News for Monday, February 26, 2007
• Japan's Central Bank Raises Rates Japan's central bank has raised its main interest rate for only the second time in six years - after predicting the Japanese economy will continue its moderate recovery. VOA's Michael Lipin in Hong Kong has more on that in this week's summary of top business news from Asia.
• Bomb Kills 10 People at Baghdad Ministry Building Iraqi officials say a bomb blast inside a government building in Baghdad has killed 10 people during a conference attended by Iraq's vice president.
• Cheney, Musharraf Discuss War on Terrorism U.S. officials say Vice President Dick Cheney made an unannounced visit to Pakistan Monday to see President Pervez Musharraf.
• South Pacific Leads the World in Obesity The World Health Organization says the South Pacific is the world's most overweight region, and the tiny island republic of Nauru ranks as the fattest nation on earth. A WHO study shows that eight of the world's most overweight countries are in the South Pacific, with the United States and Kuwait rounding out the top ten. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.
• Nablus Under Israeli Curfew for 2nd Day, at Least 20 Palestinians Detained Israeli troops are enforcing a curfew in the West Bank city of Nablus for a second day as they conduct more house-to-house searches for Palestinian militants and weapons.
• Six World Powers Discuss Iran Nuclear Dispute Officials from six world powers are meeting in London Monday to consider new ways of pressuring Iran to suspend its sensitive nuclear work.
• UN's Highest Court Clears Serbia of Direct Responsibility for Bosnian Genocide The highest U.N. court has ruled that Serbia failed to prevent genocide of Bosnian Muslims at Srebrenica, but the country is not directly responsible for the 1995 massacre.
• Vice President Cheney in Afghanistan for Talks with Karzai U.S. officials say Vice President Dick Cheney made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan Monday to discuss concerns about the Taleban insurgency with President Hamid Karzai.
• China Plans Improvements in Water Consumption China plans to make dramatic improvements in the efficiency of its water usage. Inefficiency is exacerbating water pollution, and leading to regional shortages. Daniel Schearf reports from Beijing.
• US Treasury Officials Discuss Frozen North Korean Accounts in Macau Senior U.S. Treasury Department officials have visited Macau to work on resolving the issue of frozen North Korean bank accounts in the Chinese territory. As VOA's Heda Bayron reports from Hong Kong, the United States promised to resolve the issue after North Korea agreed to freeze its nuclear programs earlier this month.
• Warship Heading to Ship Hijacked Off Somalia's Northern Coast A U.S.-led coalition warship Monday is heading to the northern coast of Somalia, where a ship carrying relief food that was hijacked Sunday is being held. Somali local and national government officials are also investigating the incident. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.
• Guineans Observe National Day of Mourning Guineans have held a day of mourning for the more than one hundred people killed during a just ended nationwide strike. The strike was called off after President Lansana Conte agreed to name a new prime minister by Friday. But union leaders say they are ready to resume the work stoppage if Mr. Conte fails to honor strike-ending agreements. Phuong Tran has more from VOA's West Africa bureau in Dakar.
• Aid Group: Displaced Children in Great Lakes Region of Africa at Risk of Sexual Abuse The aid group World Vision is urging governments and the international community to tackle poverty and war in the Great Lakes region of Africa, where, the group says, displaced children are especially at risk of being sexually exploited. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.
• India's Congress Party Attacked for Stalling Extradition of Italian Businessman India's Congress Party-led government is under attack for not acting faster to secure extradition of an Italian businessman wanted in an arms bribery case. As Anjana Pasricha reports from VOA's New Delhi bureau, the businessman has links to Congress Party chief Sonia Gandhi.
• Nigerian Doctors on 'Warning Strike' Doctors in Nigeria's public health institutions are providing limited services this week to protest a new pay structure announced by government in January. For VOA, Gilbert da Costa reports that there is now the likelihood of an all-out strike next week.
• Three French Nationals Killed in Saudi Arabia A Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman says three French nationals have been killed in northwestern Saudi Arabia.
• Early Results in Senegal Election Favor Incumbent President Wade The campaign team of Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade is claiming a first round win with more than 50 percent of the vote in Sunday's election, but his main challengers say this is not possible. Election authorities say there was a turnout of more than 70 percent, and that the vote went well. For VOA, Naomi Schwarz reports from Senegal's capital, Dakar.
• Egyptian Satellite Stops Broadcasting Iraqi Insurgent TV Station An Egyptian state-owned satellite company has stopped broadcasts of a controversial Iraqi television station that was showing insurgent videos and denouncing the Shi'ite-led government of Iraq. The move comes after months of pressure from the United States to take the station off the air. The Egyptian company is denying that it has bowed to political pressure and says it stopped the broadcasts for technical reasons. The station's owner says he is planning to take the matter to court. VOA Correspondent Challiss McDonough has more from Cairo.
• India Criticized for Discrimination Against Untouchables The plight of untouchables in India is being considered by U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which is meeting this month in Geneva. Two non-governmental organizations - Human Rights Watch and the International Dalit Solidarity Network - held a news conference Monday to bring greater attention to the abuse that they say members of the so-called "untouchable" - or Dalits - still face. Lisa Schlein reports for VOA in Geneva.
• Ghana Close to Adopting Law on Domestic Violence After years of advocacy and debate, Ghana is moving closer to adopting a comprehensive law on domestic violence. The country's male dominated parliament passed a bill last week, but removed a controversial clause that would have made rape in marriage a criminal offense. Efam Dovi reports for VOA from the Ghanaian capital, Accra.
• Guinea's President Appoints New Prime Minister Guinea's president has appointed respected veteran diplomat Lansana Kouyate as the country's consensus prime minister.
• US Hopes for Agreement on Elements of New Iran Resolution by Thursday The Bush administration says it is hopeful the veto-wielding members of the U.N. Security Council can reach agreement Thursday on elements of a new sanctions resolution against Iran. Senior diplomats of the five Security Council member countries and Germany had what U.S. officials describe as a productive meeting on the issue Monday in London. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.
• NBA Signs Deal to Put Content on Popular Internet Video Site The National Basketball Association has signed a deal with popular video-sharing Internet site YouTube that will give the NBA the option to remove video from the site.
• DNA Technology Leads Scientists to Locations of Elephant Poaching The illegal trade in elephant ivory continues unabated despite the fact that it was banned by international convention in 1989. In an effort to hunt down poachers who slaughter thousands of elephants a year for the animals' tusks, scientists have turned to DNA technology to narrow the search. VOA's Jessica Berman reports.
• Documentary Claims Coffin of Jesus Has Been Discovered Controversy is raging over a new documentary that claims coffins discovered outside of Jerusalem in 1980 may have contained the remains of Jesus and his family. The filmmakers unveiled two of the limestone ossuaries - or small coffins - in New York Monday. From VOA's New York Bureau, correspondent Barbara Schoetzau has the story.
• Federer Wins Dubai Tennis Opener World No. 1 tennis player Roger Federer of Switzerland needed three sets to win his opening match at the Dubai Duty Free Open men's tennis tournament in the United Arab Emirates.
• Iraq's Cabinet Approves Draft Oil Law Iraq's cabinet has endorsed a draft law crucial to regulating how the country's vast oil reserves will be shared by its ethnic and sectarian groups.
• US, North Korean Nuclear Negotiators to Meet in New York A U.S. State Department spokesman says North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator Kim Kye Kwan and his U.S. counterpart, Christopher Hill, are expected to meet in New York later this week.
• EU Plans to Sharply Cut Bosnian Peacekeepers European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana says EU officials will likely decide Tuesday to sharply cut the number of peacekeepers in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
• Drought Threatens 1.5 Million People in Southwestern China Chinese state media say a severe drought in southwestern China is causing the water level in the country's longest river to decline, leaving some 1.5 million people with water shortages.
• Chavez Orders Nationalization of Venezuela's Orinoco Oil Operations Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez has ordered the nationalization of oil projects run by foreign companies in Venezuela's Orinoco River region.