http://www.voanews.com/archive/usa/latest/594/599.html usa http://www.voanews.com/img/voa/rssLogo_VOA.gif http://www.voanews.com/archive/usa/latest/594/599.html en-US 2012 - VOA 60 Sun, 26 May 2013 01:06:10 -0400 Pangea CMS – VOA Former U.S. soccer international Robbie Rogers has joined Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy, the team said on Saturday, making him the latest openly gay male athlete in an American professional team sport.   Rogers, who came out in February on the same day he retired from the game, will be on the Galaxy's roster for Sunday's home match against the Seattle Sounders if his international transfer certificate arrives in time.   “I was afraid to put myself back in a ... http://www.voanews.com/content/robbie-rogers-to-join-los-angeles-galaxy-soccer-team/1668443.html http://www.voanews.com/content/robbie-rogers-to-join-los-angeles-galaxy-soccer-team/1668443.html Sat, 25 May 2013 21:08:25 -0400 USA Reuters U.S. President Barack Obama makes a poignant visit Sunday to the city of Moore, Oklahoma which is just starting to recover from last week's deadly tornado. President Obama will meet with and console residents of the midwestern town where 24 people were killed and more than 200 others hurt. Some people lost everything they owned when the twister obliterated entire neighborhoods. The president has already declared Moore a disaster area and pledged to provide the town with everything it ... http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-to-console-oklahoma-tornado-victims/1668431.html http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-to-console-oklahoma-tornado-victims/1668431.html Sat, 25 May 2013 19:45:01 -0400 USA VOA News The city of San Antonio, Texas is under a flash flood warning with more heavy rain expected Saturday night in the already flooded area. As much as 39 centimeters of rain has fallen in some parts of the city since early Saturday. At least one person was killed when floodwaters swept away her car. Rescuers have spent much of the day pulling more than 100 people from their flooded cars and homes. San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro is imploring people to stay off the roads. http://www.voanews.com/content/floods-hit-san-antonio-texas/1668423.html http://www.voanews.com/content/floods-hit-san-antonio-texas/1668423.html Sat, 25 May 2013 18:42:13 -0400 USA Reuters U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel called for an end to sexual assaults in the military Saturday in a commencement speech to graduates of the West Point military academy in New York state. Hagel called sexual harassment and sexual assault in the military a "profound betrayal" of sacred oaths and trusts and a "scourge" that must be stamped out. A day earlier, President Barack Obama delivered a similar message to the graduating class at the U.S. Naval Academy in Maryland, ... http://www.voanews.com/content/us-defense-chief-urges-end-to-military-sexual-assault-scourge/1668354.html http://www.voanews.com/content/us-defense-chief-urges-end-to-military-sexual-assault-scourge/1668354.html Sat, 25 May 2013 14:17:26 -0400 USA VOA News A vintage Apple computer has sold for more than $670,000 at an auction in Germany.   The Apple-1 computer sold Saturday was assembled by Apple founders Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak in 1976.   Bob Luther, author of the book, "The First Apple," said the computer is a rare collectible.   "Well, the Apple 1 - there were only 200 built and they came out of the garage of Steve Jobs," Luther explained. "And then Apple had a trading program, because they ... http://www.voanews.com/content/vintage-apple-computer-sells-for-more-than-670000/1668297.html http://www.voanews.com/content/vintage-apple-computer-sells-for-more-than-670000/1668297.html Sat, 25 May 2013 12:19:03 -0400 Europe VOA News U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says Nigerian authorities are working to stop human rights abuses by security forces in their fight against Boko Haram militants. The U.S. top diplomat made the remarks in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, where he took part in ceremonies marking the 50th anniversary of the African Union.   Secretary Kerry said there is no denying the destabilizing ferocity of Boko Haram's campaign of violence in Nigeria.   "They have killed wantonly and ... http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-says-nigeria-working-to-stop-abuses-by-security-forces/1668277.html http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-says-nigeria-working-to-stop-abuses-by-security-forces/1668277.html Sat, 25 May 2013 11:22:57 -0400 Africa Scott Stearns U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he is working with the African Union to end violence along the border between Sudan and South Sudan. America’s top diplomat met separately with Sudanese Foreign Minister Ali Ahmed Karti on the sidelines of the African Union summit in Ethiopia.   Kerry says Sudan and South Sudan "are in a very delicate place right now" and it is important for the international community to help both of them focus on "developing the future, not on ... http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-african-union-sudan-south-sudan/1668199.html http://www.voanews.com/content/kerry-african-union-sudan-south-sudan/1668199.html Sat, 25 May 2013 08:20:51 -0400 Africa Scott Stearns As Americans observe Memorial Day weekend, U.S. President Barack Obama is calling on his fellow citizens to remember the men and women who have given their lives in service to the country, and to remember the military families who make sacrifices of their own.   In his weekly address Saturday, Obama noted that members of the U.S. military often risk their lives without seeking the limelight or any special reward.   He said the Memorial Day holiday, officially taking place Monday, ... http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-calls-on-americans-to-remember-military-families/1668189.html http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-calls-on-americans-to-remember-military-families/1668189.html Sat, 25 May 2013 07:54:17 -0400 USA VOA News A U.S. federal judge has ruled that an Arizona sheriff known for his tough policies has been singling out Latinos in immigration patrols and traffic stops. U.S. District Judge Murray Snow ruled Friday in Phoenix that Maricopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio and his officers unfairly targeted Latino drivers when pulling people over for traffic stops and identity checks. A controversial Arizona law allows law enforcement officers to randomly stop people and check their immigration status. Snow ... http://www.voanews.com/content/arizona-sheriff-ruled-to-unfairly-target-latinos/1668139.html http://www.voanews.com/content/arizona-sheriff-ruled-to-unfairly-target-latinos/1668139.html Sat, 25 May 2013 01:19:30 -0400 USA VOA News On Memorial Day - Monday, May 27 this year - Americans remember those in the military who died while serving their country. Ahead of that day, soldiers place American flags in front of the more than 360,000 gravestones in Arlington National Cemetery, outside Washington. Army Colonel James Markert placed a flag at the tombstone of Christopher Henderson, who was killed in Iraq almost six years ago.  Henderson’s widow, Jennifer, and their daughter came to the cemetery as they have every ... http://www.voanews.com/content/soldiers-place-us-flags-in-arlington-cemetery-for-memorial-day/1668132.html http://www.voanews.com/content/soldiers-place-us-flags-in-arlington-cemetery-for-memorial-day/1668132.html Fri, 24 May 2013 23:44:26 -0400 USA Deborah Block http://www.voanews.com/content/soldiers-place-us-flags-in-arlington-cemetery-for-memorial-day/1668132.html#relatedInfoContainer The United States is concerned about what it says are "continuing" human rights abuses by Nigerian security forces in their fight against Islamic militants. It is part of the agenda of U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry at the African Union summit in Ethiopia. When Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan announced a state of emergency against Boko Haram militants earlier this month, U.S. officials expressed concern about a "heavy-handed" response by some security forces in ... http://www.voanews.com/content/us-concerned-about-continuing-abuses-by-nigerian-forces/1668102.html http://www.voanews.com/content/us-concerned-about-continuing-abuses-by-nigerian-forces/1668102.html Fri, 24 May 2013 21:26:59 -0400 Africa Scott Stearns http://www.voanews.com/content/us-concerned-about-continuing-abuses-by-nigerian-forces/1668102.html#relatedInfoContainer A former senior advisor to the late Richard Holbrooke, who served as U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan, says when it comes to foreign policy, the U.S. is in "retreat."   Vali Nasr, who is now dean of Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), said the Obama administration has concluded that the best way forward for the United States is to do "less in the world."   On VOA's Press Conference USA, he said ... http://www.voanews.com/content/expert-us-foreign-poicy-in-retreat/1667999.html http://www.voanews.com/content/expert-us-foreign-poicy-in-retreat/1667999.html Fri, 24 May 2013 16:32:02 -0400 USA Pamela Dockins A cockroach that glows in the dark, a black fungus that's ruining prehistoric cave art and a frog smaller than a child's fingernail. These are three in a top-ten list of newly discovered species for 2012. An international committee of taxonomists announced their annual picks this week. Committee chairman Antonio Valdecasas, a Spanish biologist and research zoologist, says the committee looks for organisms with "unexpected features or size, and those found in rare or ... http://www.voanews.com/content/glow-in-dark-roach-worlds-smallest-frog-among-top-new-species/1667959.html http://www.voanews.com/content/glow-in-dark-roach-worlds-smallest-frog-among-top-new-species/1667959.html Fri, 24 May 2013 15:35:03 -0400 Science & Technology Faith Lapidus With world headlines warning of increasing drought and a hunger crisis and almost 15 percent of U.S. households struggling to put food on the table, a religious group in the shadow of the nation's capital is quietly putting surplus food on empty tables.   Every Monday, about 150 people line up in the parking lot of Christian Life Center in Prince George’s County, Maryland.  Joan Oswald, whose family has lived in an emergency homeless shelter since April, got here early. “I had ... http://www.voanews.com/content/surplus-food-church/1667941.html http://www.voanews.com/content/surplus-food-church/1667941.html Fri, 24 May 2013 15:22:51 -0400 USA June Soh A group of U.S. lawmakers will travel to Russia next week on a trip that the head of the delegation said is aimed at increasing bilateral cooperation - particularly in the area of counterterrorism following last month's Boston Marathon bombings. Two Boston residents with roots in the restive Russian regions of Chechnya and Dagestan are suspected of carrying out the bombings. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was killed in a shootout with police a few days after the bombings. His younger brother, ... http://www.voanews.com/content/us-lawmakers-head-to-russia-will-ask-about-boston-bomber/1667878.html http://www.voanews.com/content/us-lawmakers-head-to-russia-will-ask-about-boston-bomber/1667878.html Fri, 24 May 2013 14:26:59 -0400 USA VOA News President Barack Obama is renewing his effort to close the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, but domestic opposition and the complexities of what to do with the prisoners there pose significant obstacles to shutting the facility on the Cuban shoreline. The U.S. has held terrorism suspects at the prison since 2002. But in a major national security speech Thursday, Obama said the ongoing operation of the detention center - now with 166 prisoners - damages the reputation of the ... http://www.voanews.com/content/guantanamo-close-base-terrorists/1667816.html http://www.voanews.com/content/guantanamo-close-base-terrorists/1667816.html Fri, 24 May 2013 13:36:38 -0400 USA VOA News 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 Kent Klein Two large explosions shook a busy area in the center of the Afghan capital Friday, in the second major attack in Kabul in a little more than a week. http://www.voanews.com/media/photogallery/1667622.html http://www.voanews.com/media/photogallery/1667622.html Fri, 24 May 2013 10:36:00 -0400 USA What looks like a little red birdhouse with a pitched roof sits on a post outside Centreville Elementary School in Virginia, attracting a lot of attention. But there are no birds inside. The wooden box contains about two dozen children’s books. Any child in the community who wants to read is welcome to pick one. Promoting love of reading This little free library was built as a service project by a group of young Girl Scouts at the school. “It was kind of a challenge,” said Kyra Gosney, ... http://www.voanews.com/content/little-free-libraries-promote-love-of-books/1667629.html http://www.voanews.com/content/little-free-libraries-promote-love-of-books/1667629.html Fri, 24 May 2013 10:34:13 -0400 USA Faiza Elmasry http://www.voanews.com/content/little-free-libraries-promote-love-of-books/1667629.html#relatedInfoContainer Pakistan has reiterated its opposition to U.S. drone strikes on its territory, after U.S. President Barack Obama justified "constrained" drone usage to save lives. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry said Friday that drone strikes are counter-productive, kill innocent civilians, have human rights implications, and violate national sovereignty and international law. Pakistan said, however, it welcomes Obama's acknowledgement that "force alone cannot make us safe." In a ... http://www.voanews.com/content/pakistan-reterates-opposition-to-us-drone-strikes/1667552.html http://www.voanews.com/content/pakistan-reterates-opposition-to-us-drone-strikes/1667552.html Fri, 24 May 2013 09:54:49 -0400 Asia VOA News