South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius entered the history books Saturday at the London Olympics. He became the first double-amputee runner ever to compete in the Olympic games. He came in second in a 400-meter preliminary heat in 45.44 seconds, qualifying him for the semi-finals. Pistorius was born without fibulas – the outer bones in the […]
Iran Tests Missile with New Guidance System
Posted August 4th, 2012 at 6:50 am (UTC-5)
Iran says it has successfully tested a short-range missile equipped with a new guidance system that it plans to install on all future missiles it builds. Defense Minister Ahmad Vahidi said on Saturday that the new system has the capability of striking both land and sea targets. He added that the Fateh 110 missile has […]
Clinton in Kenya to Discuss Elections
Posted August 4th, 2012 at 6:45 am (UTC-5)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton arrived in Kenya Saturday on the latest stop of her 11-day tour of Africa. She will press the country’s leaders to conduct free and fair elections planned for next year. Kenya’s 2007 election resulted in widespread violence. Clinton will also meet with leaders of neighboring Somalia to urge them […]
Syrian Army, Rebels Clash Near Aleppo TV Station
Posted August 4th, 2012 at 6:25 am (UTC-5)
Syrian security forces clashed again with rebels Saturday, as they fought for control of a state TV station in the northern city of Aleppo and government troops bombarded rebel-held areas of Damascus. The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that about two dozen people were killed in unrest Friday. The U.N. General Assembly approved […]
UN Body Sends First Food Aid to Flood-Hit North Korea
Posted August 4th, 2012 at 5:05 am (UTC-5)
The World Food Program says it is sending a first shipment of emergency food aid to flood-hit areas of North Korea, where torrential rain has killed nearly 120 people and has left tens of thousands of families without clean water and adequate supplies of food. After sending a survey team to North Korea earlier this […]
Phelps Seeks His 22nd Olympic Medal
Posted August 4th, 2012 at 4:25 am (UTC-5)
American swimmer Michael Phelps, already the most decorated Olympian of all time with 21 medals, seeks medal 22 Saturday in the men’s 4 by 100 medley relay at the 2012 Olympic Games in London. The race will be the last of his Olympic career. U.S. tennis star Serena Williams and Russian Maria Sharapova face off […]
Former US President Truman’s Grandson Visits Hiroshima
Posted August 4th, 2012 at 4:05 am (UTC-5)
The grandson of former U.S. president Harry Truman, who authorized the atomic bombings of Japan in 1945, visited Hiroshima Saturday and offered a silent prayer for victims of the nuclear attack. Japan’s Kyodo news agency says Clifton Truman Daniel is in Japan at the invitation of the nonprofit peace organization Sadako Legacy to attend the […]
Clinton to Urge Somali Leaders to Complete Transition
Posted August 4th, 2012 at 1:20 am (UTC-5)
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is visiting Kenya to urge Somali leaders to complete a political transition to a new government on schedule. Clinton is to meet Saturday with the president of Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government, Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed. The transitional government is set to end August 20, when the U.N. mandate for […]
US Labor Market Advances, but Jobless Rate Is Higher
Posted August 3rd, 2012 at 11:20 pm (UTC-5)
The U.S. says its labor market improved in July, even as the national jobless rate edged higher. The government reported Friday that employers added 163,000 jobs last month, the most since February. But even as more unemployed workers found new jobs, the country’s unemployment rate increased to 8.3 percent in July, up from 8.2 percent […]
North Korea Threatens Harder Line in Nuclear Talks
Posted August 3rd, 2012 at 11:05 pm (UTC-5)
A senior North Korean official says Pyongyang intends to harden its opposition to international pressure against its nuclear weapons program. Choi Sun Hee, a deputy director of North Korea’s Foreign Ministry, sent a rare note by e-mail to VOA’s Korean Service Thursday, following three days of informal talks between North Korean diplomats and an unofficial […]
