UN under-secretary-general for political affairs Lynn Pascoe said Friday he spent four days in Pyongyang having "useful talks" with senior members of the North Korean government, including top official Kim Yong-Nam .

Promising results reported in malaria vaccine trial Malaria kills about a million people each year, mostly young children who haven't lived long enough to build up adequate immunity. A new vaccine addressing that deficiency has shown promise for protecting this most vulnerable population. Jim Hawk has the story:

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has praised the massive turnout for Thrusday's government-backed rally marking the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Government supporters and

India has put on hold the commercial cultivation of genetically modified food crops. The decision is seen as a setback by advocates who believe such crops could help boost food supplies in the countr

Swiss Tennis champion Roger Federer and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt are among the contenders for the 2010 Laureus World Sports Awards, which will be handed out in the United Arab Emirates next month

Some of the plants, such as cordgrass, can also help restore wetlands. Boggy marshes protect and improve water quality, provide fish and wildlife habitats and reduce flood risk. But boggy marshes have been shrinking due to climate change and the practice of draining them to increase the amount of crop land. The seeds from prairie cord grass can be sold to replant wetlands, re-establishing an important habitat for birds, insects, plants and other prairie creatures.

Former United States president Jimmy Carter has said he believes Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir is likely to face a second round run-off against one of his opponents in the upcoming election. He al

Photo: AFP
A woman writes on a blackboard as others sit during a literacy class held at the garbage dump of Ougadougou, 12 Oct 2009

Burkinabé President Blaise Compaoré has committ

This is IN THE NEWS in VOA Special English.World leaders have been congratulating Viktor Yanukovych as Ukraine's next president.Among Western leaders, President Obama phoned on Thursday to welcome the

Upbeat economic data sent U.S. stocks higher Thursday. Positive indicators in America's labor market and housing sector appear to be fueling hopes that a fragile economic recovery will accelerate

A new study opens a fascinating window on how people communicate without words, and how some of the sounds people make to express emotion can be understood across cultural barriers.

A former U.S. lawmaker who played a key role in the ouster of Soviet forces from Afghanistan has died.
Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson helped funnel millions of dollars to fund Afghan fighters during the 1980s.

The South China tiger has not been seen in the wild for 25 years and is believed to be extinct.

Australian Mamdouh Habib is starring in a play about the years he spent imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, under suspicion of training militants and having prior knowledge of the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States. Waiting for Mamdouh details his allegations of rendition and torture.

South Africans are observing the 20-year anniversary since the country's elder statesman Nelson Mandela walked free from an apartheid prison. The anniversary is being marked with a symbolic march from the prison, speeches, and exhibits at museums.

Peter Fedynsky | Moscow
10 February 2010
Photo: AP
Supporters of Ukrainian opposition leader and presidential candidate Viktor Yanukovych hold a massive rally in front of the Central Election Com

Washington, D.C. is enduring its second major snowstorm in less than a week and the third this winter season. Experts say the oceanic disturbance known as El Niño is to blame for severe weather here and around the world in recent months.

The Internet is filled with web sites offering all kinds of games for children in school to adults in retirement. But now there is a Web site with games designed for the youngest members of the family. Faith Lapidus has our report about Kneebouncers.com.

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.Leaders of the European Union say they will help Greece as it struggles under a mountain of debt. They promise to take action, i