Voice of America

voanews.com — A spokesman for six world powers holding nuclear talks with Iran in Baghdad says negotiators have made some progress but were wrapping up with no word of a breakthrough in resolving the Iranian nuclear dispute. EU spokesman Michael Mann told VOA that the negotiations which extended into a second day on Thursday were "tough."

voanews.com — SEOUL - South Korea's government on Thursday issued its clearest public statement to date expressing a belief that North Korea has made technical preparations to conduct another nuclear test at any time. Defense ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok explains to reporters this conclusion is based on recent satellite imagery showing excavation work at the Punggye-ri site, combined with other undisclosed intelligence data.

voanews.com — Millions of Egyptians cast ballots Wednesday in a historic presidential election pitting Islamists against secularists rooted in former leader Hosni Mubarak's old guard. The vote is expected to produce the country's first freely elected civilian leader after 60 years of military-backed dictatorship.

voanews.com — International donors have pledged $4 billion in aid to Yemen to help the impoverished state boost the fight against Islamist militants and develop the Yemeni economy. British Foreign Office Minister Alistair Burt says a group of mostly Arab and Western nations and international organizations made the pledges on Wednesday at a "Friends of Yemen" donor conference in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

voanews.com — Millions of Egyptians are waiting in long lines to cast ballots in the first truly contested presidential election in almost six decades. About 50 million people are eligible to vote in the two-day process, which marks the first time Egypt has voted for a new leader since former president Hosni Mubarak took office more than 30 years ago.

voanews.com — This is the second installment of a three-part series analyzing whether the Arab Spring is drawing to a close. Our first installment examined the issue of political pluralism in Bahrain and asked whether recent reforms by King Hamad are resolving the current political crisis to stave off another which might come down the road.

blogs.voanews.com — Debate And Rumors About Censorship Swirl Doug Bernard | Washington DC It only lasted for about 8 hours, but that was long enough to start a whole new round of Internet rumor and worry. On Sunday, May 20th, Pakistani telecommunications authorities suddenly blocked all access to the micro-blogging site Twitter, effectively shutting off the service [...]

voanews.com — NAIROBI - The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) says it needs more security to help thousands of people displaced by recent violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. UNHCR says a battle between the Congolese armed forces and a group of renegade soldiers has displaced thousands of people in recent weeks.

voanews.com — Egyptians vote Wednesday in a historic presidential election that pollsters say is too close to call, with a choice of candidates touting radically different visions for the country's future. No outright winner is expected from the two-day poll, so a runoff is scheduled for June 16-17 between the two top finishers.

voanews.com — The State Department - International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Yukiya Amano says he and Iranian nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili have made a "decision to reach an agreement" on access to Iranian nuclear sites "quite soon." U.S.

voanews.com — The Baha'i faith was founded in Iran in the 19th century, but its adherents believe the United States has a special spiritual destiny. Baha'is are celebrating the 100-year anniversary of a visit to the United States by Abdu'l Baha, whom they call "The Master."

voanews.com — The head of the U.N. nuclear agency says he expects Iran to sign a deal with the International Atomic Energy Agency "quite soon." But IAEA chief Yukio Amano said Tuesday in Vienna there are still some differences to be sorted out.

voanews.com — Amid a perceived increased threat from North Korea, the military of South Korea intends to put a significantly larger number of missiles into its arsenal in the years ahead. South Korea officials confirm plans are underway to increase spending on missile development.

voanews.com — Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, who is set to earn billions when the social networking giant goes public on the U.S. stock market Friday, has drawn criticism for renouncing his U.S. citizenship in a move that could save him millions in taxes.

voanews.com — Is the Arab Spring over? It's a question on the minds of many observers of Middle East politics. Back in 2011, in Bahrain, Syria and Egypt, television stations broadcast scenes of defiant democracy movements and socially mobilized youth taking to the streets, in most cases peacefully demanding the removal of old systems along with their entrenched leaders.

voanews.com — 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."