News for Thursday, January 18, 2007
• Nigerian Militants Release Five Chinese Workers China's Foreign Ministry says five Chinese nationals kidnapped in southern Nigeria earlier this month have been freed.
• Car Bombings in Baghdad Kill at Least 11 Iraqis Iraqi officials say a series of car bomb explosions in Baghdad has killed at least 11 people and wounded more than 30 others.
• EU and China to Begin Talks on New Cooperation Treaty The European Union and China begin negotiations this week on a comprehensive treaty that will include passages on climate change and energy security. The E.U. says cooperation by energy-hungry and heavily polluting China is crucial to any progress on the climate issues. Daniel Schearf reports from Beijing.
• US General Says Overhaul of UN Command in South Korea Necessary For more than half a century, the U.S.-led United Nations Command has preserved the peace along the tense demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. Now, as Washington prepares to turn over key wartime military responsibilities to South Korea, the commander of U.S. forces in the South says it is time to rethink the structure of the United Nations Command as well. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul.
• Philippines: 10 Abu Sayyaf Militants, 3 Soldiers Killed in Jolo Island Gunbattle The Philippine military says troops have killed 10 members of the Abu Sayyaf terrorist group in a gunbattle on the southern Philippine island of Jolo.
• Tennis: Blake Advances at Australian Open American James Blake has advanced to the third round of the Australian Open tennis tournament with a 6-4, 6-1, 6-2 win over countryman Alex Kuznetsov.
• Officials Deny Taleban Claims Militant Leader is in Pakistan Pakistan has denied claims by a Taleban spokesman detained in Afghanistan that fugitive Taleban leader Mullah Omar is hiding in western Pakistan.
• UN Envoy in Somalia to Discuss Peacekeeping Force A top United Nations envoy is in Somalia to discuss plans to deploy an African peacekeeping force in the country.
• Israel Asks Japan for Support Israel's foreign minister says that Iran is a threat to all of the Middle East. Yuriko Nagano reports from Tokyo, where Tzipi Livni is meeting with Japanese leaders in a bid to strengthen ties between Israel and Japan.
• Kyrgyzstan Parliament Blocks President's Bid to Reinstate PM Kyrgyzstan's parliament has blocked President Kurmanbek Bakiyev's bid to reinstate the former prime minister.
• Islamabad Denies Mullah Omar Sheltered in Pakistan A Taleban spokesman has told Afghan authorities that the militant Islamic group's leader, Mullah Omar, is living inside Pakistan under the protection of the country's main intelligence agency, the ISI. From Islamabad, VOA correspondent Benjamin Sand reports that Pakistan has sharply denied the assertions.
• Renegade General's Forces to Rejoin Congo Army Democratic Republic of Congo's renegade General Laurent Nkunda has said his forces are reintegrating into the country's national army, following an informal peace deal struck in neighboring Rwanda. Nkunda, who led troops loyal to him into rebellion in 2004, is being sought under an international arrest warrant for war crimes. Joe Bavier has more from the capital, Kinshasa.
• Ambassador Says Detained Iranians in Iraq Will Be Released Soon Iran's ambassador to Iraq says he has been told that five Iranians detained by U.S. forces last week will be released soon.
• Burmese State Media Accuse Aung San Suu Kyi of Tax Evasion Burmese state media have accused detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi of tax evasion by spending money from her Nobel Peace Prize overseas instead of within Burma.
• Palestinian President to Meet with Hamas Political Chief A Palestinian lawmaker says Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with the political chief of the governing Hamas group on Saturday.
• Rice Discusses Iraq, Middle East with British Leaders U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in London for meetings with British leaders on Iraq and Middle East peace efforts.
• US Admits Raid on Sudanese Embassy in Baghdad The U.S. military has admitted that American troops raided the embassy of Sudan in the Iraqi capital.
• Strong Storm Hits Northern Europe A container ship has capsized in the English Channel as an unusually strong storm makes its way across northern Europe, killing at least two people in Germany and Britain.
• E. Timor PM Regrets Failed Security Council Resolution on Burma East Timorese Prime Minister and Nobel peace laureate Jose Ramos-Horta says he is disappointed that the United Nations Security Council failed to pass a resolution last week criticizing Burma's military-led government.
• Bangladesh Police Arrest Nearly 2,000 Under State of Emergency Police in Bangladesh say they have arrested nearly 2,000 people since Wednesday under state of emergency laws aimed at preventing pre-election violence.
• New Tests Promise Rapid and Accurate Detection of Malaria Rapid diagnostic tests, or RDTs, are becoming an increasingly important method for detecting malaria. Health specialists recommend that they be used along with a range of other strategies for controlling the disease, including the use of artemisinin-based combination therapies, insecticide-treated bed nets, indoor spraying against malaria-carrying mosquitoes and testing and treatment of pregnant women and children.
• Putin: Russia Will Cooperate With All Countries on Energy Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russia will build market-based cooperation in the energy sphere with all countries.
• South American Presidents Gather for Mercosur Summit Presidents from most South American countries have gathered in Brazil for a meeting of the Mercosur trading group.
• Iranian President Lashes Out at Domestic Critics in Nuclear Standoff Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has lashed out at the domestic critics of his policies in the international standoff over Tehran's nuclear program.
• US, North Korea Conclude Third Round of Meetings in Berlin A third round of meetings between U.S. and North Korean officials ended in Berlin Thursday with no clear sign that six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons will begin again soon.
• Eritrean President: AU Mission in Somalia Doomed to FaiIure Eritrean President Isaias Afewerki says that any African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission sent into Somalia is doomed to failure.
• Senators Question Top Bush Official About Domestic Surveillance Program U.S. senators have vigorously questioned U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales about a controversial program that allowed domestic surveillance without warrants.
• Two Spaniards Win 12th Stage of Dakar Rally Two Spaniards, Carlos Sainz and Isidre Esteve Pujol, have won the car and motorcycle divisions in the 12th stage of the Dakar Rally, a 484-kilometer ride between Ayoun, Mauritania and Kayes, Mali.
• Bush Continues to Face Negative Polls on Iraq New public opinion polls suggest President Bush still has an uphill climb in convincing the American public that he is on the right track in Iraq. The poll results are being released less than a week before Mr. Bush speaks to Congress and the nation in his annual State of the Union Address. VOA national correspondent Jim Malone has more from Washington.
• WHO: Two Egyptian Bird Flu Victims Had Drug Resistant Strain The World Health Organization says two Egyptians who died recently from bird flu had a strain of the virus that was somewhat resistant to the drug used to treat the disease.
• DRC Rebels Accused of Eating Endangered Gorillas Conservationists in Eastern Congo have accused rebel forces of killing and eating highly endangered mountain gorillas. The report of the bizarre behavior emerged as a renegade rebel leader in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, Laurent Nkunda, prepared to sign a peace deal that could finally bring stability to the volatile region. Naomi Schwarz has more from our regional bureau.
• Council Of Europe President Hopes for Dialogue with Belarus Authorities The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has expressed hope he can encourage democracy in Belarus and help expand dialogue with the country's leaders.
• Ukraine's President Plans to Veto Bill Curbing His Powers Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko says he will again veto a bill that would weaken presidential powers.
• Venezuelan Legislature to Grant Chavez Power to Rule by Decree Venezuela's National Assembly has given its initial approval to a measure that would grant President Hugo Chavez the power to rule by decree for 18 months.
• China Tests Anti-Satellite Weapon Space experts have confirmed a report that China successfully tested a new anti-satellite weapon last week, firing the weapon to destroy one of its own old satellites. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.
• Pentagon Drafts New Criteria for Trials of Suspected Terrorists Pentagon officials have released new regulations for upcoming trials of suspected terrorists before special military commissions. These rules will allow for trials to proceed for detainees at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. VOA's Sean Maroney reports from Washington.
• Officials: Billions in US Iraq Reconstruction Money Wasted Bush administration officials have told U.S. lawmakers that as much as $3 billion of the $22 to $25 billion Congress appropriated to rebuild Iraq has been wasted through fraud and abuse by private contractors. VOA's Dan Robinson reports from Capitol Hill.