English Learning Blog

In part 11, advice to apply to at least three U.S. colleges or universities -- and give yourself plenty of time. Transcript of radio broadcast:

President-elect Barack Obama will face an international economic crisis and two wars when he takes the oath of office as the 44th president of the United States on January 20. But the new president will also have to contend with a byproduct of his political success, great expectations from Americans at home and people around the world. VOA national correspondent Jim Malone reports from Washington.

Six Nigerian soldiers have been sentenced to life imprisonment for selling guns and other weapons to militants and criminals in the Niger Delta. Prosecutors said the arms sales had contributed to the violence in the oil-rich region. For VOA, Gilbert da Costa filed this report from Abuja.

Human rights group, Amnesty International says tens of thousands of civilians in Sri Lanka's war-torn northern region urgently need humanitarian assistance, and is calling for access for international aid workers in the region. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, concerns about civilians trapped in the civil war have been growing as fighting has intensified in recent months.

Top Sudanese journalists are protesting the government's censorship of the press, after the unprecedented arrest of more than 60 journalists outside the country's parliament two days ago. Most Sudanese newspapers did not publish Tuesday in protest of the arrests. The next round will be in a Sudanese court, as Edward Yeranian reports for VOA from Cairo.

Pirates holding an oil tanker off the coast of Somalia have begun negotiations over a ransom with the ship's Saudi Arabian owners, according to Saudi Arabia's foreign minister. As Derek Kilner reports from VOA's East Africa bureau in Nairobi, at least two other ships have also been seized by pirates in the area since the tanker was captured on Saturday.

Mauritania's ousted president Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi says he intends to come back to power and says he will not accept the military coup that overthrew him.

Rwanda's capital was closed for business as the city turned out for mass demonstrations against the extradition of a top Rwandan official to France. Thomas Rippe reports for VOA from Kigali.

Al-Qaida is lashing out at U.S. President-elect Barack Obama, referring to him by a derogatory racial term and describing his policies as anti-Islamic. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports the message from the terror network drew a strong response from the Bush administration.

Democratic Party officials say former U.S. Senate Majority leader Tom Daschle has accepted President-elect Barack Obama's offer to be Secretary of Health and Human Services in the incoming administration. Obama's transition team has also signaled that Eric Holder is his choice for Attorney General. Holder would be the first African American to serve in that post. Senator Hillary Clinton is said to still be considering an offer by Mr. Obama to be Secretary of State. VOA Correspondent Cindy Saine has more on how Mr. Obama's cabinet is shaping up.

Most of us are worried about global warming. It’s a problem that will change the future of the world we live in and affect generations to come.
But do you know how to discuss global warming in English? In this programme you can find out some useful words and expressions.

You might have been forgiven for thinking that piracy on the high seas was the stuff of Hollywood movies or historical novels, but Somali pirates have made 92 attacks this year, resulting in 36 successful hijackings.

Advice from experts about what to do -- and not to do -- to remove wax. Transcript of radio broadcast: