News for Wednesday, January 17, 2007

• NATO Arrests Senior Taleban Commander in Southern Afghanistan NATO says Afghan forces and NATO-led troops have detained a senior Taleban commander in southern Afghanistan.
• Mortar Attacks, Bomb Blasts Kill More Iraqis Insurgent attacks are continuing in Iraq Wednesday, following one of the bloodiest days in the country in weeks.
• Indonesia Takes Steps to Stop Spread of Bird Flu Indonesia says it will cull tens of thousands of chickens kept in backyards across the sprawling archipelago in an effort to stop the spread of the bird flu virus. As VOA correspondent Nancy-Amelia Collins in Jakarta reports, the decision follows a new spate of human infections.
• US, North Korea to Hold Second Berlin Meeting on Nuclear Talks Senior U.S. and North Korean diplomats are holding rare one-on-one meetings in Berlin to lay the groundwork for another session of multinational talks on the North's nuclear weapons. The meetings come amid expectations that the talks, and parallel discussions of North Korean financial issues, will resume soon. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul.
• China says Trade with Political Rival Taiwan Reached Record $100 Billion in 2006 China says trade with political rival Taiwan surpassed a record $100 billion last year despite occasional tensions over China's claim to the self-run island. But, a government spokesman warned business relations could sour if Taiwan seeks to alter its political status. Daniel Schearf reports from Beijing.
• Philippines Kills Abu Sayyaf Terror Group Leader Philippine military officials say troops have killed a top leader of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group, which is linked to a number of bloody attacks in the country. Douglas Bakshian reports from Manila.
• NBA: Nowitzki Leads Mavericks to Win Over Rockets In National Basketball Association action, Dirk Nowitzki had 30 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 109-96 win over the Houston Rockets Tuesday night.
• Mexico Protests Death of Illegal Immigrant in US Mexico's government has lodged an official protest with the United States, after a U.S. Border Patrol agent shot dead an illegal migrant last week.
• Rice Heads to Germany Following Mideast Tour U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is headed to Germany, after a tour of the Middle East aimed at rallying support for the new U.S. plan for Iraq.
• Israel's Top General Steps Down The head of the Israeli Defense Forces, Air Force General Dan Halutz has resigned. Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert accepted the resignation just hours after Israel's state prosecutor ordered a criminal investigation into Mr. Olmert's role in the privatization of a leading Israeli bank two years ago. VOA's Jim Teeple has more from our Jerusalem bureau.
• US Official 'Upbeat' on Progress of Free Trade Talks with South Korea The U.S. official charged with striking a trade liberalization deal with South Korea says she is "upbeat" about resolving some of the main obstacles that have arisen.  But her Korean counterpart cautions that much work remains before a deal can be reached.  VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul.
• India Says Pakistani Troops Shoot to Cover for Militants Indian border patrol officials say Pakistani forces have fired on Indian personnel, in an attempt to provide cover for militants trying to cross into Indian-controlled Kashmir. VOA's Suzanne Presto has more from New Delhi.
• Sri Lankan Peace Hopes Suffer Military, Political Setbacks Hopes for a political solution to Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict appear to have suffered a new setback. Media in the region report that Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse has rejected an appeal by former prime minister and opposition leader Ranil Wickremasinghe to accept opposition politicians into the government. Officials of the opposition right-wing UNP (United National Party) have said such a negative response by the president would scuttle their joint pledge to work on a united proposal for negotiations with ethnic Tamil rebels. VOA's Steve Herman reports from Washington on the fading hopes for peace in Sri Lanka.
• Hillary Clinton Opposes US Troop Increase in Iraq Democratic Senator Hillary Clinton says she opposes President Bush's plan to increase U.S. forces in Iraq, calling instead for more troops to be deployed to Afghanistan.
• Detained Taleban Spokesman Claims Mullah Omar in Hiding in Pakistan A detained Taleban spokesman has told interrogators that fugitive Taleban leader Mullah Omar is hiding out in the western Pakistani city of Quetta.
• Report: Castro Opted for Risky Surgery That Led to Serious Complications Granma web site Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2006" hspace=2 src="/english/images/Granma_Fidel_Castro_210.jpg" width=163 vspace=2 border=0> A Spanish newspaper says Cuban President Fidel Castro opted for a risky surgery that led to serious complications and further surgeries.
• Brazzaville Protests French Decision to Reopen War Crimes Probe Protests are mounting in the Republic of Congo following a ruling last week by France's high court to re-launch a war-crimes investigation in the African country. Phuong Tran reports from VOA's Central and West Africa bureau.
• US Winter Storm Leaves at Least 50 Dead A deadly winter storm that swept across the United States this week has left more than people 50 dead and has destroyed nearly $1 billion worth of California's produce industry.
• UN: Increasing Insecurity Poses Dire Threat to Dafur Aid  The United Nations has warned increasing insecurity in Sudan's western Darfur region is posing a dire threat to aid operations.  Noel King reports for VOA from Khartoum the United Nations has urged all parties to the Darfur conflict to respect humanitarian law.  In a joint statement, U.N. agencies said that in December humanitarian access to civilians in Darfur reached an all-time low, since large-scale aid operations began in 2004.  
• Germany Fifth in Latest FIFA Ranking Germany's national football (soccer) team has risen to fifth in the world in the latest International Football Federation rankings, the first poll to include all the world's football associations.
• Pakistan Rejects Indian Allegations of Kashmir Shooting Pakistan's military is denying Indian allegations that Pakistani forces in Kashmir fired their weapons to provide cover for militants.
• Freedom House Report Sees 'Freedom Stagnation', Setbacks in Asia A report by the non-governmental organization Freedom House concludes a global "freedom stagnation" has developed over the past decade, and points to setbacks last year in Asia.
• Chad Rebels Seize Another Northeastern Town Rebels in Chad say they have seized a military garrison town in the remote north, as they push on in a conflict of attrition against the government. Naomi Schwarz reports for VOA from Dakar.
• Sampras, Sanchez-Vicario Elected to International Tennis Hall of Fame American Pete Sampras and Arantxa Sanchez-Vicario of Spain have been elected to the International Tennis Hall of Fame's class of 2007.
• UN Nuclear Agency Suspends Some Technical Aid to Iran Diplomats say the U.N. nuclear agency has suspended some technical aid to Iran to comply with Security Council sanctions on Tehran's nuclear program.
• US Neutral on Pakistan-Afghanistan Border Issue U.S. officials say Pakistan and Afghanistan must decide for themselves on an appropriate and effective method of reducing cross-border infiltration.
• US Envoy Says N. Korea Meeting Useful; Hopes Six-Party Talks Resume Soon The top U.S. envoy to the six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program held a second meeting with his North Korean counterpart in Berlin Wednesday.
• World Economic Forum Confronts Shifting Geopolitical Power About 2,400 political, business, cultural and religious leaders from 90 countries are expected to attend the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland January 24-28. They will explore issues related to a world where political power is shifting to new regions and where the old ways of doing business are increasingly being called into question. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from the Forum's headquarters in Geneva.
• American Aid Worker, Three Others Killed in Iraq Attack A U.S. aid organization says one of its American workers in Iraq and three other people were killed in an ambush Wednesday in Baghdad.
• Security Concerns Force Cancellation of Dakar Rally's 11th Stage Competitors in the Dakar Rally had an unexpected break Wednesday when security concerns forced organizers to cancel the 11th stage in Mali.
• Atomic Scientists Warn World Moving Closer to Nuclear Doom An international group of atomic scientists is warning of the dual threats to the world posed by nuclear weapons and climate change.  VOA's Stephanie Ho reports from Washington.
• Europe Devising Strategy to Prevent Water-Borne Diseases European countries that have ratified a Protocol on Water and Health are meeting for the first time to launch programs to prevent, control and reduce water-related diseases. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.
• Zimbabwe Police Arrest Student Leaders Opposing Tuition Hikes No summary available.
• Bipartisan Group of  US Senators Agree on Resolution Opposing Troop Increase to Iraq Three U.S. senators, including a leading Republican, have agreed on a resolution opposing President Bush' plan to send additional troops to Iraq.
• US Diplomat Criticizes Vote to Dismiss Somali Speaker A top U.S. diplomat has criticized a vote by Somalia's interim parliament to dismiss Speaker Sharif Hassan Sheikh Aden.  Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Jendayi Frazer says the move hurts efforts to peacefully resolve differences in the war-torn country.  VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has details from Washington. Somali lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to dismiss Aden during a meeting of the interim parliament in Baidoa. 
• Study Says Universal Education is Attainable and Affordable A study sponsored by the private American Academy of Arts and Sciences shows that the goal of universal education is both attainable and affordable. From VOA's New York Bureau, correspondent Barbara Schoezau has the story.
• Freedom House Warns of  'Global Stagnation' A newly released report from the independent Freedom House says a "global stagnation" has developed over the past decade, and warns that a series of worrisome trends have emerged that could threaten political and civil liberties across the globe. From Washington, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more.
• Albright Criticizes Bush's Plan for Iraq As President Bush faces mounting pressure from Congress on his Iraq military plan, he also encountered sharp criticism from a former secretary of state, and words of caution from experts appearing before Congress. VOA's Dan Robinson reports on this and escalating pressure from the House of Representatives on Iraq.
• US Border Patrol Agents Jailed for Shooting Drug Smuggler In El Paso, Texas, two former U.S. Border Patrol agents reported to federal prison officials Wednesday to begin serving sentences imposed after they were convicted last year of shooting an unarmed suspect in the back as he ran across the border into Mexico. The wounded suspect, who had been involved in drug smuggling, was given immunity from prosecution in exchange for his testimony against the law officers. As VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Houston, the case has become a lightning rod for groups demanding better security on the border.
• UN's Ban Resists US Call for More Help In Iraq U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon is signaling a warming trend in the world body's relationship with the United States. Those ties were sometimes frosty under Mr. Ban's predecessor, Kofi Annan. But as VOA's correspondent Peter Heinlein reports, Mr. Ban is resisting President Bush's call for greater U.N. involvement in Iraq.
• Rice Says Nuclear Deal With Pyongyang Would Normalize Relations U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in Berlin Thursday an accord ending North Korea's nuclear program would lead to normal relations between the United States and Pyongyang. The chief U.S. negotiator to the Chinese-sponsored six-party nuclear talks held a two-day set of meetings with his North Korean counterpart in the German capital. VOA's David Gollust has details from Berlin.
• Clijsters Reaches Third Round of Australian Open Former world No. 1 women's tennis player Kim Clijsters has extended the winning start to her farewell tour. The 23-year-old Belgian reached the third round of the Australian Open in Melbourne with a 6-3, 6-0 win Thursday over Akiko Morigami of Japan.