Rondi Charleston Tests Uncharted Territory on Latest Album

Rondi Charleston comes from a long line of singers and songwriters, dating back to her great-grandmother toiling on the Great Plains in the 1800s. Rondi's musical influences come together on her latest album, Who Knows Where The Time Goes. Like the r

VOA标准英语2011--In Japanese Port Town, Hope Rises Amid D

Japan's prime minister has vowed to rebuild the nation from scratch as estimates of the cost of last week's earthquake and tsunami reach upward of $120 billion. The massive wave wiped out a whole swathe of coastline, taking with it factories, farms,

VOA标准英语2011--Aristide Arrives in Haiti

Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide has arrived Haiti after leaving South Africa late Thursday. Aristide said ending seven years exile in the southern African country was a great day. The media briefing at Oliver Tambo airport shortly bef

Experts: Japan’s Nuclear Problems Could Greatly Affect Glob

Experts and diplomats are predicting Japan's recent deadly earthquake and tsunami, along with its ongoing nuclear reactor crisis, will not have too much of an effect on Japan itself in the long-term, but rather on energy policies in other countries.

VOA标准英语2011--Farm Products Contaminated Near Japanese

Japan has confirmed radiation contamination of some agricultural products near a nuclear power plant crippled by last week's earthquake and tsunami that is still spewing radiation. In what is likely to deal a heavy blow to agriculture in the Tohoku r

VOA标准英语2011--Many Residents from Japan Flee to US

The nuclear crisis in Japan are causing many Japanese and Americans living there to seek a safe haven with their family and friends in the U.S. Some of them say they are not returning to their homeland until it is safe to do so. Elizabeth Lee spoke t

VOA标准英语2011--Obama Hails Democracy, Social Progress i

Nearing the end of his two day stay in Brazil, President Barack Obama has spoken about values he says connect the people of the hemisphere's two largest democracies, and people striving for change around the world. After spending the first day of his

VOA标准英语2011--Natural Spectacle Blooms in Texas

Spring has just sprung in the Northern Hemisphere, and that means an annual natural spectacular is just a couple of weeks away, deep in the heart of Texas. There are no other natural wonders in the rugged Texas Hill Country. No awe-inspiring canyons,

VOA标准英语2011--Better Labs, Better Health Care in Afric

A new organization aims to sharply improve the quality of African laboratories, allowing health professionals to better track, treat and test for diseases. It's called the African Society for Laboratory Medicine, or ASLM. A new organization aims to s

Coalition Fires More Missiles at Libyan Targets, Expands No-

A top U.S. military official said the multinational coalition enforcing the no-fly zone over Libya has fired 12 Tomahawk missiles and flew nearly 80 sorties on Monday. The U.S. commander in Africa, General Carter Ham, told reporters Monday that the T

VOA标准英语2011--Kenya Women's Groups Want More Female Ju

Women's groups in Kenya are calling for the government to appoint at least one woman to fill the country's top judicial positions. The Kenyan president in late January announced nominations for the positions, but withdrew the names following a ruling

VOA标准英语2011--G8 Backs Away From Libya 'No-Fly' Zone

France failed Tuesday to get support for a no-fly zone over Libya from the Group of Eight nations meeting in Paris. A two-day meeting of the G8 foreign ministers ended without agreement on establishing a no-fly zone against Libya, with reservations e

Jailed Cameroonian Musician Fights for Freedom of Expression

One of Cameroon's best known and most controversial musicians, Lapiro de Mbanga, is spending this year's fifth annual International Music Freedom Day at a Douala courthouse not far from his jail cell. Lapiro is citing wrongful imprisonment for a song

Police Arrest Zimbabwe Energy Minister Again, Restrict Polit

ZANU-PF aligned Zimbabwe police officers have arrested the country's energy minister, and all but banned political activities such as rallies by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), while allowing those organized by President Robert Mugabe's ZAN

VOA标准英语2011--Discovery Crew Experiences a First in Or

The space shuttle Discovery's crew experienced a first on the shuttle's last full day in orbit. Our correspondent reports on the astronauts' welcome wake-up call Tuesday morning. If you have to wake up for work, an acoustic solo certainly beats a buz

VOA标准英语2011--Putting a Price on Your Church's Service

Religious congregations help the homeless, provide counseling, offer spiritual guidance and celebrate life cycle events. Churches and synagogues have played these roles for hundreds of generations. But for the first time, a new study has put an econo

VOA标准英语2011--Closing Gender Gap Could Boost World Foo

Food prices continue to rise, threatening to push more and more people into poverty and hunger. A new report from the UN food agency says one of the best ways to boost agricultural productivity worldwide would be to remove the barriers women farmers

VOA标准英语2011--Classic Romance 'Jane Eyre' Gets New Mak

One of the world's most popular romantic novels, first published in 1847, has been made into more than 25 feature films and television adaptations. The latest to take on the Charlotte Bronte classicJane Eyre is American director Cary Joji Fukunaga wi

Oxfam: Ghana's New Oil Law Leaves Room for Financial Mistake

xfam says Ghana's new oil law will not protect it from making the same financial mistakes as established oil producers such as Angola and Nigeria. The Petrol Revenue Management Bill that Ghana's parliament ratified on March 2 is to regulate how the c

Unorthodox Attorney Defends Hero Who May Be a Villian in 'Th

Matthew McConaughey stars in a new legal drama as a defense attorney with a case that could make him a star or end his career. It's adapted from a novel by Michael Connelly who praises the film version as true to the spirit of his best seller. Here's