Voice of America News: Iraq

Middle East - Voice of America Thu, 17 May 2012 09:30:19 +0200 ICC Judges to Consider Libyan Request to Try Gadhafi Son UNITED NATIONS - The International Criminal Court, or ICC, next month will consider whether to grant Libya’s request to try the son of former dictator Moammar Gadhafi in a domestic court.  The international court has issued an arrest warrant for Saif al-Islam Gadhafi to be tried at The Hague.  He is being held by a Libyan militia outside the capital, Tripoli. Libya's deputy U.N. ambassador, Ibrahim Dabbashi, told the U.N. Security Council that Libya is not a party to the ICC ... Wed, 16 May 2012 19:26:02 -0400 Obama Warns Against Repeat of Debt Ceiling 'Debacle' White House officials say President Barack Obama has warned top lawmakers from both major political parties - the Democrats and Republicans - that a repeat of last year's standoff over increasing the legal U.S. borrowing limit is unacceptable.  The president met Wednesday with congressional leaders at the White House.   Mr. Obama told Capitol Hill's top Democrats and Republicans that he will not tolerate another legislative battle over raising the national debt ceiling, ... Wed, 16 May 2012 18:45:21 -0400 Obama Order Targets People Threatening Yemen Transition WHITE HOUSE - President Barack Obama on Wednesday issued an executive order freezing U.S. assets of anyone considered to be threatening the success of the U.S.-backed political transition in Yemen. In the order, Mr. Obama declares a national emergency with respect to "actions and policies of certain members of the government of Yemen, and others threatening peace, security or stability by obstructing implementation of last year's political transition agreement." In an ... Wed, 16 May 2012 17:52:43 -0400 Iran, World Powers to Resume Nuclear Negotiations The United States and other world powers are scheduled to meet with Iran next week as part of efforts to curb that country’s controversial nuclear program and avoid an armed conflict in the Middle East. The talks to be held in Baghdad on May 23 are the second in the latest round between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany. Western nations have long suspected Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, a charge Iran denies. The Security Council ... Wed, 16 May 2012 15:41:48 -0400 Turkey Flexes Muscles Before NATO Summit ISTANBUL - A last-minute deal has cleared away a dispute over the attendance of senior European Union officials at the NATO summit opening in Chicago Sunday.  Analysts saw the dispute as an example of Turkey flexing its growing diplomatic muscle within the military alliance. With only days to go before the NATO summit, the president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, and the head of European Council, Herman Van Rompuy, finally received an official invitation to attend. ... Wed, 16 May 2012 14:58:59 -0400 Analysis: Why Arab Springs Falter - Bahrain Is the Arab Spring over? It’s a question on the minds of many observers of Middle East politics. Back in 2011, in Bahrain, Syria and Egypt, television stations broadcast scenes of defiant democracy movements and socially mobilized youth taking to the streets, in most cases peacefully demanding the removal of old systems along with their entrenched leaders. The scenes a year later look markedly different. In Egypt, television images are now filled with semi-regular chaos in the streets of ... Wed, 16 May 2012 11:13:50 -0400 Jazz, Hip Hop, Broadway Taught in Bangkok, Beyond BANGKOK - A U.S.-funded arts program is training students in the Middle East and Asia with American style music, theater and dance. The "Yes Academy" strives to build bridges between the U.S. and countries emerging from conflict. One of their biggest programs is in Iraq. ​ Grammy nominated jazz instructor Gene Aitken has conducted some of the top military bands in Asia and the Middle East.   From Thailand he travels to countries emerging from conflict and isolation to ... Wed, 16 May 2012 11:11:04 -0400 Syrian Activists: Government Attacks Kill 9 Syrian activists say government shelling and gunfire killed at least nine people across the country on Wednesday, most of them in a region where U.N. military observers were caught up in a deadly shooting and bomb blast the day before. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces opened fire in the northwestern town of Khan Sheikhoun, killing five people a day after at least 20 mourners were shot dead at a funeral procession. Six U.N. monitors who were ... Wed, 16 May 2012 07:50:56 -0400 Israeli Court Orders Three West Bank Settlements Demolished ULPANA, Beit El, Occupied West Bank - The European Union this week continued the international condemnation of Israel's policy of building settlements in largely Palestinian areas. The enclaves are a stumbling block to restarting peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. But in a minor win for Palestinians, an Israeli court has ordered three small West Bank settlements to be demolished after ruling they were illegal. The houses of Ulpana overlook Beit El, an Israeli settlement of ... Tue, 15 May 2012 18:50:35 -0400 Reports: US Aids Yemen al-Qaida Strikes CAIRO - With U.S. troops reportedly guiding air raids from a nearby base for the first time, Yemeni jets attacked positions of al-Qaida insurgents Tuesday in southern Yemen's Abyan province. Yemeni officials said a "four-pronged assault" on the militants was being waged on the ground, backed by heavy artillery and aerial bombardment, and that U.S. troops stationed at al-Annad air base in Lahj province were providing logistical support. The reported participation of U.S. ... Tue, 15 May 2012 15:10:28 -0400