NASA Approves Mission and Names Crew for Return to Hubble
WASHINGTON — Shuttle astronauts will make one final house call to NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope as part of a mission to extend and improve the observatory’s capabilities through 2013.
NASA Administrator Michael Griffin announced plans for a fifth servicing mission to Hubble Tuesday during a meeting with […]

Her Majesty Queen Noor to Award 7th King Hussein Leadership Prize to Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and Seeds of Peace
NEW YORK — Her Majesty Queen Noor will chair the King Hussein Foundation International annual Peace-Builders Dinner and ceremony for the 7th King Hussein Leadership Prize on November 2 at the Mandarin Oriental in New […]

Iran: Writers, Publishers Warn Of Industry Clampdown
PRAGUE (RFE/RL) — Writers and publishers in Iran complain that new guidelines on censorship are preventing them from issuing new books. They say Iran’s Culture Ministry is dragging its feet or blocking new titles, and even demanding that previously published books be resubmitted for approval.
The tight grip of President […]

North Korea: Pyongyang Agrees To Resume Nuclear Talks
WASHINGTON (RFE/RL) — North Korea has agreed to resume talks about its nuclear-weapons program.
China and the United States announced the development today in Beijing after a meeting of negotiators from the three countries. The agreement comes three weeks after North Korea announced that it had conducted its first […]

Israeli Warplanes Stage Mock Attacks over Southern Beirut 
BEIRUT - Israeli warplanes have been staging mock raids over Hezbollah’s stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs, this morning, in an unusual show of force. 
Eyewitnesses say that Israeli warplanes repeatedly zoomed low over Beirut’s southern suburbs, Tuesday, in several simulated attacks.
Voice of Lebanon radio also reports that Israeli jets […]

Pentagon Expands Press Operation to Counter Insurgents 
PENTAGON - The U.S. Defense Department is taking a new approach in its battle against Islamist militants around the world - it is moving to expand its press operation. Officials say the goals are to counter terrorist propaganda, to respond more quickly to inaccurate or unfavorable news items and […]

US Official Hails Drop in Illegal Crossings Along Mexico Border 
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration says efforts to secure the U.S. border with Mexico are reducing the flow of illegal aliens into the country. The announcement follows President Bush’s signing of a bill authorizing the construction of 1,100 kilometers of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border.
In May, […]

California Congressman Announces 2008 Presidential Intention 
CAPITOL HILL - As Americans prepare to vote in next week’s legislative election to determine control of Congress, the likely field of candidates for the 2008 presidential contest has grown again. A new name on the list is Duncan Hunter, a Republican from California, who is the first member of […]

A Second Major U.S. Brand - Kentucky Fried Chicken - Makes the Switch to Low-Linolenic Soybean Oil
KFC Decides to Reduce Trans Fat Content With Enhanced Soybean Oil
ST. LOUIS — According to QUALISOY(TM), a soybean industry initiative helping market healthier, more functional soybean products to the food industry, Yum Brands Inc. represents the second major U.S. […]

Burma Army Intensifies Attacks on Karen Civilians and Fires on Displaced People in Hiding 
By Dan Wooding
Founder of ASSIST MinistriesBURMA (ANS) – The continuing Burma Army offensive in Karen State has displaced a further 1,450 people in one valley alone. During the last ten days, 700 people have fled from their homes in the area north […]

Nigeria Airliner Crash Kills At Least 99, Including Muslim Spiritual Leader 
ABUJA - Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo visits Sokoto Monday, to mark the loss of the spiritual leader of Nigerian Muslims and other prominent victims of the country’s latest air crash. 
 
The preliminary investigation suggests human error might be the cause of Sunday’s crash near the Nigerian […]

Pakistani Army Says Raid at Terrorist Training Facility Kills 80 Militants 
ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan military says its gun ship helicopters have destroyed a terror training facility near the border with Afghanistan, killing up to 80 suspected militants.
Officials in Pakistan say Monday’s early morning raid in the Bajaur tribal region targeted an Islamic school, known as […]

Hispanic Voters Are Powerful Political Force in Florida 
MIAMI - Hispanic voters make up about 14 percent of the 11 million eligible voters in the southeastern U.S. state of Florida, a powerful political force courted by both the Republican and Democratic parties. In the November seventh elections, the focus in Florida is on a close race […]

Serbs Approve New Constitution 
BUDAPEST - Serbia has overwhelmingly approved a new constitution that, among other things, declares Kosovo an “integral part” of Serbia, according to preliminary results. Independent observers and officials say that more than 53 percent of the voters cast their ballots, which is enough to make the constitutional referendum valid.  
The Belgrade-based Center for […]

Egypt Moves 5,000 Police to Gaza Border as Israel Protests Arms Smuggling 
JERUSALEM - Egypt has deployed thousands of police on the volatile border with the Palestinian-ruled Gaza Strip.  As Robert Berger reports for VOA from Jerusalem, reports say Israel is considering military action to halt weapons-smuggling from Egypt to militant groups in Gaza.
Egypt moved 5,000 […]

US Official Says Further North Korea Nuclear Tests Probable 
SEOUL - The commander of United States Forces in South Korea says he believes North Korea is likely to conduct further nuclear weapons tests, but that the alliance between Washington and Seoul will remain strong enough to deter any North Korean aggression.
U.S. General Burwell Bell said Monday […]

Nigerian Airliner Crashes Near Abuja
ABUJA - Police are reporting that there has been a passenger jet crash near the Nigerian capital of Abuja. The ADC Airlines flight to Sokoto crashed shortly after take-off after experiencing severe weather conditions. More than 100 passengers were on board, many are feared dead.
An emergency spokesperson has stated that the […]

Two Year ATF (NITRO) Task Force Investigation Ends with 20 Defendants Indicted
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI — The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Special Agent in Charge Michael Boxler, and Bradley J. Schlozman, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, today announced the indictment by a federal grand jury of 20 defendants […]

Serbia Voting On New Constitution
BELGRADE – Voters go to the polls in Serbia today in the first of two days of voting in a referendum on a new constitution.
The government has praised the draft for its consolidation of democracy and rule of law in this country that seeks to join the European Union.
The document also declares […]

Jury Awards $24.2 Million to Boys Injured on Amtrak Tracks
PHILADELPHIA — A Philadelphia federal jury in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania yesterday awarded total damages of $24.2 million against Amtrak and Norfolk Southern for electrical burn injuries suffered on August 10, 2002 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania by two 17-year-old […]

Morongo Tribe Announces $100,000 to Riverside County Arson Reward Fund; Reward Now at $400,000
Tribal Firefighters Working With County and CDF to Bring Esperanza Blaze Under Control
BANNING, CALIFORNIA — Riverside County Supervisor Marion Ashley and Morongo Band of Mission Indians Tribal Chairman Robert Martin announced this afternoon that the Morongo tribe will double Riverside County’s original […]

Nigerian Villagers Continue Protest at Oil Facilities 
ABUJA - In Nigeria, hundreds of villagers are occupying four oil pumping stations in the troubled Niger Delta. The protesters insist on written commitments by Shell oil company to supply jobs to the local population.  The occupation is compounding the crisis in Nigeria’s oil industry.
The invasion has reduced Nigeria’s […]

Clint Eastwood’s New Movie ‘Flags of Our Fathers’ Offers an Unblinking Look at Heroism 
WASHINGTON - Clint Eastwood’s new film ‘Flags of Our Fathers’ — about the battle of Iwo Jima in WWII — highlights the savage fighting between Americans and Japanese on the Pacific island. In doing so, it raises the bar for war movies. 
On […]

US Ready to Help Saudi Arabia Defend Oil Facilities 
WASHINGTON - The United States says it is ready to help Saudi Arabia defend its oil facilities against terrorist threats, following a statement by the British navy asking merchant shippers to be on alert for suspicious vessels or activity in the Persian Gulf region. The U.S. Navy […]

New York Man Enters Guilty Plea to Operating an Interstate Organization Using Children for Prostitution 
WASHINGTON — A New York City man who led an interstate prostitution enterprise including recruiting and prostituting minor girls in several U.S. cites pleaded guilty today in federal court, Assistant Attorney General Alice S. Fisher of the Criminal Division and U.S. […]