News for Friday, January 26, 2007
• Rice to Press NATO Allies for More Money for Afghan Security Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is due in Brussels Friday to press America's NATO allies for more money to battle the resurgent Taleban in Afghanistan.
• Bomb Blast in Baghdad Market Kills 15 Iraqis Iraqi police say a bomb blast in a popular animal market in central Baghdad has killed at least 15 people wounded more than 30 others.
• Senior Taleban Leader Possibly Killed in NATO Airstrike NATO says it may have killed a senior Taleban leader and his deputies with an airstrike along southern Afghanistan's border with Pakistan.
• Japanese PM Says New Constitution Needed For Postwar Regime Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has taken his quest for a more robust role in international affairs to the floor of his country's legislature. Abe says Japan's constitution should provide leaders with more strategic muscle in order to handle the challenges of the next 50 to 100 years. VOA Seoul Correspondent Kurt Achin has more.
• Vietnam-Vatican Relations Likely After Prime Minister Meets with Pope Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung met with Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican on Thursday afternoon. The meeting kicked off the process of establishing official diplomatic relations between the communist country and the Holy See, to the delight of Vietnamese Catholics. From Hanoi, Matt Steinglass has more.
• Abbas: Deal with Hamas on Palestinian Government Expected Within Weeks Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says he remains confident of reaching an agreement with Hamas on forming a unity government, despite continuing violence between his Fatah faction and Hamas militants.
• Ex-Cheney Aide Says She Told Libby Name of CIA Operative A former spokeswoman to Vice President Dick Cheney says she informed Cheney and his former chief-of-staff, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, about the identity of a CIA operative married to a Bush administration critic.
• Nepal's Maoists Demand Removal from US Terrorist List Nepal's former communist rebels are criticizing the United States for keeping them on its terrorist list, despite their landmark agreement last November to lay down arms and join the government.
• Russia Calls US Plans for Missile Defense in Europe a 'Mistake' Russia says a U.S. plan to set up a missile defense system in central Europe is a "mistake."
• NATO Allies Agree to Step Up Efforts to Deal with Taleban Threat in Afghanistan NATO foreign ministers have agreed to seize the initiative in dealing with Taleban forces in Afghanistan.
• Nigeria Continues Search for Kidnapped Oil Workers The security situation in Nigeria's oil rich Niger Delta has deteriorated sharply in the past few weeks despite government promises to curb hostage taking in the region. For VOA, Gilbert da Costa reports from Abuja that officials are particularly worried about the fate of at least three Chinese oil workers abducted Thursday.
• Report: Bush Authorizes Targeting Iranians in Iraq President Bush is reported to have authorized the U.S. military to kill or capture Iranian operatives inside Iraq.
• International Regulators Agree on First Plan to Protect Tuna A meeting in Japan of government regulators, conservationists and members of the fishing industry has agreed on the world's first coordinated plan to protect declining stocks of tuna. The agreement includes controls on illegal fishing, limiting the size of fishing fleets, and the sharing of information across borders. Yuriko Nagano reports from Tokyo.
• US, UN, China Launch Joint Campaign on HIV-AIDS Education The United States, China, and the United Nations' International Labor Organization have launched an education campaign on the prevention and handling of HIV-AIDS in the workplace. The campaign will focus on preventing the spread of HIV, and ways to stop discrimination against those who have it. Daniel Schearf reports from Beijing.
• New UN Chief Heads to Africa, Faces Peacekeeping Demands Ban Ki-moon is making his first trip to Africa as U.N. secretary-general, with many peacekeeping demands. VOA's Nico Colombant reports from our West and Central Africa in Dakar.
• US Senate Confirms Petraeus as Top US Commander in Iraq The U.S. Senate has unanimously confirmed Army General David Petraeus to be the next coalition commander in Iraq, succeeding General George Casey. VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.
• Report: Bush Authorizes Targeting Iranians in Iraq President Bush is reported to have authorized the U.S. military to kill or capture Iranian operatives inside Iraq.
• India Celebrates 58th Republic Day India celebrated its 58th Republic Day Friday, with military parades in the nation's capital and various cities across the country.
• Foiled Uranium Plot Renews Fears About Safety of CIS Nuclear Material There are renewed concerns that potentially dangerous nuclear material in the former Soviet Union has not been properly accounted for after Georgia's revelation this week of a failed plot involving a Russian man trying to sell weapons-grade uranium to an undercover officer. VOA's Lisa McAdams in Moscow has details.
• Vietnamese Soccer Stars Convicted of Match Fixing Seven members of Vietnam's national soccer team have been convicted of deliberately holding down the score in a game against Burma in exchange for payments from a gambling ring. The case had crystallized public anger over corruption in Vietnam. Matt Steinglass reports from Hanoi.
• Beirut Calm After Day of Clashes Violence subsided in Beirut Friday, one day after clashes between Shi'ite and Sunni students in Beirut's southern suburbs left at least four people dead and more than 150 wounded. Edward Yeranian reports for VOA from Beirut.
• France Bids Farewell to Advocate For Homeless Top French officials, including President Jacques Chirac, gathered in Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris Friday for the funeral of Abbé Pierre, a Roman Catholic priest known for campaigning for the homeless.
• State Department Expresses Confidence in US Ambassador After Threats by Chavez The U.S. State Department has expressed continued confidence in U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela William Brownfield.
• NATO to Send Additional Troops to Afghanistan The commander of NATO-led forces in Afghanistan says the alliance is sending thousands of extra troops to the war-torn country.
• Bush Continues to Defend Iraq Plan U.S. President George Bush says he understands there is opposition to his sending more troops to Iraq, but he is confident his plan will succeed in improving security. VOA White House Correspondent Scott Stearns has the story.
• Senior US Democratic Leader Calls for Iraq Troop Redeployment in Six Months A senior member of the U.S. Congress, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, has sharply criticized President Bush's decision to send more than 20,000 additional troops to Iraq. Hoyer is calling on the Bush administration to begin redeploying forces within the next six months, and predicts the Congress will support a resolution opposing the president's new strategy in Iraq. VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has details from Washington.
• Rice Asks NATO Allies to Reach Deeper for Aid to Afghanistan U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asked NATO allies Friday to do more to help Afghanistan, and pledged extra U.S. troops and aid to help defeat the Taleban. For VOA, Teri Schultz reports from Brussels.
• US, North Korea to Hold Talks on Financial Sanctions in Beijing The United States and North Korea will meet in Beijing next week to hold a second round of talks on financial sanctions against Pyongyang.
• World Economic Forum Focuses on Africa Some of the world's most powerful political and business figures turned their focus to Africa Friday, as they met at the annual World Economic Forum in Switzerland. Lisa Bryant reports for VOA, the report card is mixed when it comes to meeting development pledges to one of the world's most impoverished areas.
• US Says Afghan Troops Issue Critical to NATO's Future A top US State Department official warned Friday that NATO's future may hinge on alliance members dropping conditions they have placed on their troops' service in Afghanistan. Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns says the so-called "caveats" on what various contingents may do in that country are an "existential" issue for NATO. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.
• Castro's Illness Makes Miami's Cubans Think Thoughts of Home Granma web site Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2006" hspace=2 src="/english/images/Granma_Fidel_Castro_210.jpg" width=163 vspace=2 border=0> Six months have passed since Cuban President Fidel Castro became ill and transferred power to his brother. As time passes with no public appearances and little information about the state of his health, much speculation is focused on what a post-Castro Cuba might be like. The Cuban exile community in Miami has been intensely monitoring developments, and VOA's Lisa Ferdinando spoke with some of them about their hopes for their homeland and the possibility they may return to the home they fled many years ago.
• American Serena Williams Wins Australian Open American Serena Williams has won the Australian Open women's tennis title, routing Russian rival Maria Sharapova in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2.