News for Monday, March 12, 2007
• Mauritania Holds Landmark Presidential Election Mauritanians have voted in a landmark presidential election that will hand over power from military to civilian rule.
• UN's Chief Nuclear Inspector Says North Korea Process is Complex Job The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, is on his way to North Korea to try to convince the North to allow his inspectors back into the country. VOA's Luis Ramirez reports from Beijing, where IAEA head Mohamed Elbaradei stopped Monday en route to Pyongyang.
• Australian Government Approves Sale of Qantas Australia's government has cleared the way for the sale to an international group of the country's flag carrier, Qantas Airways, while Hong Kong's Cathay Pacific Airways has posted a better-than-expected rise in annual net profits. Claudia Blume has more on these and other Asian business stories from VOA's Asia News Center in Hong Kong.
• UN Team Says Sudan is Orchestrating Crimes in Darfur A U.N. human rights team is accusing Sudan's government of direct involvement with war crimes in Darfur.
• NHL: Bruins Trounce Red Wings, Snap Losing Streak In the National Hockey League, the Boston Bruins snapped a three-game losing streak with an impressive 6-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings Sunday.
• Indonesian Woman Hospitalized With Bird Flu Indonesian health officials say a woman has been hospitalized in Surabaya with bird flu.
• Solana Begins Mideast Tour Focusing on Lebanon European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana has started a Middle East tour focused on easing political tensions in Lebanon.
• NATO Chief Warns US Missile Defense Plan Could Divide Alliance NATO's secretary general says a proposed U.S. missile defense system in Europe risks splitting the alliance between those countries it would fully protect and those left vulnerable to threats.
• Tens of Thousands Flee Homes as Sri Lanka Fighting Escalates International relief organizations in Sri Lanka say there has been a massive influx of refugees in the east of the country, as fighting escalates between the army and Tamil rebels. From VOA's South Asia Bureau in New Delhi, Anjana Pasricha has this report.
• Blige, Foxx, Hudson Among Big Winners at Soul Train Awards Mary J. Blige, Jamie Foxx, and Jennifer Hudson were among the winners at the 21st annual Soul Train Music Awards, held March 10 in Pasadena, California. Mary J. Blige took the Best Female Album award for The Breakthrough, while Jamie Foxx brought home Best Male Album honors for Unpredictable. Former American Idol castoff Jennifer Hudson continued her Cinderella story, winning the Entertainer Of The Year award for her supporting role in the movie Dreamgirls. She also received an Academy Award and an NAACP Image Award for her role.
• California Brush Fire Forces Evacuation of 500 Homes A fast-moving brush fire in southern California, on the U.S. West Coast, has forced the evacuation of more than 500 homes and burned 2,000 acres of parched hillside.
• French Prime Minister Villepin Endorses Sarkozy For President French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has announced he is formally endorsing the presidential bid of his longtime rival, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy.
• Pakistani Lawyers Protest Dismissal of Chief Judge Pakistani lawyers have held angry demonstrations throughout the country to protest President Pervez Musharraf's removal of the Supreme Court's chief justice. As VOA's Benjamin Sand reports from Islamabad, the judge's supporters accuse the president of trying to silence one of the government's toughest critics.
• Bush in Guatemala to Discuss Trade, Immigration Issues U.S. President Bush is in Guatemala for talks on immigration and trade issues as he continues his week-long tour of Latin America.
• Boston Rock Band Musician Delp Found Dead Brad Delp was found dead March 9, at his home in the northeastern state of New Hampshire.
• Jolie Says Years as UN Humanitarian Ambassador Were 'Tearful' Angelina Jolie says she cried constantly during the first two years of her stint as a humanitarian ambassador for the United Nations.
• Israeli Foreign Minister in Washington for Talks on Arab Peace Plan Israel's foreign minister Tzipi Livni is in Washington for talks with U.S. officials on the Arab peace initiative.
• Fiji Police to Question Deposed PM Over Treason Allegations Authorities in Fiji say police will question the deposed prime minister this week about allegations he committed treason before the coup that pushed him from power.
• Boxing: IBA Revokes Agreement with Moscow The International Boxing Association has decided to revoke its agreement allowing Moscow to serve as the host of the World Boxing championships this September.
• Oil Services Company Halliburton Moves HQ to Dubai The world's second-largest oilfield-services company, Halliburton, is moving its headquarters from the U.S. state of Texas to Dubai.
• Alleged 9/11 Mastermind Gets Guantanamo Hearing The U.S. Defense Department says it held hearings on Friday and Saturday at the Guantanamo Bay detention center for three of the most notorious terrorism suspects it is holding, including the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks. VOA's Al Pessin reports from the Pentagon.
• Family of Former Iranian Official Denies He Defected The family of a former Iranian defense official has denied that he defected to the West.
• Russia: Launch of Iran's Nuclear Plant Delayed The state-run Russian company building Iran's nuclear power station says the launch date has been postponed because of Iran's payment delays.
• Ugandan Lawyers Begin Strike To Protest Storming of High Court Lawyers in Uganda Monday began a three-day strike to protest what they say is government interference in the judiciary. The strike follows similar action taken by judges last week to condemn the recent storming of the high court by security agents. Cathy Majtenyi reports for VOA from Nairobi.
• Ethiopian Prime Minister Says Officials Have 'Good Idea' Where Hostages Are Ethiopia's prime minister says authorities have a fairly "good idea" where a group of kidnapped Europeans and Ethiopians are being held.
• Dozens of Anti-Government Activists Detained, Beaten in Zimbabwe In Zimbabwe, dozens of anti-government activists have been jailed and beaten following a police crackdown on an attempted gathering Sunday in which one protester was shot dead. Lawyers for the activists say they have been denied access to their clients. Correspondent Scott Bobb reports from our southern Africa bureau in Johannesburg.
• US 'Shocked' Over Zimbabwe Political Violence The U.S. State Department is expressing shock over police violence Sunday against leaders of the political opposition in Zimbabwe. It urged the release of detained opposition leaders as quickly as possible. VOA's David Gollust reports from the State Department.
• 'GAP' Says Toxic Pesticides a Main Health and Safety Concern This is the third in a series of five reports on Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) in Africa. GAP is a product of many institutions involved in agricultural interests. It’s used to increase farm productivity, improve quality and expand markets. This report is on the health and safety aspects, primarily of farm workers. Voice of America's Cole Mallard reports.
• James Brown's Body Placed in South Carolina Crypt James Brown's body was placed in a crypt March 10 at the Beech Island, South Carolina home of one of his daughters. The soul great's friends and family sang and released white balloons at the ceremony, presided over by the Rev. Al Sharpton.
• Bloody Epic '300' Tops US Box Office Sales 300" hspace=2 src="/english/images/300_dominic_West_scene_warner_bros_210.jpg" width=210 vspace=2 border=0> Here come the Spartans: the bloody epic 300 easily conquered U.S. box offices, grossing more than $70 million in its opening weekend.
• UN Team Accuses Sudan of Darfur War Crimes A U.N. human rights team has accused Sudan's government of orchestrating war crimes in Darfur, and blocking international attempts to intervene. VOA's Peter Heinlein reports from U.N. headquarters in New York.
• Business Economists See Increasing Risk of US Recession A growing number of leading business economists believe the U.S. economy may be heading for a recession. VOA's Barry Wood reports from a meeting of the National Association of Business Economics in Washington.
• EU Says Restarting Bulgarian Nuclear Reactors 'Out of the Question' The European Union's top official for Bulgaria says reopening two shuttered Bulgarian nuclear reactors is "out of the question."