News for Saturday, March 10, 2007
• US Court Says Parts of DC Gun Law Unconstitutional No summary available.
• Militants in Iraq Threaten Hostages, Demand German Troop Withdrawal from Afghanistan A militant group in Iraq has threatened to kill a captive German woman and her son unless Germany withdraws its troops from Afghanistan within 10 days.
• Bush Discusses Trade with Uruguayan President President Bush is discussing trade issues Saturday morning with his Uruguayan counterpart on the second leg of his five-nation Latin American tour.
• Burgeoning Consumer Societies Create Waste Disposal Problems in Asia's Cities Asia's rapid economic development has led to rising incomes and western-style consumption patterns, particularly in the region's urban centers. One result is that mountains of waste, from plastic bags to discarded mobile phones, are threatening to overwhelm some of Asia's cities. Claudia Blume reports from VOA's Asia News Center in Hong Kong.
• Vietnam Honors Once Banned Writers Four Vietnamese writers who belonged to a dissident intellectual circle in the 1950's, and who were long censored and jailed by the government, have received one of the country's top artistic prizes. Only two of the four, the poets Hoang Cam and Le Dat, are still alive. The awards are an apology of sorts to writers who, despite government hostility, became some of the best-loved figures of 20th century Vietnamese literature. Matt Steinglass reports from Hanoi.
• Ethiopia: Contact Made with Kidnappers of Europeans Ethiopia's foreign minister says his government has been in contact with the kidnappers of five Europeans being held hostage in the Afar region.
• Strait Leads Country Music Award Nominations; FCC Reaches Payola Settlement Deal with 4 Major Radio Broadcast Companies The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will induct its class of 2007 on March 12 during a black-tie ceremony in New York. This year's inductees include the Ronettes, Van Halen, R.E.M, Patti Smith and Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. Artists are eligible for induction to the Rock and Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first recording. Introductions will be handled by Jay-Z (Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five), Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder (R.E.M.), Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards (the Ronettes), Rage Against The Machine singer Zach de la Rocha (Patti Smith) and Velvet Revolver (Van Halen).
• NATO Airstrike Targets Taleban Militant NATO says its forces carried out a precision airstrike Saturday targeting a Taleban militant in southern Afghanistan.
• Bush Says Poverty Causing Latin Americans to Doubt Democracy President Bush has told U.S. citizens that poverty in Latin America has caused some citizens there to question the value of democracy.
• Democrats Criticize White House for Shortfalls in Veterans Care A U.S. congressman in the Democratic Party says the recently unveiled shortfalls in care at a Washington, D.C. military hospital indicate a "catastrophic failure of leadership" by the Bush administration.
• Afghanistan's Lower House of Parliament Approves Revised Amnesty Bill Afghanistan's lower house of parliament has passed a revised version of a resolution that calls for amnesty for Afghans accused of war crimes during more than two decades of conflict.
• NBA: O'Neal Scores Season High Points as Heat Beats Timberwolves Miami star Shaquille O'Neal scored a season-high 32 points to lead the defending champion Heat in a 105-91 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Friday's National Basketball Association play.
• NHL: Dallas Shuts Out Columbus In the National Hockey League Friday, the Dallas Stars shut out the Columbus Blue Jackets 3-0 to snap a four-game losing streak.
• Burma Rejects US Human Rights Report Burma is rejecting a U.S. human rights report that condemns the military-run country's rights record.
• Bush Expresses Confidence in FBI Director After Scandal President Bush has said he has confidence in Robert Mueller, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI, a day after Mueller took responsibility for his agency illegally obtaining private information linked to anti-terrorism investigations.
• Milosevic Faithful Mark First Anniversary of His Death No summary available.
• Zimbabwe Police Vow to Stop Opposition Rally Zimbabwe police say they will break up an opposition rally planned for Sunday, which they say, would violate the government ban on protests.
• Fugitive Terrorist Leader Bin Laden Turns 50 The man whom U.S. authorities most want to capture or kill, al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, has turned 50, if the reclusive terrorist is still alive.
• Mogadishu Gunbattle Kills One Policeman Witnesses in Somalia's capital say a gunbattle involving Somali security forces has left at least one policemen dead and another wounded.
• Italian Officials Say Kidnapped Journalist is Alive Italy's government says an Italian journalist kidnapped in Afghanistan several days ago is still alive.