News for Sunday, January 14, 2007
• NFL: Colts, Saints Advance in Playoffs No summary available.
• US: 5 Iranians Detained in Iraq Have Ties to Iranian Group Helping Insurgents No summary available.
• Chinese, Japanese, S. Korean Leaders Take United Stand on North Korea The leaders of China, South Korea and Japan have met on the sidelines of a regional summit in the Philippines, and stressed their united stand against North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
• Iraq's Talabani Visits Damascus Iraq's president, Jalal Talabani, is in Damascus, Sunday in the first such trip by an Iraqi leader in almost three decades.
• Abbas Tells Rice No to Any Temporary or Transitional Solutions U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas the Bush administration will accelerate efforts for Palestinian statehood under the international Roadmap to peace with Israel. Mr. Abbas, who met with Rice Sunday in Ramallah, said he was not interested in temporary statehood within interim borders. VOA's David Gollust reports from Jerusalem.
• Casamance Independence Leader Dies at 78 The leading figure of the independence movement in Senegal's Casamance region has died in a Paris hospital. Jordan Davis reports from Dakar that observers say the death of 78-year-old Augustin Diamacoune Senghor will complicate efforts to bring an end to nearly a quarter of a century of separatist conflict.
• French Conservatives Nominate Sarkozy for President France's ruling conservative party has officially named Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy as its candidate for president, setting the stage for a showdown campaign with socialist nominee Segolene Royal.
• Britain Probes Criminal Data Failure Britain's Home Office says it has suspended one of its employees, as part of a probe into the department's failure to enter thousands of criminal records into a national police computer.
• Egyptian Police Arrest More Muslim Brotherhood Members, Al Jazeera Producer Egyptian officials say they have arrested six more members of the banned but tolerated Muslim Brotherhood.
• White House Defends Iraq Strategy President Bush says he will implement his revised Iraq strategy despite substantial Congressional opposition. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports from the White House, the president and his top aides are defending his plan in a series of interviews on national television.
• Sven Kramer Wins Men's 10,000 Meter Speedskating Race Sven Kramer of the Netherlands has captured the men's 10,000 - meter race at the European Speedskating Championships in Collalbo, Italy.
• Researchers Report Rise in Syphilis Cases in China The number of new syphilis cases in China, according to the latest study, has risen dramatically after the sexually-transmitted disease had been virtually wiped out. The investigators say a number of factors could account for the steep rise in rates of syphilis, which often acts as a barometer of HIV infection rates. VOA's Jessica Berman reports.
• US Says Planned Palestinian Security Aid Includes No Lethal Hardware Officials traveling with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in the Middle East say a proposed $86-million U.S. aid package for security forces controlled by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas includes no lethal military hardware or ammunition. Rice, on a whirlwind visit to the region, held talks with Mr. Abbas and Jordan's King Abdullah Sunday, and will meet the leaders of Israel, Egypt and Saudi Arabia Monday. VOA's David Gollust reports from Jerusalem.
• Winter Storm Strands Travelers, Kills 7 on Icy US Highway A strong winter storm has caused trouble for travelers, downed power lines to thousands of homes and caused deadly accidents in the midwestern United States.
• Liberian President Wins Praise After First Year in Office On the eve of her first anniversary in office Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has won praise for her efforts and prompted cautious optimism for the future of her country.
• Bush Acknowledges US Has Contributed to Instability in Iraq President Bush has acknowledged that his administration's decisions have contributed to instability in Iraq.