VOA标准英语2009-India Reacts Calmly to Flu Pandemic Alert

India's government health officials say despite the designation of a global pandemic for the H1N1 virus there is no cause for alarm in the world's second most populous country. India has confirmed 16 cases of swine flu in humans and there have been

VOA标准英语2009-India Proposes to Phase Troops Out of Towns

India says it plans to phase out troops deployed in counter-insurgency operations in parts of India-controlled Kashmir, leaving them to battle insurgents in border areas. India's home minister reviewed security during a two day visit to the restive

VOA标准英语2009-S. African Officials Outline Extensive Secur

South African officials have assured the public that extensive security measures have been put in place to provide security during the football (soccer) Confederations Cup which kicks off on Sunday. Police officers and citizens cross a street in fro

VOA标准英语2009-NATO Agrees to Restructuring of Military Com

NATO ministers meeting in the Belgian capital have thrown their weight behind a U.S. plan to reorganize the military command in Afghanistan, to better handle an influx of new troops. A general view of NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels, 12

VOA标准英语2009-Anti-Taliban Islamic Scholar Among Those Kil

Suicide bombers struck two cities in Pakistan within minutes of each other Friday, killing at least five people and wounding more than 100. Among the dead is a prominent Islamic scholar who openly supported the military campaign against Taliban mili

VOA标准英语2009-Obama Says Iran's 'Robust' Election Debate H

President Barack Obama said Friday he's hopeful the robust political debate in Iran in connection with its presidential election will advance prospects for U.S.-Iranian engagement. Administration officials say plans to engage Tehran will go forward

VOA标准英语2009-West Bank Jewish Settlements Pose Obstacle t

Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank - home to about 300,000 Israelis - are a crucial issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and one that threatens to derail prospects for peace. U.S. President Barack Obama, in his speech to the Muslim wo

VOA标准英语2009-Guinea-Bissau Election Campaign Enters Final

Presidential candidates in Guinea-Bissau are campaigning hard across the country ahead of Sunday's vote. Eleven candidates are running to succeed long-time President Joao Bernardo Vieira, who was killed in March. Crowds cheer at rally for ruling par

VOA标准英语2009-US Embassy in Sudan Warns of Terror Threat

The U.S. embassy in Sudan is warning of a threat by Islamist extremists to attack the Sudanese government as well as Western interests. A statement on the U.S. embassy website warned that a post on a radical Islamist website threatened an attack on

VOA标准英语2009-Suicide Bombings Increase in Somalia

Last week, a top Somali government minister was killed in a suicide bombing claimed by al-Shabab militants opposed to the government. It was the latest of about a dozen al-Shabab-related suicide attacks that have rocked Somalia for the past three ye

VOA标准英语2009-OECD Looks for Global Economic Growth in 201

The Paris-based Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development has offered its most positive forecast in months on the world economy, saying 2010 is likely to usher in modest growth. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development di

VOA标准英语2009-Iran's Supreme Leader: Nation Will Not Yield

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says he is not prepared to back down, under pressure, over Iran's disputed June 12 presidential election. Scattered reports also say that Iranian riot police have fired teargas to disperse a planned oppos

VOA标准英语2009-Refugees Leave Chad for US

A group of 11 refugees left the Chadian capital N'Djamena by air on Sunday to be resettled in the United States. The group is comprised of seven urban refugees from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, three urban Sudanese refugees and one person f

VOA标准英语2009-Insurgent Court in Somalia Delays Amputation

A court under the control of a Somali Islamist insurgent group al-Shabab has ordered four young men suspected of stealing guns and mobile phones to have a hand and a leg amputated, but the punishment was postphoned. An al-Shabab spokesman told the A

VOA标准英语2009-US Reaffirms Backing for Georgian Territoria

The Obama administration on Monday reaffirmed support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity while it pursues better relations with Russia - Georgia's adversary in last year's military conflict. The White House says Vice President Joe B

VOA标准英语2009-'Elephant Odyssey' Links Modern Animals to A

Visitors to the California city of San Diego can enter a world of elephants, jaguars, camels and other modern animals whose distant cousins lived in North America. The San Diego Zoo's Elephant Odyssey is a new exhibit that shows the links between an

VOA标准英语2009-Gates Calls on Persian Gulf States to Help M

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates called on Persian Gulf States and other Middle Eastern powers Tuesday to do more to help stabilize Iraq and Afghanistan, and to work together to counter Iranian influence. Gates spoke in Washington to a gathering

VOA标准英语2009-US Lawmakers React to Obama Statement on Ira

President Obama's latest remarks on Iran, in which he said the U.S. and the world are appalled and outraged by the Iranian government's crackdown on dissent, have met with praise but also some continuing criticism from members of Congress. The situa

VOA标准英语2009-Electoral Officials Distributing Ballots for

Electoral officials in Guinea Bissau are distributing voting materials ahead of Sunday's presidential election. Eleven candidates are running to succeed long-time President Joao Bernardo Vieira who was killed in March. Campaign workers load boxes of

VOA标准英语2009-Madagascar Reacts Coolly to Call for Talks O

Madagascar's transitional authority has given a cool response to a call by Southern African leaders to speed up negotiations aimed at ending its three month-old political crisis. Political stalemate Madagascar's political stalemate appeared no close