|  |  |  | | | | | Voice of America | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  GENEVA - The World Wide Fund For Nature warns the world is consuming more of the Earth's resources than the planet can bear. WWF is launching its Living Planet Report just five weeks before nations gather at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) to press political leaders into action to protect the earth for future generations. The World Wide Fund for Nature calls the planet sick and says it has the statistics to ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have agreed to end a weeks-long hunger strike in exchange for promises of better conditions, averting fears of widespread unrest if any of the inmates had died. Israel Prisons Service spokeswoman Sivan Weizman confirmed late Monday that a deal had been reached. Egypt and Jordan played key roles in mediating between the Israelis and prison leaders representing all Palestinian factions. The Palestinians won key concessions, including ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  DALLAS - First lady Michelle Obama joined U.S. Olympians and other athletes committed to her nationwide "Let's Move" campaign to help solve the problem of childhood obesity. First lady Michelle Obama, who will lead the U.S. presidential delegation to the London Olympics in late July, wants to see American children become more active. She believes that the inspiration of the Summer Games will help achieve that goal. She is teaming up with the U.S. Olympic Committee, which has the ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Party leader Niankoro Yeah Samake says sub-regional bloc is yet to make any significant impact on Mali's political and security situation | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Marine scientists are using satellite technology to track the elusive ocean wanderings of giant manta rays - graceful creatures that ply the world's seas. The co-authors of the new study say more measures are needed to protect dwindling worldwide manta populations, but complicating the issue is that almost nothing is known about the day-to-day movements and ecological needs of these enigmatic gentle giants. To solve some of the mystery, the scientists attached satellite ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  WASHINGTON - An educational study in the United States by the Alliance for Excellent Education says about 7,000 American students drop out of high school every school day. Under-performing high schools also produce 58 percent of all African-American dropouts. A special high school in Washington is trying to reduce those numbers by keeping young African Americans in school and on a career path. Jakor Porter is like many other American teenagers. He has a passion for ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  WHITE HOUSE - President Barack Obama used a college commencement address in New York City on Monday to urge women to use economic and social progress they have made to bring about a better future. Mr. Obama's address at Barnard College, a women's college that is part of Columbia University, combined words intended to energize and encourage female graduates with some sharp observations about the economy and political climate in the United States. The president noted that women ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  LONDON - They will try to overcome policy differences as the threat of a Greek exit from the euro looms closer German Chancellor Angela Merkel and France's President-elect, Francois Hollande, meet for the first time in Berlin Tuesday against the backdrop of renewed financial panic in the eurozone. The two leaders will try to overcome policy differences as the threat of a Greek exit from the euro looms closer. To the euphoric cheers of his supporters, Francois Hollande secured his ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Patricia Mawuli was nineteen years old and had just finished high school when she saw an airplane for the first time. As she was collecting wood in a field outside of her uncle's house in a rural area of Ghana, Mawuli heard loud noises that she said scared her at first. "I saw these airplanes flying overhead, but because I was very close to the airfields, I thought the airplanes were chasing me," she recalled years later. But Mawuli said her fear did not last long. Before long, ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  UNITED NATIONS - The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court says he is seeking arrest warrants for two warlords he says are responsible for crimes against humanity and war crimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bosco Ntaganda, known as "the Terminator," has been wanted by the court at The Hague since 2006 for recruiting child soldiers in the district of Ituri. The children were used to fight in Thomas Lubanga's militia, known as the Union of Congolese ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  KINSHASA - Police in the Democratic Republic of Congo said they are investigating allegations that former prime minister Adolphe Muzito enriched himself from public funds. An inspector-general of Congo's judicial police, Christophe Ndongo Nzita, said the investigation of Muzito has been going on for several weeks and a report is expected in the near future. Ndongo said he could confirm that the investigation was launched nearly a month ago following allegations made by a former ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  This is Africa Water Week. Government and development agency representatives and others are meeting in Cairo to mark the occasion. One of the main topics is improving water and sanitation services on the continent. The International development organization WaterAid is one of the main organizers of the Cairo meeting. "This is, we can say, the highest level event on water and sanitation. And it brings together decision makers on the continent, particularly coming from the water sector ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  ZAGAZIG, Egypt - Egyptian voters are making their final choices in the first post-revolution presidential election. Many Egyptians say the electoral process will not resolve the issue at the top of people's minds, however, and that is the sorry state of the economy. Egypt's revolution bears fruit this month with the nation's first widely-contested presidential election. But another force behind last year's uprising - economic discontent - has yet to be eased. ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  CHICAGO, Ilinois - The city of Chicago is hosting the NATO summit on May 20 and 21. While NATO leaders are preparing for discussions on future cooperation, protesters are gearing up to demonstrate. Chicago native Jacob Cayia is looking forward to the NATO summit, but not because it boosts local businesses or promotes his city. With various world leaders in town, and the media that follow, Cayia wants to express his frustration publicly. "I think a lot of ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  DAKAR - American President Barack Obama's public support for same-sex marriage has sparked criticism in sub-Saharan Africa, where gay men and women continue to face discrimination, violence and jail time in many countries because of their sexual orientation. President Barack Obama's endorsement for gay marriage has prompted debate in the United States and condemnation in many sub-Saharan African countries. Desappointment The president's immense popularity on ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Asian-Americans have largely been ignored by U.S. politicians, but they could provide a valuable edge in the upcoming presidential election, says new polling data . According to recently released census data , Asian-Americans are the fastest growing minority group in the U.S. population. The population has grown 46 percent since the 2000 census, and Asian-Americans now number more than 17 million nationwide. According to Lake Research, which conducted the poll, Asian-Americans ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  The fallout has begun from a $2 billion financial trading loss at the U.S.-based JPMorgan Chase investment company. The firm said Monday that Ina Drew, JPMorgan's chief investment officer and one of Wall Street's highest paid female executives, is retiring. The company paid her $29 million in the last two years for her profitable investment trading decisions. She is leaving after three decades at the firm in the aftermath of the loss in the company's London division that ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  The International Organization for Migration has begun repatriating thousands of South Sudanese stranded at a way station near the border with Sudan. The first plane carrying 164 refugees landed Monday in South Sudan's capital Juba. The refugees are among a group of 12,000-15,000 South Sudanese who are waiting to leave the crowded transit camp at Kosti, south of Khartoum. The south's humanitarian affairs minister, Joseph Lual Acuil, greeted the returnees at the airport. ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | JUBA - A flight carrying the first group of South Sudanese nationals from Sudan landed in the capital Juba on Monday to cheering crowds. Travel plans for these returnees changed several times due to fluctuations in north-south political relations. Both countries appeared set on returning to all-out war in recent weeks as armies clashed along the border. Happy They're Home Surrounded by excited groups who were there to greet the 164 passengers arriving from Sudan's capital, ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Sometimes, the best laid plans don't always work out as imagined. That was the case for filmmaker Debbie Lum, the producer and director of the documentary " Seeking Asian Female ." It was also true for the subjects of her film: Steven, an aging white American obsessed with marrying an Asian woman, and his bride-to-be Sandy, a 30-year-old Chinese woman he met online. Lum initially set out to explore the phenomenon of "yellow fever," a sexual obsession ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  World stocks fell sharply Monday as traders voiced new concerns about political uncertainty in Greece. Analysts say failure by the country's politicians to form a coalition government could lead to new elections. And the growing uncertainty is stoking fears that Greece could become the first country to drop out of the 17-nation eurozone. Greek newspapers warn of an uncertain future. "Drama" says one headline; another adds: a "Country On The Edge of a ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  European and U.S. stock markets are falling sharply as traders voice new concerns about political uncertainty in Greece and whether it could become the first country to drop out of the 17-nation euro currency union. Stock indexes in London, Paris and Frankfurt all dropped by more than 2 percent in afternoon trading Monday, while major exchanges in New York dropped about 1 percent as trading opened for the week. The value of the euro currency also fell below $1.29 for the first time in ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Pakistan has signaled that NATO supply lines to Afghanistan should be reopened. Pakistan shut down the routes after U.S. airstrikes mistakenly killed 24 Pakistani troops near the Afghan border last November. Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar told reporters in Islamabad Monday that Pakistan needs closure on the cross-border attack and needs to "move on." She said Pakistan has "made the point and we now need to move on and go into a positive zone of trying to conduct our ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ISLAMABAD - Pakistan says talks with the United States on reopening supply lines for coalition troops in Afghanistan are progressing well, indicating the country might lift the nearly six-month ban ahead of next week's NATO conference on Afghanistan's future. Pakistan closed the NATO supply lines in retaliation for a cross-border U.S. airstrike that mistakenly killed 24 Pakistani soldiers last November. The incident led to the suspension of already tense ties between ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  As one of the few openly gay, African-American conductors in the United States Michael Morgan is a rarity in the world of classical music. He has been music director of the Oakland East Bay Symphony in California for 22 years and has worked with some of the great conductors of the 20th century, including Leonard Bernstein, Gunther Schuller and George Solti. However, it is Morgan's mission is to bring classical music to everyone, especially to diverse audiences who ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  TOKYO - Exiled representatives of the Uighur, an ethnic group that lives mainly in Western China's province of Xinjiang, are meeting in Japan for their fourth annual conference. The World Uighur Congress, based in Germany, opposes what it calls the Chinese occupation of their land, and the group's gatherings routinely draw criticism from Beijing. Rebiya Kadeer, leader of the World Uighur Congress, and also known as "the Mother of the Uighur Nation," has been ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  European Union officials said they hope Greece will remain part of the eurozone but that it must live up to its commitments. European Commission spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen made the comments Monday, as Greek President Karolos Papoulias called party leaders back for a final round of talks on forming a coalition government, after talks on Sunday failed. Germany's Finance Ministry also warned Monday that following the terms and timetable of its reform program, agreed as part of ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Few people travel to the Arctic, but it's possible to see it up close without the long journey. Now, a new 3D IMAX movie about the Arctic is opening in the U.S. and, soon, around the world. The movie, directed by Greg MacGillivray, is part of an international campaign to save the polar bears and their home. Polar bears are in trouble. Scientists say only 20,000 remain, and their long term survival could be at risk. The new IMAX movie, To the Arctic , is narrated by ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  KAKUMA, KENYA - Kakuma refugee camp in northern Kenya is filling up again with a new wave of refugees fleeing conflict in parts of Sudan and South Sudan. According to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees more than 7,700 people have arrived in the camp so far this year, 75 percent of them from Sudan and South Sudan. The U.N. refugee agency says they receive an average of 100 new refugees at Kakuma per day, mainly from South Sudan. Refugees are citing tribal conflict, ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  West African bloc ECOWAS says it will reimpose sanctions on junta leaders in Mali if they block efforts to restore civilian rule. The ECOWAS Commission said Monday it condemns what it called "continued interference with the transition" by junta chief Captain Amadou Sanogo and his allies. On Saturday, two ECOWAS envoys quit talks with the junta because of an impasse over who will head a transitional government. The 40-day mandate of interim president Dioncounda Traore ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  DAKAR - Defense chiefs of the Economic Community of West African States met Monday in Abuja to "fine-tune" plans for a troop deployment to Guinea-Bissau and a possible military intervention in Mali following coups in both countries within the past two months. ECOWAS is threatening to reinstate sanctions on the junta leaders in Mali if they continue to block efforts to restore civilian rule. In a written statement Monday, the ECOWAS Commission condemned what it called ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Twice in American history, entire groups of people have suddenly disappeared - to the point that archaeologists and anthropologists today cannot say where they went or what happened to them. One was the first boatload of English settlers in the New World. In 1587, they established a colony on Roanoke Island, off the Atlantic coast of what is now the state of North Carolina. The settlement had great difficulties with food and hostile Indians, so its governor went back to England to ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  CAIRO - Syrian activists say rebels killed 23 soldiers in battles near the flashpoint city of Homs - one of the deadliest days for Syrian forces in a 14-month, anti-government uprising. Rebel soldiers fought sporadic battles against troops loyal to President Bashar al-Assad in the past 24 hours, claiming heavy casualties on government troops. Opposition videos showed rebel fighters behind earth berms, defending their positions with automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades. ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  SYDNEY - Citizens on the South Pacific island atolls of Tokelau are to become the first in the region to rely entirely on renewable energy. Officials say a hybrid system of solar energy and coconut oil will be supplying enough power for every resident on Tokelau by the end of the year. The pledge comes after 20 small island nations announced new plans to reduce their dependence on fossil fuels at a conference organized by the United Nations in Barbados. Tokelau officials ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Afghan officials say a bomb blast at a market in the country's north has killed nine people, including a local official. Police say Monday's explosion struck a shop in the Ghormuch district of Faryab province. A council member was among those killed by the remote-controlled bomb. It is unclear who was responsible for the attack, which came a day after a top peace negotiator was gunned down in the capital, Kabul. Arsala Rahmani was a senior member of Afghanistan's ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Police in Nepal say a plane crash near an airport in the country's north has killed 15 people. Authorities say six people on board, including two Danes and two children, survived Monday's crash. The plane, belonging to local carrier Agni Air, went down while trying to land at an airport in Jomsom, a hub for Hindu pilgrims and trekkers. Officials say just before the crash, the pilot told air traffic control that the plane was having technical problems and that he was ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Talks between Iranian authorities and U.N. nuclear agency officials have started in Vienna, as a major U.S. newspaper reports that Iran has repeatedly violated maritime law in a bid to sidestep international sanctions imposed due to its controversial nuclear program. International Atomic Energy Agency officials are expected to press Iran for access to the Parchin military site near Tehran during their two days of talks. Iran has not yet granted U.N. requests to visit the facility, ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The U.N. nuclear agency has again urged Iran to give it access to sites, people and documents it seeks as part of its probe into whether Tehran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. Ahead of the opening session between the two sides in Vienna Monday, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency delegation, Hermann Nackaerts, told reporters that they were continuing their dialogue with Iran in "a positive spirit." One major issue on the agenda for the two days of ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  The U.N. nuclear agency has again urged Iran to give it access to sites, people and documents it seeks as part of its probe into whether Tehran is trying to develop nuclear weapons. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency delegation in Vienna, Hermann Nackaerts, told reporters Monday that they are continuing the dialogue with Iran on its controversial nuclear program in "a positive spirit." "The aim of us today is to reach agreement on an approach to ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  MOSCOW - The opposition demonstration that drew tens of thousands of people in Moscow on May 6 ended in violence that left dozens of riot police and protesters injured and led to mass arrests. Over several subsequent nights, police detained hundreds more opposition activists who strolled through the Russian capital in a nocturnal "people's march." The opposition's latest tactic takes a page from the global "Occupy" movement. Several hundred opposition activists are ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  WASHINGTON - The United States and NATO-led international forces have condemned the assassination of a top Afghan peace negotiator. The Taliban denied responsibility for the attack, but a high-ranking U.S. senator says the killing of Afghan High Peace Council member Arsala Rahmani is further evidence of Taliban intentions as American force levels are reduced. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein says the Rahmani assassination is the latest ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Mexican authorities have found 49 mutilated bodies stuffed in bags near the northern city of Monterrey in what officials believe is the latest act of violence in the country's brutal drug war. Police say they found the bodies in the early hours Sunday on a stretch of highway leading just south of the U.S. border. So far, no one has claimed responsibility for the violence, but it echoes several other recent cases in which drug gangs have left bodies ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  DUBAI - Activists and opposition supporters in Bahrain have criticized a decision by the United States to resume arms sales to the troubled Gulf kingdom, saying it could encourage further human rights violations. The U.S. State Department announced last week that the United States would begin selling some military supplies to Bahrain to help the country "maintain its external defense capabilities." Washington halted all sales last year after Bahraini authorities used ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Dozens of Indonesian and Russian experts scaled through a remote mountainside searching for the flight recorders of a Russian jet that crashed killing all 45 people onboard. Sunday's search centered around a ravine on Mount Salak near where the plane's wreckage was found. The site, located some 80 kilometers from Jakarta, is on the side of a dormant volcano covered in jungle terrain and a near vertical slope. The doomed jetliner, which was on a promotional sales tour, ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  HONG KONG - Shark fin has been considered a luxury in Chinese cuisine since the Ming emperors first demanded the delicacy more than 400 years ago. However, unsustainable and barbaric methods of harvesting the fish mean shark populations are increasingly endangered. Banning the use of shark fin More than 150 activists braved oppressive heat Sunday to deliver a letter calling on the new head of the Hong Kong government, CY Leung, to ban the use of shark fin at ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  NAIROBI - The Ugandan military says it has captured a commander of the Lord's Resistance Army during an operation in the Central African Republic. Caesar Achellam was seized Saturday following a firefight with Ugandan forces. The arrest of Caesar Achellam is a major victory for multi-national forces combating the LRA across central Africa. The operations center in the Central African Republic, shared by the Ugandan military and American Special Forces, has posted ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Thousands of opposition supporters have participated in a rare unsanctioned march in the Russian capital, Moscow. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  Syrian troops backed by tanks killed at least five civilians, torched homes and looted shops when they overran a rebellious Sunni Muslim farming village Sunday, as tensions from the 14-month-old uprising also spilled into neighboring Lebanon. Sunday's raid against the impoverished village of al-Tamana, 55 kilometers northwest of Hama, cast further doubt on the viability of U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan's plan to end the bloody conflict peacefully. ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  The leader of a group of Greek far-left parties, which finished second in last week's parliamentary elections, is refusing to take part in more talks to form a coalition government. Alexis Tsipras said Sunday he will not become what he calls an accomplice in a crime against Greek society. He said those who govern Greece and support the deep spending cuts demanded by the European Union did not get the message of the voters. Greek ... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  The leaders of China, Japan and South Korea say they will not tolerate further provocation from North Korea, amid fears that Pyongyang is preparing for a new nuclear test. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak made the remark Sunday after meeting in Beijing with Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda. North Korea's failed rocket launch last month led to sanctions from the U.N. Security Council. The launch drew immediate condemnation from the ... | | | | | | | | | |  | |  | |  |
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