News for Tuesday, February 20, 2007
• Car Bombings in Baghdad Kill 10 Iraqi security officials say two car bomb explosions in Baghdad have killed at least 10 people and wounded several others.
• Death Toll in Indian Train Bombing Rises to 68 The death toll in the firebombing of a train from India to Pakistan rose to 68 Tuesday, after a hospitalized victim succumbed to massive burns.
• Pakistan Rejects Fresh Reports of Al Qaida Activity Pakistan is sharply rejecting new U.S. reports that the terrorist group al Qaida has reestablished training bases inside the country's remote tribal areas. From Islamabad, VOA correspondent Benjamin Sand says the new camps are reportedly preparing operatives for attacks on Western targets.
• Lesotho Ruling Party Extends Lead in Early Election Results Lesotho's ruling party has taken a commanding lead in early results from Saturday's parliamentary elections.
• China Celebrates Year of The Pig China celebrates the Lunar New Year this week with family gatherings, fireworks, and traditional temple fairs. Many Chinese astrologers say 2007 is the year of the "golden pig," a lucky year to have children but other fortune tellers say the year could bring disaster. Daniel Schearf reports from Beijing.
• NATO Forces in Bosnia Raid Homes of Karadzic's Son, Daughter A NATO spokesman says NATO forces in Bosnia have raided the homes of the son and daughter of Radovan Karadzic, the fugitive Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect.
• Attacks in Somalia Kill 12, Wound at Least Hospital authorities in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, say mortar and gunfire attacks have killed at least 12 people and wounded at least 45.
• Ahmadinejad Rejects UN Demand to Halt Nuclear Program Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has again rejected international demands to halt its nuclear activities.
• Mexican Congressman Wounded in Ambush Gunmen have wounded a Mexican federal congressman and killed his driver in an ambush outside Mexico's border city of Nuevo Laredo.
• Rice, Abbas Hold Separate Talks With Jordan's Monarch U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is in Jordan where she met today with King Abdullah, following her talks Monday with Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Jerusalem.
• Laos Announces Bird Flu Outbreak Authorities in Laos say they have detected the country's first outbreak of the H5N1 bird flu virus in almost seven months.
• Three Salvadoran Representatives Slain in Guatemala Officials in Guatemala say three Salvadoran representatives to the Central American Parliament have been killed, and their bodies burned along with their driver.
• Nigerian Court Rules President Cannot Remove VP A Nigerian appeals court has ruled that President Olusegun Obasanjo does not have the power to dismiss the country's vice president, Atiku Abubakar.
• Russian FM Says Moscow Will Not Enter New Arms Race With Washington Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Moscow remains "seriously concerned" about a proposed U.S.-built missile defense system in Europe, but says his country will not engage in a new arms race.
• Afghan Forces, NATO Recapture Western Town Seized by Taleban Afghan officials say security forces supported by NATO troops recaptured a district capital in western Afghanistan Tuesday, 24 hours after it was taken by Taleban fighters.
• UNHCR Plans to Repatriate Liberian Refugees From Guinea The U.N. refugee agency says it is planning two voluntary repatriation movements for Liberian refugees from Guinea this week. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from UNHCR headquarters in Geneva the agency hopes to help about 500 refugees return home.
• Lesotho Ruling Party Poised for Landslide Victory in Parliamentary Vote The ruling party in the southern African nation of Lesotho is poised to return to power after winning a landslide victory in Saturday's parliamentary elections. Election officials say results so far show the ruling party has won at least 53 seats while a new opposition party has won at least 18 seats. Correspondent Scott Bobb reports from our Southern Africa bureau in Johannesburg.
• Most Premature Baby Heads Home A baby believed to be the world's most premature ever to survive is coming home from a U.S. state of Florida hospital Tuesday, with her parents.
• Russia Suspects Bird Flu in New Poultry Deaths Near Moscow Russia is testing more dead poultry found near Moscow, after confirming the presence of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu in dead birds found in five districts near the capital last week.
• Afghan Parliament Approves Controversial Amnesty Bill Afghanistan's upper house of parliament Tuesday approved a controversial resolution that calls for blanket amnesty for Afghans accused of war crimes during more than two decades of conflict.
• Archaeologists Unveil Newer Tombs South of Cairo Archaeologists working south of Cairo have displayed ancient tombs and artifacts that are dated later than previous discoveries in the region.
• Rwanda Releases 8,000 Genocide Prisoners Authorities in Rwanda have released some 8,000 prisoners accused of involvement in the country's 1994 genocide.
• Ruling Limits Appeal Rights for Guantanamo Inmates A U.S. appeals court in Washington, D.C. has ruled that prisoners at the Guantanamo Bay naval station may not challenge their detention in U.S. courts.
• New Orleans Celebrates Mardi Gras Revelers are celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Louisiana Tuesday 18-months after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city.
• UNICEF Plans Measles Campaign In North Korea The U.N. children's fund - UNICEF - is planning a mass measles vaccination campaign in North Korea to try to prevent a measles epidemic from spreading throughout the country. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA from Geneva.
• Thai Cabinet Agrees to Reopen Old International Airport The Thai Cabinet has agreed to re-open Bangkok's 92-year-old Don Muang airport while repairs are made at its new and problem-plauged multi-billion-dollar international airport.
• US Supreme Court Rejects $79.5 Million in Damages Against Cigarette Maker The U.S. Supreme Court has thrown out a $79.5 million punitive damages award against cigarette maker Philip Morris.
• UN Envoy to Release Report on Philippines Political Killings A United Nations official investigating hundreds of political killings in the Philippines said he will disclose preliminary conclusions of his probe during a news conference Wednesday.
• Pope Expresses 'Understanding' for Polish Cleric Accused of Collaboration Pope Benedict XVI has expressed understanding for a former Warsaw archbishop who resigned last month after admitting that he agreed to cooperate with Poland's communist-era security police.
• Bill Gates and Canada Announce AIDS Initiative The Canadian government and U.S. philanthropist Bill Gates have announced a multimillion-dollar initiative to combat the AIDS virus.
• Poland Recalls Diplomats With Alleged Links to Spy Agency The Polish government has recalled several ambassadors identified in a recent report as having worked for a national intelligence agency accused of having close ties with Russia.
• Gunman Kills Female Pakistani Minister A gunman has shot and killed a Pakistani provincial minister as she walked toward a podium to give a speech Tuesday.
• Pakistan: Bird Flu Outbreak Kills Peacocks, Closes Zoo An outbreak of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu has killed at least four peacocks and one goose in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.
• Bush Calls for More Intelligence Reforms President Bush says the American intelligence community must implement more reforms in order to meet the challenges of the war on terrorism. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports he spoke at the ceremonial swearing-in of the nation's new intelligence director.
• US, Iraqi Leaders Promote Business Opportunities in Northern Iraq U.S. and Iraqi officials have launched a series of talks aimed at promoting private investment in Iraq's struggling economy. Government officials and businesses executives from the two countries have gathered in Irbil, Iraq, to discuss opportunities for American companies in northern Iraq. VOA's Barry Newhouse attended Tuesday's meeting, and has this report.
• US Experts Split on Wal-Mart's Flexible Business Model Experts disagreed Tuesday whether Wal-Mart is a good or bad employer in the United States. VOA's Barry Wood reports on a forum on Wal-Mart's economic impact at Washington's American Enterprise Institute.
• Fiji Coup Leader Sets New Elections for 2010 Fiji's coup leader and interim prime minister says new elections in the South Pacific island nation will be held in 2010.
• Sudanese President Arrives in Libya for Darfur Talks Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir has arrived in Libya for talks on Sudan's troubled Darfur region.
• Colombian Rebel Leader Convicted on US Drug Charges A U.S. jury has convicted a top Colombian rebel leader on charges of smuggling drugs into the United States.
• US Military to Review Its Medical Care After Press Report The U.S. Defense Department has announced two reviews of care provided to wounded service members and their families at the main military health care facilities in the Washington area, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center and the National Naval Medical Center at Bethesda, Maryland. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.
• EU Environmental Ministers Agree on Deep Cuts in Greenhouse Gases European Union environmental ministers agreed in principle Tuesday to cut carbon emissions from cars and factories by as much as 30 percent by 2020.