http://www.voanews.com Voice of America is an international news and broadcast organization serving Central and Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, Central Asia, Russia, the Middle East and Balkan countries http://www.voanews.com/img/voa/rssLogo_VOA.gif http://www.voanews.com en-US 2012 - VOA 60 Wed, 19 Jun 2013 21:40:27 -0400 Pangea CMS – VOA President Barack Obama has defended U.S. government surveillance activities, saying it has saved lives in countries around the world.  The president seeks to reassure Chancellor Angela Merkel and the German people, as well as Americans, about the nature of the program. At a joint press conference with the German leader, Obama said the program of Internet surveillance, called PRISM, has been effective while the court-approved process has strictly limited encroachment on privacy. ... http://www.voanews.com/content/in-germany-obama-defends-us-surveillance-programs/1684799.html http://www.voanews.com/content/in-germany-obama-defends-us-surveillance-programs/1684799.html Wed, 19 Jun 2013 09:25:55 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) U.S. President Barack Obama is in Berlin, where he will speak Wednesday at the historic Brandenburg Gate and meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.  The president arrived in Berlin after two days at the Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland, where the leaders focused much of their attention on efforts to end the bloody conflict in Syria. Obama and six other world leaders pressured Russian President Vladimir Putin to back away from his support of Syrian President Bashar ... http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-to-speak-at-brandeburh-gate/1684574.html http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-to-speak-at-brandeburh-gate/1684574.html Tue, 18 Jun 2013 20:32:28 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) International efforts to end the violence in Syria have dominated both days of the Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland. Russian President Vladimir Putin clashed with the other G8 leaders over his support for the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The summit's working dinner late Monday turned contentious, as U.S. President Barack Obama and the other world leaders turned up the pressure on Putin, who said ousting Assad would lead to instability in the Middle East. The ... http://www.voanews.com/content/syria-persists-as-g8-weighs-counterterror-tax-evasion/1683833.html http://www.voanews.com/content/syria-persists-as-g8-weighs-counterterror-tax-evasion/1683833.html Tue, 18 Jun 2013 05:09:43 -0400 Europe webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) http://www.voanews.com/content/syria-persists-as-g8-weighs-counterterror-tax-evasion/1683833.html#relatedInfoContainer U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin disagree on how they want the bloodshed in Syria to be resolved, but both say they want it resolved through negotiations.  The two leaders met Monday on the sidelines of the Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland. After their two-hour meeting, Presidents Obama and Putin emphasized that their fundamental positions on Syria have not changed.  Mr. Putin continues to support the government of Syrian President Bashar ... http://www.voanews.com/content/group-of--eight-summit-opens-in-northern-ireland/1683414.html http://www.voanews.com/content/group-of--eight-summit-opens-in-northern-ireland/1683414.html Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:58:44 -0400 Middle East webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) http://www.voanews.com/content/group-of--eight-summit-opens-in-northern-ireland/1683414.html#relatedInfoContainer President Barack Obama said next month the United States will host a first round of talks toward a transatlantic free trade agreement. The president made the announcement with European leaders Monday on the first day of the Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland. Obama said he will host the talks in Washington, starting the week of July 8. "Among the things we will discuss here are promoting new growth and jobs on both sides of the Atlantic," he said. "And I am pleased to ... http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-us-to-host-first-round-of-trade-talks-with-europe/1683412.html http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-us-to-host-first-round-of-trade-talks-with-europe/1683412.html Mon, 17 Jun 2013 12:53:32 -0400 Economy webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) White House officials say U.S. President Barack Obama spent several weeks deciding whether to send military aid to Syrian opposition groups, and that it will take time for the supplies to reach them. The president will discuss the issue with allies at the G8 summit in Northern Ireland next week. Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said the president’s decision will dramatically increase U.S. support for Syria’s opposition forces. He told reporters Friday that Obama was influenced by ... http://www.voanews.com/content/white-house-says-us-aid-to-syrian-rebels-is-gradual-process/1682204.html http://www.voanews.com/content/white-house-says-us-aid-to-syrian-rebels-is-gradual-process/1682204.html Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:47:48 -0400 Middle East webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) http://www.voanews.com/content/white-house-says-us-aid-to-syrian-rebels-is-gradual-process/1682204.html#relatedInfoContainer President Barack Obama leaves early Monday for the Group of Eight summit in Northern Ireland and a visit to Berlin.  The conflict in Syria and U.S. surveillance policies will be among the main topics of discussion. While the G8 is normally considered an economic summit, this year’s gathering at a resort in Northern Ireland will address the bloodshed in Syria…and whether eight of the world’s most influential countries can stop it.  Russian President Vladimir Putin is the only G8 ... http://www.voanews.com/content/syria-surveillance-issues-await-obama-at-g8-berlin/1681633.html http://www.voanews.com/content/syria-surveillance-issues-await-obama-at-g8-berlin/1681633.html Fri, 14 Jun 2013 06:15:49 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) http://www.voanews.com/content/syria-surveillance-issues-await-obama-at-g8-berlin/1681633.html#relatedInfoContainer President Barack Obama says the moment to reform the broken U.S. immigration system is now. The president spoke shortly before the Senate was to take its first votes on the legislation. Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate has voted to begin debate on a historic and contentious immigration bill that would offer an opportunity for more than 11 million undocumented immigrants to gain U.S. citizenship. Obama said overhauling America’s dysfunctional immigration system cannot wait. “The system is still ... http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-to-make-new-pitch-to-pass-immigration-reform/1679319.html http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-to-make-new-pitch-to-pass-immigration-reform/1679319.html Tue, 11 Jun 2013 07:42:51 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) President Barack Obama is calling for a "firm understanding" of how the United States and China will work together to resolve their differences on cybersecurity.  Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping began two days of meetings Friday at an estate in California. The president and his Chinese counterpart met for more than two hours, and focused on the contentious issue of cybersecurity. Obama said advances in technology have created a need for clear protocols about what is ... http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-xi-discuss-cybersecurity/1677804.html http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-xi-discuss-cybersecurity/1677804.html Sat, 08 Jun 2013 06:34:52 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping are holding a series of informal discussions at an estate in California. The two leaders met for more than two hours and discussed cybersecurity and North Korea. As the presidents began their first session, Obama assured  Xi that the United States welcomes the peaceful rise of China as a world power. "It is in the United States' interests that China continues on the path of success, because we believe that a peaceful and ... http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-xi-meet-in-california/1677782.html http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-xi-meet-in-california/1677782.html Sat, 08 Jun 2013 00:27:54 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-xi-meet-in-california/1677782.html#relatedInfoContainer President Barack Obama hopes that his meetings with China’s new president, Xi Jinping, at an estate in California will help the two leaders build a personal relationship. Friday and Saturday’s summit is expected to cover cybersecurity, North Korea and trade. The formal welcome that awaited China’s previous leader, Hu Jintao, in 2011 will be absent for Chinese president, Xi Jinping.  Xi, when he was China's vice president, met with President Obama at the White House. The more ... http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-china-xi-summit/1676133.html http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-china-xi-summit/1676133.html Wed, 05 Jun 2013 20:23:38 -0400 Asia webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-china-xi-summit/1676133.html#relatedInfoContainer President Barack Obama and NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen have agreed that the alliance will hold a summit next year, as its forces conclude their combat operations in Afghanistan.  After talking with the NATO leader Friday at the White House, Obama said the U.S.-led international coalition in Afghanistan has achieved significant progress toward handing control of the country’s security to the Afghan people. “We are now looking, over the next several weeks, to a new ... http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-says-nato-to-meet-next-year-on-afghanistan/1672999.html http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-says-nato-to-meet-next-year-on-afghanistan/1672999.html Fri, 31 May 2013 14:40:47 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) U.S. President Barack Obama says New Jersey’s coastal areas are “back in business” seven months after the eastern state was devastated by Hurricane Sandy.   Touring parts of the shoreline on Tuesday with the state’s Republican governor Chris Christie, the president visited several newly rebuilt seaside resort towns and played carnival games as he highlighted the recovery that has taken place with the help of the federal government.   The summer tourist season began last week in the ... http://www.voanews.com/content/president-obama-visits-new-jersey-shore/1669988.html http://www.voanews.com/content/president-obama-visits-new-jersey-shore/1669988.html Tue, 28 May 2013 13:57:59 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) http://www.voanews.com/content/president-obama-visits-new-jersey-shore/1669988.html#relatedInfoContainer President Barack Obama says he is determined to stop sexual assault in the U.S. military. Obama addressed the problem Friday in a commencement speech at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland.   The president called on the graduating Midshipmen, soon to become Naval and Marine Corps officers, to show honor and moral courage in ending the plague of sexual assaults in the armed forces. He said the wrongdoing of a few can damage the nation’s institutions, including the military. ... http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-sexual-assaults/1667742.html http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-sexual-assaults/1667742.html Fri, 24 May 2013 12:43:46 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) President Barack Obama pledged Thursday to renew his attempts to close the controversial U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The president announced his plan in an hourlong, wide-ranging speech on U.S. counterterrorism policy. Obama first promised to close Guantanamo when he ran for president in 2008.  On his third day in office in 2009, he signed an order to close the facility within the year. Later that year, the U.S. Senate blocked the funding needed to transfer ... http://www.voanews.com/content/Obama-pledges-to-close-Guantanamo/1667136.html http://www.voanews.com/content/Obama-pledges-to-close-Guantanamo/1667136.html Thu, 23 May 2013 15:20:07 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) http://www.voanews.com/content/Obama-pledges-to-close-Guantanamo/1667136.html#relatedInfoContainer President Barack Obama is directing his emergency management team to give tornado victims in the central state of Oklahoma everything they need. The president spoke to reporters Tuesday about the response to the deadly twisters. Obama promised an urgent government response to people in the city of Moore, Oklahoma, where dozens were killed, and parts of the town simply disappeared. The president called it “one of the most destructive tornadoes in history.” The full extent of the damage is ... http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-to-tornado-victims-you-will-not-travel-that-path-alone/1665423.html http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-to-tornado-victims-you-will-not-travel-that-path-alone/1665423.html Tue, 21 May 2013 12:25:21 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-to-tornado-victims-you-will-not-travel-that-path-alone/1665423.html#relatedInfoContainer President Barack Obama says Treasury Secretary Jack Lew has asked for and received the resignation of the acting director of the Internal Revenue Service.  The tax collecting agency was found to have been improperly targeting conservative groups. The president spoke Wednesday after meeting with Lew and his top deputy to review a report from the Treasury Department inspector general.  The report found that the IRS singled out for scrutiny conservative groups which were seeking ... http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-irs-acting-director-resigns-in-scandal/1661901.html http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-irs-acting-director-resigns-in-scandal/1661901.html Wed, 15 May 2013 18:32:15 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) President Barack Obama’s administration is facing tough questions on three separate matters, most recently the government seizure of telephone records from news reporters. Reporters peppered White House Press Secretary Jay Carney with questions Tuesday about each of the three issues. The Associated Press news agency said Monday the U.S. Department of Justice seized two months of telephone records for many of its reporters and editors. U.S. officials say the Justice Department is ... http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-white-house-dealing-with-three-controversies/1661095.html http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-white-house-dealing-with-three-controversies/1661095.html Tue, 14 May 2013 16:59:57 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-white-house-dealing-with-three-controversies/1661095.html#relatedInfoContainer Obama administration officials say some Republicans in Congress are trying to politically exploit hearings into last year’s deadly attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya. A White House spokesman Wednesday defended former secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s handling of the incident. The killing of four people at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi last September 11 has led to a series of hearings on Capitol Hill, most recently on Wednesday. Three former diplomats testified about the ... http://www.voanews.com/content/benghazi-hearing-libya-congress/1657327.html http://www.voanews.com/content/benghazi-hearing-libya-congress/1657327.html Wed, 08 May 2013 16:37:40 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) President Barack Obama said Friday he does not foresee sending U.S. ground troops into Syria. The president spoke at a joint news conference with Costa Rican President Laura Chinchilla in San Jose, Costa Rica. When asked what he might do if more evidence of Syrian government chemical weapons use is produced, Obama said he has not ruled anything out, but sending ground troops is not likely. “I do not foresee a scenario in which boots on the ground in Syria, American boots on the ground in ... http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-no-scenario-for-us-troops-in-syria/1654435.html http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-no-scenario-for-us-troops-in-syria/1654435.html Fri, 03 May 2013 20:18:09 -0400 USA webdesk@voanews.com (Kent Klein) http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-no-scenario-for-us-troops-in-syria/1654435.html#relatedInfoContainer