WASHINGTON - U.S. authorities are easing requirements for background checks for some immigrants hoping to become permanent U.S. residents.The change is expected to help ease a huge backlog of green card (residence visa) applications.
Under the new policy, officials will be able to approve otherwise qualified applicants if they have been waiting for a name check […]

SYDNEY - Australia is preparing to issue its first formal apology for past mistreatment of the country’s Aboriginal people.   The declaration by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will be the first act of the new government when the Australian parliament reopens in Canberra on February 13.  It will acknowledge injustices suffered by Aborigines in the years […]

WASHINGTON - Finland’s Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva said Monday most European Union member countries are prepared to recognize Kosovo’s independence from Serbia.
Fresh from a visit to Kosovo, Kanerva said Kosovo is likely to declare independence very soon.
“So, in a way the moment has come,” said Ilkka Kanerva.
Diplomats say the Kosovo is likely to declare independence […]

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Justice Department has announced arrests in two cases involving Chinese espionage, one of which involved secrets related to America’s space shuttle program.
Stating that foreign spying remains a serious threat to the United States in the post-Cold War era, the Justice Department detailed charges against four suspects in two separate cases.
The first […]

WHITE HOUSE - President Bush says the fundamentals of the U.S. economy are strong, but admits the nation is currently in a period of economic uncertainty. The president says the stimulus package he will sign into law Wednesday will provide a much needed boost.
The president says the $152 billion stimulus package of tax rebates and […]

ISLAMABAD - Pakistani security forces say they have captured and wounded a prominent Taliban commander and five other militants after a shootout near the border with Afghanistan. 
Pakistan Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told VOA Mullah Mansoor Dadullah along with the other Taliban militants were caught entering Pakistan from Afghanistan at paramilitary check post in […]

JERUSALEM - For the first time in a decade there is a new accurate census of Palestinians living in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
The new census says the Palestinian population surveyed has grown by about 30 percent in the past 10 years, up from 2.89 million people to 3.76 million.
The census […]

WASHINGTON - The U.S. government has announced murder and war crimes charges against six suspects in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States.
A U.S. military prosecutor said military officials want the six tried together and are seeking the death penalty for all six.  A military judge will now review the evidence and […]

WASHINGTON - U.S. Representative Tom Lantos, the only Holocaust survivor elected to the U.S. Congress, has died. He was 80 years old.His spokeswoman made the announcement Monday morning.
His death comes a month after he said he would not seek re-election after being diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus.
The California Democrat was elected to Congress in […]

WASHINGTON - Veteran jazz pianist Herbie Hancock has won the album of the year prize at the 50th Annual Grammy Awards.Hancock’s album - “River: The Joni Letters” is a tribute to singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell.
Hancock said in his acceptance speech Sunday in the U.S. city of Los Angeles that it had been 43 years since a […]

HONG KONG - East Timor’s president, Jose Ramos-Horta, is in serious condition hours after a daring assassination attempt that shocked his tiny Southeast Asian nation. Security has been tightened throughout the country and Australia is sending more peacekeepers.
President Ramos-Horta was airlifted to the northern Australian city of Darwin Monday for emergency medical treatment after rebel […]

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Barack Obama has taken the lead oven Senator Hillary Clinton in early returns from the Democratic Party presidential caucus in Maine.
Sunday evening, with 59 percent of the polling places reporting, Obama led Clinton 57 percent to 42 percent.
Clinton and Obama are competing in a closely-matched contest to represent their party in […]

WASHINGTON - President Bush says he does not envision permanent U.S. military bases in Iraq, but does want the United States to maintain a troop presence long enough to guarantee that democracy takes hold in the country. Mr. Bush’s comments on U.S. television come during a heated campaign season in which Democrats are pledging to […]

WHITE HOUSE - President Bush will approve more than $150 billion in tax rebates Monday as part of a plan to stimulate the U.S. economy. Opposition Democrats say more action is needed to help poorer Americans.
President Bush is accepting Senate changes to a stimulus package he previously agreed to with the House of Representatives.
The White […]

WASHINGTON - While much attention is being focused on Kenya’s political turmoil, the situation in neighboring Somalia has gotten worse in recent weeks. The violence continues on a daily basis and more people are being displaced.
Dawn Blalock is a spokesperson for OCHA-Somalia, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. From Nairobi, she spoke […]

WASHINGTON - A senior U.S. congressional aide and two other Americans will travel to North Korea next week to discuss ongoing efforts to disable the country’s nuclear weapons program.
Keith Luse, an aide to Senator Richard Lugar, tells VOA Korean Service that they will meet with North Korean officials during the five-day visit. But complete details […]

LONDON - There has been no shortage of dire predictions recently of the potentially disastrous consequences if NATO does not pull together to put more troops and equipment on the ground in Afghanistan. Senior U.S. officials have traveled to Europe and Afghanistan to shore up support, NATO ministers have been meeting to discuss the issue […]

WHITE HOUSE - President Bush has toured areas of the south-central United States hit by a series of tornadoes this week. The storms killed at least 57 people and ripped apart houses throughout the area.
The killer storms devastated parts of Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Alabama. Worst hit was Tennessee, where President Bush first surveyed the […]

JERUSALEM - Palestinian militants have stepped up rocket attacks against Israel after a tightening of Israeli sanctions on the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip.
Palestinian militants fired more than 20 rockets at Israel, hours after Israel cut electricity supplies to Gaza by about one percent. It was the first time that Israel reduced electricity from one of its […]

CAPITOL HILL - The U.S. Senate Thursday passed a package of tax rebates for millions of Americans and business tax cuts aimed at reviving the sluggish economy. The measure now goes to the House of Representatives for final approval and then to President Bush for his signature.
The 81 to 16 vote came after Senate Democrats […]

WASHINGTON - Forty kilometers west of Washington - in the southeastern U.S. state of Virginia - sits the headquarters of the National Rifle Association, or NRA. It is a non-profit research and advocacy group dedicated to promoting the interests of America’s gun owners. Collecting and preserving firearms - and keeping track of significant events in […]

WHITE HOUSE - President Bush joined with foreign dignitaries, business leaders, and officials from throughout the U.S. government early Thursday for the annual National Prayer Breakfast in Washington.  
This was not an event for pronouncements of policy.  Instead, it was a time for quiet prayer.
“We have a lot of distinguished guests here today - members of […]

WASHINGTON - Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney has dropped his bid for the Republican nomination to the U.S. presidency.Romney made the announcement in Washington Thursday, two days after winning some states in Super Tuesday voting, but not enough to gain on rival John McCain.
He said if he continues to compete with McCain, he would forestall […]

WASHINGTON - In the U.S. presidential race, Democrats are preparing for a long battle to select their party nominee for the White House.  In the Republican race, Senator John McCain has claimed the mantle of frontrunner one day after the busiest day of voting so far in the presidential election cycle. 
The day after the so-called […]

ISTANBUL - Turkey’s Islamic-rooted ruling Justice and Development party has won the first of two votes in parliament to change the country’s constitution to lift a ban on the wearing of religious headscarves at universities. The move is proving deeply controversial with opponents of the reform who argue it threatens the secular foundation of Turkey.
In […]