News for Wednesday, August 18, 2004
• China Urges Calm After North Korea Appears to Reject Meetings China says it believes North Korea will not pull out of a planned new round of six-nation talks over its nuclear ambitions, despite tough talk from Pyongyang.
• Pakistan's PM-Designate Runs for Parliamentary Seat in By-Elections Pakistan is holding parliamentary by-elections Wednesday that are expected to clear the way for the country's Prime Minister-designate Shaukat Aziz to assume the post.
• Nepal's Maoist Rebels Blockade Paralyzes Kathmandu Nepal's capital, Kathmandu, has been paralyzed by Maoist rebels, who have imposed a virtual blockade of the city.
• Renewed Fighting Reported in Najaf Renewed heavy fighting is reported to have broken out Wednesday in the Iraqi city of Najaf between U.S-led forces and militiamen loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
• Pakistan Offers Bounties on Six Wanted Terror Suspects Pakistan has announced bounties and published photographs of six wanted terrorist suspects, including a senior al-Qaida operative accused of masterminding two attempts to assassinate President Pervez Musharraf.
• Sudan to Boost Police Presence in Darfur A senior Sudanese official says his government plans to send more police to the troubled Darfur region to help restore stability there.
• Annan: Burmese Democracy Will Fail Without Participation By Opposition U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan says the Burmese military government's plan for democracy will fail without input from the opposition National League for Democracy.
• Indonesian Banker Gets Rare Life Sentence An Indonesian court Wednesday handed down a rare life sentence to a bank official convicted of corruption.
• Georgian, South Ossitian Forces Continue Fighting Officials in Georgia say at least two soldiers have been killed and five wounded in the latest battles with separatist fighters in the breakaway region of South Ossetia.
• Israel Claims Responsibility For Blast That Kills 5 in Gaza Israel says it was responsible for an explosion in an apartment in the Gaza Strip that killed five Palestinians and wounded seven others, four of them critically.
• Bush Renews Aid to Interdict Suspected Drug Planes in Colombia President Bush has renewed U.S. authorization of a program to assist Colombia in its efforts to force down suspected drug-smuggling planes.
• Brazil Launches Major Crackdown on Money Laundering Brazilian police have launched a nationwide crackdown on money launderers who have been sending billions of dollars out of the country.
• Australian Woman Detained in Vietnam An Australian woman of Vietnamese descent has been arrested in Vietnam on charges of trying to smuggle heroin out of the country.
• Report: Australian Terrorist Wants Deal to Testify Overseas An Australian newspaper says a man convicted on terrorism charges wants significant concessions before agreeing to testify in foreign trials.
• Taiwan's President to Make Stopovers in 2 US Cities Taiwan says President Chen Shui-bian will make two quick stopovers in Hawaii and Seattle as part of a trip to South America next week.
• Italian Police Reportedly Find Bombs Near Berlusconi's Villa Italian police are reported to have found two bombs near the Sardinian villa of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, just hours after British Prime Minister Tony Blair left the island.
• Arafat Promises to Reform Palestinian Authority Palestinian President Yasser Arafat has acknowledged that the Palestinian Authority has made "mistakes" and he promises to correct them.
• Nepali Capital Cut Off by Rebel-Imposed Blockade Nepal's capital has been largely cut off from the rest of the country after Maoist rebels imposed a blockade of the city. The rebels say the blockade will remain in place until the government meets their demands.
• Burundi Summit Expected to Focus on Massacre African regional leaders gather Wednesday, in Tanzania for a summit on Burundi's peace process, but the recent massacre of Congolese Tutsi in a U.N. refugee camp is expected to be high on the agenda.
• 5 Dead in Rocket Attack on Market in Northern Iraq A rocket has hit a busy market in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, killing at least five civilians.
• Road Accident in Iran Kills 15 Iran's official news agency says at least 15 people were killed and 20 others wounded in a head-on collision involving a truck and a bus.
• Tennis: Agassi Advances to 2nd Round of Legg Mason Classic Top seed Andre Agassi of the United States has advanced to the second round of the Legg Mason Tennis Classic in Washington.
• Greek Sprint Stars to Withdraw from Olympics Greek sprint stars Kostas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou say they are withdrawing from the Athens Olympics.
• China Reportedly Arrests Catholic Priests Loyal to Pope A U.S.-based Christian rights group says China has detained eight Catholic priests who are loyal to the Vatican.
• World Oil Prices Continue Rising Oil prices hit a record high in early trading Wednesday, ahead of a U.S. government report that is expected to show the third straight weekly drop in U.S. oil inventories.
• Diplomats Try to Bring North Korea Back to Nuclear Talks Diplomatic efforts are underway to persuade North Korea to continue participating in the dialogue on its nuclear-weapons programs, after Pyongyang indicated its reluctance to attend further negotiations. Both China and Australia's foreign minister are trying to convince Pyongyang to be more accommodating.
• US Wins Gold Fencing Medal The withdrawal of an African athlete turned into Olympic gold for a United States fencer.
• Britain to Give Kenya More than $9 Million in Food Aid Britain has pledged more than $9 million to Kenya to help the drought-devastated nation feed millions of hungry people.
• UN Agency Warns Locust Plague in Africa Will Worsen The Geneva-based World Meteorological Organization warns the locust plague that has hit northwest Africa is likely to get worse and spread to other countries. The hot, humid weather provides a perfect breeding ground for these insects.
• UN Warns Higher Food Prices in N. Korea Could Mean More Go Hungry The United Nations is warning that changing economic conditions in North Korea are driving food prices beyond the reach of millions of people there.
• Taiwan's President Plans Short Visit to US Taiwan's president is planning a pair of transit stops in the United States at the end of the month, despite increasingly harsh rhetoric from Beijing.
• Russian Defense Minister Holds Security Talks in Chechnya Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has met in Chechnya with military officials and leaders of the breakaway republic's Kremlin-backed government.
• More Stormy Weather Threatens Britain and France Residents of France and Britain are bracing for more freak storms packing strong winds, after gales caused significant destruction and the deaths of at least three people in recent days.
• Five Killed in Kashmir Fighting Suspected Islamic militants have killed four members of a Muslim family in Indian-controlled Kashmir.
• Afghan Women Make Debut at Olympics History was made on a judo mat Wednesday, when 18-year-old Friba Razayee became the first woman ever to compete for Afghanistan at the Olympics.
• Washington, Streep Co-Star in Revamped Classic The Manchurian Candidate While the events of the real presidential election play out on the news, a new political thriller arrives at American theaters. Based on a classic film from the 1960s it mixes a fictional campaign with conspiracy theories of plots to take over the U.S. government. Alan Silverman has a look at this new version of The Manchurian Candidate
• Athens Olympic Mascots Are Big Hit With Kids Their images are everywhere in Athens as the twin mascots of the 2004 Olympic games. Although the yellow-colored, bell-shaped figures are by now a familiar site to Greeks, a stranger to Athens is bound to wonder who or what are those?
• US Announces School Meals to Developing Nations The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) has announced a plan to provide $50 million in commodities and funding to support school meals for children in developing nations.
• Olympic Results: Wednesday, August 19 Indonesian, South Korean Advance to Olympic Badminton Semi-Finals
• Controversial Greek Sprinters Withdraw from Olympics Greece's two top track and field stars have pulled out of the Athens Olympics after apologizing to their embarrassed nation for a scandal that arose after they missed drug tests.
• 9/11 Commission: US Transportation System Remains Vulnerable to Attack The bi-partisan commission that probed the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, along with key U.S. senators, says America's vast transportation system remains vulnerable to terrorist attack. In his opening remarks, North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan took note of the sheer number of people and vessels that enter the United States and the security challenges posed by the influx.
• Europe Reviews Security Strategy Following US Pullout Plans U.S. plans to withdraw about 70,000 troops from Europe and Asia are prompting defense officials in Europe to modernize their own security strategies to deal with threats in the 21st century.
• Violence Causes Lebanese Trade with Iraq to Take a Beating, says Business Group Violence in Iraq has all but shattered Lebanon's trade with that country. According to the Lebanese truck drivers association, road transport is down 70 percent and shipments to Iraq through Lebanon's Tripoli port have been cut in half.
• Poland Arrests Frenchman Suspected of Terrorism Polish police have arrested a Frenchman suspected of planning terrorist attacks in western Poland.
• Eight Terror Suspects Appear in London Court Eight men facing terror charges, including conspiracy to commit murder, have made their first court appearance in London.
• Togo President Pardons 500 Prisoners Togolese President Gnassingbe Eyadema has issued pardons to nearly 500 prisoners, including some who claim to have been political detainees.
• Burundi Police Forcibly Disperse Tutsi Protest Police in Burundi's capital, Bujumbura, used tear gas to break up a demonstration Wednesday held to protest the massacre of Congolese Tutsi refugees.
• Swiss to Return to Nigeria $500 Million Linked to Abacha Regime Swiss authorities have ruled that nearly $500 million in bank accounts tied to former Nigerian dictator Sani Abacha is of criminal origin and should be returned to Nigeria's government.
• Recent Massacre Overshadows Burundi Summit In Tanzania, at least five African heads of state are among those gathering to come up with a power-sharing agreement for a new government to end Burundi's 11-year-old civil war. Last week's massacre of more than 150 Tutsis at a refugee camp in Burundi is threatening to derail the power-sharing summit.
• Former Guatemalan Leader Gets Mexican Work Visa Mexican immigration officials have granted a work visa to a former Guatemalan president implicated in a corruption scandal.
• Turkish Hostage Rescued in Iraq Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul says a Turkish truck driver abducted in Iraq several days ago has been freed.
• Sharon Faces Key Vote on Gaza Withdrawal Plan Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is facing a Likud Party vote later Wednesday that could bring an embarrassing defeat for his plan to withdraw Israeli settlers from the Gaza Strip by the end of next year.
• Al-Sadr Agrees to Withdraw Militia from Najaf Delegates at a national conference in Iraq say radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has agreed to disarm and withdraw his militia from a sacred shrine in the holy city of Najaf. The news came on the fourth day of the meeting, which named a new national council to oversee the interim government.
• Voting for Iraqi Council Off to Chaotic Start Delegates at Iraq's national conference are voting on a new council that will oversee the interim government. Several delegates went to the holy city of Najaf to try to end an uprising there, but they returned without having met the leader of the rebellion.
• Afghanistan: Karzai Rivals Consider Election Boycott The 17 candidates running against Afghan President Hamid Karzai in the country's October election say they will consider discussing a boycott of the race unless the president leaves his post within a week.
• Pakistan's PM-Designate Leads in By-Elections Pakistan's Prime Minister-designate Shaukat Aziz appears to have taken the lead in parliamentary by-elections.
• Frazier Advances at Western and Southern Financial Group Women's Tennis Open Third seed Amy Frazier of the United States has moved into the second round of the Western and Southern Financial Group Women's Open tennis tournament in Mason, Ohio.
• US Men's Olympic Basketball Team Bounces Back to Beat Greece in Preliminary Round The United States men's basketball team looked nothing like the Dream Team as Puerto Rico pounded them, 92-73, in Sunday's preliminary round game. This was the third ever loss for the American men in Olympic basketball competition. However, the American team bounced back to beat host country Greece in their second preliminary round match.
• Deteriorating Coral Reefs Adapting to Global Warming, say Scientists The world's endangered coral reefs, under stress because of global warming, are displaying resilience. U.S. scientists report that the reefs are adapting to higher temperatures by allying themselves with an organism that can tolerate warmer waters. But, scientists say coral adaptation may go only so far.
• Equatorial Guinea Coup Suspects Plead Not Guilty to Security Violations Most of the 70 men accused of plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea have pleaded not guilty to charges of violating Zimbabwe's security laws.
• Venezuelan Opposition Calls Referendum Audit Unacceptable A Venezuelan opposition leader says a scheduled random audit of Sunday's defeated referendum on recalling President Hugo Chavez will not find the fraud the opposition alleges occurred.
• Amnesty International Calls Acquittal of Former Haitian Paramilitary Commander ' A Mockery' A leading human rights organization has called the Port-au-Prince trial in which a former Haitian paramilitary commander and a police officer were acquitted of murder Tuesday a "mockery."
• Mudslide Traps 20 Cars in Scotland British authorities say mudslides following heavy rains have trapped about 20 vehicles on a highway in central Scotland.
• US-Backed Ceasefire Holds in Western Afghan Conflict A U.S.-brokered cease-fire in western Afghanistan has held as warplanes and Afghan National Army units patrol a buffer zone between the warring factions.
• Afghan Candidates Demand Karzai Resign Some of Afghanistan's opposition candidates for president are demanding that transitional leader Hamid Karzai resign from office before the coming election.
• Officials Warn Florida Residents of Scams After Storm Authorities in the U.S. state of Florida say they are concerned about numerous incidents of price gouging in the wake of Hurricane Charley. Elderly victims of the storm are especially vulnerable to fraud, and authorities are taking special measures to protect them.
• Kerry Criticizes Bush Troop Plan Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry says President Bush's plan to redeploy up to 70,000 troops overseas will not help in the war on terror or relieve an overextended U.S. military. Senator Kerry made the comments at the same veterans convention where the president announced the redeployment on Monday.
• Los Lonely Boys Blend Sounds of Texas Rock, Blues & Latino Los Lonely Boys is a trio of brothers from Texas who combine rock and blues with the traditional music of their Mexican heritage. Their self-titled debut made it to the Top 10 on Billboard magazine's albums chart.
• Football: Portuguese Star Figo to Retire from National Team Portuguese football (soccer) star Luis Figo has announced that he is retiring from his country's national team.
• Day 5 of Olympics Brings Gold for Some, Major Upsets for Others A total of 21 gold medals will be awarded on Wednesday at the Athens Olympics. Day five medals already awarded include archery, boating and shooting events, as well as judo, cycling, and weightlifting.
• American Civil Liberties Union Continues to Challenge Patriot Act The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging yet another provision of the U.S. Patriot Act. That's the measure that gives the federal government unprecedented access to personal information about private citizens, in its effort to fight the war on terrorism. The ACLU has been a vocal opponent of the Patriot Act since its passage in October of 2001. But this time, the challenge is personal.
• Dutch Police Arrest Possible Madrid Blast Suspect Dutch police have arrested a suspect they believe may have been involved in the March 11 terrorist bombings in Madrid.
• Prison Riot in El Salvador Leaves 23 Inmates Dead A prison riot in El Salvador has left at least 23 inmates dead and 24 others injured.
• Mexican Volkswagen Workers Strike Over Wage Increase Volkswagen workers in Mexico have gone on strike after rejecting a wage increase offered by company management.
• Scientists Fear Malaysian Sea Turtles Threatened Scientists warn that the Malaysian populations of several species of sea turtles are on the brink of collapse and could disappear without urgent action to eliminate poaching and other dangers.
• Serbia Returns to 19th Century Anthem, Coat of Arms Serbia has restored its 19th-century anthem and ancient coat of arms to boost the country's flagging national confidence. The cross and the crown of the new emblem replaces the five-pronged red star of the old one.
• Israeli Missile Strike Hits Gaza City Building Witnesses say an Israeli helicopter has fired missiles at two buildings in Gaza City. There were no casualties reported.
• Split Remains Over How to Deal With Iran's Nuclear Program The U.S. administration is warning Iran against pursuing a nuclear weapons program, which it calls a threat to international security. But Washington and its European allies differ on how best to pressure Iran to stop. U.S. officials say Iran is pursuing a nuclear weapons program and must be stopped. "We cannot let Iran, a leading sponsor of international terrorism, acquire nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them to Europe, most of central Asia and the Middle East, or beyond," said John Bolton, the top State Department official on arms control and security issues. "Without serious, concerted, immediate intervention by the international community, Iran will be well on the road to doing so."
• World Oil Prices Rise, Topping $47 a Barrel Oil prices reached new highs again on Wednesday, as U.S. oil inventories fell for the third straight week.
• Newseum.org Puts Tops Stories from 42 Countries Online The Internet has in many ways revolutionized the news business. Reporters file stories online. Producers set up interviews via e-mail. And of course, many newspapers have websites where you can catch up on the news right from your computer. VOA's Art Chimes reports one website features not just one newspaper, but hundreds of them, or actually just their front pages, from all over the world.
• US Women Shatter Olympic 800-Meter Freestyle Relay Record The United States has shattered a 17-year-old world record in the women's Olympic 800-meter freestyle relay.
• US Cautiously Welcomes Reported Najaf Peace Deal U.S. officials are giving a cautious welcome to reports that radical Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr will end his rebellion in Najaf. The militia leader pledged to disarm in a letter to the national political conference in Baghdad.
• Iraqi Political Conference Chooses National Council A firebrand Iraqi Islamic cleric is reported to have agreed to withdraw his armed militia from around the city of Najaf. The news came as a conference chose a national council to oversee the workings of the Iraqi interim government.
• 30 Years Later, US Endangered Species Act Considered a Victory for Wildlife More than 30 years ago, on December 28, 1973, U.S. President Richard Nixon signed into law the Endangered Species Act, one of the most comprehensive wildlife conservation laws in the world.
• New York To Welcome Peaceful Protesters With Discounts New York has launched a program to welcome demonstrators coming to the city at the end of the month to protest the Republican presidential nominating convention. City officials hope the effort will ensure that the rallies are calm and, at the same time, contribute to the economy.
• Experts: Darfur Situation Worse than Sudanese Government Says A United Nations Security Council resolution gives Sudan until the end of this month to quell violence in the western region of Darfur, or face possible economic and diplomatic penalties. Experts at a talk sponsored by the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies say the situation in Darfur is worse than reported by the Sudanese government. Clashes in the Sudanese region of Darfur, between rebel groups and government-backed militias, known as the Janjaweed, have already killed tens of thousands of civilians and displaced more than one million others.
• Artifacts Discovered During Athens Olympics Construction Bringing Athens' transportation up to speed ahead of the summer games proved more difficult than what most modern cities usually endure, as massive construction projects turned into excavation sites. The city's archaeologists came up with a compromise keeping the very, very old along with the new.
• Pakistani Finance Chief Appears Headed for Prime Ministership Pakistan's finance minister appears headed for victory in two by-elections, paving his way to become the country's next prime minister. The ruling party's choice to lead Parliament shows its new focus on economic issues.
• Former Arms Inspector Expresses Doubt Over Proposed Intelligence Czar Former U.S. weapons inspector David Kay is expressing doubt over whether creating a position of a national intelligence director will resolve what he calls a crisis in the intelligence community.
• Google Set to Launch First-Ever Stock Sale Google, the world's most popular Internet search engine, says it has completed preparations for its first sale of shares to the public.
• Scientists Say Mars May Have Had More Water Than Previously Thought Scientists say they might be on the verge of confirming that large amounts of water once flowed in a region of Mars that has looked curiously dry until now. Such a finding could be comparable to their discovery earlier this year of an ancient shallow sea on the other side of the red planet.
• Olympics: Paul Hamm of US Wins Men's Gymnastics All-Around Gold Medal The Olympics returned to their ancient home while two Greek sprinters left the Games in disgrace Wednesday on Day five of the competition at the Athens Olympic Games.
• Venezuelan Opposition Rejects Audit of Votes From Sunday's Recall Referendum Venezuelan electoral officials are going ahead with an audit of votes from Sunday's recall referendum in which President Hugo Chavez was declared the winner. Tensions remain high, however, as opposition leaders refuse to participate as witnesses to the audit and continue to denounce the results as fraudulent. Meanwhile, police say they have arrested two of the three gunmen who fired on an opposition rally Monday, killing one person and wounding eight others.
• US Condemns Maoist Rebel Violence in Nepal The United States Wednesday condemned violence and threats by Maoist rebels in Nepal, who bombed a hotel in Kathmandu earlier this week and have declared a blockade of the capital.
• Another 15 Gold Medals Up for Grabs in Thursday's Olympics Another 15 gold medals are up for grabs as the Summer Olympics continue Thursday in Greece.