News for Friday, February 9, 2007
• Nuclear Envoys Discuss Draft Agreement On North Korea's Weapons Envoys from the United States and five other nations are studying a proposed list of action steps to begin dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons programs. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Beijing on the second day of talks on North Korea's nuclear ambitions.
• US Military: 8 Insurgents Killed in Airstrike South of Baghdad The U.S. military in Iraq says an American airstrike has killed at least eight insurgents and destroyed a building south of Baghdad.
• Ghana Opposition Boycotts Kufour's State of Nation Address Ghana President John Kufuor has delivered the state of the nation address to parliament, despite a boycott by National Democratic Congress party members. Efam Dovi reports for VOA from the capital, Accra, the main opposition party is protesting the jailing this week of an opposition parliament member for fraud and other charges.
• Iranian Envoy, IAEA Chief to Hold Nuclear Talks in Vienna Iran's top nuclear negotiator, Ali Larijani and the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, are due to discuss Tehran's nuclear program in Vienna Friday.
• New Indonesian Movie Examines Bali Bombing The first feature film to dramatize the 2002 terrorist bombings on the Indonesian island of Bali has been released in Indonesia - and a number of Australians are unhappy about it. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins watched the film, and sent this report from Jakarta.
• Muslim Worshippers, Israeli Police Scuffle at Jerusalem Mosque Compound Hundreds of worshippers at Jerusalem's al-Aqsa mosque threw stones at Israeli police amid continuing Muslim outrage over Israel's repair work near the holy site.
• Nigeria's Oil Unions Suggest Ways to End Delta Crisis Nigeria's two main oil unions have backed down on threats to go on strike over debilitating insecurity in the oil-rich Niger Delta. Instead, the unions have issued what they called a "blueprint for resolving the crisis." Gilbert da Costa has this report for VOA.
• Raul Castro Says Brother Fidel's Health Improving Acting Cuban President Raul Castro says ailing brother Fidel is improving, and that he remains involved in all government decisions.
• Autopsy on Former Playboy Model Anna Nicole Smith Under Way A medical examiner in Florida has begun an autopsy on Anna Nicole Smith, a famous former Playboy Model who died Thursday.
• US Gives $400,000 to Vietnam to Study Agent Orange Clean-Up The U.S. ambassador to Vietnam, Michael Marine, has announced that the U.S. is giving Vietnam $400,000 toward an Agent Orange clean-up.
• International Diplomats Discuss Strategy for Somalia A group of diplomats gathered in Tanzania Friday to discuss bringing permanent stability to Somalia.
• US Congress Takes Close Look at Pre-Iraq War Intelligence A Senate committee is taking a close look at pre-war intelligence on Iraq provided by the Defense Department Friday.
• Britain Charges 5 in Kidnapping-Beheading Terror Plot British police have charged five men in an alleged terrorist plot to kidnap and behead a Muslim British soldier.
• Civil Disobedience, Reform and Islam This is the fourth part of a five-part series on Perspectives Within Islam. It includes the views of Somali born feminist Ayaan Hirsi Ali, an activist and outspoken critic of Muslim fundamentalism. Hirsi Ali was recently interviewed by VOA's Carolyn Weaver. Additional information is provided by William Eagle.
• Reconciliation Difficult in Somalia, says Analyst As diplomats meet in Tanzania Friday trying to find a peaceful solution to the situation in Somalia, analysts say there are many obstacles to overcome. The International Contact Group on Somalia, made up of diplomats from the United States, Europe and Africa, is calling for the reconciliation of all the country’s factions.
• Jasper Johns Broke New Ground in Contemporary Art "You might say that Johns works somewhere between abstraction and representation," says Jeffrey Weiss, curator of a new exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, Japser Johns: An Allegory of Painting. That can be seen in the 84 works Weiss has selected for the show. Some paintings and drawings feature recognizable images; others seem purely abstract; and some combine objects, symbols or words with splashes of paint.
• NATO Officials Meet on Security Policy NATO officials are gathering in Germay for their annual conference on security policy, which brings together high level defense officials from all the NATO member states, as well as representatives from other countries. One of the highlights of this year's conference will be an address by Russian President Vladimir Putin. VOA's Ivana Kuhar reports from Munich.
• Kenyan Runner Breaks World Record in Dubai Kenyan runner Sammy Wanjiru has broken the world record in the half marathon at a race in the United Arab Emirates.
• Obama, Romney to Formally Enter Presidential Race Two more presidential candidates, Democrat Barack Obama and Republican Mitt Romney, will formally announce their entry into the 2008 race for the White House over the next few days. VOA National correspondent Jim Malone reports from Washington.
• Serena Williams to Play For US Fed Cup Team For First Time Since 2003 Newly-crowned Australian Open tennis champion Serena Williams has decided to play for the United States Fed Cup team for the first time since 2003.
• US Responds Cautiously to Palestinian Power-Sharing Deal The United States is reacting cautiously to the agreement between the rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah on forming a unity government.
• IAEA Cuts Iran Aid Projects by Half The United Nations nuclear agency has suspended nearly half of its technical aid projects to Iran.
• US Military Officials: New Strategy Making Progress in Baghdad Top U.S. military officials say early progress is being made in the effort to quell violence in Baghdad, but they are warning the plan will take several months to unfold and that quick, dramatic results should not be expected. VOA correspondent Meredith Buel has details from Washington.
• Russia Leads in First Day of Davis Cup Tennis Defending champion Russia has taken a 2-0 lead over Chile while the United States is tied 1-1 with the Czech Republic after the first day of the Davis Cup tennis competition.
• American Diplomat Named to Top UN Post No summary available.
• New Guinea Prime Minister Rejected By Opposition Guinea's President Lansana Conte has named a prime minister following a day of renewed violence as part of protests calling for better governance. But opposition activists are expressing disappointment saying the choice is not good enough to end last month's general strike. For VOA, Jordan Davis reports from our regional bureau in Dakar.
• New General Takes Command of US Forces in Iraq General David is taking control of U.S. forces in Iraq from General George Casey Saturday at a change of command ceremony at Camp Victory, a U.S. base on the outskirts of Baghdad.