5:56
VOA news for Saturday, February 1st, 2014
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text
Saturday, February 1st, 2014
From Was...
published: 01 Feb 2014
VOA news for Saturday, February 1st, 2014
VOA news for Saturday, February 1st, 2014
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text Saturday, February 1st, 2014 From Washington, this is VOA news. The Syrian peace talks accomplish little, but little may not be that bad, and the world markets a bit shaky today. Jim Randle reports. I'm Joe Parker reporting from Washington. The 1st round of peace talks between Syria's warring sides has ended with little progress, but did lay a foundation for future negotiations expected next month. Al Pessin reports for VOA from London. The United Nations and Arab League mediator, Lakhdar Brahimi, presented 10 points he believes the 2 sides agree on. But he acknowledged the list did not amount to much, mainly consisting of general statements about the need to negotiate a solution, ease the suffering of the Syrian people and build a country with respect for democracy and human rights. "Progress is very slow indeed, but the sides have engaged in an acceptable manner." The 2 sides could not even reach agreement on humanitarian issues. But Brahimi said that during 8 days of "difficult" meetings, the government and opposition delegations got used to sitting in the same room, something it was not initially clear whether they would do at all. Al Pessin, VOA news, London. Mr. Brahimi announced the next round of negotiations would probably begin February 10th, pending agreement from the Syrian government. United States Secretary of State John Kerry says Syria is not meeting its international obligations to destroy its chemical weapons under a deal brokered by the United States and Russia. Scott Stearns is with the secretary and filed this report from Munich. A month past the deadline to remove Syria's most dangerous chemical weapons, Kerry says the United States is deeply concerned by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's failure to meet the timetable. Mr. Assad agreed to the schedule with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, or OPCW. "Bashar al-Assad is not, in our judgment, fully in compliance because of the timing and the delays that have taken place contrary to the OPCW's judgment that this could move faster." Kerry spoke to reporters alongside German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier. Speaking through a translator, Steinmeier said Syrian delay risks Russia's standing on this issue as well. Scott Stearns, VOA news, Munich. Syria's government says security and logistical obstacles have slowed the collection and transportation of its chemical weapons. Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has signed into law a bill on amnesty for anti-government protesters. The 63-year-old President on Friday signed the legislation that grants amnesty to those detained during anti-government protests on condition that they leave government buildings they've occupied. Opposition leaders have rejected the measure, which the President acted on after announcing a day earlier that he had gone on sick leave. 10sions in Ukraine rose Thursday after opposition activist Dmytro Bulatov was found outside Kyiv with cuts and bruises about his face. He'd been missing since January 22nd. Anna Neistat is an associate director of Human Rights Watch: "I think the President's silence under the circumstances is unacceptable. We know he is on sick leave but unless he is absolutely incapable of saying a few words, he should be now on TV, making it very clear sending a very clear signal that this is unacceptable." Mr. Bulatov says he was kidnapped by unknown abductors and held for days before being abandoned in a forest. Stock indexes tumbled in the U.S. and Europe today as investors worried about the faltering fortunes of emerging market countries across the globe. Jim Randle has more for VOA. The U.S. central bank has cut back economic stimulus efforts, which will push some U.S. interest rates higher. The change prompted investors to move money from emerging markets to the United States in search of better returns, contributing to some stock and currency market turmoil. William Cline, a scholar at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, says the worst is probably over. "Markets 10d to front-load the adjustment because they are anticipating what's gonna happen down the road. Much of the impact of higher U.S. interest rates, I think we've already seen." Years of low U.S. interest rate policies encouraged investors to put money in emerging markets where relatively higher interest rates gave them bigger returns. Jim Randle, VOA news, Washington. Markets dropped off today in New York, Frankfurt, Paris and London--a broad stock sell-off, the latest of several market retreats during the month of January. U.S. President Barack Obama says he believes the Russian city of Sochi scheduled to host the upcoming Winter Olympic Games is safe and Americans who want to go should continue with their plans. This is Joe Parker from the VOA news center in Washington.- published: 01 Feb 2014
- views: 2
5:59
VOA news for Wednesday, January 8th, 2014
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text
VOA news for Wednesday, January 8th, 2...
published: 08 Jan 2014
VOA news for Wednesday, January 8th, 2014
VOA news for Wednesday, January 8th, 2014
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text VOA news for Wednesday, January 8th, 2014 From Washington, this is VOA news. Iraq's government takes to the air to battle al-Qaeda in Anbar province, and Egypt's ousted Islamist President Mohamed Morsi prepares to go back on trial. I'm Michael Lipin reporting from Washington. The Iraqi government says it has killed more than 20 militants in an airstrike near the al-Qaeda-held cities of Ramadi and Fallujah. An Iraqi military official told The Associated Press that Tuesday's airstrike targeted the al-Qaeda operations center in Ramadi, capital of the Sunni-dominated Anbar province. Al-Qaeda militants seized Ramadi and Fallujah last week. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has urged residents to "expel" the militants to preempt the need for government offensive. The United States is rushing air-to-ground missiles and surveillance drones to Mr. Maliki's forces to help with the fight. Egypt is set to resume the trial of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi on Wednesday. Mr. Morsi was ousted in a military coup last July. He is charged with inciting the killing of anti-government protesters while he was in office in 2012. But supporters of his Muslim Brotherhood movement insist Morsi is still Egypt's legitimate leader. Henry Ridgwell reports for VOA from London. Protests by supporters of former President Mohamed Morsi have been building ahead of the resumption of his trial. Demonstrations turned violent after Friday prayers last week and at least two protesters were killed. At one point, Mr. Morsi's supporters used a hijacked bus to try to break through police lines. The unrest is a deliberate ploy by the Muslim Brotherhood, says Professor Fawaz Gerges of the London School of Economics. "The strategy of the Muslim Brotherhood is to make the situation as unstable as possible in order to really frustrate the military-led government's effort to say 'Look, we have stability, we have security.'" In recent weeks, there has been a series of bomb attacks on military and government targets. Henry Ridgwell, for VOA news, London. A powerful arctic blast of air has swept across much of the United States, causing temperatures to plummet so low that thousands of schools had to shut down on Tuesday while millions of people were forced to stay indoors. Here in Washington, the latest temperature is minus eight degrees Celsius, with the wind chill of minus 15. As VOA's Brian Allen explains, a weather pattern called a "polar vortex" is causing the dramatic drop in temperatures. In Chicago, residents renamed their city "Chiberia" after the temperature dipped lower than parts of Siberia. "It's, it's really cold. It's cold especially, when you walk in the morning two or three minutes, your feet and hands just get really cold." More than half the country is feeling the affects of a dangerous blast of arctic air which is dropping temperatures to record lows. Camden Walker is a meteorologist with The Washington Post's Capital Weather Gang. "The polar vortex, a spinning low pressure system, a very cold air that spins over the north pole or the south pole, and we are currently getting affected by the north pole polar vortex when the jet stream came south, the flood gates opened from the north and we had a direct flow from the arctic." Brian Allen, VOA news, Washington. U.S. medical researchers say anti-smoking measures have saved 8 million American lives since a landmark report on smoking and health was issued 50 years ago. The Journal of the American Medical Association reported on Tuesday that U.S. controls on tobacco since 1964 also have boosted the life expectancy for 40-year-olds. But the report says efforts must continue in order to cut the nation's death toll from cigarettes. China says it will allow the first privately-owned banks to operate in the country this year as part of efforts to open up the state-controlled banking sector. A Chinese regulatory body announced Tuesday that investors will be allowed to own and operate up to five banks in a closely supervised pilot project. Ownership will be restricted to Chinese citizens, with foreign investment being considered for the future. And in Cambodia, union leaders say garment workers will continue to strike over low wages despite a violent crackdown by authorities last week. Five unions say their workers will keep up the 15-day strike, demanding a salary of $160 per month. Cambodian factory owners say the work stoppage has cost them about $200-million. I'm Michael Lipin for VOA news. More on these stories at voanews.com.- published: 08 Jan 2014
- views: 297
4:08
VOA Khmer update on 23 May 2013,Opposition Holds Demonstration for Election Reform Cambodia news
VOA Khmer update on 23 May 2013,Opposition Holds Demonstration for Election Reform Cambodi...
published: 23 May 2013
author: khornyoura
VOA Khmer update on 23 May 2013,Opposition Holds Demonstration for Election Reform Cambodia news
VOA Khmer update on 23 May 2013,Opposition Holds Demonstration for Election Reform Cambodia news
VOA Khmer update on 23 May 2013,Opposition Holds Demonstration for Election Reform Cambodia news in Khmer) www.youtube.com/khornyoura always make you know ab...- published: 23 May 2013
- views: 33377
- author: khornyoura
5:59
VOA news for Sunday, February 16th, 2014
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text
Sunday, February 16th, 2014
From Washi...
published: 16 Feb 2014
VOA news for Sunday, February 16th, 2014
VOA news for Sunday, February 16th, 2014
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text Sunday, February 16th, 2014 From Washington, this is VOA news. U.S. Secretary of State Kerry preparing for statement on climate change. Protesters in Ukraine may be ready to give up the capital city hall. I'm Vincent Bruce reporting from Washington. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is in Indonesia, where he plans to make a major speech Sunday on climate change and its possible impact on Asia. The State Department says Kerry plans to talk about what it calls the compelling and undeniable scientific case that the Earth is getting warmer and heading to the point of no return. He will stress that this is a global problem that needs a global solution. A warmer planet means a rise in sea levels, which could have a dangerous impact on island nations like Indonesia. Kerry arrived in Indonesia Saturday from China, where he talked about global warming and other matters with President Xi Jinping. Opposition leaders in Ukraine say protesters are ready to vacate the Kyiv city hall they've occupied for more than 2 months. However, the head of the nationalist Svoboda Party, Oleh Tyahnybok, said Saturday the decision to do so has not yet been made. Tyahnybok said his group is seeking guarantees the government will close all the criminal cases against participants of the protest movements. The apparent easing of tensions comes after Ukrainian authorities freed all 234 jailed members of the protest movement. More on these stories at voanews.com. U.N. mediator Lakhdar Brahimi apologized to the Syrian people Saturday as the latest round of peace talks in Geneva between Syria's government and the opposition ended without any agreement. He said those 2 rounds of talks have not done very much. Lisa Schlein has the story from Geneva. U.N. mediator Lakhdar Brahimi's final meeting with the 2 warring parties lasted only 27 minutes. Brahimi says the 2 delegations agreed on an agenda for the next round, but not on how they would deal with the complex issues. He says the agenda reflects topics each side considers most important. For the Damascus government, Brahimi says "combating terrorism" is the most important issue. The Western-backed opposition says formation of a transitional government is crucial, and that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad cannot be a part of any transitional government, and that he has lost all legitimacy as a national leader. Negotiators representing the Syrian government reject this view. Lisa Schlein, for VOA news, Geneva. German Chancellor Angela Merkel is considering a European communications network to help improve data protection. The proposal which Merkel reportedly will discuss in a meeting next week with French President François Hollande would provide the capability to avoid e-mails and data passing through the United States. Lebanon has announced a new cabinet that includes a wide range of political groups, breaking months of bitter infighting, mostly over Syria's civil war. Prime Minister Tamam Salam announced his 24-member national unity government on Saturday. Parliament had designated the Sunni lawmaker as prime minister in April last year, but rivalries between the Shiite Hezbollah-dominated March 8th coalition and the Sunni-led March 14th alliance had prevented Mr. Salam from forming a government. Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro responded Saturday to ongoing opposition protests with a counter-demonstration, bringing together 1000s of his supporters. President Maduro, successor to the late Hugo Chávez, used the pro-government rally in the Venezuelan capital to denounce opposition leader Leopoldo López. López currently faces an arrest warrant for organizing anti-government protests Wednesday that resulted in deadly clashes with police and government supporters. 3 people were killed, including 2 opposition protesters. At the Sochi Winter Olympics, [the Russian, U.S. ice hokey team faced off] the U.S. and the Russian teams faced off against 1 another at the Sochi Winter Olympics. The United States pulled off a dramatic 3-two victory at the Bolshoi Ice Dome. VOA's Parke Brewer has a report. President Vladimir Putin was among the partisan sellout crowd that was sent home disappointed when U.S. forward T.J. Oshie of the NHL's St. Louis Blues scored the deciding goal in a memorable nail-biting 8-round shootout. Parke Brewer, VOA news, at the Sochi Olympics. Russia has the most total medals with 15, followed by the United States and the Netherlands with 14 each. Germany leads in gold medal count with 7. I'm Vincent Bruce, VOA news, reporting from Washington.- published: 16 Feb 2014
- views: 70
5:47
VOA News for 06 May 2013 - 20130506
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text VOA NEWS May 6th, 2013 Now, the news f...
published: 06 May 2013
author: ListenAndReadAlong
VOA News for 06 May 2013 - 20130506
VOA News for 06 May 2013 - 20130506
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text VOA NEWS May 6th, 2013 Now, the news from the Voice of America. Military target in Damascus hit by Israel...- published: 06 May 2013
- views: 7419
- author: ListenAndReadAlong
5:58
VOA news for Saturday, November 9th, 2013 - 20131109
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text
Saturday November 9th, 2013
From Washi...
published: 09 Nov 2013
VOA news for Saturday, November 9th, 2013 - 20131109
VOA news for Saturday, November 9th, 2013 - 20131109
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text Saturday November 9th, 2013 From Washington, this is VOA news. Still differences to discuss over Iranian nuclear program, and in Somalia, six are killed in a car bombing in Mogadishu. I'm Vincent Bruce reporting from Washington. In Geneva Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said diplomats are working to see if they can "narrow some differences" with Iran over its disputed nuclear program. "I don't think anybody should mistake that there are some important gaps that have to be closed." Kerry spoke shortly after arriving in Geneva to join the talks. Diplomatic sources say Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will join his Western counterparts in Geneva Saturday to try to secure a deal over Iran's disputed nuclear program. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Moscow on Friday that Russia favors a solution that recognizes Iran's right to have a peaceful nuclear program and enrich uranium under the watch of the International Atomic Energy Agency. In Washington, President Barack Obama said the deal being discussed would offer modest relief on the economic sanctions on Iran, but that most would stay in place. "We can provide them some very modest relief, but keeping the sanctions architecture in place, keeping the core sanctions in place." Police in Somalia say a suspected car bomb has exploded outside a hotel in Mogadishu, killing at least six people. Witnesses say a suicide bomber drove a car packed with explosives Friday to the gate of the Maka al Mukarama hotel, which is popular with Somali officials, in central Mogadishu. A government spokesman [said] told VOA's Somali service that at least 15 people were wounded, including a member of the Somali parliament. Reports say another explosion was heard in the same area shortly before the attack. There has been no immediate claim of responsibility for the blasts. Further details at voanews.com. A new report before the U.S. Congress says Afghan soldiers and police will require more support to sustain the gains made by NATO forces during a troop search two years ago. In the report, according to U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, there has been a fundamental shift in the fighting in Afghanistan, with Afghan forces now handling 95 percent of the conventional operations and 98 percent of special operations. However, the report also says when the NATO mission in Afghanistan concludes at the end of 2014, Afghan forces "will be at high risk" unless they receive continued aid and advice from the international community and the international coalition. President Barack Obama traveled to New Orleans, Louisiana, to speak about continuing challenges to U.S. economic growth. With a port of New Orleans as a backdrop, Mr. Obama returned to favorite themes to underscore economic successes and [remained] remaining challenges to the economy. Successes include 7.8 million jobs added, declining deficits and healthcare costs, a recovered auto industry and a stronger housing market. Challenges include rebuilding the dilapidated infrastructure, providing more support for the middle class and making investments in education. Another challenge: what Mr. Obama calls the "constant cycle of manufactured crises and self-inflicted wounds" from Washington. Super typhoon Haiyan is muscling its way across the central Philippines, having already killed at least four people, according to officials. The most powerful storm to hit the Pacific this year, Haiyan has blown off roofs, uprooted trees, downed power lines and caused other destruction while muscling across the region. Officials say at least seven other persons are injured. Due to a lack of communications, the full extent of the damage and casualties will be unclear for some time. Uganda says the Democratic Republic of Congo's government will sign a peace deal on Monday with rebel group M23, which gave up its fight this week. The U.S. labor market once again added 204,000 jobs in October, defying economists' predictions that last month's partial government shutdown would slow down hiring. Madagascar's electoral commission says its presidential election will go to a runoff vote after no candidate received an outright majority in the first round last month. The Olympic torch is taking a slight detour on its trip from Greece to Sochi, Russia, for the 2014 Winter Games. This Saturday, it will spend some time in space. Russian cosmonauts will carry the torch outside the International Space Station as they begin a six-hour maintenance mission. For all the latest news, visit us at voanews.com 24 hours a day. I'm Vincent Bruce, VOA news, reporting from the VOA news center in Washington.- published: 09 Nov 2013
- views: 80
4:00
Syrian 'Citizen Journalists' Use Social Media to Spread News
This is the VOA Special English Technology Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com | htt...
published: 09 Apr 2012
author: VOA Learning English
Syrian 'Citizen Journalists' Use Social Media to Spread News
Syrian 'Citizen Journalists' Use Social Media to Spread News
This is the VOA Special English Technology Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish Social media networks have come...- published: 09 Apr 2012
- views: 46974
- author: VOA Learning English
5:59
VOA news for Saturday, January 18th, 2014
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text
VOA news for Saturday, January 18th, 2...
published: 18 Jan 2014
VOA news for Saturday, January 18th, 2014
VOA news for Saturday, January 18th, 2014
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text VOA news for Saturday, January 18th, 2014 From Washington, this is VOA news. A suicide bombing in Kabul takes at least 13 lives. President Obama introduces change to the U.S. intelligence process. I'm Vincent Bruce reporting from Washington. Kabul's chief of police tells VOA's Afghan service that 13 or 14 people are dead in an attack on a Lebanese restaurant frequented by foreigners, officials and business people. Afghan officials say a suicide bomber blew himself up outside the restaurant Friday in the Afghan capital and that two gunmen entered the establishment and opened fire. The gunmen also were killed. Sediq Sediqi is Afghan Interior Ministry spokesman: "There were apparently, according to our primary investigation, three terrorists-- one was able to explode the explosives that he had brought with him and two others were trying to enter the restaurant. They were faced with the security guards in the area, two of them have been killed, one was able to explode the explosives." The Taliban claimed responsibility for the incident. More on this story at voanews.com. President Barack Obama Friday announced an overhaul of electronic surveillance by the U.S. National Security Agency, including changes to a program that collects huge amounts of data from telephone calls by Americans and foreigners. Senior White House correspondent Dan Robinson reports. Mr. Obama reviewed 46 recommendations covering everything from NSA's collection of so-called metadata from communications links worldwide to direct surveillance of foreign leaders-- an issue that caused major rifts between the U.S. and key allies. "The task before us now is greater than simply repairing the damage done to our operations or preventing more disclosures from taking place in the future. Instead, we have to make some important decisions about how to protect ourselves and sustain our leadership in the world, while upholding the civil liberties and privacy protections that our ideals and our Constitution require." Effective immediately, the National Security Agency will be required to get the court's permission before accessing phone records collected from hundreds of millions of Americans, except in emergency situations. Dan Robinson, VOA news, the White House. Syria's government says it has given Russia a plan for a cease-fire in the country's largest city of Aleppo and an exchange of prisoners with Syrian rebels. Syria's foreign minister said during his visit to Moscow Friday he had turned over the proposals in preparation for next week's peace talks with rebels. The move comes as Syria's main Western-backed opposition coalition is meeting in Istanbul to vote on whether to attend next week's peace talks in Geneva. Opposition leaders so far have refused to attend talks without a prior commitment that President Bashar al-Assad will step down. ASEAN foreign ministers have concluded the first-ever high-level meeting hosted by Myanmar, also known as Burma, since the once-isolated country joined the grouping in 1997. The Burmese foreign minister told reporters in the town of Bagan the participants discussed topics of regional importance Friday, including maritime territorial disputes between China and the ASEAN members-- Vietnam, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines. In Bangkok, at least 28 people were wounded in an explosives attack against anti-government protesters Friday. Ron Corben reports from Bangkok. Friday's midday attack wounded protesters who were marching with movement leader Suthep Thaugsuban, and followed a series of bombings in recent days against the anti-government camp. Earlier Friday pro-government "Red Shirt" supporters attacked a protest site 20 kilometers from the city center. Since the anti-government protests began in November, at least eight people have died including two police officers. Since the "Bangkok Shutdown" marches began this week, sporadic violence mostly occurred late at night. Friday's incident is the first targeting daytime marches. Ron Corben, Bangkok, Thailand. Medical aid group Doctors Without Borders has suspended activities in the South Sudanese state capital after what it calls the looting of its compound. Also, a report in a medical journal says South Africa has released patients with a highly drug resistant form of tuberculosis into the general population. The Internet giant Google reportedly is testing a possibility of a smart contact lens that could visually alert patients of low blood sugar levels. A new report by the U.S. surgeon general warns that smoking cigarettes causes more health problems than previously thought. That study released Friday follows the 50th anniversary of the surgeon general's landmark report that first confirmed smoking causes lung cancer. The latest report said smoking can cause conditions such as liver and colorectal cancer, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and even erectile dysfunction.- published: 18 Jan 2014
- views: 2
6:02
VOA news for Friday, February 14th, 2014
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text
Friday, February 14th, 2014
From Wash...
published: 14 Feb 2014
VOA news for Friday, February 14th, 2014
VOA news for Friday, February 14th, 2014
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text Friday, February 14th, 2014 From Washington, this is VOA news. U.S. secretary of state heads to Beijing to seek Chinese help in curbing North Korea's nuclear weapons program, and team China wins 2 gold medals at the Winter Olympics. I'm Michael Lipin reporting from Washington. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is traveling today to Beijing, where he is expected to urge Chinese officials to do more to convince North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program. VOA's State Department correspondent Scott Stearns has this report from Seoul, where the top us diplomat met with South Korea's President and foreign minister on Thursday to discuss how the 2 allies should deal with North Korea. With little progress in talks between Pyongyang and Seoul, South Korea says it will go ahead with the U.S. on planned joint military exercises that North Korea says will disrupt efforts at family reunions. Speaking through a translator, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-sen said it's time to keep the pressure on Pyongyang. "We share the view that a principled and effective 2-track approach of pressure and dialogue is necessary. In this regard, based on firm ROK-U.S. collaboration, we will make greater efforts with China and other countries to achieve substantial denuclearization of North Korea." Kerry says China has a "unique and critical role" in bringing North Korea back to talks on its nuclear program. Scott Stearns, VOA news, Seoul. A Tibetan man has set himself on fire near a monastery in western China's Sichuan province. Sources tell VOA's Tibetan service that Thursday's self-immolation at the Kirti Monastery was an apparent protest against Chinese rule in Tibetan regions of the country. It is the 2nd self-immolation by a Tibetan this year. Since 2009, more than 120 Tibetans have set themselves on fire, often fatally, to demand that China allow the return of exiled Tibetan leader The Dalai Lama and respect Tibetan freedoms. A team China has won 2 gold medals in speedskating at the Sochi Winter Olympics. In Thursday action, Chinese speedskater Li Jianrou won the women's 500-meter race, while China's Zhang Hong took the top spot in the women's 1,000-meter speedskating event. In skiing, American freestylers dominated the 1st-ever men's Olympic slopestyle competition, sweeping the top 3 spots. While the Olympic luge athletes wrapped up their competition in Sochi on Thursday night with the inaugural team relay event, VOA's Parke Brewer was at the Sanki sliding center in the mountains above Sochi and has this report. Favorite Germany captured the 1st-ever Olympic gold medal in luge team relay, with the silver going to host Russia, and Latvia getting the bronze. The Germans have won this event at the last 10 world championships. It's 1 of the more intriguing new events that has been popular on the World Cup circuit this season. Finishes can be unpredictable because of possible false starts and crashes. The team relay features each of the luge disciplines racing in this order-- women's singles, men's singles and then doubles. German doubles brakeman Tobias Arlt said through a translator that he and his teammates are close friends and this was a special win. "We are so happy. We've made, we've made history in sports and we've won a medal." Parke Brewer, VOA news, at the Sochi Olympics. Afghanistan has released 65 suspected militants from a former U.S. detention facility, defying warnings from the United States against such a move. Afghan officials said the prisoners were freed from the Parwan Detention Facility on Thursday. Among those scheduled to be released was Mohammad Wali, who[m] the United States says is a Taliban militant explosives expert who had targeted U.S. and Afghan forces. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said several weeks ago the government had reviewed the prisoners' cases and cleared them for release. He said their conditions of detention were turning the men against their own country and fostering loyalty to the Taliban. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the release was a "major step backwards" for the rule of law in Afghanistan. And U.N.-Arab League mediator Lakhdar Brahimi says Washington and Moscow have promised to do more to break an impasse in Syrian peace talks. Brahimi discussed the issue with senior Russian and U.S. officials in Geneva on Thursday, urging them to use their influence with rival Syrian peace delegations who represent the government and the opposition. Brahimi said a potential failure of the talks is staring him in the face. And the U.S. travel tourism industry says it is succeeding in attracting more visitors to the United States. A U.S. government and private industry group called Brand USA said new advertising has brought more people to the country 1 million last year. I'm Michael Lipin.- published: 14 Feb 2014
- views: 0
6:00
VOA news for Monday, February 3rd, 2014
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text
Monday, February 3rd, 2014
From Washi...
published: 03 Feb 2014
VOA news for Monday, February 3rd, 2014
VOA news for Monday, February 3rd, 2014
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text Monday, February 3rd, 2014 From Washington, this is VOA news. Thailand elections go forward despite disruptions. Israeli leaders criticize U.S. secretary of state's boycott warning. I'm Ray Kouguell reporting from Washington. Opposition protesters in Thailand forced the closure of hundreds of polling stations across the country Sunday, threatening the outcome of the vote meant to quell months of unrest. The main opposition Democrat Party boycotted the elections, and protesters obstructed voting by blocking distribution of ballots and preventing voters from entering polling stations in several constituencies. Despite the uncertainty of the poll, Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra said holding the vote was the right way to resolve the political unrest in the country. "At least I think this election it is very important that people come to vote for their right for democracy. So I think it is important that people still would like to see the election because the election is the right way under the democratic process." Results from the vote are not expected for many weeks. The protests and violence erupted three months ago when the prime minister tried to grant amnesty to her brother, the former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra. Campaigning for Afghanistan's presidential election is under way for the successor to Hamid Karzai. It officially began Sunday for the April 5th poll. Mr. Karzai cannot run for a third term under Afghan law. Ukraine's beleaguered President Viktor Yanukovych says he will be back to work today even as new protests against him filled the streets of Kyiv on Sunday. Mr. Yanukovych took leave late last week for what was described as an acute respiratory infection and fever. His website said Sunday he is now feeling well. About 30,000 anti-government demonstrators seeking his ouster protested in Kyiv's barricaded Independence Square. Syrian government aircraft continued dropping crude barrel bombs Sunday on rebel-held areas in the northern city of Aleppo, with a monitoring group reporting at least 36 fatalities. Activists identified 13 of Sunday's dead as children. They say helicopters and warplanes targeted at least 15 opposition-held neighborhoods in the divided city of Aleppo. As U.S. mediated Middle East peace talks enter their seventh month, mounting tensions are emerging between Israel and Washington. Robert Berger has more. Israeli officials are furious after Secretary of State John Kerry warned that if peace talks with the Palestinians fail, Israel could face growing international boycotts. "You see for Israel there is an increasing deligitimization campaign that has been building up. People are very sensitive to it. There are talk of boycotts and other kinds of things." At the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem, Israeli ministers took these remarks as a direct threat: Make concessions to the Palestinians, or pay a heavy price. Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz said Israel would not negotiate with "a gun pointed at its head," especially when its vital national interests are at stake. Robert Berger, for VOA news, Jerusalem. The State Department issued a clarification saying Secretary Kerry's remarks were taken out of context that he staunchly opposes any boycotts against Israel and was only referring to actions taken by others. Secretary of State Kerry held a rare meeting Sunday with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference to discuss issues concerning Tehran's controversial nuclear program. A senior U.S. State Department official says Secretary Kerry repeated to Mr. Zarif the importance of both sides negotiating in good faith and Iran abiding by its commitments that came out of an international meeting in November. Mr. Kerry also made clear the United States will continue to enforce existing sanctions. Academy Award winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead Sunday in his New York apartment of a suspected drug overdose. He was 46 years old. Police say they went to the actor's home in Manhattan's Greenwich Village after getting a call from one of his friends. Reports citing law enforcement officials say investigators found a syringe in Hoffman's arm and an envelope containing what was believed to be heroin. There has been no official confirmation of those reports. Hoffman won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Actor for his role in the 2005 biographical film "Capote," in which he played author Truman Capote. He also won Tony Award nominations for his acting on Broadway. I'm Ray Kouguell, VOA news. These stories and more at voanews.com.- published: 03 Feb 2014
- views: 4
9:08
VOA News in Special English for 23 Nov 2012
VOA NEWS IN SPECIAL ENGLISH November 23, 2012 A cease-fire that stopped eight days of dead...
published: 24 Nov 2012
author: ListenAndReadAlong
VOA News in Special English for 23 Nov 2012
VOA News in Special English for 23 Nov 2012
VOA NEWS IN SPECIAL ENGLISH November 23, 2012 A cease-fire that stopped eight days of deadly fighting between Israel and Hamas held Thursday. Thousands of Ga...- published: 24 Nov 2012
- views: 3420
- author: ListenAndReadAlong
9:57
AS IT IS - January 28, 2013 - VOA News Program in Special English
From VOA Learning English, welcome to AS IT IS! AS IT IS our new magazine show in Special ...
published: 29 Jan 2013
author: ListenAndReadAlong
AS IT IS - January 28, 2013 - VOA News Program in Special English
AS IT IS - January 28, 2013 - VOA News Program in Special English
From VOA Learning English, welcome to AS IT IS! AS IT IS our new magazine show in Special English. Today and in the days to come, we will be expanding on maj...- published: 29 Jan 2013
- views: 49972
- author: ListenAndReadAlong
5:55
VOA News for Sunday, August 25th, 2013 - 20130825
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text
VOA NEWS Sunday August 25th, 2013
Fro...
published: 25 Aug 2013
VOA News for Sunday, August 25th, 2013 - 20130825
VOA News for Sunday, August 25th, 2013 - 20130825
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text VOA NEWS Sunday August 25th, 2013 From Washington, this is VOA news. U.S. officials meet to discuss possible reaction to Syria's chemical attack. Tens of thousands pay tribute to the late Martin Luther King, Jr. I'm Vincent Bruce reporting from Washington. Top U.S. military and national security advisers have presented President Barack Obama with a detailed set of options for responding to the Syrian government's alleged use of chemical weapons. The White House, in a statement Saturday, said the meeting was called to set an action plan if it is determined Syrian forces used chemical weapons against civilians, as aid workers and rebels allege. The statement also said the president conferred Saturday with British Prime Minister David Cameron, as the U.S. intelligence community continues to gather facts on the alleged chemical warfare. Both men voiced "grave concern" about the weapons allegations. Syrian state TV has accused rebel forces of carrying out a chemical weapons attack. Edward Yeranian reports for VOA from Cairo. Syrian state TV accused rebel forces of carrying out a chemical weapons attack. Syrian state TV said chemical weapons were found in tunnels captured from rebel forces. Government media claim the rebels used the weapons "as their last card" because they were "under pressure from a government offensive." Free Syrian Army Commander Selim Idriss denied the charges. Edward Yeranian for VOA news, Cairo. The international medical relief group Doctors Without Borders, known by its French acronym MSF, said Saturday three Damascus hospitals have received about 3,600 patients displaying symptoms of exposure to neural toxic agents. Tens of thousands of people rallied near Washington's Lincoln Memorial Saturday, where the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his stirring "I Have a Dream" speech 50 years ago. VOA's Pam Dockins reports. Congressman John Lewis spoke at the original March on Washington in 1963. Lewis recalled the hardships that he endured as an African American fighting for equality. "I got arrested 40 times during the 60s, beaten and left bloody and unconscious." Another speaker, Congressman Steny Hoyer, suggested the United States had moved forward. "The historic election of President Obama testifies to the progress we have made." The King commemoration included African Americans, Asian Americans, immigrants and youth. Pam Dockins, VOA news, Washington. More details at voanews.com. A U.S. Army sergeant who massacred 16 Afghan civilians last year has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said Saturday he is not so interested in a death penalty for Robert Bales. "We are more in trying to bring an end to the sufferings of the Afghan people rather than seeking revenge that will not bring back the lost children of ours." The Afghan leader said what he wants is for the U.S. to provide the families of the victims with an opportunity for better livelihood. In March, 2012, Robert Bales walked by himself to two neighboring villages in Kandahar province and fired on local residents with a pistol and rifle. Most of those victims were women and children, including 11 members of one family. Pakistan has released nearly 340 Indian fishermen from prison despite recent tension caused by deadly violence along the disputed Kashmir border. Pakistan and India regularly release fishermen who are detained after straying into each other's territorial waters. Ousted Chinese politician Bo Xilai admitted in court Saturday that he made mistakes in connection with his wife's murder of a British businessman, but denied criminal responsibility in the scandal. Bo told the court he is "ashamed" of his errors because they hurt the reputation of the Communist Party and the country. The Bo trial enters its fourth day on Sunday. Egyptian authorities have reopened the border between Egypt and Gaza after a five-day closure that prevented thousands of Palestinians from travelling. Thousands have been waiting to enter Egypt via the Rafa crossing [for school] for school or to go to the hospital. Hundreds more Palestinians are [reporting] reportedly waiting to get back to home to Gaza. It's unclear how long Egyptian authorities will keep the crossing open. For the latest, visit us at voanews.com. I'm Vincent Bruce, VOA news, reporting from the VOA news room in Washington.- published: 25 Aug 2013
- views: 34
6:00
VOA news for Sunday, February 23rd, 2014
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text
Sunday, February 23rd, 2014
From Washi...
published: 23 Feb 2014
VOA news for Sunday, February 23rd, 2014
VOA news for Sunday, February 23rd, 2014
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text Sunday, February 23rd, 2014 From Washington, this is VOA news. Ukrainians welcome their former prime minister. The United Nations passes a unanimous resolution on humanitarian rights in Syria. I'm Vincent Bruce reporting from Washington. Ukrainians gave newly-freed opposition leader and former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko a hero's welcome when she spoke to protesters in Kyiv Saturday. She urged the crowd to continue their demonstrations. As part of a deal to end weeks of violence, Tymoshenko was freed from a prison hospital where she had been serving time for abuse of power -- a charge her supporters say was political revenge by President Viktor Yanukovych. She spoke to the crowd in Kyiv's Independence Square from a wheelchair because of a severe back pain. Tymoshenko called the protesters heroes and the best of Ukraine. She told the demonstrators they should bring Yanukovych to Kyiv. She implored them not to give up their demonstration. Earlier Saturday, Ukraine's parliament voted to dismiss President Yanukovych and set early elections for May 25th. More details on the story at voanews.com. The U.N. Security Council has unanimously adopted a resolution on Syria's humanitarian crisis, demanding that both sides in the conflict provide immediate access to deliver essential aid to millions of people in desperate need. The 15-member council united on Syria for the first time Saturday. Russia and China, which have shielded Syria's government throughout the country's three-year-long civil war, voted in favor of the resolution. Saturday's vote does not threaten sanctions. Russia insisted that that reference be dropped from the original Western- and Arab-backed text. But it does express the council's intent to take "further steps" in the case of non-compliance. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon: "This resolution should not have been necessary. Humanitarian assistance is not something to be negotiated. It is something to be allowed by virtue of international law." The resolution demands immediate cross-border aid access and condemns rights abuses by the Syrian government and armed opposition groups. The world's most wanted drug lord, Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, is behind bars after Mexican and U.S. agents captured him Saturday at a hotel in the Mexican resort of Mazatlan. Agents had been tracking Guzman for weeks after Mexican police arrested top members of his Sinaloa drug cartel. Italian center-left leader Matteo Renzi has taken office as his country's youngest prime minister. Renzi, the former mayor of Florence, promises a new era of stable government after forcing out his predecessor over the slow pace of economic reforms. Renzi named a low-profile list of ministers with a mix of politicians and technocrats that includes no figures capable of challenging his control. Pope Francis installed 19 prelates into the College of Cardinals Saturday, with several coming from South America, Asia and Africa. The new "princes of the Church" will receive gold rings and scarlet three-cornered caps known as red birettas at St. Peter's Basilica. Chibly Langlois, the Church's first cardinal from Haiti, also spoke. He said the event was a new way of announcing the gospel. The new church means announcing the gospel in a different way so that joy can awaken the hearts of men and bring conversion to all people. Leaders of a new U.S. organization say it will combat [what they call a,] what they call a global lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender agenda. Scott Lively of Defend the Family International unveiled the Coalition for Family Values at the National Press Club in Washington. Mariama Diallo reports. Scott Lively said the Coalition for Family Values wants what it calls "family friendly nations" to block efforts to end discrimination against gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgender people. "The LGBT agenda has already gone too far, but it is still advancing." At Friday's news conference in Washington, he said about 70 anti-gay activists and religious leaders from the United States, Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom and Brazil have so far joined the coalition. In Washington, Mariama Diallo, VOA news. Russia won two gold medals and a bronze Saturday at the Sochi Olympics as the host nation took the lead in total medals heading into the last day of competition. All these stories and more at voanews.com 24 hours a day. I'm Vincent Bruce, VOA news, reporting from Washington.- published: 23 Feb 2014
- views: 22
Vimeo results:
4:28
Buddhism in Russia
Shot and produced for VOA News, Moscow. Text and voicing by James Brooke. Additional repor...
published: 12 Jul 2011
author: Moscow Bureau
Buddhism in Russia
Shot and produced for VOA News, Moscow. Text and voicing by James Brooke. Additional reporting and producing by Yuli Weeks. The 4:3 version for broadcast by VOA can be found here: http://tinyurl.com/64vzryz.
5:00
[Miga_v14] Pitch Visualive "Dune"
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Pitch Visualive´s work is a constant forward movement inside t...
published: 03 Dec 2008
author: Miga
[Miga_v14] Pitch Visualive "Dune"
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Pitch Visualive´s work is a constant forward movement inside the visual experimentation, with one eye in 3D animation and other focused on real time video producing. You can find artificial landscapes full of invented objects, mixed with syncronies and other sonic reaction on his pieces, mainly based on electronic music.
As a new element to experiment with, he picked one track from [Miga25] V.O.A. Project "Struttura" to create this new video [Miga_v14] "Dune", where we can feel the contrasts of his creative field.
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El trabajo de Pitch Visualive es un constante ir y venir dentro de la experimentación visual, con un pie en la animación en 3d y otro en la realización de vídeo en tiempo real. En sus piezas, basadas principalmente en música electrónica, podemos adentrarnos en paisajes artificiales llenos de objetos inventados, potenciados con sincronías y otras reacciones sonoras.
Como elemento nuevo a experimentar, ha recogido de la referencia [Miga25] V.O.A. Project "Struttura" el tema con el que ha confeccionado este nuevo vídeo [Miga_v14] "Dune", donde podemos contrastar todos los elementos emergentes en su campo creativo.
+ info:
www.pitch-visualive.org
www.myspace.com/pitchvisualive
www.miga-label.org
26:35
Ep13: Voice of America Director David Ensor
The director of the Voice of America, David Ensor, talks about VOA as a tool of U.S. publi...
published: 17 Sep 2013
author: Conversations w/Nicholas Kralev
Ep13: Voice of America Director David Ensor
The director of the Voice of America, David Ensor, talks about VOA as a tool of U.S. public diplomacy, the line between journalism and propaganda, and VOA as a news source for Americans (September 17, 2013).
9:57
Imran Qureshi: Met Rooftop Installation - Behnam Nateghi Report (5-`15-2013)
Pakistani artist Imran Qureshi, 40, brings his large-scale installation to the Roof Garden...
published: 27 May 2013
author: Behnam Nateghi
Imran Qureshi: Met Rooftop Installation - Behnam Nateghi Report (5-`15-2013)
Pakistani artist Imran Qureshi, 40, brings his large-scale installation to the Roof Garden of New York's Metropolitan Museum. "For the past two or three years I have been using this kind of imagery of blood and the foliage working together," the artist says in an interview with VOA Persian TV's New York correspondent Behnam Nateghi. "Pakistan was the main target for suicide attacks and bomb blasts." His floor painting, in blood color, depicts wings of angels, flower and fauna, in the style of Mogul miniature, as well as splatters of blood. But the artist says his work's references are not limited to terrorism and Pakistan. "It has layers of meaning. People can really relate to it on so many different levels," Qureshi says.
Youtube results:
5:58
VOA news for Saturday, February 15th, 2014
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text
Saturday, February 15th, 2014
From Was...
published: 15 Feb 2014
VOA news for Saturday, February 15th, 2014
VOA news for Saturday, February 15th, 2014
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text Saturday, February 15th, 2014 From Washington, this is VOA news. An end to Syria peace talks with no progress. Indonesia begins to recover from its last volcano eruption. I'm Vincent Bruce reporting from Washington. Syria's main opposition group says peace talks with the government have hit a "dead end" after days of talks in Geneva without any breakthroughs. Opposition spokesman Louay Safi: "The regime has not submitted any other proposal for, you know, about transition to democratic practice away from dictatorship, away from bloodshed, away from imposition of the people in power on the population." Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Fayssal Mikdad said the opposition has an "unrealistic agenda." The opposition wants to discuss setting up a transitional government that would likely exclude President Bashar al-Assad. The government says the focus must be fighting terrorism. Damascus uses the word "terrorists" when talking about the rebels. Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has declared a state of emergency on the main island of Java because of a major volcano eruption. Mount Kelud erupted late Thursday, sending a cloud of ash 30 kilometers into the sky. The eruption killed 30 people and forced 100,000 to evacuate their homes. More on these stories at voanews.com. Pakistan ended a second formal round of talks Friday with Taliban insurgents with a warning that continued violence in the country threatens the peace dialogue. VOA's Sharon Behn has a report from Islamabad. It was a short meeting behind closed doors that ended with a clear statement from the government: the Taliban had to end its attacks, or the peace talks would suffer. The government negotiating team was referring to a spate of bombings in the southern city of Karachi that has left at least a dozen dead and more injured. In a joint statement released after the meeting, the Taliban said it regretted the violence, but added the government should also immediately stop all its anti-terrorist operations. Previous peace pacts with the insurgents have failed. Sharon Behn, VOA new, Islamabad. The last of a wave of snowstorms is expected to pass through the eastern United States Friday and Saturday after the biggest snowfall yet in an exceptionally harsh winter. At least 18 deaths were attributed to storms in the Southeast and East, including that of a pregnant woman whose car was hit by a snowplow. Her baby was delivered in critical condition. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is urging the international community to intensify efforts to help the people of the Central African Republic. France announced Friday it would temporarily send an increase of its troop presence in the CAR. VOA's Margaret Besheer has more from the United Nations. Inter-communal attacks and reprisals by mostly Muslim Seleka fighters and largely Christian anti-Balaka fighters have killed thousands and left nearly one million people displaced or as refugees in neighboring countries. The sectarian nature of the violence, in a country that had previously not seen open religious tensions, has been of particular concern. The African Union has deployed about 5,000 peacekeepers to the country, assisted by a force of 1,600 from France. Paris announced Friday it would temporarily increase its force by an additional 400 troops and police. It is becoming more likely that the United Nations will take over the African-led mission in the coming months. On Friday, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon said he would return to the Council on Tuesday with his recommendations for containing and ending the crisis. Margaret Besheer, VOA news, the United Nations. Japan's Yuzuru Hanyu Friday became the first Asian to win the men's Olympic figure skating title at the Sochi Games. The medalists had flawed performances that included crash landings. But Hanyu held on largely because of his 3.93-point lead after Thursday's short program. Earlier, athletes from Switzerland and Belarus each captured their second gold medals. Switzerland's Dario Cologna, skiing in short sleeves on a warm day in Sochi, was outstanding in the men's cross-country 15-kilometer classic. In the women's individual 15-kilometer biathlon, Darya Domracheva of Belarus finished first with a dominant showing of her own. Valentine's Day, known around the world as the "day of love," is officially here. Pope Francis marked the 14th of February celebration in St. Peter's Square with a question and answer session with thousands of couples engaged to be married. Valentine's Day is not just limited to Romance. Many around the world are expressing their love and affection to family and friends, too. Visit us at voanews.com 24 hours a day for these and other stories. I'm Vincent Bruce, VOA news, reporting from Washington.- published: 15 Feb 2014
- views: 50
5:58
VOA news for Wednesday, February 26th, 2014
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text
Wednesday, February 26th, 2014
From W...
published: 26 Feb 2014
VOA news for Wednesday, February 26th, 2014
VOA news for Wednesday, February 26th, 2014
Thanks to http://gandalf.ddo.jp/ for audio and text Wednesday, February 26th, 2014 From Washington, this is VOA news. U.S. President orders preparations for possible military pullout from Afghanistan this year, and Nigerian Islamist militants stage a deadly attack on a school in the northeast of the country. I'm Michael Lipin reporting from Washington. U.S. President Barack Obama has ordered his administration to prepare for a potential withdrawal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan by the end of this year. White House Spokesman Jay Carney said Mr. Obama informed Afghan President Hamid Karzai of the order in his Tuesday phone call-- the 1st known conversation between the 2 leaders in months. Carney said Mr. Obama warned Mr. Karzai that U.S. pullout may happen if Afghanistan refuses to sign a long-delayed bilateral security agreement with Washington. Carney said the longer such a deal is delayed, the more likely it becomes that any U.S. mission remaining in Afghanistan will be smaller in scale after 2014. Western and Russian officials are giving their opinions about Ukraine's political future after last week's opposition ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych-- a long time ally of Russia. The Ukrainian parliament also approved a motion on Tuesday to send the fugitive President to the International Criminal Court to face a possible trial on charges of murdering protesters. VOA's Pam Dockins has more. EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton says European leaders want to help a new Ukrainian government move the country forward in the way that it chooses. "Of course, that needs to be inclusive and it needs to have the expertise that will be so necessary. And it needs to have both lasting political solutions and a credible economic plan." Ashton commented after she met Tuesday with Ukrainian officials in Kyiv, including former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who was freed from prison on Saturday. Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says his country has reaffirmed its position of non-inference in Ukrainian affairs, but is also calling for national dialogue and return of the rule of law. Pam Dockins, VOA news, Washington. Witnesses in northeast Nigeria say suspected Islamist militants attacked a school on Tuesday, killing more than 30 people. The attack happened at about 2 a.m. local time at a state-run co-educational school in Nigeria's Yobe state. Students and parents told VOA that the attackers set fire to dormitories and then killed the students with machetes and knives or threw them back into the burning buildings as they tried to escape. There has been no claim of responsibility, but officials blame the attack on the militant group Boko Haram. U.N. Member states are calling for the implementation of a Security Council resolution on Syria demanding the humanitarian workers have safe access to Syrian civilians. From the United Nations, VOA's Margaret Besheer has the story. The General Assembly heard a briefing from heads of U.N. agencies dealing with the humanitarian and human rights crisis caused by the 3-year-old conflict. They said the death toll has reached well over !100,000, and more than !9,300,000 people are in need of assistance inside Syria, including at least 6.5 million who are internally displaced. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said the scale and severity of suffering is growing daily for all Syrians and he hopes the resolution adopted Saturday will make a difference on the ground. "It is a basic principle and rule of war that civilians should be treated humanely. Denying access to people in urgent need of food, water or medical supplies is a fundamental denial of their rights to life and human dignity." Margaret Besheer, VOA news, the United Nations. Indonesia has opened a regional recycling conference aimed at increasing awareness of waste management for economic and environmental benefits. The forum, which opened in Surabaya on Tuesday, is being attended by 300 participants from nearly 40 Asia and Pacific countries. And the Philippines is demanding an explanation from Beijing after the Chinese Coast Guard allegedly fired water cannon at Filipinos fishing in a disputed area of the South China Sea. Manila on Tuesday summoned China's top envoy in the Philippine capital to protest the incident which happened last month near the uninhabited Scarborough Shoal. The rocky outcrop has become a flashpoint in military tensions between both countries. We can find more on those stories by checking out our website at voanews.com. I'm Michael Lipin reporting from Washington.- published: 26 Feb 2014
- views: 25
5:59
VOA news for Wednesday, January 15th, 2014
VOA news for Wednesday, January 15th, 2014
From Washington this is VOA News Egypt holds a ...
published: 15 Jan 2014
VOA news for Wednesday, January 15th, 2014
VOA news for Wednesday, January 15th, 2014
VOA news for Wednesday, January 15th, 2014 From Washington this is VOA News Egypt holds a constitutional referendum vote, more anti-government protests in Bangkok. I'm Ray Kougell reporting from Washington. Egyptians vote for a second day today in a referendum on a new constitution supported by the military backed interim government. Hundreds of thousands of police and soldiers deployed across the country as the two day vote began Tuesday but that did not stop violence between supporters and opponents of ousted President Mohamed Morsi, the result eight people killed. While the vote is officially to approve or reject the constitution, VOA's Elizabeth Arrott in Cairo says it is really seen as a referendum on the man likely to run for President if the constitution is approved, the country's Army Chief who ousted Islamist President Morsi in July. "This is the first step in what that interim government calls it's road map to transition away from the previous government of President Mohammed Morsi who of course, was ousted last summer. And so it going to be this referendum on the Constitution followed by Presidential and Parliamentary votes to sort of reestablish everything. Many people are seeing this really as an endorsement of General Abdel Fattah el Sissi who's been Defense Minister, whose really the defacto leader here. It's more it seems to be whether it going to be an endorsement of the new ruling elite." VOAs Elizabeth Arrott in Cairo. The UN nuclear agency says talks with Iran and Tehran's nuclear program have been postponed until February 8th. The talks were originally scheduled for January twenty first, a day after Iran and world powers is set to begin implementation of an interim nuclear pact reached last November. United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is pledging to bring humanitarian aid to Syrian refugees, saying what he has seen at a refugee camp in a Kurdish region of Iraq is "heart-breaking." Mr. Ban made the comments during a visit to camp near Erbil Tuesday in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, where the local government is hosting more than two hundred thousand refugees from Syria. Mr. Ban plans to convene humanitarian assistance conference today in Kuwait ahead of next week's international peace conference in Geneva. Thailand's Prime Minister, Yingluck Shinawatra, says she will not give in to opposition demands to resign despite two days of large anti-government protest in Bangkok. Mrs. Shinawatra say she has a constitutional duty to stay on as Prime Minister and only cooperation and dialogue can resolve the country's months long political deadlock. She spoke as thousands of opposition protesters filled Bangkok's streets for a second day. South Sudan's military says a least two hundred people trying to flee fighting in the country's north were killed when their boat sank in the White Nile River. An army spokesman says the boat sank as the passengers, most of them women and children, were fleeing the town of Malakal. Rebels, fighting South Sudan's government for the past month, say they captured the town, the capital of Upper Nile state. A government spokesman denies the report. Political leaders in the Central African Republic have begun a search for new President four days after interim leader Michel Djotodia was forced to resign. The council has two weeks to make its choice. He stepped down after failing to stop violence that has killed more than one thousand people, displaced more than one million from their homes. A new UN report from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights presents an appalling picture in the Central African Republic . Lisa Schlein has details. UN fact finders who visited the CAR last month have confirmed there were large scale killings of Christian and Muslim civilians carried out on December fifth and sixth in Bangui and Bossangoa. The UN estimates one thousand people in Bangui alone were killed during the two days of violence. Besides the killings and subsequent retaliatory attacks, the UN mission says it has received multiple accounts of sexual violence, torture, enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrest and detention. The report also documents widespread looting and property destruction including deliberate burning of civilian homes and the burning of churches and mosques. Lisa Schlein for VOA News, Geneva. A car bomb explosion in northern Nigeria killed at least seventeen people Tuesday. It happened in a busy area of Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State. There has been no claim of responsibility. Negotiators in the US House of Representatives and Senate have reached agreement on a trillion dollar budget that would fund the federal government through September. It's a deal that potentially avoids another government shut down. President Obama says he's very pleased and he's urging Congress to quickly pass the compromise. I'm Ray Kougell, VOA News. More at Voanews.com.- published: 15 Jan 2014
- views: 442
4:00
bai3 voa video news
nhuvienx86.name.vn....
published: 18 May 2011
author: Vien Nguyen
bai3 voa video news