News for Monday, March 5, 2007
• Car Bomb Kills 26 in Baghdad Market Iraqi police say a car bomb killed at least 26 people Monday in a crowded market in central Baghdad.
• Hong Kong Announces Tax Cuts Amid Huge Government Surplus Hong Kong has offered tax cuts because of a huge surplus in government finances and U.S. retail giant Wal-Mart has bought stakes in a discount chain in China. Claudia Blume at VOA's Asia News Center in Hong Kong has more on these and other stories in our weekly look at business news from the region.
• Forces in Afghanistan Brace for Protests After US Forces Kill Civilians U.S. and Afghan forces are bracing for a possible backlash after at least eight Afghan civilians were killed in a military operation in eastern Afghanistan Sunday. Correspondent Benjamin Sand has more from VOA's South Asia bureau in Islamabad.
• Rising Civilian Toll From Possible NATO Strike Afghan officials say a NATO air strike in northern Afghanistan has killed at least nine civilians. It is the second time in as many days that NATO or U.S. forces may have accidentally killed civilians. Correspondent Benjamin Sand has more from VOA's South Asia bureau in Islamabad.
• Australian Troops Hunt for Fugitive Rebel Leader in East Timor Australian troops in East Timor are hunting a rebel leader blamed for inciting violence and destabilizing the country last year. A raid Sunday on the jungle camp of Major Alfredo Reinado failed to catch him, and sparked violent protests by his supporters in the capital Dili. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.
• China's Premier Opens Parliament with Promises to Spread Prosperity, Ease Tensions Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao is promising to boost funding for education and healthcare for the poor, and to do more to protect the country's environment in the face of breakneck growth. Wen's remarks came at the opening Monday of this year's session of the National People's Congress, China's parliament. VOA correspondent Luis Ramirez reports from Beijing.
• Officials Report Some Success in Fight Against Terrorism, But Threat Remains Asian nations agree they are experiencing some success in the fight against terrorism but say Islamic militants continue to pose a threat with constantly changing tactics, new strategies, and fresh recruitment. VOA's Nancy-Amelia Collins in Jakarta has more.
• European & Asian Stock Prices Plunge as Global Sell-Off Continues No summary available.
• UN Atomic Agency Opens Meeting on Iran The chief U.N. nuclear inspector says Iran's refusal to cooperate with an investigation by the International Atomic Energy Agency has left the agency unable to determine whether Tehran is trying to develop nuclear weapons.
• British Officials Decline Comment on Eritrea Kidnappings British officials in Ethiopia are not commenting on media reports that a British Special Forces team is in the Horn of Africa, awaiting orders to launch a rescue of five British tourists believed to have been kidnapped in northern Ethiopia. VOA Correspondent Alisha Ryu reports from our East African Bureau in Nairobi.
• UNDP Suspends Operations in North Korea The U.N. Development Program has suspended operations in North Korea, following U.S. allegations the agency allowed Pyongyang to use humanitarian aid money for government purposes.
• Nigerian Ijaw Leaders in Talks for Militant's Release Nigerian militia leader Mujahid Dokubo-Asari is back in court for the continuation of his treason trial. Armed groups in the Niger Delta have demanded his release and Gilbert da Costa reports for VOA that the government has come under considerable pressure to free him.
• Lack of UN Peacekeepers Keeps Darfur on Edge Last August, the U.N. Security Council approved unanimously a resolution to send more than 20,000 peacekeepers to Sudan's war-torn Darfur region. Resolution 1706 stirred up a storm of controversy among Sudanese leaders who accused the United Nations of attempting to colonize Sudan and suggested an international presence in Darfur would attract terrorists to the region. For VOA, Noel King is in Shingil Tobaya in northern Darfur and reports that the lack of U.N. peacekeepers is continuing to destabilize the region.
• Uganda Denies Its Troops Are in Somalia Uganda says there are no Ugandan soldiers in Somalia at this time, contrary to recent media reports. Meanwhile, an African Union delegation has reportedly arrived in Somalia's capital to pave the way for its peacekeeping force to come to the volatile country. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.
• For Muslim Women, Education and Economic Empowerment Are Keys to a Better Life International Women's Day Thursday highlights women's struggle for equality, justice, peace and development. For many it is a day to celebrate progress. For others, it is a reminder of just how far they still must travel. VOA's Margaret Besheer reports that, positive changes affecting women in the Islamic world are coming slowly, but steadily.
• Cameroon English-Speaking Independence Group Members Jailed In Cameroon, about 20 members of the anglophone pro-independence group, the Southern Cameroon National Council, have been imprisoned for more than a month without being charged. The group, which says the English-speaking minority is marginalized in Cameroon, has been banned by the government. Naomi Schwarz has more from VOA's regional bureau in Dakar.
• Victoria, David Beckham to Star in Reality TV Show; Michael Jackson Considering 'Numerous Offers' to Perform Former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and her soccer star husband David Beckham will star in their own NBC reality show. The couple will soon move to Los Angeles, where David will play for the Galaxy. He recently signed a five-year-deal with the Major League soccer team. The couple's reality show will reportedly follow their family's move to the United States and give viewers a look at their celebrity life. The series will air this summer as six 30-minute episodes.
• US Stocks Swing Up and Down, Europe and Asia Lower U.S. stock market indexes moved back and forth between negative and positive territory in Monday's volatile trading.
• Women Make Major Inroads in Latin American Governments Women increasingly are seizing the reins of power in Latin America. Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador and Uruguay currently have female defense ministers, and Chile also has a woman president. In a region where men have traditionally dominated every facet of public life, some observers see the ascendancy of women as nothing less than a revolution in gender roles, one with far-reaching implications for the future. VOA correspondent Michael Bowman reports.
• French Forces Deployed Against Renewed Attacks in CAR After two days of violence between rebels and French patrols in the Central African Republic, the French military is deploying more forces to the troubled area. Kari Barber reports from VOA's West and Central Africa bureau in Dakar.
• New Peace Deal Signed, Demobilization to Begin in Ivory Coast Up until now, militias and rebels who fought in Ivory Coast's civil war have refused to put down their arms. But with the newest Ivorian peace deal, leaders hope disarmament efforts can soon begin to prevent ex-combatants, especially children, from joining other regional conflicts. Phuong Tran has more from VOA's regional bureau in Dakar.
• Oscar Winners Hudson, Whitaker Win NAACP Image Awards Oscar winners Jennifer Hudson and Forrest Whitaker continued their winning ways Friday March 2, when each took home an NAACP Image Award. Ms Hudson - who won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Dreamgirls - took the same category Friday, while Mr Whitaker took Best Actor honors for his portrayal of Ugandan dictotor Idi Amin in The Last King Of Scotland. Comedian Bill Cosby was inducted into the NAACP Image Hall of Fame. Bono, leader of the Irish rock band U2, took the Chairman's Award for his efforts to fight global poverty.
• Former Kosovo Prime Minister Goes on Trial for War Crimes The trial for Kosovo's former prime minister, Ramush Haradinaj, has begun at the Yugoslav War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague. He is accused of mounting an ethnic-cleansing campaign against Serbs in 1998. His trial, along with two other former commanders of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), occurs as tensions mount in Kosovo over the uncertain future of the U.N.-administered region. Lauren Comiteau reports from Amsterdam.
• Football: Beckham Suffers Knee Injury English football star David Beckham will be sidelined for around four weeks after suffering a right knee injury playing for Spanish side Real Madrid on Sunday.
• US Says Taiwanese President's Independence Remarks 'Unhelpful' The U.S. State Department Monday labeled as "unhelpful" a statement by Taiwan's president, Chen Shui-bian, that the island should be independent from China. The United States has a one-China policy officially recognizing only Beijing, but it provides Taiwan with defensive arms. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.
• Israeli Minister Postpones Egypt Visit Over War Crimes Row An Israeli cabinet minister has postponed a planned visit to Egypt amid fresh allegations that he was involved in war crimes during the Middle East war 40 years ago. As Robert Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, the diplomatic row comes at a time when Egypt is trying to jump-start peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
• US Lawmaker Seeks to Bar Funds for Military Action Against Iran A U.S. senator has introduced legislation that would prohibit President Bush from spending money on unilateral military action against Iran without the consent of Congress. VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill.
• UN Aid Agency Suspends North Korea Operations The main United Nations development aid agency has suspended operations in North Korea and is recalling its international staff. VOA's Peter Heinlein reports from U.N. headquarters in New York.
• US Veterans, Family Members Testify on Military Medical Care US lawmakers are pledging strong action in the wake of the latest revelations regarding poor conditions wounded soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan have faced at a key army medical hospital. VOA's Dan Robinson reports on an unusual public hearing at the facility, steps under way in Congress and what President Bush has said about the situation.
• International Cycling Union, Paris-Nice Race Organizers Reach Agreement The International Cycling Union, UCI and organizers of next week's Paris-Nice race have reached a deal that will allow the major teams to compete in the ProTour opening event.
• UN Opens Talks on Tougher Iran Sanctions U.N. ambassadors from six major world powers are discussing new sanctions against Iran for defying a Security Council order to halt uranium enrichment. VOA's Peter Heinlein at the United Nations reports a new sanctions resolution will give Iran another 60 days to comply.
• Humanitarian Aid Advocates Target North Korea The former prime minister of Norway is among human rights activists calling on the international community to include human rights on the agenda of negotiations with North Korea. They are also urging the U.N. Security Council to push for access by international humantarian groups to Korea's starving population. VOA's Stephanie Ho reports from Washington.
• EU Debates Global Warming Plan European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso says the cost of combating global warming is far less than the cost of doing nothing.