(VOA NEWS)WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has won a $1.5 million book deal, and is expected to deliver the manuscript as early as March, 2011.

In an interview with Britain's Sunday Times, Assange said he did not want to write the book but had to in order to cover his legal costs and finance the running of his controversial website.

According to media reports on Sunday, American publisher Alfred A. Knopf and British publisher Canongate are expected to pay a total of $1.3 million for the autobiography.

Assange is expected to earn additional money from other markets and serialization deals.

The Australian national has angered leaders around the world by releasing classified information leaked to his organization. His latest project, the publication of thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables, has infuriated the U.S. government.

Visa, MasterCard and Internet payment service PayPal have stopped working with WikiLeaks strangling the flow of donations to the website.

Assange is currently staying at a supporter's country mansion in Britain pending an extradition hearing as he is wanted in Sweden to answer to accusations of rape.

He is under strict bail conditions that include wearing an electronic tag and reporting in to police daily.

News of Assange's memoir comes just after a former spokesman for the WikiLeaks site said he is writing a book that will

VOANEWS-The North Carolina State Fair is under way in the capital city of Raleigh. If you were there, you'd see lots of exhibits about good nutrition, and could sample wholesome farm dishes made from healthful recipes.

But most of the other fair-goers would be pigging out across the way at the

Farmers looking for ways to stay profitable are finding a growing source of income in farm tourists.

Especially near urban centers, welcoming visitors is becoming increasingly lucrative while raising crops and livestock are becoming less so.

Autumn is a particularly popular time for farm tourism. This weekend's Halloween celebration of all things scary draws visitors to scenic farms around Washington, DC, to pick pumpkins to carve into jack-o-lanterns.



On a recent weekend afternoon, a steady stream of people takes the tractor ride out to the pumpkin patch at Brookfield Pumpkins in Thurmont, MD.

Laine Cliber is here with her brother, sister and parents. She says she is looking for "a tall, orange pumpkin with a long handle." She ends up with a squat, green one with a short handle. But she seems happy with it anyway. The family has a

Chilean rescuers ended a marathon operation Tuesday and freed all 33 miners trapped underground for more than two months. All of the rescued miners were sent for medical treatment and several of them are expected to undergo surgery in

Voice of America-Chilean rescuers are counting down the moments until the last of 33 trapped miners is pulled to safety.
Thirty miners have been raised so far from more than a half-kilometer underground, and reunited with overjoyed loved ones. Chilean President Sebastian Pinera has been

Governments around the world are seeking broad new powers and controls over the Internet and mobile communications providers, arguing that national security is being threatened by the proliferation of new technologies. However, these efforts are

SACRAMENTO, CA - U.S. Senate candidate Carly Fiorina today announced having earned the endorsement of former First Lady Nancy Reagan.

“I enjoyed meeting and talking with Carly Fiorina yesterday. I believe she knows what needs to be done to move our country forward, and I am pleased to provide an

CUPERTINO - Today Meg Whitman received the endorsement of Nancy Reagan, one of America's most celebrated first ladies.

"Yesterday I had the opportunity to speak with Meg Whitman and I am impressed with her ideas. I am confident she will be a good governor, and I offer my full endorsement for her campaign," said former First Lady Nancy Reagan.

Nancy Reagan was the First Lady of California when her husband, Ronald Reagan, served as Governor of California from 1967 to 1975. With the election of her husband as President, she served as First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989.

"I am deeply honored to have the endorsement of Nancy Reagan, one of America's and California's most admired first ladies. The legacies of President Reagan and Nancy Reagan have long been an inspiration to me, and their impact on our state and our nation is immeasurable," said Whitman.

Nancy Reagan was instrumental in establishing The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and

Today, the Sharron Angle for Senate campaign released a new television ad entitled, “Best Friend.” The ad highlights Harry Reid's record of opposition to Arizona's immigration law and his provision of special tax breaks and Social Security benefits to illegal aliens. These misguided policies demonstrate the

To Help Economy Get Back to Creating Jobs, Parties Must Cut Spending and Stop the President’s Small Business Tax Hike, Boehner Says

Washington-
Congressman John Boehner (R-West Chester) today expressed disappointment that instead of embracing Republican calls for immediate spending cuts, the White House reportedly released a “pre-election shopping list” of new spending items totaling more than $25 billion. Republicans have warned that excessive government spending, along with continuing uncertainty facing small businesses, is hampering job creation in America, and called for bipartisan action this month to cut spending and stop all of the coming tax hikes.

“President Obama and his team just don’t get it. Excessive government spending and the uncertainty facing small businesses are crippling job creation in our country, yet the White House just keeps piling it on in both departments. Last week, House Republicans called for President Obama and congressional Democrats to work with us to address these problems by passing legislation to cut non-security spending back to pre-stimulus, pre-bailout 2008 levels and freezing all tax rates for the next two years. It’s very disappointing that instead of signaling a willingness to cut spending, the White House today is plotting billions in new spending that our economy can’t afford.”

NOTE: The Associated Press reports, “The Obama administration is pushing a pre-election shopping list on its Democratic allies in Congress as they prepare must-pass legislation to prevent a government shutdown next month. Republicans are protesting the spending requests … A back-of-the-envelope tally by Republicans puts the price tag of the Obama requests at more than $25 billion … The White House is targeting a bill to continue funding the government past the Sept. 30 end of