HONOLULU - The effort to identify the remains of missing American troops from past wars is very technical, involving anthropology, forensic analysis, and DNA. But behind it all are thousands of families that are sometimes eagerly waiting for news, and other times surprised that their long lost child, parent or spouse has been found. VOA’s […]

WASHINGTON - The United States reiterated its warning to Iran Tuesday to halt uranium enrichment and return to nuclear negotiations, saying world powers are prepared to seek punitive action against Tehran if does otherwise. The comments of a top State Department official came during a congressional hearing on Iran.
In testimony before the joint House-Senate Economic […]

SEOUL - As North Korean diplomats prepare to take part in a regional security forum in Malaysia, Pyongyang is finding itself isolated not just by its usual critics, but also by some of its usually friendly neighbors. North Korean state media on Tuesday lashed out at U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice Tuesday, calling her […]

WASHINGTON - The 20th Red Earth Native American Cultural Festival was held last month in Oklahoma City, in the western United States.  The festival’s art and dance competitions have helped establish Oklahoma City as one of the most important Native American arts and cultural centers in the U.S.
It is one of the largest cities in […]

STATE DEPARTMENT - The United States Tuesday again urged the Russian government to reconsider a $1 billion military aircraft sale to Venezuela. U.S. officials say Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’ weapons plans exceed the country’s defensive needs.
The U.S. appeal came as Mr. Chavez arrived in Moscow for a visit expected to include the signing of several […]

Bill promotes low-cost safety gear to prevent childhood drownings
By A.N. Hernández
Scripps Howard Foundation Wire
WASHINGTON – Requiring drain covers that cost as little as $30 and other simple swimming pool and spa safety measures are part of new legislation that could cut childhood drownings, its bipartisan sponsors said Monday.
Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental […]

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has refused to comment on news that it is building a powerful new plutonium nuclear reactor, which could signal a major overhaul of the country’s nuclear weapons program. A Washington-based research group released this week what it says are satellite photographs of what appears to be a new reactor under construction at […]

IRBIL, IRAQ - The trial of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein for the murders of 148 Shi’ite men resumed without him Monday. Saddam remains in a hospital, where he was admitted Sunday after suffering the effects of 17-day long hunger strike.
U.S. officials say Saddam Hussein is being fed voluntarily through a tube and his life […]

WHITE HOUSE - The White House says U.S. humanitarian aid will start arriving in Lebanon Tuesday. The news came as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice traveled from Beirut to Jerusalem for talks on the crisis caused by fighting between Israeli forces and Lebanese-based Hezbollah militants.
White House Spokesman Tony Snow said a significant amount of U.S. […]

WASHINGTON - The biggest problems facing elected officials in Iran are economic ones, particularly double-digit unemployment and inflation. These factors dogged President Mohammad Khatami during his term in office (1997-2005), and the reformists’ focus on civil-society development resounded poorly with people who often could not afford meat with their meals.
Mahmud Ahmadinejad’s campaign promise that Iran’s […]

JERUSALEM - Doctors treating former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon say his condition has deteriorated, over the past several days, but that he is not in imminent danger of dying. Doctors say Ariel Sharon’s kidney functions have deteriorated and as a result fluid is accumulating in his body.  They also say that changes in his brain […]

WHITE HOUSE - President Bush met privately at the White House Sunday with top Saudi diplomats as the search continues for a formula to end the bloodshed between Israeli and Lebanese-based Hezbollah militants. The meeting took place just hours before Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was scheduled to head to the region.
President Bush and Secretary […]

WHITE HOUSE - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice leaves for the Middle East Sunday as part of Washington’s diplomatic efforts to resolve fighting between Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon.  Scott Stearns reports, Secretary Rice meets with senior Saudi diplomats before her trip.
Secretary Rice says the Bush administration understands the urgency of ending the […]

WASHINGTON - Hoang Nguyen, captain of the Galveston, Texas-based commercial fishing vessel Thanh Tam, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release for illegally importing red snapper into the United States, the Justice Department announced today. Tam Le, a crewmember of the Thanh Tam, was sentenced to 21 months in […]

WASHINGTON - The U.S. military is ramping up efforts to cut down on the number of troop casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan. Two thousand five hundred American military personnel have been killed in Iraq since the 2003 invasion, and over 200 more have died in Afghanistan. Now, in an effort to stem the casualties, the […]

TOKYO - Japanese media report that Japan plans to resume imports of U.S. beef next week.The report follows an announcement by Japan’s Agriculture Ministry that a U.S. decision to cut back its mad cow disease testing program will not have an impact on Japan’s resumption of beef imports from the United States.
The U.S. Agriculture Department […]

Panel urges Iranian regime change
By Sean Gaffney
Scripps Howard Foundation Wire
WASHINGTON – As Iran declared Thursday it would officially respond to a Western-backed incentive package to abandon its nuclear ambitions on Aug. 22, experts told lawmakers that, short of regime change, negotiations with the Islamic republic would not yield results.
The overthrow of the mullah is the […]

Iowa congressman pitches U.S.-Mexico border fence
By Jared A. Taylor
Scripps Howard Foundation Wire
WASHINGTON – Rep. Steve King believes he has an answer to the United States’ southern border security problems.
On Thursday, during a hearing before two subcommittees of the Homeland Security and Government Reform Committee, King, R-Iowa, presented a model he created for a barrier that […]

WASHINGTON - Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid today delivered the following remarks in the U.S. Senate, lending his support to the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, important legislation that will help protect America’s children against the dangers posed by sex offenders. The text of Senator Reid’s remarks, as prepared, is below.
The Senate is […]

HONG KONG - A former Khmer Rouge military leader considered one of Cambodia’s most brutal killers has died after weeks in a hospital in the country’s capital. Ta Mok was expected to face a United Nations-backed war crimes tribunal for his part in the country’s genocide in the 1970s. The former fighter’s death is a […]

WASHINGTON - A senior Bush administration official says Iranian representatives witnessed North Korean missile tests earlier this month. In an appearance before a Senate panel, Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill underscored U.S. concern about growing ties between the two countries with nuclear ambitions. Under questioning by Republican Senator George Allen of Virginia, Ambassador Hill told […]

WASHINGTON - Border security in the United States has traditionally focused on the United States’ southern neighbor, Mexico. But the emphasis at the borders has shifted radically since September 11, 2001, with a new priority on terrorism and more attention than before being given to the northern border with Canada.In March, the Government Accountability Office […]

SEOUL - In a retaliatory swipe over South Korea’s punitive measures against Pyongyang, North Korea has canceled reunions scheduled for next month between families separated since the 1950s Korean War.  The move is the latest blow to inter-Korean cooperation since Pyongyang test-fired a series of missiles two weeks ago.
North Korea followed through on its earlier […]

IRBIL - Turkey’s prime minister says his military is moving forward in drafting plans for sending forces into northern Iraq to clear out Kurdish rebel bases, but added that officials are also holding talks with the United States and Iraq in an attempt to defuse tensions.
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan told reporters in Ankara […]

JERUSALEM - At least two Israeli troops were wounded, Thursday, in heavy fighting with Hezbollah militants, as Israeli air strikes continued in Lebanon and Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel. More than 300 people, nearly all civilians, have died in Lebanon and at least 15 civilians have been killed in Israel by Hezbollah rockets, since […]