Tight, Negative US Presidential Campaign Expected: Analysts 

Less than six months before the U.S. presidential election, new polls show a deadlocked race between President Barack Obama and his expected Republican opponent, former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. The intense verbal jousting between the Obama and Romney campaigns has begun early and political analysts predict a long and largely negative campaign between now and November. Frank Newport is a pollster with one of the most respected monitors of U.S. public opinion, the Gallup ...

Montana Man's Not too Old to Clown Around 

'Creeky' Creekmore, 95, makes Guinness Book of World Records

UNESCO: Warns Heritage Sites in Mali, Arab World at Risk 

UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations cultural organization, UNESCO , warns that world heritage sites in the West African country of Mali and in the Arab world are at risk of damage and theft as political upheaval sweeps through those states.  Distruction of historical manuscripts The ancient city of Timbuktu saw its golden age as an Islamic intellectual and spiritual center in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its three great mosques, the Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahia, ...

Pentagon Accuses China of Cyberspying to Expand its Economy and Military 

The Pentagon accused China Friday of using cyberespionage to improve its economy and expand its military. In an annual report to Congress ,  the Department of Defense said, "Chinese actors are the world's most active and persistent perpetrators of economic espionage."  The report went on to say that Chinese spying would continue to pose a growing threat to U.S. economic security. The Pentagon said the main focus of the People's Liberation Army remains ...

UN Nuclear Watchdog Chief to Visit Tehran 

The United Nations' top nuclear official will travel to Tehran on Sunday for talks with senior Iranian officials as speculation mounts about a possible breakthrough on Iran's controversial nuclear program. The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency announced the surprise visit Friday.  An IAEA statement said Director General Yukiya Amano would travel to Iran "to discuss issues of mutual interest with high Iranian officials." Western diplomats said this ...

Obama Announces $3 Billion in Private Sector Pledges to Help Feed Africa 

U.S. President Barack Obama has announced a new global partnership to involve the private sector in improving food security in Africa, as wealthy nations struggle with shrinking budgets.   President Obama announced the effort in Washington Friday, as leaders of the Group of Eight leading industrialized nations (the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Japan, Canada and Russia) prepared to hold their annual economic summit at the Camp David presidential retreat outside the ...

Egypt's Moussa Stresses Experience in Time of Flux 

CAIRO - Veteran diplomat Amr Moussa is one of the top contenders in Egypt's presidential election May 23-24.    Moussa's past is both a strength and a weakness. The former foreign minister and ex- Arab League chief says he is ready to lead the nation.   "The country is in a major crisis," noted Moussa. "And a major crisis would not justify at all a president who will ask around 'What do I do on this point, or that point' and gaining ...

West African Mediators, Mali Militants Open Talks 

DAKAR - President Blaise Compaore of Burkina Faso has begun negotiations with armed rebel and Islamist groups who seized control of northern Mali after the March 22 coup toppled the civilian government in Bamako. Compaore has been leading West African mediation efforts aimed at reuniting Mali and returning it to constitutional rule. Burkina Faso's foreign affairs minister, Djibrill Bassole, told reporters Thursday that President Compaore is engaged in talks with militant groups in ...

Student Art Showcased Before Move into Job Market 

BALTIMORE, MD - The Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore recently graduated more than 400 young artists, awarding them a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Before graduation, the students displayed their final art projects in a campus-wide exhibit. In the days before graduation, Jessica Marx and Alexz Giacobbe are put the finishing touches on a project they

Syrian Protesters Rally in Northern Flashpoint City 

Syrian forces are reported to have fired tear gas and live ammunition into crowds of protesters in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, in what opposition activists say is one of the biggest demonstrations since the anti-government uprising began 15-months-ago. Reports say at least two people have been wounded in the violence, although details are unclear. The protests come after Syrian security forces disrupted a student demonstration in Aleppo on Thursday. Video taken from a U.N. ...

US Move to Suspend Burma Sanctions Draws Mixed Reaction 

BANGKOK - The United States' suspension of some economic sanctions against Burma has sparked mixed reaction from analysts and rights groups. Some argue that sanctions should have been lifted long ago.  But others point out that rights violations in Burma continue, and fear Washington may be moving too fast. The economic restrictions against Burma were originally put in place as punishment for the military government

Korean Surveillance School Trains Citizen Snoops 

SEOUL - Law-breakers in South Korea beware.  Citizens trained to videotape illegal activity are on the loose and making extra income by selling the tapes to the police.   Ji Soo-hyun leads a double life. Three-months ago, the housewife began a career catching lawbreakers red handed.  Ji, 54, says her specialty is going undercover at private tutoring schools. "I pretend that I am going to enroll my kids in the school.  I ask the faculty about extra ...

Facebook Stock Price Increases 

Facebook , the world's biggest social media website, started selling stock to the public on Friday, with its initial $38 share price edging above $40 in the first hours of trading. Facebook's chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, signaled the start of trading on the Nasdaq exchange in New York by remotely ringing a bell from company headquarters across the continent in California. Chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, signaled the start of trading on the Nasdaq exchange in New York ...

Snapshot Profiles of Egypt's Presidential Candidates 

There are 13 candidates running for president in Egypt.  The first round of voting is set for May 23-24. If none of the candidates wins more than 50 per cent of votes, a run-off will be held in June.  These four men are considered by many analysts to be the front-runners: Amr Moussa , born 1936   Independent Secretary-General of the Arab League from 2001 to 2011 ...

Colleges Innovate to Fill Science Job Surplus 

Active learning replaces traditional lectures

Eritrea President Denies Stifling Free Speech 

Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki has denied that his country stifles freedom of speech, just days after media rights group Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) identified Eritrea as the most censored country in the world. Listen to VOA's interview with President Isaias In an interview with VOA's English to Africa service Thursday in the capital, Asmara, President Isaias said his government is not interested in keeping people from expressing their ...

2 NATO Troops Killed in Afghanistan Rocket Attack 

NATO says a rocket attack in eastern Afghanistan has killed two of its service members. Local coalition officials say six other NATO troops were slightly wounded in Friday in the Nari district of Kunar province. So far this year, at least 154 coalition service members have been killed in Afghanistan. Officials say another insurgent rocket attack in the Watapoor district of Kunar killed two women and a child on Friday.  At least six other civilians were wounded. The ...

India's Currency Plunges to Record Low 

NEW DELHI - India's currency has plunged to an all-time low versus the dollar, due to the Eurozone debt crisis and a slowdown in the Indian economy.  The Indian government is scrambling to shore up its finances. Signaling that India's economy faces tough days, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee says the government will have to impose unpopular austerity measures. These could include restrictions on buying new cars and overseas travel for officials.     The ...

US Activists, Officials Seek to Protect Africa's Gay Refugees 

As the world marked the International Day Against Homophobia Thursday, in Washington, U.S. activists and officials outlined efforts to protect an extremely vulnerable group - gay refugees in east Africa.  Kenya is host to more than 600,000 refugees, while there are an estimated 135,000 refugees in Uganda. Both countries criminalize homosexuality.  In Uganda, what are called "unnatural offenses" carry a risk of life in prison, with some lawmakers even advocating ...

Japan Launches South Korean Satellite Into Orbit 

SEOUL - Early Friday, Japan successfully launched a South Korean satellite. The historical accomplishment puts the Japanese in the same arena as European and Russian entities in the lucrative commercial space launch business.  The roar of the H-2A launch vehicle shattered the early morning silence On the southern Japanese island of Tanegashima.  The space center was illuminated as the liquid-fueled 57-meter high two-stage rocket rose off the pad with four satellites on board. ...

Taiwan Government Information Office Closes its Doors 

TAIPEI - Taiwan lifted martial law more than 20 years ago to form a democracy. But one of the signs of its authoritarian past will fade into history only this week. The Government Information Office will close after 40 years of media censorship followed by 25 years of media service.   The Government Information Office, which was founded in China before the Nationalist Party fled to Taiwan, will formally disband on Sunday as President Ma Ying-jeou begins his second term in office. ...

Florida Releases Trayvon Martin Investigation Documents 

Authorities in Florida have released nearly 200 pages of documents and other items from the investigation of the shooting death of an unarmed black teenager by a neighborhood watch volunteer.   The documents released Thursday include the autopsy report on 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, photographs of Trayvon's killer, George Zimmerman, in the hours shortly after the shooting, and video of Martin at a convenience store moments before the fatal shooting on February 26.  

UN Chief Blames al-Qaida for Syria Attack 

Syria braced for opposition protests on Friday as U.N. officials expressed concern that al-Qaida may have played a role in recent attacks that have further strained a fragile cease-fire. Anti-government activists urged protesters to take to the streets under a slogan of "heroes" of Aleppo University, on Friday, in a show of support for students who were confronted by security forces during a Thursday protest. In comments he made to a U.N. youth group, Secretary-General Ban ...

Treatment of Former Mongolian President Raises International Concerns 

A former president of Mongolia is now in a hospital, recovering from the effects of a hunger strike he staged while imprisoned by the government that replaced his. The situation in Mongolia was brought to international attention when Senator Dianne Feinstein from the U.S. state of California stood before the U.S. Senate in Washington Monday describing the case of Nambaryn Enkhbayar, the president of Mongolia from 2005 until 2009. The Senator, referring to the former president as a ...

US Congressional Panel Examines International Human Rights Violations 

CAPITOL HILL - The Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission held a hearing Thursday on threats and restrictions faced by civil society and human rights defenders around the world.  The hearing focused on laws recently enacted and pending legislation in countries such as Ethiopia that are limiting the ability of nongovernmental organizations to operate freely and independently. One of the co-chairmen of the bipartisan commission, Democratic Representative James McGovern of Massachusetts, ...

Obama Prepares for NATO Summit in Chicago 

After hosting the G8 summit at Camp David on Saturday, President Barack Obama will host the NATO summit, beginning Sunday in Chicago.  Mr. Obama is preparing for the NATO gathering, which has Afghanistan at the top of the agenda. The United States last hosted a NATO summit in 1999 - two years before the al-Qaida terrorist attacks on the United States that sparked the first use of the common defense provision in the NATO Charter. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization has expanded ...

Experts Troubled by New Dengue Outbreaks in Western Hemisphere 

Dengue fever - a tropical disease once confined mainly to Africa and Asia - has become a growing problem in the Americas.  So far, there is no drug to treat the mosquito-borne viral disease or any vaccine to prevent the infection.  Public health experts say it has the potential to become a global health problem - more costly and difficult to control than malaria.

US Boosts Funding for Israel's 'Iron Dome' Defense System 

The United States has fulfilled Israel's request for another $70 million to pay for Iron Dome, a missile defense system aimed at protecting Israelis from rockets fired by militants in the Gaza Strip.   Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak came to the Pentagon Thursday, the latest of several visits in recent months to ask for additional funding for the surface-to-air missile system that already has stopped several militant rocket attacks on southern Israel. In a statement, U.S. ...

Afghanistan Starts Work on $30M TB Hospital 

Afghanistan has begun work on a $30 million hospital for the treatment of tuberculosis, a disease that health officials say kills more than 10,000 Afghans every year. The Japanese government is paying for the 80-bed center in the Afghan capital, which will also treat malaria and AIDS patients. Japan is the second-largest donor to Afghanistan, after the United States. The World Health Health Organization reported 53,000 Afghans get tuberculosis each year. Afghanistan's Public ...

Press Advocates: Obama Should Talk Freedom at G8 

Press freedom advocates are calling for President Barack Obama to address limitations on journalists who report on food insecurity when he meets with four African leaders at the G8 Summit on Saturday. The group is set to discuss solutions to food crises on the continent. But Mohamed Keita, the Africa Advocacy Coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists, said government censorship is part of the problem. 

Regional Crises Boost Turkey's Ties With Iraq's Kurds 

ISTANBUL, Turkey -The prime minister of Iraq's Kurdistan autonomous region is visiting Turkey - his first trip there since taking office in March. The visit is expected to build on the growing rapprochement between Turkey and Iraq's Kurds. That process is being enhanced by deepening crises in Iraq and and mutual neighbor Syria. Political analysts in Turkey see the visit by Iraqi Kurdish Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani as a sign of the growing importance of his Turkish neighbor. ...

Turkey Protests Israeli Flyover of North Cyprus 

Turkey is demanding that Israel explain an alleged incursion by an Israeli aircraft into northern Cypriot airspace. In a statement Thursday, the Turkish military said the Israeli plane violated the airspace five times on Monday. The statement did not identify the type of aircraft. Turkey's Foreign Ministry said it has contacted Israel's mission in Ankara to get an explanation. Israel's military has declined to comment on the allegation. Cyprus has been divided ...

Zimbabwe Finance Minister Says No Money for Polls 

HARARE - Zimbabwe's finance minister has ruled out holding elections this year, saying the troubled nation does not have enough money to fund the polls. He blamed the problem on diamond mining firms failing to pay the government its share of revenue.   Addressing journalists in Harare, Finance Minister Tendai Biti said it was essential that the country

VOA Interview: Egypt Presidential Hopeful Outlines Vision 

Egyptian presidential hopeful Dr. Abdel Moneim Aboul Fotouh is a practicing physician with extensive experience in international relief work. A former leading figure of the Muslim Brotherhood, he is also a prominent Islamic activist. Known for his relatively liberal positions on social issues, he is supported by young Islamists, liberals and even Egypt's Copts.  (You can listen to the full podcast in Arabic here .) Elshinnawi: If you are elected president, what will ...

Greek Cabinet Sworn in Amid Bank Run Fears 

Greece now has a new caretaker government, following the political parties' failure to form a coalition government. Greece's president says that close to $900 million worth of euros was withdrawn from Greek bank accounts on Monday. Meanwhile Spain has seen its borrowing costs rise on the international markets as investors fear the crisis could spread across southern Europe.

Oil Transit Fee Obstacle to Sudan Talks 

South Sudan produces most of the oil in the two countries, but Sudan has the infrastructure to transport, refine, and export the oil.

France's New Leader Faces First Test Overseas 

PARIS, France - France's new president, Francois Hollande, is heading to the United States (Friday) just days after taking office. The G8 and NATO summits will offer a glimpse of France's foreign policy under its new leader. Francois Hollande took office this week, promising to unify France and help fix its economic problems. His gender-balanced leftist Cabinet sat down to work on Thursday, but President Hollande's first actions are taking place overseas - not at home. ...

NATO Members to Discuss Burden Sharing 

WASHINGTON -- Leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) nations meet in Chicago this weekend to address two major challenges -- how to dial down their involvement in Afghanistan and, perhaps more vexing, how to maintain military readiness in the face of sharp budget restrictions.   The heads of state and government from the 28 NATO nations want to make sure the alliance continues to develop and maintain military capabilities needed to fulfill all possible future ...

US Military Role Deepens in Yemen 

The United States is expanding its military role in Yemen.  Yemeni officials say U.S. forces assisted Yemeni troops in launching a wide air and land offensive against militant groups in the south of the country.   The United States has a long history of advising and assisting Yemen in that country's fight against the al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula group. That cooperation was suspended during Yemen's recent political turmoil, in which violent protests led to the ...

Tibetan Exile Group Blasts Chinese Crackdown in Autonomous Region 

A leading Tibetan exile group says a crackdown by Chinese authorities in the Tibetan Autonomous Region is turning Buddhist monasteries and nunneries from places of worship into facilities dominated by the study of Chinese state propaganda. Jamphel Monlam, a top official in the Tibetan Center for Human Rights and Democracy , said in an interview with VOA's Tibetan service that Beijing's most recent interference in monastic life includes the clandestine infiltration by security ...

UN Observers Face Daunting Challenges in Syria 

UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations has deployed more than 200 unarmed observers to Syria who are monitoring a month-old cease-fire that appears to be in jeopardy of collapse. Increasingly, the U.N. monitors are getting caught up in the violence.    The U.N. Security Council has authorized a monitoring mission of 300 unarmed military observers to be on the ground in Syria for an initial period of only 90 days. The council has also demanded that they be given free ...

Last Dance for Queen of Disco; Donna Summer Succumbs to Cancer 

She was known as the Queen of Disco and, for many, her iconic songs came to represent the best of the 1970s Disco era.  Donna Summer died Thursday after a quiet battle with cancer. Donna Summer was "Hot Stuff" for multiple generations of music fans - her hit songs resonating with music lovers long after they topped the music charts. But as hot as she was, she said for a long time she was never really comfortable with her celebrity. "Whenever success comes it ...

Leader of Syria's Fragmented Opposition to Resign 

Syria's fragmented opposition has suffered a further setback, with the newly re-elected head of the main exiled coalition offering to resign due to criticism of his leadership and infighting that has plagued groups trying to oust President Bashar al-Assad.   Syrian National Council chief Burhan Ghalioun said Thursday he does not want to be a cause of division in the opposition coalition and will step down as soon as a replacement is chosen through consensus or ...

Yemeni Forces Recapture Territory from Al-Qaida 

CAIRO - Yemeni government forces reportedly recaptured territory from al-Qaida militants in southern Abyan province Thursday, amid fighting around the provincial capital of Zinjibar. Troops with local militiamen fighting alongside them chased al-Qaida militants from one of their strongholds in Abyan province overnight, forcing them to flee into nearby hills. The bodies of dead soldiers and militiamen, reportedly executed by al-Qaida, were found after the militants fled. Yemeni state ...

Trials of Politicians, Journalists Test Ethiopia's Anti-Terrorism Law 

ADDIS ABABA - In Ethiopia, a series of high-profile trials is being closely watched as a test of recently-enacted anti-terrorism legislation. A three-judge federal panel is hearing the trials of as many as 150 people arrested on terrorism-related charges last year, including prominent politicians and journalists.   Almost every week for the past few months, a small group of journalists and diplomats has  gathered at Addis Ababa's Lideta federal court complex to ...