Togolese President Presides Over Country’s Golden Jubilee Parade

The Togolese president, Faure Gnassingbé, presided over Tuesday’s military and civilian parade marking the golden jubilee of Togo’s independence. The various units of the Togolese Armed Forces (FAT) hammered the ground with the rhythm of the...

Senegal Celebrates 50th Independence Anniversary

Senegal celebrated its 50th independence anniversary on Sunday with an inter-African military parade in the presence of several heads of state from the continent and the Diaspora like Reverend Jesse Jackson. The event started at 10:30 with the arrival...

Former Missouri Sheriff’s Deputy Pleads Guilty to Sexually Abusing a Detained Teenage Girl

Steven W. Burgess, a former Jackson County, Mo., sheriff’s deputy, has pleaded guilty in federal court to violating the civil rights of a teenage girl whom he sexually assaulted in his patrol car, the Justice Department announced. Burgess, 35, of Independence,...

Benin Celebrates Its 49th Anniversary

Benin has celebrated in Lokossa (about 150 km south-west of Cotonou) its independence obtained on August 1st 1960. Early in the morning, representatives of the civil society and diplomats serving in Benin, as well as members of the various institutions...

Military, Civilian Parade in Togo Marks 49th Anniversary of Country’s Independence

Togolese President Faure Gnassingbé has chaired a military and civilian parade marking the 49th anniversary of the country’s independence. All the Togolese army units took part in the parade which lasted over 2 hours and was witnessed by civilians...

Lawmakers in Russia Call For Recognition Of Georgia’s Breakaway Regions

Lawmakers in the State Duma, Russia’s lower house of parliament, have unanimously adopted a resolution calling on President Dmitry Medvedev to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Just hours earlier, the same resolution sailed...

Moldova Approval Not Needed for Transdniester Independence

Good news for Transdniestria: You don’t need Moldova’s prior OK in order to be independent. Other countries or would-be countries who aspire to full statehood also don’t need to ask anyone’s permission first. That is the verdict...

Lakota Indian Tribe Declares Secession From US

The Lakota Indian Tribe, an Indian nation on United States soil, has withdrawn and or canceled all treaties with the U.S. and has formally declared independence from the country, creating their own.

Kosovo’s Independence Stirs Fears of Violence

Leaders in Kosovo say the Serbian province will declare independence soon. As VOA’s Barry Wood reports there is disagreement among outside observers over whether this move will promote or endanger stability in the Balkan region.