News for Monday, February 19, 2007
• Bomb Explodes on Baghdad Bus, 4 Dead Iraqi police say a bomb exploded Monday inside a bus in central Baghdad, killing four people.
• Rice Meets with Israeli, Palestinian Leaders U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is holding a three-way summit in Jerusalem with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. VOA's Jim Teeple reports the meeting has been overshadowed by a controversial power-sharing agreement between the Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas.
• Pakistan Condemns India Train Attack Pakistani officials are strongly condemning the attack on an Indian train carrying hundreds of passengers to the Pakistan border. Bombs apparently started fires that killed at least 60 passengers. VOA correspondent Benjamin Sand reports from Islamabad, where government leaders are voicing outrage over the attack but counseling caution when it comes to cross-border relations.
• 14 US Presidents Also Freemasons Today (Monday, 2/19) is President's Day, when America honors the 43 men who have ascended to the nation's highest office since 1789, when George Washington took the first presidential oath. Seldom noted amid the school projects is the fact that Washington was the first of 14 of our chief executives who have been Freemasons.
• Iran Fires Missiles in New Round of War Games Iran's Revolutionary Guards have carried out missile tests as they begin three days of war games.
• German FM Criticizes US Preparations for Missile Defense System in Europe Germany's foreign minister has criticized the United States for failing to include Russia in discussions about a proposed missile defense system in Europe.
• Bird Flu Confirmed in Birds on Russian Farms Russian authorities say the H5N1 strain of bird flu deadly to humans has been confirmed on at least two farms outside Moscow where the virus was first detected last week.
• British Police Arrest Man in Connection with Letter Bombs Police in Britain say they have arrested a man in connection with a series of letter bombs that injured at least eight people.
• Malaysia Considers Bill to Monitor Foreign Workers Malaysia will soon introduce a foreign workers bill that proposes confining foreigners to their workplace under constant monitoring to prevent rising crime.
• Al Gore Announces 'Live Earth' Concert Series; Tim McGraw, Faith Hill Robbed Former Vice President Al Gore has announced plans for a series of concerts to bring attention to the threat of climate change. The "Live Earth" concerts will take place on July 7 in Shanghai, China; Johannesburg, South Africa; Sydney, Australia; London, England; and yet-to-be-announced cities in Brazil, Japan and the United States. More than 100 artists will take part in the events. Bon Jovi, Fall Out Boy, Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, John Mayer, Melissa Etheridge, the Black Eyed Peas, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and many others are already confirmed as performers. In a statement, Gore said, "In order to solve the climate crisis, we have to reach billions of people. The climate crisis will only be stopped by an unprecedented and sustained global movement." Promoters expect the concerts to reach two billion people worldwide via radio, television and Internet broadcasts. Al Gore chairs The Alliance for Climate Protection, which works to find solutions to global warming. The group will use proceeds from "Live Earth" to create a foundation to combat climate change.
• Bush Pays Tribute to First US President President Bush has paid tribute to the first U.S. president, George Washington, in celebration of the 275th anniversary of Washington's birth.
• Insurgents in Iraq Attack US Outpost In Iraq, insurgents have attacked a U.S. combat outpost, killing two soldiers and wounding 17 others.
• Ruling Party in Lesotho Takes Early Lead in Election Results Election officials in the southern African nation of Lesotho are counting the votes from Saturday's parliamentary election. With one-half of the precincts tabulated, the ruling party has won more than one-third of the seats so far, while a new opposition party has won one-fourth of the seats. Correspondent Scott Bobb reports from our Southern Africa bureau in Johannesburg.
• Gunmen Seize Three Croatian Oil Workers in Nigeria Gunmen have kidnapped three Croatian oil workers in the latest in a series of abductions in Nigeria's restive oil-rich Niger Delta. Gilbert da Costa reports for VOA, an American oil worker was released Sunday, hours before the Croatians were attacked.
• Russian General Says Troops Ready to Deploy Mid-Range Missiles The head of Russia's missile forces says his troops are ready to start making medium-range ballistic missiles if the Kremlin decides to withdraw from a Cold War-era arms control treaty with the United States.
• Cheney Heads to Japan, Australia Vice President Dick Cheney departed Washington Monday, for Japan and Australia for talks about Asian security and the global war on terrorism.
• Suspected Taleban Militants Capture Town in Western Afghanistan Local officials in western Afghanistan say suspected Taleban fighters have captured a district in the Farah province.
• Leaders Seek Solutions to Violence in Sudan, Chad, CAR Violence and refugees strung along the border of Chad, Central African Republic and Sudan continue to worry international leaders. The U.N. special representative for West Africa is hopeful about a renewed peace agreement among the three countries' leaders. Phuong Tran has more from VOA's Central and West African Bureau.
• Uganda Army Returning Cattle to Rightful Owners In Uganda, a senior army official is returning more than 1,000 cattle to herdsmen in the volatile Karamoja district of northeastern Uganda. The cattle had been stolen earlier by armed warriors, highlighting the problems of cattle rustling and arms flow in the area. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.
• Russia Shows Resort to Winter Olympic Committee A delegation from the International Olympic Committee has arrived in the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi to assess its bid to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. Other candidate cities are Salzburg, Austria and Pyeongchang, South Korea. Emma Simpson reports for VOA from Moscow, Sochi is a popular holiday spot for Russians, but less well known outside Russia.
• Iran Denies It Is Late on Payments for Nuclear Plant A top Iranian nuclear official says Iran is up to date with its payments for a Russian-built nuclear power plant.
• New York Times: Al-Qaida Chiefs Have Regained Control The New York Times is reporting that U.S. intelligence officials believe senior al-Qaida leaders operating from Pakistan have re-established a chain of command over their worldwide terror network.
• US, EU Lead World Condemnation of Deadly Train Bombing in India The United States and the European Union are leading the world condemnation of a train bombing in India that killed at least 66 people.
• Mexico Sends Troops to US Border Areas to Fight Crime Mexico's President Felipe Calderon is sending more than 3,000 troops to two states on the US border, across from the US state of Texas. The military deployment is part of the anti-organized crime effort he began shortly after taking office on December 1 of last year. VOA's Greg Flakus has more from Houston.
• Russian Police Say Bomb Caused St. Petersburg McDonald's Blast Russian police confirm that a shrapnel-packed bomb exploded Sunday in a McDonald's restaurant in St. Petersburg, injuring six people.
• US Presidential Candidate Accuses Rumsfeld of Mismanagement Republican presidential candidate John McCain has accused former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld of mismanaging the war in Iraq.