VOA标准英语2009年-US Prepared to Give Further Aid to Somali

The State Department's top Africa envoy said Thursday the Obama administration is prepared to provide more military help to Somalia's embattled Transitional Federal Government, the TFG. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton begins a seven-nation Africa

VOA标准英语2009年-Kansas Student, 13, Wins US National Spell

In a crowded ballroom Kavya Shivashankar beat out 10 other finalists to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee on national television. Kavya correctly spelled the word laodicean, meaning lukewarm or indifferent in politics or religion. Kavya who had

VOA标准英语2009年-Jakarta Governor Says City Returning to No

It has been nearly two weeks since suicide bombers attacked two luxury hotels in Indonesia. The blasts killed seven people and injured more than 50, but appears to have had little long-term economic or political impact. The governor of Jakarta said

VOA标准英语2009年-Three Years After Eruption, Victims of Ind

Three years ago, burning gray mud erupted from the earth, in the Sidoarjo region of the Indonesian island of Java. Since then, the mud volcano has forced 12,000 families to flee their homes. A drilling company is accused of triggering the eruption,

VOA标准英语2009年-S. African President to Again Join Zimbabw

South African President Jacob Zuma is making a visit to Zimbabwe to try to unblock outstanding issues of the political agreement that led to a power-sharing government between President Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai. He will aga

VOA标准英语2009年-Afghanistan Conference Draws 80 Countries

Representatives from more than 80 nations, including the United States and Iran, are gathering Tuesday in the Hague for a key conference focusing on Afghanistan at a time when NATO and U.S. forces there are fighting a rising insurgency. The entrance

VOA标准英语2009年-GM Crops Dominate US Farms, but Organic In

By Steve Baragona Washington 29 October 2009 Garden pest As farmers across the United States are bringing in the harvest, silos are filling up with record or near-record quantities of corn and soybeans. To an extent not seen anywhere else in the wor

VOA标准英语2009年-UN Representative Criticizes Australia's A

A U.N. representative says Australia's intervention in dozens of troubled Aboriginal communities is discriminatory and breaches the country's international human-rights obligations. Aboriginals perform in the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games The U.N

VOA标准英语2009年-Burmese Exile Government Urges Washington

A spokesman for the Burmese government in exile has urged Washington not to hastily ease sanctions against Burma's military government. The exile government and rights groups support U.S. engagement with Burma, but they also want pressure for change

VOA标准英语2009年-NATO Chief Urges US Allies to Do More in A

By Vidushi Sinha Washington. 08 October 2009 Anders Fogh Rasmussen (file photo) NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen is urging European member states to contribute more to the Afghan mission. His appeal in Brussels Wednesday comes as the Obama administr

VOA标准英语2009年-South African Team Excels at Under-20 Yout

By Brent Latham Port Said, Egypt 05 October 2009 Honduras forward Roger Rojas (C) tries to keep control of ball as South African defender Ace Bhengu (L) and midfielder Sameehg Doutie (back R) surround him, 4 Oct 2009 The South African national socce

VOA标准英语2009年-Ivory Coast Moves Closer to Elections With

By Anne Look Dakar 07 October 2009 Ivory Coast's electoral commission has officially delivered the provisional voter list to President Laurent Gbagbo, bringing the country a step closer to its long-delayed presidential elections, now scheduled for N

VOA标准英语2009年-Former UN Chief Pressures Kenya on Reforms

By Alan Boswell Nairobi 05 October 2009 Former United Nations chief Kofi Annan met with Kenya's president and prime minister Monday to urge their coalition government to hasten the pace of reforms in the country. Annan served as chief mediator in th

VOA标准英语2009年-Officials Say Somali Piracy is Declining

By David Axe Aboard the USS Donald Cook 07 October 2009 In 2008, Somali pirates captured more than 100 large commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean, provoking a massive international response. Today, some 40 warships patrol Soma

VOA标准英语2009年-Abuses Against Children Persist Despite Ri

By Lisa Schlein Geneva 08 October 2009 Child rights advocates have kicked off more than a month of global activities leading up to the 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Convention, which was adopted by the U.N. Gener

VOA标准英语2009年-Rebel Attacks Advance Deeper into Senegal

By Ricci Shryock Dakar 13 October 2009 Rebel attacks in the Casamance region of Senegal are moving deeper into the interior of the country. This week's most recent violence occurred north of the regional capital of Ziguinchor. Rebels in Senegal's so

VOA标准英语2009年-Aid Groups Call on UN to Protect Civilians

By Selah Hennessy London 13 October 2009 UN peacekeepers (R) pass a Rwandan Hutu rebel (L) as they patrol in FDLR rebel-held territory in eastern Congo (File) Aid groups said Tuesday that the human cost of a UN-backed military operation in the Democ

VOA标准英语2009年-Iranian Opposition Leader Mehdi Karroubi F

By Edward Yeranian Cairo 13 October 2009 Reformist Iranian presidential candidate, Mahdi Karroubi, talks with media during his press conference in Tehran, Iran, 09 Jun 2009 Tehran's prosecutor says an investigation is under way into charges by Irani

VOA标准英语2009年-Pentagon Denies Report of 'Unannounced' Tr

By Al Pessin Pentagon 13 October 2009 The Pentagon says a Washington Post story claiming it is making an unannounced deployment of 13,000 additional troops to Afghanistan is inaccurate. US Soldiers in Afghanistan A Pentagon spokesman, Colonel Dave L

VOA标准英语2009年-Poland Ratifies EU Treaty

By Hilary Heuler Warsaw 10 October 2009 Polish President Lech Kaczynski signs EU's Lisbon Treaty at presidential palace in Warsaw, 10 Oct 2009 Poland has signed the Lisbon Treaty which aims to streamline the workings of the European Union. This leav