2014-07-17 Syrian Widows Face Harder Time as Refugees
From VOA Learning English, this is As It Is. A United Nations study says women are now heading more than 145,000 refugee families from the conflict in Syria. The U.N.…
2014-07-17 Deadly Typhoon Hits Philippines, Heads Toward China
The powerful ocean storm Typhoon Rammasun is heading toward China after killing 38 people in the northern Philippines. Philippine officials say eight people are also missing after the storm moved…
2014-07-16 Bergdahl Returns to Active Duty
American soldier Bowe Bergdahl has returned to active duty in the United States Army. The Taliban in Afghanistan kidnapped and held Sergeant Bergdahl for five years. An Army spokesman said…
2014-07-16 Thailand to Return Myanmar Refugees
Thailand’s military government says it has reached an agreement with Myanmar, also known as Burma, for the return of refugees. The agreement calls for as many as 130,000 people to…
2014-07-15 Congress to Focus on US Border Crisis
Congress soon may vote on whether to approve funds requested by President Barack Obama to deal with a rise in immigrants from Central America. President Obama requested $3.7 billion in…
2014-07-15 Middle East Cease-Fire Fails
Israeli forces and Palestinian militants intensified attacks on each other Tuesday. Earlier, the Palestinian group Hamas rejected an Egyptian cease-fire plan. Hamas governs the Gaza area from which militants launch…
2014-07-15 Cambodia Security Forces, Opposition Party Clash
Cambodian rights groups said at least 40 people were injured Tuesday in clashes between security guards and protesters in the country’s capital, Phnom Penh. The protesters were demanding the government…
2014-07-14 Nigerian President Promises Malala to Find Kidnapped Girls
Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan met on Monday with Malala Yousafzai. The young Pakistani activist for women’s rights became famous around the world after the Taliban shot her as she travelled…
2014-07-14 Japan Outlaws Owning Child Pornography
The International Center for Missing and Exploited Children says 99 countries in the world still do not make possession of material showing children in sexual activities a crime. But now,…
2014-07-13 Aid Groups, Volunteers Help US with Immigrant Crisis
Many people have left Central America with hopes of coming to the United States. About 57,000 children have crossed the U.S. border without a family member or legal guardian over…
2014-07-07 Japan to Ease Restrictions on its Military
Hello, and welcome to As It Is from VOA Learning English. I’m Christopher Cruise in Washington. Today, we report on the Japanese government’s decision to ease some restrictions on the…
2014-07-13 NGOs Work to Stop the Spread of Ebola
The aid group Plan International says the Ebola outbreak in West Africa could become a health crisis in other areas. The group is calling on West African countries to work…
2014-07-12 Move over World Cup, Time for RoboCup
The end of the World Cup does not mean the end of international competition in Brazil this year. A major football event will happen in the South American country later…
2014-07-11 Russians, Chinese Buying Pricey New York Homes
Many wealthy people from around the world are buying small, but pricey homes in New York City. Foreign buyers are helping to fuel a rise in condominium apartment prices. A…
2014-07-11 Hindi or English? The Politics of Language
Choosing an official national language can be difficult, at times even dangerous. This is especially true for countries that have many languages and a colonial past. Like India, for example.…