News for Wednesday, February 21, 2007
• Car Bomb Blast in Iraqi city of Najaf Kills Eight Iraqi police say a car bomb blast in the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf has killed at least eight people and wounded dozens more.
• US Report Says N. Korea Can Mount Nuclear Weapon on Missiles A new report says North Korea is probably able to mount a nuclear weapon on missiles it already has. The scope and intentions of North Korea's weapons programs are a matter of governmental ambiguity in South Korea, where senior officials are getting ready for a high-level meeting in Pyongyang next week. VOA's Kurt Achin has more from Seoul.
• Lesotho Ruling Party Wins Election in Landslide Victory Final results Wednesday, show Lesotho's ruling party has been returned to power by an overwhelming majority following Saturday's parliamentary elections.
• India, Pakistan Sign Pact on Nuclear Weapons Security India and Pakistan have signed a pact on nuclear weapons security and pledged their renewed commitment to a peace process. As Anjana Pasricha reports from New Delhi, the foreign ministers of the two countries met in the Indian capital days after a deadly attack on a cross border train between the neighbors.
• Lebanese Army Fires at Israeli Planes Over South Lebanon The Lebanese military says its anti-aircraft guns opened fire at Israeli warplanes that flew over southern Lebanon, Wednesday.
• UN Envoy: Philippine Soldiers Behind Significant Number of Political Killings A United Nations envoy investigating hundreds of political killings in the Philippines says the armed forces appear to be responsible for a significant number of the deaths.
• Fathers Are a Hot Topic in Japan In Japan, fathers traditionally have little to do with child-rearing. But in now, fatherhood is fashionable, and new magazines devoted to young fathers are highlighting the trend, as Catherine Makino reports from Tokyo.
• NBA: Wizards Beat Timberwolves as Arenas Regains Shooting Touch The Washington Wizards beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 112-100 in National Basketball Association action on Tuesday
• European Regulators Hand Record Fine to Elevator Cartel European Union regulators have imposed their largest-ever price-fixing fine on five elevator companies involved in an illegal cartel.
• Guinea Unions, Government Continue Talks Aimed at Ending Unrest Union and government officials in Guinea have entered a second day of talks aimed at ending a strike that has led to weeks of political unrest.
• Low Pensions, Lack of Medical Care Plague Zambia’s Elderly Biting economic hardship, lack of support and low pensions are the issues that many old people in Zambia say are making it hard to survive. In addition, many complain of neglect by their families and authorities. This is coupled with limited access to basic necessities such as medical care. For many of Zambia’s elderly, life after retirement seems less like a reward for lifetime work than a battle to survive.
• NHL: Devils Edge Rangers The New Jersey Devils beat the New York Rangers 2-1 Tuesday in National Hockey League action.
• Britain Announces Withdrawal of 1,600 Troops from Iraq Britain's prime minister, Tony Blair, has announced a withdrawal of 1,600 British troops from Iraq in the months to come. Speaking in parliament, the prime minister also said some British forces would remain in Iraq into 2008. VOA's Sonja Pace reports from London.
• Cape Verde Spends United States' Millennium Grant Cape Verde is in the process of spending America's large investment in the tiny cluster of islands and its half million residents. One of the first to sign a Millennium Challenge Compact with the United States, Cape Verde's government is racing to meet a five-year deadline to spend millions of dollars. Phuong Tran has more from Praia, Cape Verde.
• UN Envoy says Breakthrough Unlikely in Kosovo Talks No summary available.
• Egypt Arrests Palestinian Man Wearing Suicide Belt Egyptian police say they have detained a Palestinian man who was going to carry out a suicide bombing in a Sinai resort popular with Israelis.
• US National Security Advisor Calls for Increased NATO Effort in Afghanistan President Bush's national security advisor has urged NATO members to increase spending on alliance efforts in Afghanistan, warning that a failure there would undermine European and U.S. security.
• Iran Refuses to Stop Nuclear Work as UN Deadline Passes Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has vowed again to press ahead with the country's nuclear program, defying a United Nations demand that Iran cease its controversial nuclear activities this week.
• Nigerian Militants Release Kidnapped Lebanese Oil Worker Officials say Nigerian militants have released a Lebanese oil worker who has been held hostage since December in Nigeria's oil-rich Niger Delta region.
• Anti-Settlement Group Says West Bank Settlement Growing An Israeli group that opposes Jewish settlements in the West Bank says the number of Jewish settlers in the occupied area increased by five percent in 2006.
• Middle East Quartet Meets on Efforts to Revive Peace Talks No summary available.
• Negroponte to Visit Asia on First Foreign Trip The State Department said Wednesday that new U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte will visit Japan, China and South Korea early next month on his first foreign trip since taking office last week. But officials denied a report he might also stop in North Korea. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department. The Negroponte Asia mission, scheduled for the first week of March, will come less than a month after a breakthrough agreement in the Chinese-sponsored six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear program.
• American Pop Star Britney Spears Leaves Rehabilitation Facility American pop singer Britney Spears has left a rehabilitation facility, less than 24 hours after checking in.
• Israel's PM: No Compromise on Hamas, Iran and Syria Israel's prime minister, Ehud Olmert, said Wednesday he will maintain contacts with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, but that achieving peace with the Palestinians will be difficult because a majority of Palestinians support Hamas. VOA's Jim Teeple reports from Jerusalem the Israeli leader also had tough words for Iran and Syria.
• Afghanistan to Slaughter Poultry After Bird Flu Discovered Afghan authorities have ordered the slaughter of birds in areas where two cases of bird flu have been found.
• 17 Former Pinochet Associates to be Tried in France French justice officials say they will try 17 former Chilean government officials who served under the late dictator General Augusto Pinochet.
• UN Warns of Janjaweed Forces Assembling in Darfur The United Nations has warned that Arab militia are assembling in large numbers in a western part of Sudan's war-torn Darfur region.
• US Says British Iraq Withdrawal Sign of Success U.S. officials are describing Britain's announcement that it will withdraw 1,600 of its troops from Iraq as a sign of the type of success in the southern part of the country that they want to see in the Baghdad area. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.
• Rice Says Russian Reaction to NATO Missile Deployment 'Very Unfortunate' U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has deplored a Russian threat to target Poland and the Czech Republic if either government hosts a planned U.S.-built NATO missile defense system.
• Bush Calls for Problems at US Army Medical Center to be Fixed The Bush administration has ordered a review of the care of wounded U.S. troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, after reports of neglect at an Army medical center in Washington.
• Italian PM Offers Resignation After Foreign Policy Rebuke Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi has offered his resignation after suffering a major defeat in a Senate vote on foreign policy that includes Italy's military mission in Afghanistan.
• US Commerce Secretary Sees No Change in US/Cuba Policy US Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez says now is not the time to lift economic sanctions on Cuba.
• Second US Soldier Pleads Guilty in Iraq Rape and Murder Case A second American soldier has pleaded guilty to raping and murdering a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and killing three members of her family.
• Italian PM Resigns after Nine Months in Office Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi resigned late Wednesday after his government lost a crucial parliamentary vote on foreign policy. The president will now begin talks with political leaders to discuss a way forward. Sabina Castelfranco reports for VOA from Rome.
• New Technique Seeks Water on Planets in Other Solar Systems U.S. astronomers have made the first measurements of the atmospheres of planets far outside our solar system by using the light they emit. They were searching for the spectral signature of water, but found none. Yet, as VOA's David McAlary reports from Washington, the scientists say the technique is promising as a way to hunt for water in the quest for life elsewhere in the universe.
• Pentagon Vows to Fix Problems at Army Hospital Senior U.S. defense officials pledged Wednesday to address problems in the living conditions and bureaucracy at one of the military's premier medical facilities, the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.
• Woods Wins Opener at World Golf Championships World number one golfer Tiger Woods has won his opening match at the single elimination World Golf Championships Match Play Championship near Tucson, Arizona.
• Former Czech President Havel Urges World to Support Dissidents Seeking Freedom Former Czech president and writer Vaclav Havel spoke this week at the U.S. Library of Congress at an event in support of dissidents fighting for freedom in several countries. VOA's Barry Wood reports.