News for Tuesday, March 6, 2007
• 8 Killed in Attacks on Shi'ite Pilgrims Near Karbala Iraqi security officials say insurgents attacked Shi'ite pilgrims heading to Karbala Tuesday, killing at least eight people and wounding many more.
• 6.3 Earthquake Hits Indonesia, At Least 70 Dead A strong earthquake has hit Indonesia's Sumatra island, killing at least 70 people and leaving hospitals and other medical facilities overwhelmed with the injured.
• US, North Korea Discuss Normalizing Relations The United States and North Korea have begun landmark talks that could lead to establishment of normal diplomatic relations. VOA's Peter Heinlein in New York reports U.S. officials are downplaying expectations for the talks.
• Czech President Calls for Changes in European Union Integration during Visit to Houston The president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Klaus, is visiting the United States, this week. In a speech before the Houston World Affairs Council, Monday, he hailed what he says are the "good relations" between the two countries. As VOA's Greg Flakus reports from Houston, the Czech president also criticized aspects of European integration and called for a more open and free European Union.
• NATO Launches Major New Offensive in Southern Afghanistan NATO forces in Afghanistan have launched their largest offensive yet in the battle against the five-year-old Taleban insurgency. From Islamabad, VOA Correspondent Benjamin Sand reports.
• US Envoy Says North Korea Has 'Nothing To Fear' U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte is in South Korea on the third stop of a tour to confer with diplomatic partners aiming to end North Korea's nuclear weapons programs. He is calling on the international community to be "attentive" to whether Pyongyang fulfills its nuclear promises, and stands firm on U.S. accusations that the North has pursued a uranium-based nuclear program. VOA's Kurt Achin reports from Seoul.
• Catholic Priest Continues Hunger Strike as Vatican Delegation Visits Hanoi A diplomatic delegation from the Vatican began talks in Hanoi Tuesday with Vietnam's communist government to explore establishing diplomatic relations. The one-party state cut ties with the seat of the Roman Catholic Church in 1975, and has controlled religious and political expression since. The current talks are being shadowed by concern for Father Nguyen Van Ly, a Catholic priest in government detention. In Hanoi, Matt Steinglass has more.
• China Blasts Japan Following Abe Remark on World War II Sex Slaves China is castigating Japan for reopening more old World War II wounds in Asia. Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing says Japan needs to take full responsibility for forcing Chinese women into sexual slavery in military brothels during Japan's occupation of China in the first half of the 20th century. VOA's Luis Ramirez reports from Beijing.
• Britain Doubles Aid for Displaced People in Burma Britain says it will nearly double aid this year for people displaced by attacks from Burma's military-ruled government.
• Report: 1,000 Journalists Killed During Last Decade A new report says 1,000 news media professionals around the world have been killed over the past decade while trying to cover the news.
• Explosions, Fighting Rock Somali Capital as Ugandan Peacekeepers Arrive Mortar explosions and fighting rocked Somalia's capital Tuesday shortly after the arrival of the first batch of Ugandan peacekeeping troops. The Ugandans are part of an African Union force mandated to bring stability to the volatile nation. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.
• US Human Rights Report Cites Darfur As Worst Abuse U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has released the State Department's 2006 Human Rights report, which cites the genocide in Sudan's Darfur region as "the most sobering reality of all."
• Former Top Cheney Aid Found Guilty in CIA Leak Trial Jurors have found the former top aide to U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney guilty of four of five counts of perjury and obstruction of justice during an investigation into the leak of a CIA operative's identity.
• Egypt Calls For Investigation Into Reported Israeli War Crimes in 1967 Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit has asked Israel to investigate charges that Israeli troops may have killed Egyptian prisoners during the 1967 Six-Day War.
• More Than 30 Die in Zimbabwe Commuter Accident At least 34 people are reported dead after a packed commuter mini bus crashed into a railway engine on the outskirts of Harare. Peta Thornycroft reports for VOA that Harare's main hospital is struggling to cope with another 20 seriously injured commuters.
• Attacks Across Iraq Kill at Least 110 Shi'ite Pilgrims, 9 US, 4 Iraqi Troops Iraqi security officials say insurgent attacks on Shi'ite pilgrims Tuesday have killed at least 110 people and wounded many more. In the deadliest incident, police say two suicide bomb blasts targeting Shiite pilgrims in Hilla, south of Baghdad, killed about 90 people and wounded at least 160. Iraqi officials say an earlier attack on Shi'ite pilgrims walking to Karbala killed at least 28 people and wounded many more. Elsewhere in the country, insurgents killed nine American soldiers and four Iraqi troops. VOA's Barry Newhouse reports from northern Iraq.
• Taleban Spokesman: One Briton, 2 Afghans Captured Taleban officials say insurgents have kidnapped a British journalist and two Afghans in troubled southern Helmand province.
• Thai Military Government to Take Over Independent TV Station Thailand's military-installed government says it will take over one of the country's few independent television stations because the station has not paid nearly $3 billion in license fees.
• Mortars Hit Mogadishu Airport After First AU Peacekeepers Arrive Mortar shells hit the airport in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, Tuesday, shortly after two cargo planes delivered the first group of African Union peacekeepers.
• Ghana at 50 - Youth Opinion on Independence / Future Today (March 6th) marks 50 years of Ghana’s independence from British colonial rule. It was the first country south of the Sahara to achieve this goal. From Accra Ghana, Joana Mantey spoke to some young university graduates for their views on the anniversary.
• California Man Sues Hip Hop Mogul 'Diddy' A California man has filed a lawsuit against Sean "Diddy" Combs, claiming the rap mogul punched and pushed him and his girlfriend in a Hollywood nightclub.
• Iran: West May Have Kidnapped Missing Former Official A top Iranian police official says Western intelligence agents may have kidnapped a former Iranian senior official who disappeared while visiting Turkey last month.
• US Reports Human Rights Violations in Middle East A U.S. government report says violence, political oppression and limitations on free speech were among the major human rights violations committed in the Middle East last year.
• Two American Women Hospitalized in Moscow for Thallium Poisoning Russian authorities say two American citizens are being treated in a Moscow hospital for poisoning by the deadly chemical substance thallium.
• US: Former Soviet Republics in Central Asia Restrict Human, Political Rights The U.S. State Department's annual report on human rights says the repression of human and political rights is a problem in most of the former Soviet Republics of Central Asia.
• US Report: North Korea Among World's Most Repressive, Isolated States The United States has listed North Korea as one of the world's most isolated and repressive states in its annual report on human rights released Tuesday.
• US Says China Tops List of Countries Controlling Internet The U.S. State Department says China is at the top of a list of countries around the globe that are taking measures to control use of the Internet.
• Annual Report Gives African Countries Mixed Human Rights Record The U.S. State Department's annual human rights report, released Tuesday, says some African countries are making progress, while others are regressing or lagging behind.
• 'Idol' Judge Cowell Shows No Sympathy for Britney Spears Britney Spears shouldn't look to Simon Cowell for sympathy. The acid-tongued "American Idol" judge says he "couldn't care less" about the beleaguered singer.
• Brazilian Journalist Accuses Coldplay's Martin of Rudeness Is the leader of Coldplay icy to the press? A Brazilian journalist claims Chris Martin is so rude that he feels sorry for his wife, actress Gwyneth Paltrow.
• Russian FM: Questions on US Missiles Unanswered Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the United States has not adequately answered questions about its plans to deploy a missile defense system in two NATO countries.
• US Reports Human Rights Abuses in Latin America The U.S. State Department's 2006 Human Rights Report cites Venezuela and Cuba for violating citizens' rights and harassing non-governmental organizations.
• US Again Spurns UN Human Rights Council Election The United States said Tuesday it will not seek a seat on the U.N. Human Rights Council for the second straight year. U.S. officials say the reconfigured United Nations rights agency, part of a broader U.N. reform program, has been a major disappointment. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.
• US Rights Report Criticizes Russia, Belarus; Notes Improvements in Balkans The U.S. State Department's human rights report for 2006 criticizes Russia for new restrictions on non-governmental organizations, and says NGO laws in neighboring Belarus make it difficult for foreign relief organizations to operate.
• Study Finds Low Carbohydrate Diet Gets Best Results The high fat, high protein Atkins diet is popular among Americans trying to lose weight, but some doctors worry that it is unhealthy. They fear that its sharp cutback on carbohydrates like rice and potatoes and increase in protein and fat could lead to higher cholesterol and blood pressure. Now a new study comparing the Atkins weight loss plan to three other diets shows that not only was it the most successful, it did not cause those health problems. VOA's David McAlary reports that the findings could cause a reevaluation of the diet as obesity increases around the world.
• Embattled US of State Michigan Loses Biggest Bank to Texas The U.S. state of Michigan Tuesday received more bad news as the state's biggest bank, Comerica, announced it is moving its headquarters and at least 200 jobs from Detroit to Dallas, Texas. VOA's Barry Wood, recently in Detroit, files this report on the tough times facing the U.S. automotive capital.
• UN Envoy Raises New Alarm Over Southern Darfur The UN special envoy to Sudan, Jan Eliasson, briefed the Security Council Tuesday on the situation in Darfur. As VOA correspondent Barbara Schoetzau reports from New York, the former General Assembly president voiced new concerns about fighting in the south.
• US to Review 14 New Guantanamo Detainees, Agrees to Transfer 55 Others The U.S. military will begin hearings at Guantanamo Friday to formally determine whether 14 particularly well-known detainees are 'enemy combatants.' The 14 men arrived at the facility in September from secret U.S. prisons elsewhere. The defense department also announced Tuesday that an additional 55 Guantanamo detainees have been approved for transfer to other countries. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.
• Key Lawmaker Seeks More Congressional Pressure on Iran A prominent House of Representatives lawmaker is proposing legislation to step up economic pressure on Iran over its nuclear ambitions. Tom Lantos, head of the Foreign Affairs Committee, detailed his plans in a hearing [Tuesday] at which a State Department official said the United States is pursuing multiple avenues, including action at the United Nations, to resolve the issue. VOA's Dan Robinson has this report.
• Controversial French Sociologist and Philosopher Jean Baudrillard Dead at 77 Controversial French sociologist and philosopher, Jean Baudrillard, known for his fierce criticism of consumerism and excess, has died in Paris after a long illness at the age of 77.
• Asian Stocks Open Mixed Asian stocks have opened with mixed results in early trading - as investors try to recover from last week's big sell-off in world markets.
• US Says North Korea Nuclear Talks 'On Track' The top American negotiator in two days of talks with North Korea says both sides believe efforts to normalize relations are on the right track. VOA's Peter Heinlein reports from New York.
• Peru Prisons Chief Resigns The chief of Peru's prisons has resigned after newspaper allegations that he betrayed the identities of two undercover agents working for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.