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Thirteen million people affected. Four million of them displaced, with one million homes destroyed. Two-and-a-half million individuals in need of food aid. And around 7,000 people confirmed dead or missing. That is the toll from the typhoon that hit the central Philippines November 8. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman in Manila reports on how the government and international agencies are activating the recovery and reconstruction process.
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In an historic decision, Afghanistan’s assembly of tribal and community elders, or Loya Jirga, overall approved a multi-page Bilateral Security Agreement with the United States. But as Sharon Behn reports from Kabul, it is still unclear when the deal will be signed.
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Iranian and international negotiators capped nearly a decade of dispute over Iran's nuclear program early Sunday, reaching agreement on first steps to curtail it and to ease economic sanctions. VOA’s Al Pessin reports from Geneva where the accord was reached after four days of marathon high-level negotiations.
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Thousands of foreign workers are leaving Saudi Arabia as authorities crack down on illegal immigrants. Analysts say the expulsions are aimed at improving employment for Saudis who have a jobless rate of 12 percent. Human rights groups say the migrants find themselves caught between the police and abusive employers. Henry Ridgwell reports for VOA.
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All of Tacloban’s 15 radio stations were knocked off the air when Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippine city of 220,000 people. A response within 72 hours by volunteers managed to get an emergency station on the air - the only local mass means for the survivors there to get instant, reliable information. VOA Correspondent Steve Herman in Tacloban has the story.
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Aid and reconstruction workers responding to the disaster in the Philippines now have one more tool to help them in their work. A map created by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory shows areas that suffered the most damage from Typhoon Haiyan. Elizabeth Lee reports for VOA from southern California, where scientists created the map. It's also home to the largest Philippine-American community.
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“Is France Racist?” was the recent headline of a leading French newspaper, after a far-right magazine compared the country’s black justice minister to a monkey. The incident has triggered soul searching in France, where the far-right National Front is ahead in some polls, and figures show a 23 percent rise in reported racist incidents last year. Henry Ridgwell reports for VOA from London.
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The number of international students studying in the United States is rising. Figures released by the Open Doors Report on International Educational Exchange shows the number of foreign students attending U.S. colleges and universities increased seven percent during the 2012 - 2013 academic year. That represents a record high of almost 820,000, and educators expect the upward trend to continue. VOA's Mil Arcega has more in this report.