NASA astronauts onboard the space shuttle Atlantis made preparations for Thursday’s planned touchdown, the last for the 30-year U.S. shuttle program. Atlantis and its four-member crew departed from the International Space Station on Tuesday after an eight-day visit to deliver a year’s worth of supplies and haul trash and used equipment back to Earth. On […]
Astronauts Check Shuttle for Thursday’s Landing
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 11:00 am (UTC-5)
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Car Bomb Kills British Shipping Executive in Yemen
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 10:55 am (UTC-5)
Yemeni officials say a car bomb blast in the southern port of Aden has killed a British shipping executive. The officials say the bomb detonated Wednesday after the man started his car. There was no word on the motive for the attack. The British Foreign Office confirmed to VOA that a British citizen was killed […]
Jailed Palestinian Leader Urges Rallies for Independence
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 10:50 am (UTC-5)
A Palestinian leader jailed by Israel is urging Palestinians at home and abroad to stage mass rallies in September to support a bid to gain U.N. membership for an independent Palestine. In a letter published Wednesday in Palestinian media, Marwan Barghouti calls for “millions” of Palestinians to demonstrate peacefully in Palestinian communities, Arab and Muslim […]
Minnesota Governor Signs Budget, Ends State Shutdown
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 10:45 am (UTC-5)
The governor of Minnesota has signed a new budget, ending the state’s crippling 20-day government shutdown — one of the longest in recent U.S. history. Democratic Governor Mark Dayton signed the spending bills Wednesday just hours after lawmakers approved them. The Republican-controlled legislature met in a special session to approve the last of 12 measures […]
Karzai Bans US Advisors From Afghan Central Bank
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 10:45 am (UTC-5)
A new report says Afghan President Hamid Karzai has banned U.S. Treasury advisers from the country’s central bank, where they had been working to prevent the flow of money from getting into the wrong hands. The audit by the U.S. special inspector general for Afghan reconstruction, which was released Wednesday, says the ban has been […]
Dutch Police to Scan Fingerprints in Checks for Illegal Immigrants
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 10:40 am (UTC-5)
The Dutch government is planning to give mobile devices to 125 police officers so they can scan the fingerprints of detainees to help catch and deport illegal immigrants. The devices are expected to speed up the current process where police take suspected immigrants into custody to check their fingerprints against an immigration database. The new […]
US Denies Losing Drone in Iran
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 10:35 am (UTC-5)
The U.S. has denied an Iranian report that the country’s Revolutionary Guard shot down a U.S. drone . Intelligence and military officials told VOA on Wednesday that the U.S. rejects the claim and has not lost a drone. An Iranian lawmaker said the country’s elite military group downed the U.S. spy plane as it was […]
Syria Restricts Travel of US, French Envoys
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 10:10 am (UTC-5)
Syria has ordered the U.S. and French ambassadors not to travel outside Damascus without permission after they angered the government by visiting the flashpoint city of Hama this month. Foreign Minister Walid Moallem announced the restrictions for U.S. envoy Robert Ford and France’s Eric Chevallier on Wednesday. He said if they defy the order, Syria […]
What is a famine?
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 10:10 am (UTC-5)
Definition of Famine: The word famine is a term that is not used lightly by humanitarian organizations. The United Nations describes a crisis as a famine only when the following conditions are met: – Malnutrition rates exceed 30 percent – More than two people per 10,000 people are dying each day – Severe lack of […]
French, German Leaders Seeking Greek Debt Plan
Posted July 20th, 2011 at 10:10 am (UTC-5)
The leaders of France and Germany are hoping to forge a plan to help keep the debt-ridden Greek government from defaulting on its loans. French President Nicolas Sarkozy is traveling to Berlin Wednesday for a hastily arranged meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, one day ahead of Thursday’s emergency European summit in Brussels. The agenda […]
