News for Saturday, January 13, 2007
• Japan Issues Tsunami Warning Japan's Meteorological Agency has issued a tsunami warning for the country's northern region following a powerful earthquake.
• Summit of Southeast Asian Leaders Opens Southeast Asian leaders opened their annual gathering in the Philippines as they prepare to chart a new direction for the 40-year old grouping. The leaders are expected to sign agreements on counter-terrorism, trade and a blueprint for reforms in how the organization works. VOA's Heda Bayron reports from the summit in Cebu.
• Rice Says Failure of Iraqi Security Plan Would Endanger Region U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said late Friday the consequences of the failure of President Bush's new security strategy for Iraq would be worse for Iraq's neighbors than for the United States itself. She is beginning a Middle East mission aimed in part at rallying moderate Arab support for the Iraqi government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. VOA's David Gollust reports from Shannon, Ireland, a refueling stop for Rice en route to the region.
• Rice: Bush Authorized Recent Raids on Iranians in Iraq Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says recent raids against Iranian operatives in Iraq are part of a broad military offensive against Iranian networks in the country authorized months ago by President Bush.
• Southeast Asian Leaders Chart New Direction for Regional Group Southeast Asian leaders have wrapped up their annual group summit by setting forth a new direction for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. As VOA's Heda Bayron reports from the Philippine city of Cebu, the leaders of ASEAN's 10 member-nations also focused on terrorism, trade and - informally - Burma's stalled democratic reform process.
• Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton Visits Baghdad U.S. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton is in Iraq, heading a bipartisan delegation that will meet with senior Iraqi officials and U.S. military commanders.
• Somali Lawmakers Declare State of Emergency, Impose Martial Law Lawmakers in Somalia's transitional parliament have authorized the government to impose martial law.
• Rice Begins Middle East Tour to Promote Bush Administration's New Iraq Policy U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has arrived in Israel, the first stop on her Middle East trip to promote the Bush administration's new Iraq policy.
• Asian Development Bank Does Not Expect Dollar Fall This Year The head of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) says he does not expect the dollar to fall this year because there will be good growth in the U.S. economy. Haruhiko Kuroda, on the sidelines of the summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, also endorsed the organization's plans for greater regional economic integration. Douglas Bakshian reports from the summit in Cebu. ADB President Haruhiko Kuroda says he expects the U.S. economy to grow by 2.5 percent this year, which will bolster the dollar.
• Indonesia Announces 2 Bird Flu Deaths Indonesian health officials say two women infected with the bird flu virus have died, bringing to 61 the number of people who have died from the disease in the country.
• Japan Cancels all Tsunami Warnings After Powerful Earthquake Japanese meteorological officials have canceled all tsunami warnings after a powerful Pacific Ocean earthquake caused only minor waves in parts of the country.
• President Bush Further Explains New Iraq Strategy No summary available.
• Togo's Parliamentary Election to Be Test of Democratic Change Although parliamentary elections are still six months away, the government and opposition in Togo are already negotiating the conditions necessary for the polls to be free and fair. They say they hope to avoid the kind of violence that followed the 2005 presidential election amid accusations of vote-tampering. Kari Barber has this report from VOA's West Africa bureau.
• Hong Kong Government Promises to Give Public More Say on Fate of Landmarks The Hong Kong government says it will give the public a greater voice in the conservation of historic buildings. The plan was issued in response to growing public concern over the demolition of what little remains of the city's architectural heritage. VOA's Kate Pound Dawson has this report prepared by Juliet Ye in Hong Kong.
• Forum Allows Young People in Africa to Discuss Issues With Leaders Leaders from several African countries and Germany listened to the concerns of young people from across Africa Saturday. They discussed issues ranging from armed conflicts to democratic participation and the environment during a two-day forum. Efam Dovi covered the forum in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, and has this VOA report.
• Bush Presidential Library at SMU Raises Some Concerns Negotiations to build a Bush presidential library at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas have divided the school's faculty and raised questions about the university's relationship with President Bush.
• Tumultuous Election Year Expected in France This year, France will hold national elections expected to usher in a new era in French politics. After more than a decade in office, observers say President Jacques Chirac may not seek a third term. Lisa Bryant has more from Paris on France's tumultuous election-year politics, which begins with a vote Sunday for the presidential candidate of Mr. Chirac's ruling UMP Party.
• Indonesia Announces Two Bird Flu Deaths; Japan Confirms Outbreak An Indonesian health official announced Saturday the recent deaths of two women from Avian influenza. Two other people died earlier in the week. Meanwhile, Japan confirmed bird flu affected chickens on a farm in the south of the country. VOA's Sean Maroney reports from Washington.