  About half the world's population lives in or near cities. These urban centers also generate about two-thirds of our greenhouse gas emissions. So it may seem alarming to hear the planet's urban population will likely more than ... http://www.voanews.com/content/oecd-green-cities-key-to-sustainable-future/1667006.html http://www.voanews.com/content/oecd-green-cities-key-to-sustainable-future/1667006.html Thu, 23 May 2013 12:47:07 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) A senior European Union official is calling for more humanitarian aid in Syria. EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, Kristalina Georgieva, says there has been a rapid deterioration of the humanitarian crisis in Syria and neighboring countries since her last visit to the region in December. Speaking Wednesday on her return from the region, she says there now are more than 1.5 million refugees. She says about one-third of Syria’s population of 22 million, including some five million ... http://www.voanews.com/content/eu-official-calls-for-more-syria-aid/1666187.html http://www.voanews.com/content/eu-official-calls-for-more-syria-aid/1666187.html Wed, 22 May 2013 12:15:34 -0400 Middle East webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) Police in Tunisia fired tear gas to disperse stone-throwing Islamists in two cities after the government banned the hardline Ansar al-Shariah group from staging its annual congress Sunday.  The events underscore the growing clout of Muslim extremists in the once staunchly secular North African country.  The assassination of secular opposition leader Chokri Belaid in February sparked Tunisia's biggest popular demonstration since its 2011 revolution.  Police blame a Salafist ... http://www.voanews.com/content/tunisian-fear-growing-threat-of-radical-islamists/1664020.html http://www.voanews.com/content/tunisian-fear-growing-threat-of-radical-islamists/1664020.html Sun, 19 May 2013 12:09:49 -0400 Africa webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) http://www.voanews.com/content/tunisian-fear-growing-threat-of-radical-islamists/1664020.html#relatedInfoContainer The European Union is calling for action following an alarming survey released Friday showing most gays and transgender people in Europe live in fear of discrimination and violence. The new European Union survey is the most far-reaching to date on discrimination and violence against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender (LGBT) people in Europe - and its release coincides with the International Day Against Homophobia.  Homophobia is hardly unique to Europe. But politicians and ... http://www.voanews.com/content/survey-shows-european-gays-fear-violence-and-discrimination/1663084.html http://www.voanews.com/content/survey-shows-european-gays-fear-violence-and-discrimination/1663084.html Fri, 17 May 2013 11:57:21 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) A leading rights group is calling on the European Union to take steps toward suspending Hungary's voting rights following much-criticized changes to its Constitution. In a 29-page report issued Thursday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) claims Hungary's recent changes to its Constitution and other legal measures are undermining judicial independence, media rights and even the rights of the homeless. Hungary's parliament passed the constitutional amendment in March, sparking popular ... http://www.voanews.com/content/rights-group-urges-eu-to-sanction-hungary/1662313.html http://www.voanews.com/content/rights-group-urges-eu-to-sanction-hungary/1662313.html Thu, 16 May 2013 11:54:24 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) Sub-Saharan Africa has some of the world's highest rates of chronic malnutrition among children. Now, the United Nations children's agency has put a price tag on it: $25 billion a year. That's the conclusion of a UNICEF conference on child malnutrition that wrapped up Wednesday in Paris. The effects of hunger often are obvious. Think about the images of skeletal children during the recent droughts in Africa's Sahel and the Horn of Africa. Stunting, or chronic malnutrition, is ... http://www.voanews.com/content/unicef-says-africas-child-malnutrition-costs-25-billion-dollars-annually/1661780.html http://www.voanews.com/content/unicef-says-africas-child-malnutrition-costs-25-billion-dollars-annually/1661780.html Wed, 15 May 2013 15:08:04 -0400 Africa webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) International donors have pledged more than $4.2 billion for development and peace-building efforts in Mali, a sum that far surpassed initial expectations for the pledging conference held Wednesday in Brussels.   The donations exceeded the $2.5 billion Malian officials hoped international donors would provide the West African nation. At a press conference in Brussels, French President Francois Hollande, who co-hosted the conference along with the European Union officials, ... http://www.voanews.com/content/donors-gather-for-mali-aid-conference/1661214.html http://www.voanews.com/content/donors-gather-for-mali-aid-conference/1661214.html Wed, 15 May 2013 00:46:18 -0400 Africa webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) http://www.voanews.com/content/donors-gather-for-mali-aid-conference/1661214.html#relatedInfoContainer New figures from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development show that social welfare programs shielded some of the poorest Europeans from the harshest effects of the global financial crisis - programs that are now being cut as countries adopt austerity measures. The new study by the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development looks at a number of countries hit by the financial crisis between 2007 and 2010, including the United States and Mexico. But its ... http://www.voanews.com/content/safety-net-shielded-europe-poorest-from-crisis/1661157.html http://www.voanews.com/content/safety-net-shielded-europe-poorest-from-crisis/1661157.html Tue, 14 May 2013 20:07:22 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) The European Union will pledge more than $650 million to help Mali rebuild after its conflict, ahead of a major international donors' conference in Brussels Wednesday.  European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso announced the European Union pledge at a joint press conference in Brussels with Malian President Dioncounda Traore.  He said the funds, earmarked into 2014, could be reviewed if the situation merited. Barroso said support from the international community was ... http://www.voanews.com/content/eu-to-mali-650-million-dollars-to-rebuild/1661039.html http://www.voanews.com/content/eu-to-mali-650-million-dollars-to-rebuild/1661039.html Tue, 14 May 2013 16:00:24 -0400 Africa webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) Human Rights Watch accuses rebels in the Central African Republic of committing serious rights violations before and after this year's coup in the turmoil-torn nation. Summary executions, rape, torture and pillaging: Human Rights Watch says it has found compelling evidence of horrific rights violations committed by the Seleka rebel coalition in Bangui and elsewhere in the Central African Republic in recent months. Released on Friday, HRW's accusations follow a 10-day investigation ... http://www.voanews.com/content/hrw-accuses-car-of-major-violations/1658548.html http://www.voanews.com/content/hrw-accuses-car-of-major-violations/1658548.html Fri, 10 May 2013 11:39:14 -0400 Africa webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) http://www.voanews.com/content/hrw-accuses-car-of-major-violations/1658548.html#relatedInfoContainer Many Western European countries scored near the top of a newly released press freedom report card by Paris-based Reporters Sans Frontieres  (Reporters Without Borders). But overall the region is more checkered, with countries like Russia and Turkey placing near the bottom. European Union member Finland tops Reporters Sans Frontieres' latest press freedom index. Eight other European countries also rank among the top ten in the world in terms of media liberty. But RSF's overall ... http://www.voanews.com/content/mixed-report-card-for-press-freedom-in-europe/1653921.html http://www.voanews.com/content/mixed-report-card-for-press-freedom-in-europe/1653921.html Fri, 03 May 2013 11:10:32 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) Hopes that the 17-member eurozone will finally emerge from its economic doldrums this year have faded, with new data Friday showing the recession in the euro area deepening even more than originally expected. There were some bright spots in a slew of new European economic data, but the short-term prognosis for the 17-nation eurozone is not good. Overall growth is expected to shrink by 0.4 percent this year - deeper than the 0.3 percent forecasted earlier this year. And the eurozone's ... http://www.voanews.com/content/eurozone-economy-faces-another-bad-year/1653920.html http://www.voanews.com/content/eurozone-economy-faces-another-bad-year/1653920.html Fri, 03 May 2013 11:06:13 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) In a move to help ailing eurozone economies, the European Central Bank on Thursday cut its benchmark interest rate to a record low of 0.5 percent, and raised prospects of a further rate cut, if needed. The move by the European Central Bank was widely expected. Nonetheless, the ECB cut its key interest rate from 0.75 percent to 0.5 percent. Speaking at a press conference in Bratislava, ECB President Mario Draghi said the cut could help turn around the ailing fortunes of the 17-member euro ... http://www.voanews.com/content/ecb-cuts-rates-to-record-low/1653324.html http://www.voanews.com/content/ecb-cuts-rates-to-record-low/1653324.html Thu, 02 May 2013 13:20:55 -0400 Economy webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) http://www.voanews.com/content/ecb-cuts-rates-to-record-low/1653324.html#relatedInfoContainer Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has been seeking treatment at a Paris hospital, generating speculation he may be more sick than officially reported, and raising the prospect of a post-Bouteflika future for the oil-rich North African country. Algeria's official APS news agency says Bouteflika is being treated for a minor stroke at the Paris-area Val-de-Grace military hospital. The news service published a message from Bouteflika earlier this week, saying he was on the road to ... http://www.voanews.com/content/algerian-president-seeks-treatment-in-paris/1653130.html http://www.voanews.com/content/algerian-president-seeks-treatment-in-paris/1653130.html Thu, 02 May 2013 09:53:28 -0400 Africa webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) http://www.voanews.com/content/algerian-president-seeks-treatment-in-paris/1653130.html#relatedInfoContainer Europe's top rights court has ruled that Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko was unlawfully held in detention before being sentenced to jail in 2011. It's a decision that may weigh on Ukraine's bid for closer relations with the European Union.   The ruling by the European Court of Human Rights was a political victory for Tymoshenko, Ukraine's former prime minister and opposition leader, who was sentenced to seven years in prison in 2011. The court ... http://www.voanews.com/content/europe-rights-court-tymoshenko-unlawfully-detained/1651859.html http://www.voanews.com/content/europe-rights-court-tymoshenko-unlawfully-detained/1651859.html Tue, 30 Apr 2013 13:10:03 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) http://www.voanews.com/content/europe-rights-court-tymoshenko-unlawfully-detained/1651859.html#relatedInfoContainer Africa figures prominently in France's newly outlined military defense strategy - and experts say the Mali offensive may serve as a blueprint for future operations.   Outlined by Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, the newly released review of France's national security and defense policy reflects the challenges of dealing with new military threats with less money.   France is grappling with tough economic times. But while the Defense Ministry will still shed ... http://www.voanews.com/content/leaner-french-defense-strategy-focuses-on-africa/1651821.html http://www.voanews.com/content/leaner-french-defense-strategy-focuses-on-africa/1651821.html Tue, 30 Apr 2013 12:32:46 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Lisa Bryant) http://www.voanews.com/content/leaner-french-defense-strategy-focuses-on-africa/1651821.html#relatedInfoContainer