News for Saturday, February 17, 2007
• Bomb Kills 13 in Pakistan Court Pakistani police say a powerful bomb blast killed at least 13 people, including a judge, in a courtroom in the southwestern city of Quetta.
• Rice Makes Surprise Visit to Baghdad No summary available.
• Turnout High in Lesotho Parliamentary Elections Voters in the southern African nation of Lesotho are going to the polls Saturday to choose a parliament.
• Rice to Hold Three-Way Talks with Israeli and Palestinian Leaders Monday U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has begun a trip to the Middle East that includes a three-way meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas.
• China Strengthens Regulations on Nuclear Exports China says it will strengthen controls on the export of nuclear goods for both civilian and military use to help prevent nuclear terrorism and proliferation.
• Chinese AIDS Activist Released from House Arrest to Receive Rights Award in US The Chinese government will allow a prominent and outspoken AIDS activist to travel to the U.S. to receive a rights award supported by Senator Hillary Clinton after detaining her at home for two weeks. The release comes after international pressure was brought to bear on Chinese officials, including a letter from Clinton to Chinese President Hu Jintao. Daniel Schearf reports from Beijing.
• Congo's President Meets New Government Democratic Republic of Congo's new government has presented itself to President Joseph Kabila, over two months after he was sworn into office. Franz Wild was at the meeting in Kinshasa and has this report for VOA.
• UN Secretary-General Pitches Bureaucratic Reforms to General Assembly U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has picked up support from member nations in his effort to reorganize parts of the world body.
• Wildlife Group Urges Consumers to Avoid Eating Endangered Species for Chinese New Year No summary available.
• Guinea Unions Cancel Planned Talks With Government Union leaders in Guinea say they have canceled talks with the government aimed at ending unrest in the west African nation until a state of martial law is lifted.
• US Senate Debating Iraq Resolution Criticizing Troop Buildup The U.S. Senate is debating whether to allow a vote on a non-binding resolution expressing disapproval of President Bush's plan to send more troops to Iraq.
• WHO: Indonesian HIV Population is One of Asia's Fastest Growing The World Health Organization (WHO) says Indonesia has one of the fastest growing HIV epidemics in Asia.
• Syrian President in Iran to Discuss Regional Development Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is in Iran Saturday to meet with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and top officials.
• Thousands in Italy Protest US Base Expansion Plan Tens of thousands of people have gathered in the northern Italian city of Vicenza to protest a planned U.S. military base expansion nearby.
• Rio de Janeiro Celebrates Carnival in the Wake of Violence Thousands of revelers are celebrating the first full day of Carnival in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, despite a wave of violence that has plagued the city in recent weeks.
• Khamenei: Iran's Nuclear Program Important to Nation's Future Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the nation's nuclear program is necessary because its vast oil and gas reserves cannot last forever.