SYDNEY - A series of tsunamis has caused widespread death and destruction in the South Pacific. The waves were triggered by a powerful deep sea earthquake between Samoa and American Samoa. Scores of people are reported to have been killed.
Each hour brings more reports of loss of life and immense damage to what is normally […]
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate Finance Committee has rejected the inclusion of a government-run insurance option in legislation aimed at reforming the nation’s health care system.
After hours of debate, the committee Tuesday voted against amendments proposed by Democratic Senators Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia and Charles Schumer of New York to include a public option.
Supporters […]
UNITED NATIONS - Afghanistan’s foreign minister told the United Nations General Assembly that his government welcomes the assessment from the U.S. and NATO commander in his country that more troops are needed to fight the Taliban.
Meanwhile, as the annual debate continued on Monday, ousted Honduran President Manuel Zelaya addressed delegates by mobile telephone from the […]
WASHINGTON - U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates denied Sunday that a rift exists between the Obama administration and America’s military commanders on how to proceed in Afghanistan. The secretary’s remarks came after a report by the U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan calling for additional troops was leaked to the news media last week.
Army General […]
JERUSALEM - Israelis and Palestinians clashed Sunday at a Jerusalem shrine ahead of a Jewish High Holy Day. Police say nine Israeli police officers and more than a dozen Palestinians were injured.
Israeli police clashed with Palestinians at a disputed holy place in Jerusalem’s Old City, which is revered by both Jews and Muslims.
Police used stun […]
NEW YORK - William Safire, the renowned wordsmith and conservative political pundit has died of pancreatic cancer in a Rockville, Maryland hospice at the age of 79.
William Safire was most famous for having been former U.S. President Richard Nixon’s speechwriter, and for the three decades’ worth of influential conservative columns he penned for the liberal […]
WASHINGTON - Republicans criticized various proposals as being too costly, say proposals allow government to be overly intrusive.
U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson is criticizing the latest proposals for health care reform.
In the weekly radio and Internet address by the minority Republican Party, Isakson says the proposal comes without “open, honest and bipartisan debate” and does not […]
NEW YORK - Four hundred years ago this month, Henry Hudson, looking for a sea route to Asia, sailed into what is now New York Harbor. His arrival is celebrated as the beginning of Dutch settlement in North America. A few years later, Dutch traders established New Amsterdam to trade animal furs with local Indians. […]
PENTAGON - The top U.S. military officer has received the eagerly awaited detailed troop request from the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, as the Obama administration continues a top-level review of its strategy.
A military official tells VOA the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, traveled to Germany Friday for […]
WASHINGTON - A recorded message attributed to al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden calls on Europeans to end their alliance with the United States and pull their troops out of Afghanistan.
The audio message, with English and German subtitles, threatens retaliation against Europeans unless they withdraw their troops. It was posted on Internet sites two days before […]
WASHINGTON - The youth wing of South Africa’s ruling party has demanded a thorough investigation into threats against the U.S. Embassy ahead of Friday’s re-opening.
The African National Congress Youth League said it places confidence in the cooperation of Pretoria and Washington to ascertain the perpetrators of the threat.
An undisclosed security threat led to the closing […]
BEIRUT - Lebanon’s Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri on Thursday launched talks with the country’s various political parties in his second bid to form a coalition government since a June election.
Hariri, who met with parliament speaker and opposition Amal party leader Nabih Berri, was reappointed as prime minister last week, days after resigning. He left his […]
WASHINGTON - Diplomats say Iran has revealed the existence of a second uranium enrichment plant.
The diplomats say Iran sent a letter to the United Nations nuclear watchdog earlier this week disclosing the existence of the second plant.
Western nations accuse Iran of enriching uranium in order to produce a nuclear weapon. The U.N. Security Council has […]
PENTAGON - The commander of all U.S. forces in the Middle East and Central Asia, who was also the architect of the Iraq turnaround two years ago, has endorsed the grim assessment by the U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, and General David Petraeus says the only way to fight terrorism is to take the […]
WASHINGTON - The U.S. central bank is leaving interest rates unchanged amid a modest increase in economic activity. The Federal Reserve concludes a closely-watched two-day policy meeting on Wednesday.
In a statement, the central bank said U.S. economic activity has picked up following a severe downturn, but remains weak. As a result, the Federal Reserve says […]
CAPITOL HILL - Two U.S. senators are citing a report by a bipartisan panel that warns of the threat of a terrorist attack with weapons of mass destruction. Senators Joseph Lieberman and Susan Collins say a biological attack is more likely than a nuclear or chemical attack, and are pushing new legislation to boost the […]
GENEVA - United Nations agencies say Guatemala is facing the worst drought in 30 years. They report some 2.5 million people in 21 provinces are affected and in need of urgent food assistance.
The effects of the weather phenomenon known as El Nino have extended the dry spell in Guatemala, triggering a food crisis in the […]
WASHINGTON - A report from the new U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan says there is an urgent need for more foreign troops and civilians, more Afghan forces and a new strategic approach to reverse Taliban gains.
The frank and mostly gloomy assessment by U.S. Army General Stanley McChrystal is still officially secret, but the Washington […]
WASHINGTON - The top U.S. and NATO military commander in Afghanistan is warning that the mission “will likely result in failure” if more troops are not sent within the next year.
The New York Times and The Washington Post published portions of a confidential assessment made by General Stanley McChrystal on their Web sites Monday. The […]
WASHINGTON - Republicans say the Obama administration’s efforts to overhaul the U.S. health-care system will create a government run system similar to that of Canada or Britain.
In the Republican’s weekly national radio and Internet address, U.S. Representative Sue Myrick of North Carolina warned the Democratic-backed health-care reform bill currently in Congress will lead to delays […]
BANGKOK - Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung says his government will not accept demands from the Vatican to return confiscated properties to the Catholic Church in Vietnam. Mr Dung made the comments in Budapest Friday, following trade talks with his Hungarian counterpart Gordon Bajnai.
Answering questions from VOA News, Prime Minister Dung defended Vietnam’s policy […]
ISTANBUL - Iraq and Turkey have reached water, energy and trade agreements at the inaugural meeting of a new strategic cooperation council. Senior ministers from both countries have been meeting in Istanbul for two days.
Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said the council had created a new model of cooperation for the two countries.
Analysts say […]
WASHINGTON - Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says U.S. Middle East envoy George Mitchell’s failure to get Israel to freeze settlement building in the occupied West Bank means peace talks are on hold
Mr. Abbas spoke after discussions Saturday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo.
His remarks came a day after Mitchell left the region unable to […]
WASHINGTON - Mary Travers, the glamorous blond who sang into the middle microphone with folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary, died September 16 at 72 after a long battle with leukemia.
Born in 1936, Mary Travers was two years old when her parents moved the family from Kentucky to Greenwich Village in New York City. […]
