VOA标准英语2009年-Drugmaker Merck to Buy Rival Schering-Plough fo

U.S. pharmaceutical giant Merck announced on Monday that it plans to acquire rival company Schering-Plough in a deal worth $41.1 billion. This could help Merck expand its market overseas at a critical time for mega pharmaceutical companies. Merck Co

VOA标准英语2009年-Obama Economic Team has Wide-Ranging Assessment

Economic aides to President Barack Obama are offering varying assessments of where the U.S. economy stands two months into the new administration. Leaders of Mr. Obama's economic team took to the airwaves Sunday. New York Stock Exchange Last week sa

VOA标准英语2009年-Pakistan Protests Turn Violent in Lahore

Pakistani police clashed in Lahore with protesters opposing the country's year-old government, in the most violent demonstrations yet in a five-day standoff. Authorities at first tried to disperse protesters and arrest top leaders, but as thousands

VOA标准英语2009年-North Korea Notifies World Agencies of Satellit

North Korea has told international agencies it will conduct its planned launch of what Pyongyang says is a satellite in early April. North Korea's launch of a long-range rocket became all but inevitable as Pyongyang informed international agencies i

VOA标准英语2009年-NATO, Russia Revive Dialogue

Foreign ministers from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, have recently agreed to resume ties with Russia that were suspended in August as a result of Moscow's five-day war with Georgia. The NATO/Russia Council was created in 2002 as a

VOA标准英语2009年-Iraqi Leader on Historic Visit to Australia

Security and trade have been the focus of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki's visit to Australia. It is the first time an Iraqi leader has made an official trip to Australia, a country which supported the American-led campaign to oust Saddam Huss

VOA标准英语2009年-Flood-Resistant Rice Aids Farmers in South Asia

Most rice grows in wet environments, but too much water can be disastrous for rice crops. Plant biologist Pamela Ronald helped create a type of flood-resistant rice that is being introduced to India and Bangladesh. In Davis, California, we spoke wit

VOA标准英语2009年-Climate Change Conference Warns of Accelerating

Some of the world's top scientists are wrapping up a three-day, climate-change meeting in Copenhagen with a grim warning that global warming is arriving faster than previously expected. The Copenhagen meeting drew about 2,000 scientists from around

VOA标准英语2009年-Somali Prates Slowed, But Not Stopped by Intern

The International Maritime Bureau said the international anti-piracy campaign off the coast of Somalia has reduced the number of successful ship hijackings this year. Suspected pirates wait in Mombassa, Kenya on 10 Mar 2009 after being handed over t

VOA标准英语2009年-Pakistani Opposition, Lawyers Launch Protest De

Demonstrators in Pakistan have defied a government ban on rallies to embark on a protest convoy to the capital. Hundreds of protesters set out from two southern cities, but police arrested dozens of people throughout the day, including some organize

VOA标准英语2009年-US Seeks to 'Head Off' North Korean Missile Tes

The U.S. State Department said Thursday that the United States is working to dissuade North Korea from going ahead with its plan to launch a satellite next month. U.S. officials say the launch is a disguised long-range missile test and would be dest

VOA标准英语2009年-Madoff Pleads Guilty to $65 Billion Investment

New York financier Bernard Madoff was jailed Thursday after pleading guilty to bilking investors out of an estimated $64.8 billion - the largest financial scam in U.S. history. Madoff now faces up to 150 years in prison. But investors who lost their

VOA标准英语2009年-UN Chief Calls for Release of Kidnapped Aid Wor

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he is deeply concerned over the abductions of three aid workers in Sudan and is calling for their immediate release without harm. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon (file) U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said

VOA标准英语2009年-Military Leaders Back Obama's Iraq Plan

America's top military leaders say they back President Barack Obama's plan to drawdown U.S. forces in Iraq. They indicated in broadcast interviews they are fairly confident the plan will move forward on schedule. President Obama's broadcast address,

VOA标准英语2009年-Bangladesh Border Guards Returning to Post Afte

Hundreds of paramilitary soldiers have returned to their barracks in Dhaka. Many claim they were not involved in the mutiny at the headquarters of the Bangladesh Rifles, but fled the violence that is believed to have left more than 100 of their comm

VOA标准英语2009年-World Stock Markets Plunge Again on Latest Econ

World shares tumbled Monday as the recession worsened in the U.S. and more bad international corporate news was released. In London, banking giant HSBC Holdings announced it was seeking to raise nearly $18 billion from investors and British Prime Mi

VOA标准英语2009年-Hillary Clinton Begins First Foray Into Israel-

Hillary Clinton has arrived in Israel, beginning her first foray into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as the new U.S. secretary of state. The top U.S. diplomat landed in Tel Aviv late Monday from Egypt, where she attended a donors' conference that

VOA标准英语2009年-Guinea-Bissau President Assassinated

Military leaders in Guinea-Bissau said they will respect constitutional order after mutinous soldiers killed President Joao Bernardo Vieira early Monday. Soldiers loyal to the slain army chief attacked the presidential palace, killing President Viei

VOA标准英语2009年-Donor's Pledge $4.48 Billion in New Gaza Aid

Representatives from donor nations meeting in Egypt have pledged more than $4.4 billion in new aid to help rebuild the war-torn Gaza Strip after the recent conflict between Israel and Hamas. A general view of the opening session of the international

VOA标准英语2009年-Pentagon: Pakistani Intelligence Still Hel

The top U.S. military officer says there are indications Pakistan's intelligence service is still helping al-Qaida and Taliban militants in the country's tribal areas, along the Afghan border, and he says that must change. And another senior U.S. of