News for Tuesday, January 23, 2007
• Hezbollah, Allies Block Roads Across Lebanon Much of Lebanon remains paralyzed, Tuesday, as supporters of the pro-Syrian Hezbollah group block Lebanon's coastal highway and main thoroughfares in Beirut and other cities. From Beirut, Edward Yeranian reports this is all a bid to impose a general strike on the rest of the population.
• US Military Says Over 600 Militiamen Detained The U.S. military says Iraqi and American forces have detained more than 600 people connected with a militia loyal to radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. As VOA's Jim Randle reports from Baghdad, the military is also going after Sunni extremists accused of acts of violence.
• Tennis: Federer, Williams Advance to Australian Open Semifinals World number one tennis player Roger Federer of Switzerland is through to the semifinals of the Australian Open in Melbourne after a hard-fought straight-sets victory over Spaniard Tommy Robredo.
• Iran: Cooperation with IAEA Will Continue Iraq says it will continue cooperating with United Nations nuclear inspectors, despite barring 38 of them from entering the country.
• NBA: Anthony, Iverson Lead Nuggets to Win Over Grizzlies Carmelo Anthony teamed up with his new teammate Allen Iverson for the first time to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 115-98 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.
• Suicide Bomber Kills 10 Civilians in Eastern Afghanistan Afghan officials say a suicide bomber blew himself up near a NATO base in eastern Afghanistan early Tuesday, killing 10 civilians and wounding several others.
• Nuclear Envoys from North, South Korea Meet in Beijing Nuclear envoys from North and South Korea have met in Beijing as part of attempts to resume six-party talks on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program.
• Thousands of Mourners Attend Funeral of Slain Turkish-Armenian Journalist No summary available.
• Australian Diver Survives Shark Attack An Australian diver has had a miraculous escape after a great white shark grabbed his head. The 41-year-old man was attacked in waters south of Sydney. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.
• Nicaragua's President Ortega Cuts Government Salaries, Including His Own Nicaragua's new leftist president, Daniel Ortega, has slashed his own salary as part of a government austerity plan.
• Vancouver Alleged Serial Killer Goes on Trial The long awaited trial of an alleged serial killer has finally started in Vancouver, Canada. As Craig McCulloch reports for VOA from Vancouver, prosecutors are outlining grizzly evidence in a trial that is expected to last one year.
• Bush Prepares for State of Union Speech President Bush is preparing for his State of the Union address Tuesday, the first time in his presidency he will be addressing a joint session of Congress controlled by the opposition Democratic Party.
• Oscar Nominations Announced A film inspired by a real-life American singing trio of the 1960s and 70s has received eight nominations for Hollywood's most prestigious cinematic awards, the Oscars.
• New US Commander for Iraq Paints Gloomy Picture of Security Situation President Bush's choice to lead U.S. forces in Iraq, Lieutenant General David Petraeus, says the situation in Iraq has deteriorated significantly over the past year.
• World Court Denies Uruguay's Request to End Argentina's Blockade The World Court has rejected a request by Uruguay to force Argentina to end blockades of key roads and bridges between the two countries.
• Palestinian Militants Briefly Kidnap French Hostages Palestinian militants in the West Bank town of Nablus have released three French hostages they seized earlier Tuesday.
• Anti-Castro Militant Pleads Innocent to US Immigration Charges An anti-Castro Cuban militant accused of bombing a Cuban airliner in 1976 has pleaded innocent to charges of lying to U.S. immigration authorities in his bid to become a U.S. citizen.
• Israel's President to be Indicted on Rape Charges Israel's attorney general says he plans to indict President Moshe Katsav, Israel's ceremonial head of state, on charges of rape and abuse of power. VOA's Jim Teeple has details from our Jerusalem bureau.
• French Runner Arrested For Dope Possession French 1,500 meter record holder Hind Dehiba has been arrested at a Paris airport after customs officials discovered doping substances in her luggage.
• London Olympics Organizers Promise 'Greenest Games' Organizers of the 2012 Summer Olympics in London have promised the "greenest games" in history and sought to soothe concerns about the rising cost of the event.
• European Parliament Panel Approves CIA Report Findings A special committee of the European Parliament has approved a report saying some European countries were aware of secret CIA flights over Europe, as well as the existence of secret detention centers for kidnapped terror suspects.
• Taiwan Official Says China Aiming Nearly 1,000 Missiles at Taiwan A top Taiwan Defense Ministry official has warned that China has nearly 1,000 missiles deployed in its territory that could be used to target the island.
• Burundi Ruling Party Chief at Home After Security Scare The chairman of Burundi's ruling party is at his residence after seeking refuge in the South African embassy because of security concerns. The incident is part of rising tensions in the Great Lakes country. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.
• UNHCR: 17 Palestinians Seized in Baghdad Released The United Nations refugee agency says 17 Palestinians seized Tuesday in Baghdad have been released.
• Opposition Calls Off Protests that Paralyzed Lebanon Opposition leaders in Lebanon say they are calling off a general strike that paralyzed the country Tuesday and sparked violent clashes.
• Gallup Poll Finds Islam, Democracy Not Incompatible The Gallup polling organization has found that, while Muslims say they admire democratic values, they also believe Islamic laws and democracy can exist side-by-side. Basing its findings on a survey of 10 mostly Muslim countries, Gallup said world leaders should support democracy in those countries despite the peoples' strong feeling about religion. VOA's Stephanie Ho reports from Washington.
• Perjury Trial of Former Cheney Aide Begins The perjury trial has opened for a former top White House aide accused of lying to investigators looking into who leaked the identity of a CIA officer.
• Euro Figure Skating Championships Get Underway The European Figure Skating Championships are under way in Warsaw and there will be new winners this time. The Russians, who won back-to-back titles in women's, men's, pairs and ice dancing competition are not competing.
• Experts Urge US Development of Geothermal Energy Earth's interior heat could provide much of the world's energy, according to a new study. U.S. experts say geothermal energy is a largely untapped and inexhaustible clean resource that could reduce reliance on fossil fuels like oil and coal. As VOA's David McAlary reports from Washington, the researchers call for a 15-year U.S. government-led program to develop geothermal energy into an economically competitive source of electricity for Americans.
• Prominent Polish Writer, Journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski Dies Polish writer and journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski, who won international acclaim for chronicling the world's wars, died Tuesday in Warsaw at age 74.
• US Legislators Urge Lifting Cuban Trade, Travel Embargoes Ten U.S. lawmakers who just returned from a trip to Havana are calling for engagement with Cuba in place of the trade and travel embargo the United States has imposed on Cuba for years. The House members say six months after ailing President Fidel Castro gave governing power to his brother Raul, it is apparent that little in communist Cuba will change unless U.S. policy does. VOA's Marissa Melton reports from Washington.
• UN to Condemn Holocaust Denial The U.N. General Assembly is due to vote this week on a resolution condemning efforts to deny the Holocaust. VOA correspondent Peter Heinlein reports from U.N. headquarters in New York.
• US Opening Anti-Missile Talks With Poland, Czech Republic The United States is opening formal negotiations with Poland and the Czech Republic about basing elements of a U.S. anti-ballistic missile system in those countries. State Department officials say the system is intended to defend against missiles fired by so-called rogue states and not aimed against Russia and its large nuclear arsenal. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.
• President Bush Delivers Annual State of the Union Address President Bush is delivering his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress at this hour.
• Text of President Bush's State of the Union Address As Prepared for Delivery
• Beaches Near Shipwreck in Southern England Sealed Off to Prevent Looting Napoli which lies on its side off Branscombe Beach" hspace=2 src="/english/images/ap_britain_ship_napoli_195_eng_21jan07.jpg" width=210 vspace=2 border=0> British authorities blocked public access to beaches in southern England Tuesday to prevent scavengers from looting containers washed ashore from a cargo ship damaged in a recent storm.
• Democratic Response to State of the Union Address Good evening. I'm Senator Jim Webb, from Virginia, where this year we will celebrate the 400th anniversary of the settlement of Jamestown - an event that marked the first step in the long journey that has made us the greatest and most prosperous nation on earth. It would not be possible in this short amount of time to actually rebut the President's message, nor would it be useful.