VOA标准英语2009年-Gates Says Kyrgyz Base Expulsion Not Final

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday's vote by the Kyrgyz parliament to terminate the U.S. lease on a key air base used for supplying the Afghanistan war is not the last word on the subject, and the United States will continue to try to

VOA标准英语2009年-Violence in Mexican Border Towns Impedes Missin

Mexican President Felipe Calderon's fight against drug trafficking cartels in his country has produced an unprecedented wave of violence, especially in Mexican border cities like Juarez, where more than 1,600 people were murdered last year. There ar

VOA标准英语2009年-India's Broadcasters Adopt New Reporting Guidel

Stung by criticism that their coverage of the Mumbai terror attacks was sensationalistic and endangered rescue operations, India's broadcasters have implemented voluntary guidelines to steer coverage of any future such events. India's broadcasters h

VOA标准英语2009年-Afghanistan: Lessons from Soviet Withdrawal

Twenty years have passed since the Soviet Union ended its disastrous military venture in Afghanistan. Some Soviet veterans were traumatized by the war and refuse to talk about it, others reflect on the experience and draw lessons they say apply to N

VOA标准英语2009年-World Markets Depressed Despite US Stimulus and

Despite Senate passage of its massive stimulus package and the U.S. banking bailout plan announced by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, overseas markets did not react with enthusiasm. A screen showing stock prices at a local bank in Hong Kong, 11

VOA标准英语2009年-US Bank Executives Challenged on Lending, Pledg

Executives of major U.S. banks faced tough questions Wednesday from U.S. lawmakers frustrated by the slow pace of lending by institutions that received federal bail out money. Lawmakers also vented their anger over high salaries and bonuses in the f

VOA标准英语2009年-Obama Promotes US Infrastructure Spending

U.S. President Barack Obama has made his third trip this week to build public support for his plan to stimulate the nation's economy. Mr. Obama visited a road construction project near Washington to make his case for spending more federal funds to r

VOA标准英语2009年-US Lawmakers Demand Details About Bank Bailout

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner returned to the U.S. Congress Wednesday, a day after he announced the Obama administration's plan for continuing efforts to rescue the nation's ailing banking system. He faced lawmakers frustrated that few de

VOA标准英语2009年-Militants Storm Government Buildings in Kabul,

Eight Taliban militants have attacked three government buildings in Kabul, in a brazen daytime assault that killed at least 26 people and wounded dozens of others. One group of attackers barricaded themselves in the Afghan Justice ministry, holding

VOA标准英语2009年-US Lawmakers Announce Agreement on Financial Me

A bipartisan group of House and Senate lawmakers has announced an agreement on a $789 billion measure aimed at helping to jolt the U.S. economy out of recession. Although many Republicans continue to oppose the measure, the deal in a House-Senate co

VOA标准英语2009年-Polls Open in Tight Israeli Election

Security is on the minds of voters in Israel as they cast ballots in national elections, Tuesday. The poll pits hardline former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party against Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni of the ruling centrist Kadima

VOA标准英语2009年-Sarkozy Leads Charge in Europe to Rebuild Ties

French President Nicolas Sarkozy urged European nations to rebuild ties with Iraq during an unannounced visit to that country on Tuesday. Mr. Sarkozy's trip marks the first ever to Iraq by a French leader - and a turnaround in French-Iraqi ties sinc

VOA标准英语2009年-Zimbabwe's PM Designate Morgan Tsvangirai Annou

Zimbabwe's main opposition leader and prime minister-designate, Morgan Tsvangirai, has named Movement for Democratic Change Secretary-General Tendai Biti to be his finance minister. Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of Zimbabwe's main opposition party, addr

VOA标准英语2009年-UN Chief Urges Sudanese President to Cooperate

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir should cooperate fully with whatever decision the International Criminal Court, or ICC, issues regarding his case and ensure the safety of civilians and U.N. peacekeepers in S

VOA标准英语2009年-US Treasury Secretary Unveils Plan to Unfreeze

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner on Tuesday unveiled the Obama administration's plan to remove bad debts from the banking system and restore the confidence needed for normal lending to resume. The new effort likely will cost a huge sum of ta

VOA标准英语2009年-Clinton Says US Could 'Reconsider' European Mis

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says the Obama administration might reconsider plans for a missile defense system in Europe, if Iran stopped what U.S. officials believe is a drive for nuclear weapons. Clinton met with Czech Republic Foreign Minis

VOA标准英语2009年-Israel in Political Limbo As Livni, Netanyahu E

Israel has been plunged into political uncertainty following Tuesday's national elections in which hardliner Benjamin Netanyahu and centrist Tzipi Livni are each claiming victory for their parties. With 99 percent of the vote counted, Livni's Kadima

VOA标准英语2009年-Zimbabwe's PM Asks for Bennett's Immediate Rele

Zimbabwe's newly-nominated deputy agricultural minister, Movement for Democratic Change party treasurer Roy Bennett, is being held on charges of attempting to acquire weapons. Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai says Bennett's arrest was politically mo

VOA标准英语2009年-Obama Signs Economic Stimulus Bill into Law

U.S. President Barack Obama signed into law Tuesday the biggest economic stimulus plan in the nation's history. The almost $800 billion in government spending and tax cuts is designed to get America's economy back on track. President Barack Obama si

VOA标准英语2009年-Israel Pounds Gaza Smuggling Tunnels After More

Israeli warplanes have attacked smuggling tunnels between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, after militants in Gaza fired at least two rockets into southern Israel. The tit-for-tat violence is further complicating prospects to draft a truce between Israel a