VOA标准英语2009年-Afghanistan Tries to Assure Voters About A

Afghanistan's government is trying to assure voters that adequate security is in place for Thursday's national election. The Taliban vow to disrupt the process by attacking polling stations and retaliating against those who dare to vote. In Kabul, t

VOA标准英语2009年-Nobel Laureate Former S. Korean President

Former South Korean President Kim Dae-jung has died in Seoul at the age of 85. He had been hospitalized since last month for pneumonia. Mr. Kim was credited with ushering a new era of reconciliation with wartime enemy North Korea. His own life story

VOA标准英语2009年-Pakistan Arrests Top Taliban Aide

Authorities in Pakistan say they have captured the chief spokesman for Taliban insurgents along with two companions in a tribal region bordering Afghanistan. The arrest comes nearly two weeks after a suspected U.S missile strike is believed to have

VOA标准英语2009年-US Lawmaker Arrives in Burma to Meet Top M

U.S. Senator Jim Webb has arrived in Burma's administrative capital for talks with the country's military leaders. The Democrat senator from Virginia will be the first high-ranking U.S. official to meet with General Than Shwe. Senator Jim Webb The v

VOA标准英语2009年-US Senator: Burma Denies Nuclear Plans

U.S. Senator Jim Webb, who recently held talks with Burma's military leaders, says the government denies reports that it is trying to acquire nuclear technology. The senator also says Burma's opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi has indicated a willin

VOA标准英语2009年-Discovery of Possible Drug Labs Leads to C

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, along with INTERPOL and the government of Guinea, recently discovered four sites where they believe drugs such as heroin, cocaine and ecstasy could have been processed and manufactured in Conakry. These

VOA标准英语2009年-Second Term for US Fed Chairman

U.S. President Barack Obama has announced he plans to appoint the chairman of the nation's central bank, the Federal Reserve, to a second term. The president says Fed chief Ben Bernanke has helped to prevent a deeper recession or a depression. Presi

VOA标准英语2009年-Tajikistan Considers Russian Language Ban

Tajikistan is considering a bill that would prohibit the use of Russian by government agencies in the former Soviet republic. Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon is urging lawmakers in the Central Asian country to speed passage of the measure, which som

VOA标准英语2009年-Indonesian Airlines Welcome Access to Euro

The European Commission has partially lifted a ban on Indonesian airlines entering European air space. The ban was issued two years ago after the International Civil Aviation Authority identified 121 safety problems with Indonesian airlines. Police

VOA标准英语2009年-Lawless Atmosphere Cited in Death of Russi

Russian activists are blaming Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for maintaining a climate that resulted in Wednesday's murder in the Caucasus of journalist Natalya Estemirova. Her colleagues from the Memorial human rights organization and other groups t

VOA标准英语2009年-Fear Supports Russian Culture of Impunity

Russia's Memorial human rights organization has suspended its activities in Chechnya following last week's murder of its local representative, journalist Natalya Estemirova. Human rights activists have blamed Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and Presid

VOA标准英语2009年-Honduran Economy in Peril From Political C

The forced removal of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya by his country's military on June 28 has left the Central American nation in a state of political turmoil. Already one of the poorest nations in the world, Honduras is now facing an even greater

VOA标准英语2009年-Election Underscores Splits Among Iranian

The disputed Iranian presidential election has highlighted the divide in Iran's clerical establishment. Conservative religious scholars welcomed the re-election of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, while reformist religious figures have criticized the

VOA标准英语2009年-Demonstrations, Counter Protests Expected

Both the interim government of Honduras and supporters of ousted President Manuel Zelaya plan demonstrations for Tuesday in the Central American nation's capital, Tegucigalpa. This follows a shooting incident on Sunday in which at least one person d

VOA标准英语2009年-Implementing 'Smart Power' in Afghanistan

By David Axe Wardak Province, Afghanistan 16 September 2009 Analysts and policy makers call it smart power -- a seamless blend of investment, good deeds and military force that is intended to win friends while targeting enemies in war. In 2007, the

VOA标准英语2009年-Emboldened Al-Shabab Warns Djibouti Not to

By Alan Boswell Nairobi 18 September 2009 Black smoke rises from inside AMISOM base in Mogadishu after two powerful explosions rip through AU peacekeepers force commander building in Somalia, 17 Sep 2009 A day after a brazen suicide attack in the Af

VOA标准英语2009年-Debate Over Media Freedoms Emerges in Russ

By Peter Fedynsky Moscow 18 September 2009 Russian President Dmitri Medvedev (f) and Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin (b) Two recent high-profile articles are making news in Russia this month; one is a frank and widely distributed assessment t

VOA标准英语2009年-In Mombasa, A Unique Program Helps People

By Cathy Majtenyi Nairobi 17 September 2009 Low-income Kenyans living with HIV/AIDS face a range of challenges. In the Catholic Diocese of Mombasa on Kenya's coast, people affected by AIDS have formed groups that enable members to increase their inc

VOA标准英语2009年-Zimbabwe Accord Anniversary Marked

Tuesday is the first anniversary of the deal that brought about Zimbabwe's national unity government, known as the Global Political Agreement. Most Zimbabweans, who believed it would end years of political strife and suffering caused by a collapsing

VOA标准英语2009年-African Parliamentarians in Niger to Asses

Members of the Pan-African Parliament are in Niger for separate talks with President Mamdou Tandja and his political opponents concerning the referendum that has extended the president's time in office. African parliamentarians are in Niger to asses